Early in the season, Fort White baseball wasn't concerned with finding its way to Fort Myers for the Class 1A FHSAA Final Four.
Instead, the Indians (16-6)were focused on finding their second win of the season.
After opening the season with a 6-0 win over Trenton on Feb. 22, Fort White lost four straight contests.
"We had a come-to-Jesus meeting about where we needed to get to if we wanted to continue to play good baseball throughout the season," Fort White head coach Rick Julius said. "And after that come-to-Jesus meeting, we won 12 in a row and that kind ofturned us around and got our confidence level back up."
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In that 12-game stretch, the Indians outscored opponents 93-24, which comes of little surprise from a senior-laden group that boasts a trio of players in its regular lineup that is hitting .300 or above.
While its offense can pull its own weight, Julius says it's been pitching that has led the Indians to a successful campaign. And that all starts with senior ace, Jonathan Fischer.
Fischer has pitched a team-leading 49.2 innings through the season, struck out 42 batters and given up just nine walks and seven earned runs.
As one of the team's leaders, Fischer remembers that early meeting very well.
"A lot of it was just talking about mental fortitude," Fischer said. "Big key word was just 'grit' and having the persistence to stay within and finish out games."
In the Indians' four-game skid to start the season, two were lost via a walk-off run in the final inning. But recently, the Indians have been on the giving end of heartbreakers.
Indians top Union County and Lafayette on way to Fort Myers
Fort White fell to Union County 6-3 in the district championship on May 4. And as fate would have it, the Indians were paired with the Fightin' Tigers in the opening round of the playoffs in a win-or-go-home rematch.
In a game that required an extra inning, Fort Whitetopped Union County 4-2 to keep its season alive and make a trip to Mayo to battle Lafayette in the Region 3-1A final.
After falling behind 2-0 to the Hornets, who spent much of the season ranked as the top team in Class 1A, the Indians battled back to take the game 3-2, punching their ticket to the state semifinal at Hammond Stadium inFort Myers on Wednesday night.
"We've been playing in, what a lot of people would consider, backwater towns," Fischer said. "I think a big part of it will be just trying to remember everything that led up to this point. Just because we're playing in a big stadium doesn't we're going to have to be playing any different."
After being reseeded for the final four, Fort White drew the No. 3 seed, pairing the Indians up with second-seeded Holmes County, which boasts a standout in senior shortstop Colby Jones, who is averaging .518 from the plate.
"Everything revolves around him," Julius said of Jones. "But we're not going to see anything we haven't seen all year, so that gives you confidence."
Fort White and Holmes County (22-7) are set to battle for a championship berth at 7.
Dixie County looks to add to historic season
Dixie County baseball has never been in the same situation it's in now.
With a 9-1 win over Chiefland on Saturday in the Region 4-Class 1A championship, the Bears (13-9) captured their first region title in program history, earning their firststate semifinal berth.
After losing to defending state champion Newberry in the district title back on May 5, Dixie County has been on a tear that has featured back-to-back lopsided wins.
In their opening pair of playoff games, the Bears have outscored their opponents 16-1.
Looking at Dixie County's recent success, it's hard not to look at senior Carson St. Laurent, who has come through for the Bears in more ways than one.
St. Laurent leads Dixie County in both of the sport's biggest categories: batting average and ERA.
In the Bears' recent games, St. Laurent (.452) has found his place in the heart of the lineup, batting in the four-hole behind three sluggers who are all batting above .300.
From the hill, St. Laurent has been just as efficient for Dixie County.
Having gotten the nod in each of the Bears' last two contests, St. Laurent has seen a combined 11.2 innings of action that has seen him give up six hits, three walks and just one earned run.Through 41.1 innings this season, St. Laurent has maintained a sub-1 ERA at 0.85.
The Bears and their ace will look to keep stride in Fort Myers Wednesdayafternoon as they take on the top-seeded Bozeman Bucks (24-4)at 4 p.m.
