Lee County’s baseball season reaches critical point

LEESBURG — Right in the heart of a quest for a third straight region championship, Lee County’s baseball program took time out Thursday to celebrate some collegiate signings.

The Trojans are at an important point of the season. With five games remaining, they lead GHSA Region 1-6A by two games in the loss column over Houston County and Valdosta, with a doubleheader with Coffee and a three-game set with Valdosta to go.

For an hour Thursday morning, however, the focus was on four players firming up next-level plans.

Four Lee County players signed with collegiate programs Thursday, with three going to the NCAA Division II level and one joining a junior college program in Florida.

Catcher Garrett Suiter signed with Peach Belt Conference member Augusta University, while infielder Jonathan Logsdon signed with Santa Fe College, located in Gainesville, Florida. A pair of pitchers, Layne Wiard and Reid Hanson, signed with Albany State.

“These guys have been amazing for us,” Lee County head coach Brandon Brock said. “Garrett Suiter and Jonathan Logsdon, those guys have started for three years. We’re excited. Augusta State is getting a great one, and Santa Fe is, too. Those guys are going to play as long as they want to, for sure.

“Our two pitchers, Reid Hanson and Layne Wiard, they’ve been in our top three in the pitching rotation for two years now. The number of wins and the number of innings they’ve given us, they’ve probably thrown 50 percent of innings for two seasons.”

Suiter is batting .324 with 22 hits, 12 RBI and eight doubles. Logsdon is batting .227 with 19 runs scored, 17 hits, 16 RBI and five doubles.

Hanson is 5-0 with a 0.65 ERA in seven appearances, while Wiard is 4-3 with a 4.00 ERA, also in seven outings. Hanson has struck out 21 and walked seven in 21-2/3 innings pitched, while Wiard has struck out 31 and walked 21 in 35 innings.

Those four helped the Trojans win back-to-back Region 1-6A titles, as well as helped drive a run to the Class 6A championship series last season.

“I feel like these guys could go play for them today, if they could,” Brock said. “I don’t see many people being able to top Garrett Suiter behind the plate or Jonathan Logsdon at third or short or Hanson or Wiard on the mound. I see them playing immediately.”

Currently 18-6, 6-1 in region play and fourth in the Score Atlanta Class 6A rankings, Lee County has a home doubleheader tonight against Coffee that could give Lee County some breathing room heading into the final week of the regular season.

A Lee County sweep tonight would preserve the Trojans’ two-game edge in the loss column. Houston County (7-3 in region) closes out region play tonight at Northside-Warner Robins, while Valdosta (6-3 in region) only has next week’s series with Lee County remaining.

Valdosta visits Leesburg on Tuesday for a single game, with the two teams closing out regular-season region play with an April 20 doubleheader in Valdosta.

Lee County did have some trouble in Tuesday’s series opener at Coffee (7-15, 1-6 region). Lee County trailed by a run heading into the seventh inning, scoring three in the top of the seventh to pull out a 4-2 victory.

“We just can’t overlook Coffee,” Brock said. “They gave us all we wanted. Luckily we topped them in the top of the seventh, and we caught some breaks. It takes that sometimes. We cannot overlook anybody. Every region win is important.”