Horses' hitting, pitching prowess fuels win streak
The Philip Simmons High School baseball team is proving to be a state championship contender after an impressive weekend of hitting, pitching, and winning.
The Iron Horses, ranked No. 4 in the 2026 Class AA state coaches’ preseason poll and state runners-up in 2025, topped Region 6-AA foe Woodland High School 6-3 on the road March 20, and followed it up the next day with an 11-9 decision over Georgetown High at The Phil.
The Iron Horses enter this week’s schedule with a 9-1 record, including 2-0 in league play. The team’s only setback was a 4-3 loss to defending Class AAAAA state champion the Berkeley High Stags.
The Iron Horses, who have won 16 of their last 19 games dating back to last spring, are hitting .340 as a team, while the pitching staff has a cumulative ERA of 3.02.
The Iron Horses are coming off the best season in the program’s brief history, which included rolling to seven consecutive playoff victories, outscoring foes 73-14.
They reached their first state championship series in school history and faced Batesburg-Leesville High School. The Iron Horses won Game 1 at The Phil, but Batesburg-Leesville rallied to win the next two games to claim the state title.
In the win over region foe Woodland, the Iron Horses broke open a 3-2 game with three runs in the sixth.
Max Stafford allowed two hits and struck out six to up his record to 3-0 with the impressive stint against the Wolverines. He leads the Iron Horse hurlers with a 1.50 ERA.
Alex Romanski led the offense with a double and triple in four at-bats to drive in four runs. Romanski, who recorded a save with a scoreless seventh inning, leads the Iron Horses with a pair of homers and 16 RBI.
Sophomore catcher Brian Ebeling and Jack Mevold both added two hits. Mevold recently joined the team after helping PSHS win its first-ever state basketball championship.
The Iron Horses flexed their muscles in the 11-9 victory over Georgetown, with 17 hits. Stafford, Daniel Ebeling, Blake Johnson, and Pierce Johnson each had three hits. Blake Johnson leads the Iron Horses with a .500 batting average and 13 stolen bases.
The Iron Horses, who have three games remaining on the schedule in March, will play in the three-day Hanahan Invitational Tournament, slated for April 6-8. The Iron Horses will play the Blessed Trinity Titans. The school is located in Roswell, Georgia. The Titans were 12-6 beginning play this week.
The Iron Horses close out the regular season with a region game against Academic Magnet on April 30. The state playoffs commence May 5, with the state championship series set for May 23-30.