Blessed Trinity Wins GHSA AAAA Baseball Title in Walk-Off Thriller, Ends Season With Epic Dog Pile

The Titans cap off a wild playoff run with a comeback victory over Cartersville, securing their fifth state championship—and a defining moment in program history

Blessed Trinity baseball players pile on each other in celebration of their GHSA AAAA state championship victory. / NFHS

Blessed Trinity Claims Fifth State Title With Walk-Off Win

Winning a state championship is hard. Winning a state championship in baseball, in Georgia, is really hard. Blessed Trinity has four state titles and six championship appearances in the twenty-five year history of the North Fulton private school. The Titans know how hard it is to get the big trophy. In 2025, they learned a little about destiny and dog piles, too. 

Blessed Trinity (32-9, 12-0 in Region 4) defeated Cartersville for the GHSA AAAA state title at Coolray Field, home of the Gwinnett Stripers, May 22. To say head coach Jamie Wagner has more than one or two unforgettable moments would be more than fair.

Wagner Reflects on a Magical Season and a Memorable Dog Pile

The circumstances and events surrounding BT’s run, ending in a dog pile at Coolray Stadium in Lawrenceville led Wagner to comment, “I've been here for 23 years and I was under Andy Harlan for 19 years. And, you know, so I was on that team for 2006 and  ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17, on our run. We've never, I mean, there's nothing like this.” Wagner is referring to the program’s golden age when they made four consecutive title appearances, winning the championship in 2015, making 2025 the ten-year anniversary for that squad. 

Adversity in April: Humbling Losses Sparked Growth

Although this team may have ultimately been destined to commemorate the 2015 with their own title, the path wasn’t without pain. A stretch in April against top competition proved to the perennial power that this team, while good, wasn’t quite great. The Titans lost five straight. The first two were against out-of-state powerhouses. Wagner said the tough schedule helped the team grow, “A lot of stuff that we did early in the season really helped us. And I don't think the boys saw that at the time. We went down (to Florida) and were run-ruled by Jesuit (10-0) and lost 1-0 to IMG. I think the guys were kind of humbled and, wanted to feel a little bit better about themselves. ‘Why couldn't we play a little easier schedule?’ But I'm like, it's gonna pay off in the end, and it did.”

After the Florida trip, the results didn’t get better immediately. They lost to archrival and fellow Catholic school Marist in a non-region game and dropped a double header at nationally ranked Etowah before starting their playoff run.

Playoff Redemption Begins With Cedartown and Northside

Heading into the playoffs carrying a five-game losing streak, the Titans started correcting their course with sweeps of Cedartown and Northside. Next up, a do-or-die series with that familiar rival and part-time nemesis Marist. 

Marist Series Delivers Chaos, Heartbreak, and Redemption

BT and Marist split the first two games of their quarterfinal playoff matchup with the “designated“ visiting team winning by just one run each game. Marist won 8-7 in the first, and the Titans pulled out a 7-6 win in game two. The ending of the final game of the series would be a testament to both teams' collective character. Blessed Trinity held an 8-6 lead through five innings. The War Eagles would answer with a run in the sixth and another in the top of the seventh to even the game. 

In the bottom half, the Titans had the bases loaded with one out thanks to a single by Terrance Bowen, a double by Carson Zagryn, and a walk to Aiden (they’re twins). Caden Dawson then hits a ball to center field that hung up before dropping to the ground. Bowen rushes home after waiting to make sure the ball isn’t caught on the fly, avoids a tag on bang-bang play at home. He’s called safe, and a dog pile ensues on the outfield grass. But upon review, Bowen is ruled out. The dog pile was premature. It’s possible the umpire didn’t realize that the force play was still in effect. Regardless, both teams have to recalibrate in a hurry with a spot in the final four on the line. Marist was able to regroup first, getting the final out a batter later, sending the game to extra innings.   

