GHSA state semifinal previews

Posted 5/12/19

Bleckley County will play host to Jeff Davis in a Class 2A semifinal starting May 14.

GHSA baseball heads to semifinals

The semifinal round of the Georgia High School Association state baseball playoffs is scheduled for May 14-15. All series are best-of-three formats. Here is a brief preview on each series:

Class 7A

Grayson (28-10) at Hillgrove (30-8)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 6 p.m.

Coaches: Grayson -- Jed Hixson; Hillgrove -- David Richardson

How they got here: Grayson defeated Lambert in three games in the first round, defeated Brookwood in three games in the second round, then swept Newnan in the quarterfinals. Hillgrove defeated Wheeler in three games in the first round, defeated Woodstock in three games in the second round, then swept Mill Creek in the quarterfinal.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Parkview-North Gwinnett series for the Class 7A state championship at SunTrust Park.

Outlook: Grayson's run to the state semifinals matches the 2012 squad, which also made it to the semifinals before the Rams lost to Brookwood. The Rams posted a pair of shutouts in the quarterfinals, defeating Newnan 1-0 and 7-0 behind pitchers John Anderson and Bradley Blalock. Anderson tossed a five-hit shutout in Game 1, then Blalock fired a three-hit shutout and struck out 12 to help the Rams sweep the series. Hillgrove's Justin Tew smacked two homers and was the winning pitcher in a 7-4 victory in Game 1 of the quarterfinal series against Mill Creek. The Hawks got two hits each from Reid Brown and Deion Walker to down Mill Creek 8-3 in the second game to sweep the series. Hillgrove is in the semifinals for the first time since 2011, the year they finished as the state runner-up in Georgia's largest classification.

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Parkview (32-4) at North Gwinnett (31-6)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 6 p.m.

Coaches: Parkview -- Chan Brown; North Gwinnett -- Ryan Moity

How they got here: Parkview swept Peachtree Ridge in the first round, swept North Forsyth in the second round, then swept Walton in the quarterfinals. North Gwinnett swept Lakeside-DeKalb in the first round, swept Forsyth Central in the second round, then defeated Etowah in three games in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Grayson-Hillgrove series for the Class 7A state championship at SunTrust Park.

Outlook: Since 2010, Parkview has played in the semifinal round in Georgia's largest classification seven times. This is their third time in the past five seasons. These two teams met earlier this season with Parkview winning 8-6 in nine innings on Feb. 18, a game in which North Gwinnett had four errors. Parkview's Jonathan French helped the Panthers to a sweep of Walton in the quarterfinals. The senior combined to go 4-for-6 at the plate with two homers, two doubles and six RBIs. North Gwinnett survived the rain and Etowah to advance to the semifinals for the second time in three years. The two teams split on Wednesday, then the decisive third game was suspended Thursday in the top of the third inning and the Bulldogs leading 2-0. Pitcher Jayden Perrine tossed a shutout over two days as the Bulldogs won 7-0 to win the series. 

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Class 6A

Effingham County (30-5) at Heritage-Conyers (27-6)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 4 p.m.

Coaches: Effingham County -- Chris Johnson; Heritage-Conyers -- Shane Ramsey

How they got here: Effingham County swept Lakeside-Evans in the first round, swept Valdosta in the second round, then swept Winder-Barrow in the quarterfinals. Heritage-Conyers swept Glynn Academy in the first round, defeated Coffee in three games in the second round, then swept Winder-Barrow in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Pope-Harrison series for the Class 6A state championship.

Outlook: Effingham County pitcher Ethan Johnson allowed two earned runs on three hits in a complete-game, and Christian Campbell had two hits to lead the Rebels to a 3-2 victory over Winder-Barrow in Game 1 of the quarterfinal series. That victory set the tone of the series as Effingham erupted for 10 runs on 14 hits in Game 2 to post a 10-3 victory and sweep the series from the top-ranked Bulldoggs. Pitcher Merritt Evans earned the complete-game victory, while Jordan Rahn and JR Lonon led the offense with three hits apiece. The Rebels are in the semifinals for the first time since 2011. Heritage-Conyers needed extra innings to defeat Allatoona in both of its quarterfinal round games last week. In Game 1, Nick Watson-Garcia's RBI double in the bottom of the eighth gave Heritage a 7-6 walk-off victory. Then Cole Smith's RBI triple in the top of the ninth scored Griffin Holcombe for the go-ahead run. Darryl Buggs then tossed a scoreless bottom of the ninth as Heritage won 3-2 to sweep. Heritage is in the semifinals for the first time since 2006.

