Live Oak’s Pruitt picks baseball, French Settlement wins softball title

As recently as last fall, Live Oak’s Sawyer Pruitt was a football-first guy with baseball falling in line afterward, but things changed for the Eagles sophomore quarterback.

Pruitt began to develop as a pitcher, and drew interest from college baseball recruiters. Now, with two years of high school left, even as he continues playing football, he knows where he will be heading when he graduates.

Three weeks ago, Pruitt made a visit to Ole Miss, and the decision on not only what sport he would play, but what school he would play for, was made. Pruitt committed to the Rebels and head coach Mike Bianco, and Pruitt feels like it is a perfect fit for him.

“I went up there (to Oxford) a couple of weeks ago when they played Arkansas,” Pruitt said after Live Oak’s recent 10-3 win over Dutchtown in the nonselect Division I playoffs. “As soon as I stepped on campus it was an instant connection. I didn’t need to see any more. I knew it was where I want to be.”

It wasn’t always that way. With Pruitt at quarterback, Live Oak started off 3-1 on the gridiron last fall before losing its last six games and missing the playoffs. The early finish probably gave him a quicker turnaround as he turned in his helmet and shoulder pads for a baseball uniform.

Pruitt knew he was going to make a decision.

“It definitely was not easy (picking between baseball and football),” Pruitt said. “There were a couple of weeks where it was me and my parents talking every day. I was thinking about which sport is best for me, and it turned out that I want to play baseball in college. I did what I wanted to do.”

As for Live Oak’s baseball season, there is more to come. Pruitt has been the Eagles’ top pitcher as they earned a No. 5 seed for the playoffs. In 50 innings of work, the numbers are impressive — he is 5-0 with one save, 72 strikeouts and a 2.00 ERA.

And, after defeating St. Amant 2-0 in a best-of-three regional round series, Live Oak moves on to the quarterfinals, where they await the winner between No. 20 Benton and No. 4 Sam Houston.

That series begins late this week, with the winner advancing to the state tournament in Sulphur.

French Settlement softball wins title

Coach Blake West’s Lions didn’t let youth hold them back as they finished off a run to the nonselect Division IV state championship with two wins at the state tournament in Sulphur.

Fourth-seeded French Settlement defeated No. 8 Vinton 15-0 in the semifinals before handling No. 2 Montgomery 3-1 in the final. After a first-round bye, the Lions went 4-0 in the playoffs outscoring their opponents 38-3 in the process.

The softball title is French Settlement’s first since winning the Class B championship in 1999.