The Savannah Jaguars had been outscored 52-23 in losing three of four regular-season baseball games to the Augusta Eagles -- who averaged a 10-run margin in the victories.
Yet when the host Jaguars faced the Eagles in the Tri-State Independent League’s Coastal Division tournament last weekend, the Savannah Athletic Association squad of mostly homeschooled student-athletes didn’t let that matter.
“As demoralizing as it is in the moment, it didn’t get to us come playoff time,” Jaguars head coach Elias Macias said of the losses in March.
“Our guys never gave up on themselves, never believed that they were the worse team. We always feel like we can win any game.”
Savannah did just that, marching through the double-elimination tournament by downing Providence Athletic Club 11-6 in the opener, then edging Augusta 2-1 before their rematch in Saturday’s championship game at L. Scott Stell Park.
The Eagles went up 3-0 in the first inning, then the Jaguars scored seven unanswered runs, including a homer from leadoff batter and winning pitcher Rafael La Sorsa, for a 7-3 victory and the region title.
Savannah (22-14) advanced to the Tri-State League’s championship series against the Mountain Division champion Greenville (S.C.) Hurricanes at Bray Park in Cayce, S.C., near Columbia. The best-of-three series opens Friday, May 1, with a doubleheader at 5 p.m., with the third game, if necessary, at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Greenville (17-7) has outscored opponents 213-120, has a team batting average of .348, a .488 on-base percentage, and a .467 slugging percentage. A lot of that is due to seniors Richard Jacobs III (.479 BA, 5 HRs, 37 RBIs, 18 walks, 3 strikeouts) and Drake Martin (.408, two, 13, 19, 7).
“We have never played them before,” Macias said of Greenville. “I know they’re the reigning champions. They’ve got a pretty good team themselves. They’ve got nine seniors, five of them are going on scholarship to play ball, two of them are walking on (to college teams). So our league’s got some talent.”
The Jaguars have talent, too, including senior La Sorsa, a left-hander with a team-best 1.79 ERA, a 6-2 record, one save, and one no-hitter. La Sorsa, who has interest from college programs, has recorded 20 walks and 93 strikeouts in 54 2/3 innings over 13 appearances (10 starts).
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, the pitcher/outfielder has six home runs with 29 RBIs and a .619 slugging percentage.
He is scheduled to start on the mound for one of the games along with Troy Devoe, a junior right-hander. Devoe threw 112 pitches in recording 13 strikeouts and scattering five hits and two walks with one unearned run in 6 2/3 innings of the 2-1 win over Augusta.
Devoe is 5-4 with a 2.09 ERA, one no-hitter, 29 walks, and 84 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings over 12 appearances (11 starts) with two complete games and one shutout.
Also, the starting shortstop, Devoe, leads Jaguars hitters with a .386 batting average. He also has 26 RBIs, 30 runs scored, and a .485 slugging percentage.
Macias and veteran coach Jason Rockwell, listed as director of baseball operations, also will have junior righty Gabe Smith as a starting option for the series. Smith, who earned the win over Providence, is 5-1 with 23 walks and 46 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings over 10 appearances (seven starts). The first baseman is batting .364 with a team-best .545 on-base percentage.
Former Hurricanes now Jaguars
The Jaguars are technically a first-year team, though most of the roster, including head coach Macias, came over from the Coastal Homeschool Hurricanes (not to be confused with Greenville).
Macias, who coached Coastal to a 17-18 mark in 2025 in the Tri-State League, said the separation happened because Coastal Athletics wanted the team to be “strictly homeschool.”
“There’s just not enough homeschoolers in our area to have a competitive (team),” Macias said. “Could we carry some seventh-graders and find a way to make us a homeschool team? Yes. Of course. But we’re not going to be very competitive and it’s not going to be an organization kids want to go to. We opened it up to kids who go to schools that don’t have a baseball team, charter schools that don’t have a baseball team.”
Savannah’s roster has 23 players, including three eighth-graders, and also fields a junior varsity of about 14 that is based on talent level, not year in school.
“Where we are built from and where we are primarily focused is as a ministry. We are a Christian-first organization,” Macias said of the Savannah Jaguars Athletic Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
He said the team has a weekly devotional and conducts pre-game prayers.
That follows the organization’s mission statement, which states that it strives “to cultivate a spirit of excellence, teamwork, and integrity, encouraging each athlete to know Christ both on and off the field of play. Through every practice, game, and interaction, we aim to glorify God through our actions, character, and commitment to one another.”
Macias said that the Jaguars program has provided playing opportunities for some students who needed a second chance.
“We’ve had a few guys in the years past who’ve been kicked off of other teams, kicked out of school, situations like that,” Macias said. “So it’s a lot more than just baseball for us. Obviously, baseball’s an important part of it. I always feel like if you play for the Lord and you play in him, you’re going to play a lot more fearless, a lot more free, a lot more enjoyable. That fits well with our identity of aggressiveness and fearlessness. It all comes back and revolves around our faith.”
That fearlessness manifests in how the Jaguars prowl the basepaths. They’ve stolen 207 bases in 233 attempts in 36 games. Sophomore Noah Dowd is 33-for-35, while senior JW Castongia, who has committed to play in college at Penn State Beaver, is 32-for-35.
Macias said the team’s identity comes in part from understanding its shortage of power hitters and the necessity for “scrappy” play. He wants to put pressure on the opponent and play exciting baseball.
“If you’re being aggressive, having fun and playing loose, you’re just going to play a better brand of ball,” he said. “We steal a lot."
A game before the series
The Jaguars’ solid depth will be tested by their regular-season finale on Thursday at First Preparatory Christian Academy in Hinesville. They weren’t able to reschedule the game.
Macias, who coached FPCA for two seasons, including a 2023 state championship, did not want to cancel and deny the Highlanders a final home game, especially for their seniors. That should make for some interesting moves for the Jaguars’ pitching staff.
“It’s a blessing to have so many strong and consistent, valuable arms,” he said, crediting coach Rockwell.
Macias also said some of the position players, including three starters, will be attending a science symposium on Thursday night, so more playing time will open for others.
Photo credit: Courtesy The Art of Motherhood founded by Megan Myrick
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Team physicians include Dr. Don Aaron (Bryan County), Dr. David Sedory (Benedictine, Bradwell Institute, Liberty County), Dr. David Palmer (Calvary Day, Richmond Hill, South Effingham), and Dr. Thomas Alexander (Savannah Country Day, St. Vincent’s Academy).
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