MOBILE — Faith Academy is the caliber of baseball team that Escambia County one day hopes to be.

The Blue Devils fell 20-0 and 14-0 in the first round of the AHSAA’s Class 5A state playoffs last Friday night at the Faith Academy Sports Complex.

ECHS coach James Lindsey said the Rams’ team was the best high school baseball team he’s seen as a coach.

“They’re the best all-around, well-coached baseball team,” Lindsey said. “They’re disciplined. Their caliber of baseball is where we’re trying to get our kids to be.”

FA showed the Blue Devils what they could be by allowing only one hit in each of the series’ games.

The Rams got off to slow starts in both games, but broke the game wide open to force two five-inning contests.

Lindsey said he was pleased with how the season turned out, despite finishing 8-14 on the year.

“I felt like if you look at our scores, I felt like we won 13 games,” he said. “We lost a few games by one run. We were leading during those games. That’s baseball.

“Overall, I’m pleased in a lot of areas with the effort,” he said. “I’m pleased with the discipline in a lot of areas. I think attitude is taking the next step. It’s getting where we want it to be.”

Lindsey said the playoffs this year gave the younger guys a chance to watch a good team play. After the game was over, the coach thanked the seniors for their dedication over the last year.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of guys coming back. Really and truly, we only lost three starters this year, and we’re losing an outfielder, pitcher and a first baseman.

“We’ve got some guys that we feel that’s going to step up and be really good next year for us,” he said. “The future looks bright for Escambia County baseball.”