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Pope (29-8) at Harrison (28-7)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 6 p.m.

Coaches: Pope -- Jeff Rowland; Harrison -- Mark Elkins

How they got here: Pope defeated Creekview in three games in the first round, defeated Dacula in three games in the second round, then defeated Lee County in three games in the quarterfinals. Harrison swept Dunwoody in the first round, swept South Paulding in the second round, then defeated Houston County in three games in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Effingham County-Heritage-Conyers series for the Class 6A state championship.

Outlook: Pope has needed three games in every series this postseason to advance. After dropping the first game of its quarterfinal round with Lee County, Pope rallied to wins Game 2 and 3 to take the series. In the decisive Game 3, pitchers Reid Robertson and Andrew Herlitz combined to allow just a run on six hits, while Will Lantis went 3-for-4 to help the Greyhounds to a 9-1 victory. Pope is trying to make it back to the state championship series, which would be the school's fourth straight trip. Harrison defeated Houston County 8-7 with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 3 to win the series. Brian Drakeford's single scored Mitchell Walker to send Harrison to the semifinals for the first time since 2016. This won't be the first meeting between the two schools in the semifinals. Pope swept Harrison in the 2016 semifinals in Class 6A, then the state's largest classification. Last year, Pope eliminated Harrison in the second round.

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Class 5A

Locust Grove (24-9) at Loganville (30-6)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 6 p.m.

Coaches: Locust Grove -- Stephen Phillips; Loganville -- Jeff Segars

How they got here: Locust Grove swept Bainbridge in the first round, defeated Starr's Mill in three games in the second round, then swept Riverwood in the quarterfinals. Loganville swept Lithonia in the first round, swept Carrollton in the second round, then swept Thomas County Central in the third round.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Ola-Decatur series for the Class 5A state championship.

Outlook: Locust Grove is in the semifinals for the third time in the past four years. The Wildcats scored two in its half of the seventh to score a 4-2 victory over Riverwood in Game 1 of its quarterfinal round series. Then pitchers Luke Welborn and Andrew Ginther combined to allow just three runs on five hits as Locust Grove scored an 8-3 victory in Game 2 to sweep the series. Dalton Laney combined to go 2-for-6 in the sweep with a double, a two-run homer and three RBIs. Loganville got a three-hit, complete-game shutout from pitcher Caleb Garner in a 3-0 victory in Game 1 against Thomas County Central. Then Jackson Daniel went 3-for-3 in Game 2 to help the Red Devils sweep the series with a 6-1 victory. Loganville is in the semifinals for the fourth straight season.  

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Ola (28-10) at Decatur (30-6)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 6 p.m.

Coaches: Ola -- Beau Edwards; Decatur -- Robby Gilbert

How they got here: Ola swept Veterans in the first round, swept McIntosh in the second round, then defeated Buford in three games in the quarterfinals. Decatur swept Rome in the first round, swept Walnut Grove in the second round, then swept Harris County in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Locust Grove-Loganville series for the Class 5A championship.

Outlook: Ola stunned Buford in the quarterfinals, knocking the preseason No. 1 Wolves out of the playoffs. After the two teams split on Wednesday, Ola overcame a one-run deficit by scoring six runs in the top of the seventh inning en route to an 8-3 victory. With the lead, reliever Cameron Land needed just eight pitches in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the victory. The win sent Ola to its first semifinal appearance in school history. Decatur hasn't faced a third game in the playoffs as they have swept all three rounds. The Bulldogs hit four homers -- one each by Robbie Huey, Jordan Walker, Jaylen Paden and Marshall Toole -- in a 7-6 victory over Harris County in Game 1 of its best-of-three quarterfinal series. Then Paden hurled a three-hit, complete-game shutout in a 3-0 win to sweep the series and send Decatur to its first appearance in the semifinals since 1948.

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Class 4A

Northside-Columbus (28-7) at North Oconee (24-7)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 5 p.m.

Coaches: Northside-Columbus -- Dee Miller; North Oconee -- Jay Lasley

How they got here: Northside swept Eastside in the first round, swept Perry in the second round, then swept Cartersville in the quarterfinals. North Oconee swept Cedartown in the first round, defeated Marist in three games in the second round, then swept Columbus in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Blessed Trinity-Denmark series for the Class 4A championship. 

