SYLVESTER — Worth County baseball opened a new era Monday night, playing its first official game at the school’s new baseball complex after more than 100 years at Pope Park.
The Rams marked the occasion with a victory over Schley County, powered by senior pitcher Avery Kilcrease’s dominant performance on the mound.
Kilcrease allowed just one infield hit over six innings and struck out 15 batters to lead Worth County to the win in the inaugural game at the state-of-the-art facility.
New facilities highlight investment in athletics
The new complex features top-of-the-line amenities, with additional construction planned in the coming months. A locker room and cage facility will complete the project.
The baseball team’s new home follows the football team’s recent championship season after receiving their new fieldhouse.
Kilcrease dominates on the mound
The shorthanded Schley County Wildcats had little answer for Kilcrease’s right arm. The senior standout started the 2026 season strong, limiting the visitors to minimal offensive production.
Schley County’s defense kept them competitive, with Jacob Little making a pick-off play to get Colby Griffis sliding into third base.
Worth County needed little offensive support. With a runner on second base, Lyndon Worthy shot a ball the opposite way, allowing Hayden Short to slide home for the first run scored at the new field.
Two passed balls accounted for the Rams’ other two runs in the low-scoring contest.
“Our community and our Board of Education, our superintendent, CFO, and everybody that’s involved, we’ve been planning for this for a long time,” the Worth County coach Will Smith said. “To see it happen and to get on it, I told the officials who’s been doing it for 30 years, and I’ve been doing it for 30 years, and I was like, God, I feel like it’s game one of my career. I’m nervous. I’m excited.”
The coach praised Kilcrease’s leadership role on the team.
“He’s our leader,” the coach said. “When he takes the ball, everybody has confidence behind him. They’re ready to play defense. They know they can go at the plate and be aggressive because he’s going to keep the other team from scoring a lot.”
Kilcrease, a two-time All-State player and region player of the year, said the performance meant a lot to him.
“It was great. It really means a lot. But I just give all the glory to God,” Kilcrease said.
The senior pitcher emphasized his leadership role with younger players.
“I kind of just wanted to be a leader for them, help them out whenever they mess up, you know, practice, you know, help them with hitting, pitching, anything I can kind of help them with,” Kilcrease said.
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