CHICKAMAUGA, Ga. — When the 2025 prep baseball season began, Gordon Lee coach Mike Dunfee knew he had a good team.
He didn’t, however, believe his team would be undefeated after 21 games.
The latest win, 4-1 Thursday night over Fannin County, was a microcosm of Gordon Lee’s season: strong pitching from a deep staff, production from the top of the order and a confidence throughout the dugout that whoever is on the field will get the job done.
“It’s been a lot of fun this year,” said Dunfee, a three-time championship-winning coach in his 14th season in Chickamauga. “These kids have bought in and a big thing for us is how our young guys from last year, five sophomores and a freshman, have improved after getting a lot of innings a year ago.
“Honestly, we didn’t know what we were going to get, but they’ve accepted their roles and pushed our older group. When you have that kind of competition, it can only help make you better.”
Gordon Lee vs. Fannin County on April 3, 2025
Thursday’s win pushed the Trojans to 13-0 in league play, now four up on Fannin after also winning game one of the series Tuesday, 4-3.
Maybe the biggest thing for Dunfee and his new-look coaching staff was the outing from junior Dustin Day, who had been sidelined with a back issue. He went the first 2 2/3 innings and allowed two hits, no runs and, if healthy, would work with ace Aiden Goodwin to help solidify a strong starting staff for the postseason.
“I wanted to see where he is and I thought he looked good,” Dunfee said. “If we continue to get better, we can be dangerous. Our arms can keep us in games and I like our lineup. We have really good speed and some good pop.”
Part of that young depth, sophomore leadoff hitter Brady Little, started the scoring with a two-out, two-run double in the second inning and helped produce Gordon Lee’s third run in the fourth inning with a bunt single.
“Brady Little is a great example of our young guys coming through,” Dunfee said. “He really didn’t do much last year on jayvee, but he got his chance this year and he’s been really solid for us. He’s a really smart player and a high-competitive guy.”
Another example of the depth showed up in Kaden Ellis, who became a starter when Day was held out. Thursday he followed Day and earned the win with 3 1/3 innings of three-hit relief. Another sophomore, Colt Wood, earned the save with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless pitching, while one of the team’s stars, junior two-sport star Peyton Groce, had a double and solo home run in the fifth to give the Trojans a 4-0 lead.
Ty Thompson had two hits and Jackson Scali an RBI double as the Trojans rapped out nine hits.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.