Outlook: Northside-Columbus is one of thew few remaining No. 3 seeds to still be playing in any classification. The Patriots are in the semifinals for the first time in the school's 17-year history. They pulled a stunning sweep of perennial power Cartersville in the quarterfinals to get here. Northside scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning to beat Cartersville 3-1 in Game 1 of the quarterfinal series. Colton Joyner earned the victory after going nine innings, while Hunter Poe worked a scoreless bottom of the 10th inning for the save. Then Connor Sizemore allowed just two runs on seven hits in a complete-game effort to lead Northside to a sweep with a 4-2 victory in Game 2. Poe went 2-for-2 at the plate as the Patriots made the most of five hits in the game. North Oconee is in the semifinals for the first time since 2008. Pitchers Bubba Chandler and Will Pearson combined on a no-hitter in a 5-0 victory over Columbus High in Game 1 of its quarterfinal series. Chandler also went 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of RBIs. Then Dom Hughes and Pearson combined on a three-hit shutout in a 3-0 victory to sweep the series. Pearson also went 2-for-4 at the plate with a pair of RBIs. North Oconee has won 13 of 14. Its only loss since early April was a Game 2 setback to Marist in the second round of the state playoffs.

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Denmark (19-16) at Blessed Trinity (30-7)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 5 p.m.

Coaches: Denmark -- David Smart; Blessed Trinity -- Andy Harlin

How they got here: Denmark swept Northwest Whitfield in the first round, swept Saint Pius X in the second round, then defeated West Laurens in three games in the quarterfinals. Blessed Trinity swept Ridgeland in the first round, swept LaGrange in the second round, then defeated Woodward Academy in three games in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Northside-Columbus-North Oconee series for the Class 4A championship. 

Outlook: Denmark is the only No. 4 seed in any classification still playing, and their playoff run in their first season existence is one for the history books. The Danes lost their first postseason game in Game 2 of its quarterfinal series to West Laurens. But Denmark scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to break a 2-all tie, then pitcher Matthew Cassandra finished off the Raiders with a scoreless seventh inning. He allowed two runs on five hits to earn the complete-game victory. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs to lead the offense. Denmark competes in the same region with Blessed Trinity, and the Titans took a pair of one-run victories in mid-March in Region 7-4A play. Blessed Trinity needed three games to oust Woodward Academy in the quarterfinals last week. After splitting the first two games of the quarterfinal series, the Titans took the series with a 2-1 victory. Pitchers Joseph Chambers and Dominick Marcoccio combined to allow just a run on two hits. CJ Abrams finished 2-for-3 in the game as the Titans made the most of just three hits in Game 3. Blessed Trinity is in the semifinals for the seventh straight year. 

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Class 3A

North Hall (21-14) at Pace Academy (23-6)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 5 p.m.

Coaches: North Hall -- Trevor Flow; Pace Academy -- Seth LaFera

How they got here: North Hall defeated Coahulla Creek in three games, defeated Westminster in three games, then swept Appling County in the quarterfinals. Pace Academy swept East Jackson in the first round, swept Calhoun in the second round, then swept Crisp County in the third round.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Pike County-Hart County series for the Class 3A championship. 

Outlook: North Hall is rolling at the right time and playing its best baseball of the season The Trojans combined to outscore Appling County 21-2 in a quarterfinal sweep last week. In Game 1, pitchers Jackson Dyer and Jack Wiley combined to allow just two runs on five hits as North Hall cruised to an 11-2 victory. Then pitcher Kelton Kieschnick tossed a six-inning shutout as the Trojans rolled to a 10-0 victory. North Hall is in the semifinals for the second time in three years. Pace Academy has won 19 straight, including six in a row in the playoffs. Andrew Jenkins, Mitchell O'Berry and Jayden Thomas had two hits each as the Knights took a 5-4 victory over Crisp County in Game 1 of their quarterfinal series. Then Pace Academy scored 14 runs on six hits in a five-inning, 14-0 victory to sweep the series. 

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Hart County (20-16) at Pike County (30-4)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 4:30 p.m.

Coaches: Hart County -- Josh Osborne; Pike County -- Don Hanson

How they got here: Hart County defeated Lovett in three games in the first round, defeated Ringgold in three games in the second round, then swept Cook in the quarterfinals. Pike County swept Long County in the first round, swept Islands in the second round, then defeated Fannin County in three games in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the North Hall-Pace Academy series for the Class 3A championship. 

