BUFORD - In the fall, Buford High senior Josh Heddinger sat in the stands at the Georgia Dome as the football team celebrated another state championship.

"It was tough," he said of skipping the football season because of his baseball scholarship obligation to Georgia Tech. "I had coaches who understood and they kept telling me that since you don't have that football title, then you have to go out there and win (in baseball)."

A few months later, fellow senior Jake Burnette sat on the Buford bench alongside the court at the Macon Centreplex and watched as Greater Atlanta Christian routed the Wolves and celebrated winning the Class AA basketball championship.

"It's made the desire to win even worse," Burnette said. "I've been there and lost and know what that feels like. I don't want that to happen again."

While the two won't be able to avenge missing out on those championships, they will have a chance to take out their frustrations on the Pike County Pirates, their opponent in today's Class AA state baseball title series who knocked them out in the second round of playoffs last year.

"As soon as we saw the bracket come out, we talked about playing Pike," said Burnette, who along with the rest of the Wolves are trying to win the program's first state title since 1977. "We want revenge for what they did last year."
Heddinger, who gave up three home runs to the Pirates in a Game 1 loss last year, is especially determined to get payback.

"It felt the worst," he said. "I looked around and saw the seniors on the ground crying, and there is no way I'm going to let my guys go out like that."

If history is any indication, they won't have to. Since 2002, the Wolves have defeated four of the teams that knocked them out of the playoffs in the previous season.
"Hopefully that trend will continue," Buford coach Tony Wolfe said.

The Wolves (29-3) have steamrolled their way to the state championship, sweeping all four playoff series and outscoring their opponents 82-16.

While that score differential is a result of Buford's potent offense, it's more a product of dominating pitching.

Burnette, who will start Game 2, and Heddinger, who will get the ball if a Game 3 is necessary Monday, are a combined 16-0 with Burnette holding a 1.37 ERA and Heddinger posting a 2.08 ERA. Junior Sam Clay, who will get the start in today's Game 1, is 7-1 and has the team's lowest ERA of 1.59.

"We have three guys with a lot of ability," Wolfe said. "They have played a huge role in our run, and we are going to depend on them to slow down Pike."

The pitching staff will need to continue its dominance today against the Pirates (30-6), who are averaging 9.4 runs per game in the postseason.

"They're sound defensively and on the mound," Wolfe said. "It's certainly going to be a challenge trying to handle their offense too."

Pike County, which needed three games to beat Blessed Trinity and Lovett in the last two rounds, is facing its third straight team from Region 6-AA. According to Wolfe, that is a testament to how difficult that region was this year.

"We feel like it's the best region, at least in the top half, in the state," he said. "Playing in it prepares us well for the playoffs. It gives us a measuring stick, and so far it has served us well."

Despite the challenging opposition, the Wolves cruised to a region title with a 15-1 record, with the only loss came April 15 against Blessed Trinity. Buford hasn't lost since, and it enters today's doubleheader on a 13-game win streak.

That win streak nearly came to an end during Monday's semifinals against Appling County, which held Buford's offense to only two hits in Game 1.

Thanks to some wild pitching by Appling County, the Wolves escaped with a 3-1 win. Wolfe knows his offense can't have a game like that if they want to win a championship.

Offensively, the Wolves are led by junior Troy Herterick, who has a team-best .483 batting average and his 38 runs scored are tied with Mason Gentry for the most on the roster. Gentry, a sophomore, leads the team with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs.

"One key is how we play offensively," Wolfe said. "We have to find a way to score runs."

The Wolves struggled on offense against Pike County last year, as they scored only six runs in the two-game sweep.

"They did a good job at limiting us last year," Wolfe said. "We've got to do a good job on offense and find a way to put pressure on them."

For Buford, that starts with the pitching, but everyone inside the dugout knows he must contribute if the Wolves want to win their first title in 34 years.

"It's a fulfillment of a dream," Wolfe said of playing for a championship after 15 years at the helm of the program. "But it's not about me. It's about these 21 kids, especially the nine seniors who have worked so hard to get to this place."