Class 5A baseball: Faith Academy sweeps past American Christian for championship

Faith Academy is back on top. The Rams captured the Class 5A baseball state championship on Friday at Jacksonville State University, completing a gritty comeback to sweep defending champ American Christian Academy.

A Rally for the Title

After being shut out 3-0 in Thursday’s opener, Faith Academy (31-9) faced a must-win situation on Friday. The Rams wasted no time, setting the tone early in both games to secure a 6-1 victory and a decisive 10-2 win in the finale.

"It’s obviously a great feeling," said Faith Academy coach Matt Seymour. "We were put in a bind going down in that first game. But we were put in that situation last week by losing the first game against Briarwood. I told them last night that we were put in that situation last week for today. It helped us."

Power Surge in the Clincher

In the Game 3 victory, the Rams broke the game open early. Brodie Wilson, championship series MVP Collin Hall, and Tucker Richardson powered a three-run first inning. With the game sitting at 3-2 in the fourth, the Rams unleashed a pair of massive home runs to pull away.

Braydon Wright stepped up with two on and launched a 360-foot shot to extend the lead to 6-2. Shortly after, Auburn commit Brodie Wilson crushed a 384-foot homer, pushing the Rams' advantage to 8-2. "Honestly, I just went up there trying to not do too much," Wright said of his blast. "I just got my hands out to the ball. It felt good."

Closing the Door

When the Patriots (37-12) threatened in the sixth inning, Coach Seymour turned to freshman Lathan Boddie. The youngster dominated, retiring the final six batters of the game with surgical precision. "He’s been The Man all year," Seymour said. "He’s got ice water going through his veins."

Defensive Highlights and Early Momentum

Faith Academy’s run to the title was bolstered by a stellar complete-game performance from Christian Freeman in the first game of the day. Freeman struck out five and allowed only seven hits, supported by a sharp defensive effort that included a key double play from Carlos Ortiz and Braydon Wright in the sixth. Despite a highlight-reel wall-crashing catch by American Christian’s Paxton Wolbach, the Rams stayed focused on their goal.

American Christian coach Del Howell acknowledged the difficulty of the day. "We just couldn’t get anything going today," Howell said. "The first inning of the first game hurt us when we gave up four. Yesterday we came through with the chances we had and today we didn’t."

With this sweep, Faith Academy secures its first state title since 2021.