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WOODVILLE — Approximately 24 hours before celebrating graduation, five members of Wilkinson County Christian Academy’s varsity baseball team had something else to celebrate — being back-to-back MAIS Class 2A South State and State Champions.

Last Thursday on its home field, South State champion WCCA got five-plus strong innings from senior Jacob Sessions as well as major contributions at the plate from fellow seniors Beau Deville and Cole Partridge as the Rams defeated the North State Champion Calhoun Academy Cougars 9-4 in Game 3 of the 2025 MAIS Class 2A State Championship Series to win the series two games to one.

And as head coach Kyle White said after the game, Sessions wanted “vindication” for what happened at the end of Game 2 of the best-of-three series last Tuesday afternoon at Calhoun Academy when he allowed four runs on three hits and three walks as the Cougars rallied to stun the Rams 6-5.

“As a staff, that was our decision. That was a team decision,” White said. “He wanted the ball. He asked for the ball immediately after the end of the game Tuesday.”

White added that the reason the coaching staff allowed Sessions to start was because of the competitor he is while not being 100 percent physically throughout the 2025 season due to lingering injuries, noting, “he gave us the best chance to win.”

After Calhoun Academy jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a pair of base hits, including an RBI single by Layton Logan, in the top of the first inning, Sessions settled down and allowed just two hits and pitched four straight scoreless innings. He was charged with one run after allowing a baserunner in the top of the sixth inning when Deville came on in relief for the final two innings.

Winning pitcher Sessions allowed three runs, two of them earned, on four hits with three strikeouts, four walks, and two hit batters over five-plus innings. Deville allowed just one unearned run, that in the top of the seventh inning, on two hits with two strikeouts and two walks in one and two-thirds innings.

“Beau came in and finished them off,” White said. Deville also made his presence felt at the plate by leading the Rams’ 12-hit barrage by going 3-for-4 with one run batted and three runs scored. His RBI was courtesy of his second double of the game that scored Tucker Freeman during a four-run fourth inning that gave them a 9-4 lead.

Charles Grezaffi led off the bottom of the fourth with a triple and scored on a groundout by Sessions. Wesley Oliveaux singled to right field to score Deville. Courtesy runner Easton Buteaux also scored a run.

WCCA took the lead for good with a three-run rally in the bottom of the second inning. Buteaux walked, Deville singled, Partridge was hit by a pitch, and Wesley Sanchez grounded out to score Buteaux. Grezaffi singled to left field to bring in Partridge and Deville.

The Rams then added two runs in the bottom of the third inning courtesy of an double by Oliveaux down the left field line and a single to left field by Partridge for a 5-1 advantage.

Grezaffi went 2-for-2 with two RBIs, one run scored, and was walked twice. Oliveaux went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and one run scored. Eight of the nine players in the line-up had at least one base hit. And even though Buteaux went 0-for-2, he had a sacrifice fly, was walked once, had RBI, scored one run, and had one stole base.

“Everybody reached base tonight. Having a freshman (Oliveaux) do that for you (drive in two runs) is nice,” White said.

Kaden Denton was charged with the loss after going three-plus innings and allowing six runs, all of them earned, on eight hits with just one strikeout to go with two walks and one hit batter. Caiden Farmer pitched three innings of relief for the Cougars and gave up three runs, none of them earned, on four hits with one strikeout, two walks, and one hit batter. Farmer also went 0-for-4 but got on base once and scored one run.

Carsen Stegall provided much of the hitting and offense for Calhoun Academy as he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. Logan was 2-for-3 with one RBI.

It was the final game for a group of seniors who will be missed by WCCA — pitcher/shortstop/outfielder Sessions, pitcher/first baseman Deville, outfielder/pitcher Partridge, second Nick Darbonne, and third baseman/second baseman Gauge Metz. But what a way it was for them to go out.

With the win, WCCA finished the season with an overall record of 17-11, winning eight of the last nine games. As for what the next two years holds for the Rams, this much is certain — they will be in a new classification in Class 1A, competing in South District 5-1A. But White said he does not know who their district opponents will be for the 2026 and 2027 season.

Joining WCCA in District 5 in most sports, 8-man football being the exception, will be St. Augustine School out of Ridgeland, By Faith Academy in Brookhaven, Benedict Day School in Sumrall, Woodlawn Preparatory School out of Columbia, Heritage Christian Academy in Picayune, and Hope Academy out of Gulfport.

“We’ll have some more (district opponents), but not everyone has baseball. We’ll see who we play next year,” White said.