CLASS 1 SEMIFINALS: Eagles search for elusive state title

ORAN -- If Oran head coach Mitch Wood does call it a career after the current season, as he has already stated, the long time Eagles skipper is trying to go out in style.

Still without an elusive state title after leading Oran to nine final fours in his run with the program, Wood will get one last chance this week during his 10th trip when the Class 1 championship tournament concludes in O'Fallon.

"It definitely makes it a little more special and a little more nerve-wracking at the same time," Wood said of making back to the final four. "A different pressure and a different feeling it feels like."

If Oran (20-5) wants to make its way to the title game it'll have to go through a familiar foe from last season as they face the Sturgeon Bulldogs (15-1) in the semifinals.

It was Sturgeon who the Eagles took down 9-1 in last year's third place game, which gave Oran its second-straight third place finish in state.

Though it was only last season that they played the Bulldogs, Wood conceded this could be an entirely different type of team than the one they saw a year prior.

"I feel like at least we're going to know a little bit of something about them," Wood said. "But like us, we lost some key players and three good sticks. So we're kind of a different team also so I'm sure they're going to be the same way.

"It sounds like they have a pretty good little pitcher."

As far as the Eagles' pitching front, all their arms appear to be healthy and ready to go. Much like the regular season, and so far in the playoffs, it's expected that senior Kody Moore and junior Seth Ressel will carry the load for Oran as they get set for their final two games.

It was Moore who pitched the Eagles to a 9-1 win over Naylor while Ressel earned the decision in Monday's 5-1 sectional win over Cooter.

On Sturgeon's side of the bracket, the Bulldogs appear to have had equally good luck with pitching as they defeated La Plata 10-0 in sectionals before holding off New Franklin, 3-2, in the quarterfinals.

While Moore and Ressel expect plenty of work, Wood isn't scared to go deeper into his rotation.

"We've had to use (Moore and Ressel) a whole lot in the last two weeks and they've done a good job," Wood said. "We had two or three other kids as well that I definitely feel confident with to bring them in and that they could do the job."

Oran and Sturgeon will face off at 3 p.m. Monday at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon. If they can get past the Bulldogs they'll play the winner of the Dadeville/Sante Fe semifinal for championship Tuesday at 1 p.m.

If the Eagles lose on Monday they'll play for third-place on Tuesday at 10 a.m.

On going out with a state title Wood said, "It'd mean a lot. It would mean everything to the community, to the kids and I'd be lying if I said it didn't something to me, because it does mean something.

"It'd be a big bang for sure and something I think our whole program deserves."

Even if they don't capture the first title in school history this week, Wood added that it's been a fun ride this season with a memorable group of kids.

"I'm just tickled to death with everyone as far as getting there," Wood said. "This bunch has done a lot of things at Oran that hadn't been done. They went to a basketball final four and went to a baseball final four in the same year, which is very hard to do.

"This is the third final four in a row as well and you don't see that happen a whole lot either. So these kids have done a tremendous job of putting themselves in a situation to do great things."