By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald

SPRINGFIELD – The progression of Effingham County’s Luke Edwards parallels the Rebels’ emergence as an elite baseball team this season.

Thursday night, the big-game righthander added another highlight performance to his growing resume and a team with a 10-20 record in 2024, improved to 23-3 this season.

Edwards didn’t have his best stuff against Statesboro in the first round of the Class 5A Region 1 baseball tournament but when the night ended, he had his first no-hitter while throttling the visiting Devils, 10-2.

In eight games, the 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior has a 6-0 record while lowering his earned run average to a microscopic 0.18 (one earned run in 39.2 innings).

A year ago, after eight games, he surrendered 14 earned runs and had 21 walks in 17 innings while compiling a 5.76 ERA.

“My velocity has increased on my fastball and I feel like I’ve had a little better command this season,” Edwards said. “Overall, my mindset has been better. Last year, it wasn’t very good. This year, I’m attacking hitters and I feel very confident.”

Confidence has been building during the subregion and region seasons. 

Edwards pitched seven innings without allowing an earned run during a 2-1 win over Greenbrier.  He left after five scoreless innings against Lakeside and blanked Evans for 6.2 innings in a key 1-0 victory during subregion play.

Statesboro scored on two groundouts in the first inning after Edwards hit a batter, a Rebel error and a wild pitch moved the Blue Devils into scoring position with no one.

He finished with seven strikeouts during the final four innings. 

“He didn’t have fastball command early on, but the thing about him is he’s going to compete,” ECHS coach Eric McCombie said. “Midway through the game, Luke found his slider. He was struggling, but he’d come up with a big pitch and the defense played well behind him.”

Edwards pitched out of a second-and-third, two-out jam in the second inning by striking out Aubrey Smith and the Blue Devils didn’t get a runner past second base the rest of the way.

ECHS’ defense turned two double plays and catcher Karson Thompson threw out a baserunner attempting to steal to keep Edwards’ pitch count down (96 pitches).

It was the team’s second no-hitter this season. Kyle Thomas pitched a five-inning no-hitter against Statesboro during a 12-0 win on Feb. 17.

Thomas, the Game One starter Thursday, took another no-hitter into the fifth inning before surrendering two hits. Travis LaFontaine pitched a hitless sixth inning and the Rebels ended the game with two runs in the bottom of the sixth for a 10-0 mercy-rule stoppage.

“It was a phenomenal day on the mound,” McCombie said.

Edwards credited physical and spiritual improvement for the team’s turnaround.

“This year, we’ve grown up,” he said. “We’re better because our mindset’s better.”