At the beginning of the season, Porters Chapel Academy coach Randy Wright said the Eagles would go only as far as ace pitcher Montana McDaniel would lead them.

Turns out that was pretty far.

PCA vs. Bayou

Tuesday, 4 p.m. at Bayou

McDaniel has led the Eagles all the way to this week’s MPSA Class A championship series against two-time defending champion Bayou Academy. Game 1 is at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Cleveland, and Game 2 will be Thursday night at 6 at PCA.

The sophomore has opened plenty of eyes with his performance this season. He’s 10-1 with a 1.10 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 67 innings.

“He’s done an outstanding job,” senior infielder Clayton Holmes said. “He’s pitching the baseball well and he’s done a phenomenal job. We knew he was going to be a pitcher for us, but he has been by far better than we thought he was going to be.”

Wright had big expectations for the 5-foot-11, 145-pounder on the hill after a strong freshman season. He went 1-4 with a 2.12 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 32 1/3 innings. Despite seeing limited at-bats, McDaniel still hit .500 in his first year on the Eagles’ roster.

Now, his emergence has played a big role in PCA’s bid to win its third Class A championship this decade. PCA won titles in 2003 and 2006.

“Montana has been outstanding for us this year,” Wright said. “He’s done a great job on the mound for us. We knew coming into this year that Montana was going to be our No. 1 guy because of what he did for us as a freshman. For him to be able to dominate like he has as a sophomore like he’s done is outstanding.”

The lanky sophomore sets the table for the Eagles at the top of the rotation and is a key cog in the PCA offense. After being dropped down to the No. 9 hole earlier this season, he now bats third in the lineup.

In nearly all 11 starts on the hill this season, McDaniel has recorded double-figure strikeouts and is 10-1 with 104 strikeouts and an 1.20 ERA.

“I can throw harder this year. I can hit more spots this year,” McDaniel said. “I’m more accurate. I just throw it where they can’t hit it.”

In Game 1 against University Christian, McDaniel gutted out an arm-wringing complete game victory. He threw 132 pitches, striking out 13 and scattering five hits in the 4-1 victory.

“He has great command of the strike zone,” Wright said. “He’s got great command of his fastball and his curveball. He’s got great velocity and he’s been a bulldog for us. He’s a small guy, but he’s got that natural, God-given ability to throw a baseball. Montana’s just one of those kids who’s got it.”

McDaniel has an excellent arsenal of pitches at his command. His fastball, which tops out around 83 mph, is a pitch that he can locate wherever he wants with plenty of late life. In addition to his fastball, he can throw his curve for strikes. A hitter that sits on his fastball can easily find himself chasing a curve in the dirt.

His catcher, senior Josh Hill, said the curve’s late movement sets his apart.

“He keeps the ball away from you,” Hill said. “With his fastball, he can jam you inside or get you going away. It’s not like any other curveball. It tails away from you, doesn’t really drop that much and it’s a great pitch. A lot of people chase it, because they think it’s going to drop. He mixes it up, he keeps you off-balance.”

Wright has done a good job keeping the youngster fresh. He made a commitment to only pitch him once a week and has fortunately not had to bring him out of the bullpen in a relief situation thanks to the emergence of a strong No. 2 pitcher, junior Reed Gordon. Hill feels that McDaniel’s velocity has actually increased as the season has worn on. And it’s not a radar gun telling Hill this, but his left hand taking the punishment from every McDaniel fastball.

“Every other time I put my mitt on, it hurts my thumb,” Hill said. “His velocity has definitely picked up lately.”

Offensively, McDaniel is a great all-around hitter who can go to either field. He has a .442 average, and has some pop with five home runs and 11 doubles.

He is third on the Eagles with 29 RBIs. When he gets on, he’s a serious pest on the bases, going a perfect 29-for-29 on steal attempts while scoring 38 runs.

“He so fast and he hits with power,” Wright said. “He can hit the ball in the gaps. He puts a lot of pressure on an infield because of his speed. He runs the bases exceptionally well. He really knows the game.”

When he’s not on the mound, McDaniel plays shortstop, where he possesses an excellent glove, plenty of range and a great arm.

During Game 2 against University Christian, McDaniel fielded a grounder going away from him, rotated and fired a perfect throw to first for a big out.

While this week’s series will be McDaniel’s first exposure on a championship stage, it likely won’t be the last for him, with two years still left at PCA and no ceiling on what he can achieve.

For now, McDaniel is just enjoying the ride.

“It’s unreal,” McDaniel said. “It hasn’t even hit me yet that we’re playing for a state championship.”

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Contact Steve Wilson at swilson@vicksburgpost.com