Novak’s No-Hitter, Jennings’ Bunt Seal Allatoona Series

After three Marist outs, Gavin Greene and Cole James would single for Blessed Trinity. Bowen would come up to the plate with courtesy runner Brody Bohannon on second base. Bowen would deliver a walk-off single before another (this time) authentic dog pile. 

Wagner remembers, “It was the right call (eventually) by the umpires, just never seen a call like that overturned. It was a 50/50 call, but it could have gone either way. So for us to walk it off again, that's just unbelievable perseverance on our team because the air was just let right out of our balloon on that one. We stormed the field, water bottles everywhere, everybody's excited. Even fans start trickling out on the field. And, they overturn it. And to tell the guys, hold the rope, we got to go back out here, we got to play baseball, we got to hold this game and try to do it again. It says a lot about our guys.”

After surviving Marist, came a series against Region 7 champion Allatoona. It was another opportunity to face elite competition and for Wagner’s club to prove themselves. University of Georgia commit, left-hander Connor Underwood, started for the Pirates and was brilliant,  not just brilliant enough. “The best arm we ever saw was Underwood. To get him in game one, we thought that was an impossible feat, but we put together some really good at bats, and kind of ran the bases aggressively and got them to throw the ball around a little bit.” Underwood was up in the lower 90s with probably the best curveball we've ever seen.”  As good as Underwood was, he wasn’t as good as his mound adversary, senior right-hander Cameron Novak. Novak, a Miami of Ohio commit, threw a no-hitter, striking out six on just 79 pitches. Final score 3-0.

The nightcap produced an even closer affair with Jose Contreras pitching a second straight complete game for a 3-2 clincher and a now becoming familiar dog pile. While not a conventional walk-off, there was reason for an on-field party. With the tying run on third base, the go-ahead run on first with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, Jacob Jennings bunted down the third base line. Wagner recalled the scene, “It was a beautiful bunt. Most of the time, that ball that goes up the third baseline, (Contreras fields the ball) and he back-footed it and landed about 10 feet in foul territory and threw a strike down to first baseman Aiden Zagryn to end the game. It was maybe one of the greatest plays I've ever seen. Like Derek Jeter, you know, where you throw that back footer and your momentum just takes you in the foul territory.” Titans celebrate and advance. 

Cartersville Pushes Titans to the Brink in Finals

The Cartersville Hurricanes, six-time state champions and the only team to beat Allatoona in region play, wouldn’t make their seventh trip to the finals any easier for Blessed Trinity.  The ‘Canes put the Titans in a hole by winning game one 6-3 but dropped game two 7-3, setting up a third game with history for both sides in the balance. Cartersville proved they wanted title number seven with leads of 4-0 in the fifth inning and 6-3 going into the bottom of the seventh. After rallying to send the game to extras, junior left-hander Brayden Loquasto needed just four batters to set down Cartersville, but BT quickly put themselves in trouble with a fly out and a strikeout. 

Zagryn Walk-Off, Loquasto Relief Pitching Seal the Crown

Quinn Davis would then single and advance to second on an error. Bowen was waked intentionally, and Andrew Cochran came into run for Davis. After swinging and missing on the first pitch, Carson Zagryn delivered the knockout blow with a line drive to left scoring Cochran. For his heroics, Zagryn who belted a staggering .600 hitter with runners in scoring position for the season, was named Morgan and Morgan GHSA AAAA State Championship MVP. Carson and Aiden are committed to Gulf Coast State College.

A Championship Season Defined by Resilience and HeartA Championship Season Defined by Resilience and Heart

The 2025 Blessed Trinity Titans had one last walk-off and one last dog pile, the final and ultimate dog pile of the GHSA AAAA season. Satisfied, content, proud, and certainly pleased, head coach Jamie Wagner thought out loud, “ We've never, I mean, there's nothing like this. We never had a comeback like this. We never had these walk-offs. I mean, it's just (deep breath) … It's all good.”