CLEVELAND - According to coach John Brown, the White County High baseball program has never won a region championship, nor advanced past the first round of the state playoffs.

Those two facts that might just change this season.

Led by a dominating pitching duo, solid defense, and a top-to-bottom reliability in the batting order, the Warriors (14-3, 13-3 Region 8-AAA) are in first place in the region. White County defeated Gainesville, Johnson and Chestatee last week to grab a half-game lead on North Hall and the Red Elephants for the top spot.

Senior pitcher David Sosebee (6-0) led the way in the first two games last week, hitting a grand slam in the fourth inning against Gainesville on April 4 to give the Warriors a 7-4 lead - they eventually won 9-6 - and earning a one-hit, 10 strikeout, 11-0 victory over Johnson on Wednesday.

For his efforts, Sosebee is The Times Athlete of the Week.

Going into Monday night's game with Stephens County, Sosebee had compiled a 0.21 earned run average in 34 innings pitched, giving up just one earned run, 13 walks and 15 hits, while striking out 56 batters. He's also second on the team in runs scored (24), hits (26) and average (.394), and third in RBIs (17). Such numbers are why the senior is committed to play for Georgia next season.

But before heading to Athens in the fall, Sosebee is focused on leading White County deeper into the state playoffs than it's ever been.

"That's the goal," Sosebee said. "I mean you want to keep going and winning, you don't want to stop after the first round, but right now, the goal is to win region and win the first round."

To do that, White County will also have to rely on the other half of its senior pitching duo, Luke Crumley.

Crumley, who is also committed to Georgia, is only 1-0 this season, but has started six games and recorded 51 strikeouts in a little less than 31 innings. Crumley has also been productive from the plate, accounting for 19 runs, 16 hits, five home runs and 15 RBIs. He also leads the team in walks, the majority of them intentional, with 14.

"He's a big part of things for us," Sosebee said of Crumley. "Everyone is important, everything involves a team effort, and everybody will have to contribute for us to go as far as we want to."

Despite surrendering four home runs on Monday, Crumley still struck out 14 batters and earned the win against Gainesville, helped out by Sosebee's fourth-inning blast. Crumley answered with a grand slam of his own against Johnson on Wednesday, during Sosebee's one-hitter.

That type of dual production from each player is going to be instrumental for Brown, if he wants to lead the Warriors deep into the state playoffs.

That's not to say the coach is giving any deep thought to the playoffs just yet; a veteran coach like Brown knows that anything can happen with so much of the season left.

"Some folks in the region have eight or nine games left to play," Brown said. "And a lot can happen in that time."

While White County, Gainesville and North Hall have been fighting for first place in the region for the past few weeks, Brown cautions against overlooking other teams in Region 8-AAA.

"Franklin County is on a tear right now. They're playing really good ball," Brown said. "Then you have Oconee County, Walnut Grove, Lumpkin County - all of those teams can beat you any given night and can make a run before the season is done.

"We've got a long way to go and just have to focus on winning each game, not what may come in the future."

White County visits Walnut Grove at 5:55 p.m. Wednesday, and is off Friday.