Veteran Heartbeat: Oak Grove pumps out fifth consecutive state title on shoulders of seniors
by William Weathers // GeauxPreps.com Contributor
With Oak Grove attempting to remain atop the Division IV non-select mountain, coach Ty Rollinson believed it would require a steeper climb.
With some of the state’s top players returning to their respective teams, coupled with a competitive district, the Tigers’ quest for a fifth straight state championship had the potential to be the most challenging yet.
“I said early this was going to be one of the tougher years in our division because I thought it was deeper,” said Rollinson, who completed his 12th season. “In a one-game set, and (if) our bats are cold and not doing things right, and some of those pitchers are on, that could get us. But I had a good feeling just because of the experience we had. With the way the kids play the game and the way they prepare, and they had done it before. That matters more than anything.”
Oak Grove (18-12) became the first school since Parkview Baptist (2002-06) to win five consecutive state titles when the top-seeded Tigers run-ruled second-seeded Welsh 10-0 in the title game Thursday at McMurry Park in Sulphur.
“It’s truly remarkable what these guys have accomplished in a five-year span,” Rollinson said. “People talk about this game as a game of failure because you’re failing more than you’re succeeding and you’re still really good at this game. We flipped that in our program and say it’s a game of opportunity.
“The failure in this game gives you an opportunity to learn from that,” Rollinson said. “It gives you an opportunity to get better from that and gives you a way to be successful. You have to look at it as an opportunity to learn and grow, get better, and find a way to succeed at all costs.”
Oak Grove’s postseason path included a pair of mercy-rule conquests over No. 16 Lake Arthur (15-2) and No. 9 Montgomery (10-0). District 2-5A rival, No. 4 Mangham, provided a stiff test the Tigers passed, 4-2, before winning the final in six innings.
“Carson Rainwater (DeQuincy), Lane Almond (Mangham), Gage Guidry (Vinton) were all back,” Rollinson said of a group of returning Class 2A first-team All-State selections. “Welsh was also a solid ball club that does all the little things right and plays hard and well coached.
“We had more pitching depth than we ever have,” Rollinson said. “Our top arm in terms of the stuff of anybody on our staff, Brodie Stuart, didn’t pitch on either day (of state tournament). It just didn’t work out. It was a deep division with a lot of good competition and a lot of good baseball, and I think it proved that at the end. We’ve had some pretty tough roads before, and this was one of the tougher roads.”
Senior Seth Ray and Tanner Duff combined on a five-hitter in the team’s semifinal win against Mangham. Ray allowed five hits in four innings, and Duff struck out seven in relief.
Senior Jackson Bradley, a Louisiana Tech football signee and game’s Most Outstanding Player, pitched in his fifth straight championship game. The 6-foot-5, 225-pounder tossed a six-hit shutout and also drove in two runs with a double against Welsh.
Duff homered in his team’s half in the first inning, Gaige Neal added a two-run double in the second, and Oak Grove added three unearned runs in the fifth. The Tigers had four doubles and a homer in the final with eighth-grader James Gregory leading the way with a pair of hits.
“I’m extremely happy for those kids,” Rollinson said of Bradley, Duff, and Ray, who started as eighth-graders. “For those guys to give so much to our program as they have, and for them to get the glory of the individual satisfaction, the individual accomplishment at the end. That’s what it’s about for me.
“In my profession, it’s about the kids and them enjoying it and having a blast and having all the spotlight to be on them,” Rollinson said, the Class 2A Coach of the Year in 2024 and ’21. “They’ve had a great run at this thing, and it finished out about as good as it could for those guys. Our guys really turned it on when it really mattered most. They were rewarded for that in the best way possible.”
During Oak Grove’s recent run of state titles, Rollinson’s long put a premium on veteran leadership. That element was evident once again this season where seven seniors were at the fore of a team that faced another challenging schedule and stood tall at the end.
“That’s how we’ve played it since I’ve been here,” he said. “It changes for us next year because we’ll have a lot of pieces to replace and throw in guys who hadn’t had a lot of playing experience. There’s a lot of young guys that are going to get a lot of playing experience. These are seasoned guys and have played these big schools their whole careers. When they were eighth graders, we had a big senior class. That helped those guys when they were young into what they are now.”
Rollinson pointed to former veterans such as Reid Milligan, Deuce Clement, and Chad Ashburn who laid the foundation for the team’s current leadership group of Bradley, Ray, and Duff to emulate.
The current senior class, led by the current trio of Bradley, Ray and Duff, never lost a playoff game in 18 tries and won five state titles in both Class 1A and Division IV.
