Unfinished business: Calvary Day Baseball hits road to Rome, feel prepared for 3A state championship series

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – Calvary Day is doing something this weekend that the school has waited nearly 20 years for.

After a regular season that ended in a region title, the Cavaliers swept their way through the first three rounds of the state tournament. There was some adversity in the final four, something the program hadn’t dealt with in a while. At the end of it all, Calvary Day is playing for a state baseball championship.

“It’s a unified group,” said Calvary Day head coach Phillip Lee. “They’re a bunch of brothers that are competing together everyday. It’s cool to see the rest of the folks come on board around here.”

It’s been a storyline all season long – the baseball brotherhood at Calvary Day.

“I mean we’re all playing for each other at this point. It’s a team effort, it’s not just one person,” said senior Brooks Phillips.

The group’s strong ties led them to the title series, but it hasn’t come without its turmoil over the years.

Phillips added, “Past three years, we’ve never been this far. Last year’s sweet 16, that was a heartbreaker because we thought we had something then.”

It was a special group, but the extra year of maturity proved to make the Cavaliers a powerhouse in 2024. Calvary Day swept the first three rounds of the playoffs, before hitting a road block in game one of the final four.

“We hadn’t lost a game at home in over a year at that point, so losing that first game it really woke us up and gave us a sense of urgency knowing that our season could be over,” Brian Lowry, a senior and pitcher at Calvary Day, said.

The Cavaliers went on to win game two, run-ruling Mary Persons 12-1. Game three on Saturday came just hours after Calvary Day’s graduation. The five seniors weren’t going to let it be there last day as a Cavalier.

Lee said, “Seeing those five seniors early that day, I knew they were locked in from the get-go. Yeah they had some big things going on with graduation and family in town and stuff, you could just see their focus level was on another level.”

They got the job done, earning Calvary Day’s first championship appearance since 2007. Their opponent is the reigning 3A champion Harlem Bulldogs, ranked top-15 nationally.

“If we want to win, we have to play Calvary Baseball,” Phillips said. “We can’t let them control how we feel with our emotions. We have to go out there, get after it, and just want it more.”

“We were just talking, there are things you’re going to be able to control in this, and things you can’t control,” Lee said, who is a Calvary Day graduate. “We talked about it all year long, back to the process, going back to the prep work, that’s what got us here and that’s what we’re going to continue to focus on.”

Harlem will be their toughest test yet. Regardless of outcome, this Calvary Day team’s impact will be remembered for a long time, and it came from a baseball brotherhood.

“I love and I appreciate everything they’ve meant to me personally, but more importantly this school, this program, and each other. It’s a group that’s left a legacy on this campus. I just appreciate them being those guys for us all year long,” Lee said.

The best-of-three versus Harlem begins Friday at 5 p.m. Harlem is the reigning champion, so the Cavaliers will look to unseat the Bulldogs.

WTOC’s Rachel West will be in Rome. Come back to WTOC.com and check in on air Friday and Saturday for full coverage.

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