Prior to Tuesday evening, there was not a single player on Oakton’s baseball team who had experienced playing in a Group AAA state tournament game.
That made the Cougars just as green as their opponent, Matoaca, which had reached the state tournament for the first time as a Group AAA school.
It took half an inning for Oakton to show who was more comfortable after it scored seven runs in the top of the first en route to a decisive 12-6 victory.
“It was important that we not be satisfied with just being in the state tournament,” said senior first baseman Chris Despins, whose team was the Northern Region runner-up. “Everybody says they want to win when they reach this part of the season. But it’s really about which team is mentally tougher and can deal with the pressure. When we scored those runs the anxiety of playing in a game that big just went away.”
Oakton (18-7) is now two wins away from its first state championship since 2000. The Cougars face Eastern Region runner-up First Colonial (22-3) today at noon in a semifinal at Christopher Newport University. Central Region runner-up Monacan (18-7) plays Eastern Region winner Menchville (25-0) in the second semifinal.
Oakton won region and state titles in 2000 under coach Scott Rowland and won the region again in 2001. But despite a gaudy 72-22 record from 2002 to 2005, the Cougars haven’t been back to states until this year, losing three times in the region semifinals by a combined five runs.
“With all the injuries we hadat the beginning of the year and starting out with a 2-4 record, to be honest, I thought it could be a long season,” said Despins, whose team lost starting third baseman Curtis Eward (George Washington) to a shoulder injury before the season even started. “But things came together for us. And we’re still not satisfied.”
Group AAA state tournaments
Baseball
Today at Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Semifinals
Oakton (18-7) vs. First Colonial (22-3), noon
Menchville (25-0) vs. Monacan (18-7), 3 p.m.
Final
Saturday, noon
Soccer
Today at Christopher Newport University, Newport News
Boys semifinals
W.T. Woodson (15-4-1) vs. Gar-Field (19-2), 11 a.m.
Thomas Dale (22-0) vs. North Stafford (19-3), 6 p.m.
Girls semifinals
Lake Braddock (15-5) vs. Kellam (20-2), 1 p.m.
Centreville (18-2-1) vs. Cox (19-1-2), 3 p.m.
Finals on Saturday
Girls, 1 p.m.
Boys, 3 p.m.
Tennis: singles and doubles
Today at Huntington Park Tennis Center, Newport News
Semifinals
Boys and girls singles, 9 a.m.
Boys and girls doubles, 1 p.m.
Finals on Saturday
Boys and girls singles, 9 a.m.
Boys and girls doubles, 1 p.m.
