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Under-Devils hope for upset over Wayne County
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    It’s a new season for the Statesboro baseball team, one that will see them as a dangerous underdog going in to this weekend’s Region 3-AAAA playoff series with No. 1 Wayne County.
    At 10-11, the Blue Devils have struggled with inconsistency during the regular season. Their 1-2 punch 0f Crawford Simmons (0.60 ERA) and Tony Hill (40 strikeouts in 302⁄3 innings) on the mound, however, could make all that obsolete.
    “I feel real good about our chances,” said SHS coach Chris Bishop. “I feel like Tony’s throwing the ball a lot better. The last couple of times he went to the mound he’s thrown the ball real well. With Crawford we can just hold our breath and hope somebody just doesn’t bust out on him.”
    As is the case this time of year, SHS, like lost teams, has wiped the slate clean and will prepare as if it’s going into a new season.
    “That’s the only way you can take it,” said Bishop. “Let’s say we were 21-0 right now — if you don’t win these next two ball games you don’t go to the state playoffs. We’re in the same situation as Greenbrier, as Wayne, we’re all in the same boat.”
    Wayne County (14-6) has won eight of nine and lost one region game this year, a 7-5 loss in eight innings to Effingham County.
    “We’ve watched them play a couple of times,” said Bishop. “Looking at them on the field you might get a different perception about actually how well they play baseball and how aggressive they are. We know we’re going to go in there and get a team that’s kind of a blue-collar type atmosphere and works real hard.”
    The winner of this weekend’s series clinches a berth to the GHSA Class AAAA state tournament and will face the winner of Evans and Glynn Academy on Tuesday.

    Chad Bishop can be reached at (912) 489-9408.