Historic Season Ends at State for Cottondale Hornets
By: Shelia Mader
A season filled with grit, resilience, and history came to an end Wednesday morning as the Cottondale Hornets fell 2-0 to top-seeded Union County in the FHSAA State Semifinals.
Despite the loss, the Hornets closed the 2026 season with an 18-12 record and cemented themselves in school history after making the deepest playoff run the program has ever seen.
Cottondale’s road to the state semifinals was anything but easy.
The Hornets caught fire at the right time, sweeping through both district and regional play while overcoming rain delays, travel changes, and postseason pressure to reach the final four.
Their postseason journey began with an emotional district championship showdown against county rival Sneads.
In Game One, Cottondale edged the Pirates 4-3 in a thriller before returning in Game Two and taking control early on the way to a commanding 6-1 victory to complete the sweep and punch their ticket to regionals.
That set up a regional series against Port St. Joe, a matchup that brought even more adversity.
Weather delays and location changes forced adjustments throughout the weekend, but the Hornets never lost focus.
Cottondale opened the series Friday night in Port St. Joe with a dramatic 4-3 win before erupting offensively Sunday afternoon in a 13-3 rout to secure the regional championship and the program’s first-ever trip to the state semifinals.
The Hornets entered state play as the No. 4 seed and faced No. 1 seed Union County in a Wednesday morning semifinal matchup.
Cottondale battled throughout the contest, but Union County capitalized on limited opportunities to secure the 2-0 victory.
Lane Johnson turned in a strong effort on the mound for the Hornets, tossing six innings while allowing just two runs, only one earned, on two hits while striking out three.
Offensively, Cottondale managed three hits against Union County ace Eli Lasseter. Conner Barton, Tyler Jones, and Alex Bellamy each recorded hits for the Hornets.
While the season ended one game short of the state championship series, the Hornets accomplished something no Cottondale baseball team had done before.
From district dominance to surviving the regional gauntlet and earning a trip to state, the 2026 Hornets established a new standard for the program and delivered a season the Cottondale community will not soon forget.
Cottondale Hornets Roster: Head Coach: Skylar Davis, Alex Bellamy, Barrett Trimble, Carson Maloy, Conner Barton, Dakota Byrd, Jaedon Kay, Jaydon Gray, Josh Ortiz, Karson Acosta, Lane Johnson, Milton Johnson (Mojo), Royce McCloud, Sebastian Arranda, Trace Pelfrey, Troy Sumner, and Tyler Jones.