“That’s been such a big part of us developing into playing peak baseball at the right time,” Rollinson said. “That’s getting tested early on, playing up in class and maybe taking a few losses and getting punched in the mouths several times and figuring it out.
“It transitions into life,” Rollinson said. “You’re going to go through failure in life. It’s not easy. It’s not all going to be rainbows and roses. Stuff a lot worse than losing a baseball game. You’re talking about life and death and losing family members. How do you bounce back and how do you react and control the controllables? It matters.”
Oak Grove was 3-6 against teams in Classes 4A/5A and stood 8-8 following setbacks to St. Frederick and Jena. There were also losses to Brusly (6-3) and E.D. White (9-0), who are both competing for state championships in Division II non-select and Division II select, respectively, this week.
Oak Grove split games with District 2-2A foes, Ouachita Christian (3-0 loss) and Mangham (3-2 win) and following the loss to Jena, won six of its last nine games in the regular season.
The Tigers captured a second win over eventual Class B state runner-up Family Community and wound up falling 11-4 to OCS, an eventual Division IV select state runner-up, in the District 2-2A tournament final, and 7-3 to Class 5A power West Monroe.
“We like to get tested early so when we’re at the end of this thing we’re playing the best baseball of the season,” Rollinson said.
Oak Grove’s return to the state tournament brought a familiar foe in Mangham, which had recorded a pair of run-rule victories, in the semifinals.
“I was confident in our club but playing Mangham in the quarterfinals is dangerous in a one-game set,” Rollinson said. “I have lots of respect for those guys.”
Ray started his fourth straight state semifinal, opposing Mangham’s ace Lane Almond, before turning it over to Duff, who doubled and homered and drove in three runs, who struck out seven in a rematch of last year’s state title game that the Tigers also won, 10-6.
The team’s deep pitching staff was one of Oak Grove’s pillars of strength this season. The Tigers also had three players batting above .300 on a team with a healthy.322 average.
Four-year starter Luke Simmons, a centerfielder headed to the Naval Academy, led the Tigers with a .384 average, six doubles, two homers, and 25 RBIs. Gregory, an eighth-grade second baseman, (.370, five doubles, 11 RBIs) provided a glimpse of his future potential, with Duff (.364, 12 doubles, 7 homers, 38 RBIs) maintaining his role as one of the team’s key power sources.
Stuart, a shortstop, (.355, 11 doubles, two triples, 15 RBIs, 12 stolen bases), while Ray (.347, 9 doubles, a homer, 30 RBIs) and Bradley (.315, 6 doubles, 19 RBIs) were also key offensive contributors.
The Tigers’ pitching staff, which had a 3.34 ERA, was led by Ray (5-2, 3.31 ERA, 44.1 innings, 43 Ks, 16 BBs) followed by Bradley (4-2, 3.52 ERA, 33.1 innings, 32 Ks, 14 BBs), Duff (3-0, 2.50 ERA, 30.1 innings, 35 Ks, 11 BBs) and Stuart (2-1, 7 saves, 2.99 ERA, 18.2 innings, 32 Ks, 10 BBs).
“In this division, it’s imperative to play defense and throw strikes,” said Rollinson, whose team had a .965 fielding percentage. “If you do that, I think you’ll always have a chance to compete in the end.”
Oak Grove’s recent run of state championships has pushed the school’s total to eight and into a tie for seventh on the all-time list. Only eight schools have double-digit state championships to their credit, including OCS, and the Tigers will try to continue their stretch of success with an opportunity to win their sixth straight title and ninth overall in 2026.
“I think we’ll have another opportunity next year,” Rollinson said. “I’m not saying we will (win it), but at the same time, I like the foundation of where our program is. I know the kids that are returning and the kids that are coming into the program for the first time have a sense of pride in what’s already here and been established.”
Because of the efforts of this year’s senior class, and in particular five-year starters such as Ray, Duff and Bradley, Oak Grove has a blueprint that will be turned over to a new group of players and leaders that will step into key roles in order to keep next year’s team in line with their predecessors.
“They’re going to want to keep this thing going as long as possible,” Rollinson said. “I don’t have any reservations about how these kids are going to come to work and be ready to tackle No. 6. That’s the goal every year, to win it. I think we’ll be very competitive.
“We’ll have a lot of new faces, new roles, and that will be the key thing,” Rollinson said. “Leadership roles were filled for so long with this (senior) group. New guys having to figure that out and be leaders is what kind of always sets you aside in relation to success. Hopefully, those guys do that, and I feel good about where the program is at and down the road for sure.”