Pirates, Hurricanes surprise

Mention South Pittsburg and the first reference most will recall is the town's annual Cornbread Festival. Those with at least some knowledge of high school sports immediately think fall and football and the dominance the Pirates have enjoyed in small-school circles.

Very few will remember that South Pittsburg at one time possessed a fairly rich baseball tradition that includes a state championship in 1996.

The school's last trip to a region baseball tournament was 2000. Even as recently as two years ago, the Pirates won just four games. Last year, though, they won 24 before getting upset by Signal Mountain in the district tournament.

"I'm sure people outside the program are surprised," Pirates coach Wes Stone said. "It isn't a surprise to our kids, though. Even though we're extremely young, they felt they could compete with other teams in the district."

That includes perennial dominators Lookout Valley and Marion County, the former this year's district tournament winner and the latter a two-game-series winner over the Pirates in the regular season.

"We used Signal Mountain last year as an example," Stone said. "We found out what can happen last year. It isn't how you play early but how you're playing late."

South Pittsburg eliminated Marion County from the district tournament before falling to Lookout Valley. The win over Marion put the Pirates in a Region 3-A semifinal opposite Boyd-Buchanan on Monday.

"We're trying to take baby steps," said Stone, who usually starts three juniors, five sophomores and a freshman. "We're playing a team that could probably start nine seniors. We're going to be loose. There isn't much pressure on us because so many of our guys are youngsters."

While South Pittsburg plays at Boyd-Buchanan, Lookout Valley will be at home against Grace Academy with an eye on the Pirates against the Bucs.

"About three weeks ago when we saw the way the (district) bracket was forming, it looked like we were going to get them in the first round of double-elimination," Lookout Valley coach David Dinger said. "They're young and very talented, and they are for real."

The two played only once in the regular season with Lookout Valley taking a 4-3 win, "and it was down to the last pitch of the last out," Dinger said.

Few expected South Pittsburg to advance to the region, but even fewer thought much of first-year East Hamilton's chances to advance to the Region 3-AA tournament.

"We're a band of gypsies and freshmen," said East Hamilton coach Steve Garland, who is building a program with players previously at 12 other schools.

There were very few expectations on the Hurricanes, who were in District 6 with the likes of Red Bank, Central and Hixson. East Hamilton advanced to its region semifinal at Polk County with two wins over Central, which swept the teams' two-game regular-season series.

"You want to build the program, but I didn't really know what to expect," Garland said. "I knew I would sacrifice short-term success for a solid foundation. There was some 'getting to know each other' and parents and players getting to know my expectations. We were going to do things the right way, and if we had some success then well and good."

Garland believes there is a difference in goals and expectations.

"The goal is to max out. We were probably a long shot to get out of the district, but I felt we had a chance even before we played a game," he said. "It took a concerted buy-in by all the guys for us to be competitive. You have to give them and their parents credit for buying into and putting up with my different way of doing things."

Both coaches also gave props to their assistant coaches -- Brian Paris and J.J. Gatlin at South Pittsburg and Adam Howard, Scott Moore, Matt Hicks and Brad Loy at East Hamilton.

Winners on Monday advance to region finals Wednesday. The winner in each of those games will host sectional games Friday, while the losers will travel.