Outlook: Hart County is one of the few remaining No. 3 seeds still playing in all classifications of the baseball postseason. The Bulldogs continue to run through the state tournament. They recorded their first sweep in the playoffs in the quarterfinal round at Cook. In Game 1, pitcher Casey Tallent allowed three runs on seven hits in a complete game 6-3 victory. Then in Game 2, Hart County scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, including Chase Sanders' walk-off RBI single to give Hart a 7-6 victory and the sweep. Pitcher Will Dean earned the complete-game victory on the mound. Hart County is in the semifinals for the first time since 2014. Pike County is in the semifinals for the first time since 2011 after taking two of three from Fannin County in the quarterfinals. After splitting the first two games of the series. Pike pitcher Noah Windhorst hurled a one-hit, complete-game shutout as the Pirates won Game 3, 2-0 to advance. 

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Class 2A

Jeff Davis (28-5) at Bleckley County (25-12)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 6 p.m.

Coaches: Jeff Davis -- Paul Glass; Bleckley County -- Brad Davis

How they got here: Jeff Davis swept East Laurens in the first round, defeated Fitzgerald in three games in the second round, then swept Social Circle in the quarterfinals. Bleckley County swept Metter in the first round, defeated Westside-Augusta in three games in the second round, then defeated Bremen in three games in the quarterfinals. 

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Rockmart-Callaway series for the Class 2A championship. 

Outlook: Jeff Davis is in the semifinals for the third straight season after sweeping Social Circle in the quarterfinals last week. Pitchers Caleb Leggett, Cole Baucom and Britt Metts combined to allow Social Circle just four runs on seven hits in a 6-4 victory in Game 1. Metts, Leggett and Garrett Taylor had two hits each to lead the Yellow Jackets' offense. Then pitcher Matthew White allowed one run on eight hits to pick up a complete-game victory in the second game as Jeff Davis won 11-1. Taylor finished 2-for-4 at the plate with a double, triple and five RBIs to lead the offense. Bleckley County outlasted Bremen and the rain to stun the top-ranked Blue Devils in the quarterfinals last week. After splitting a pair of games last Wednesday, rain washed out Thursday's Game 3, pushing it to Friday. The Royals built a six-run lead, then held on for a 6-5 victory to advance. Pitcher Tripp Purser earned the victory, while Brody Little earned the save. Little finished 3-for-4 with a triple, while Steven Knighton added a two-run homer.

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Callaway (24-13) at Rockmart (26-8)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4:30 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 5 p.m.

Coaches: Callaway -- Dusty Hubbard; Rockmart -- Kenny Yanzetich

How they got here: Callaway swept Banks County in the first round, swept Model in the second round, then swept Bacon County in the quarterfinals. Rockmart swept Washington in the first round, defeated Elbert County in three games in the second round, then defeated Harlem in three games in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Jeff Davis-Bleckley County series for the Class 2A championship.  

Outlook: Callaway hasn't faced a Game 3 in the postseason after sweeping Banks County, Model and Bacon County. The Cavaliers brought the offense in sweeping past Bacon County last week. Callaway scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take a 9-8 victory in Game 1. Wes Marchman finished with three hits to lead the offense. Then in Game 2, Drake Wade went 2-for-3 with a double to help pitcher Justin Moore earn the complete-game victory in a 6-4 victory. Rockmart dropped the first game of its quarterfinal series with Harlem, but the Jackets rebounded to win the second game 5-0 behind a combined one-hit shutout from pitchers Ty Floyd and Logan Shelton. Floyd struck out 16 batters in 6 2/3 innings. Then after rain pushed the Game 3 start to 10 p.m. Thursday night, Jonathan Suppes went 2-for-3 to lead the offense and pitchers Griffin Pace and Brayden Cole combined to allow only a run on five hits in a 7-1 victory as Rockmart advanced.

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Class 1A Public

Irwin County (20-10) at Schley County (26-4)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 6 p.m.

Coaches: Irwin County -- Drew Tankersley; Schley County -- Chuck Cheek

How they got here: Irwin County received a first round bye, defeated ACE Charter in three games in the second round, then swept Johnson County in the quarterfinals.Schley County received a first round bye, swept Telfair County in the second round, then defeated Commerce in three games in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Bowdon-Gordon Lee series for the Class 1A Public championship.  

Outlook: Irwin County played its best series of the postseason in a sweep of Johnson County in the quarterfinals last week. In Game 1, Will Hudson went 3-for-4 with a double to lead the offense, and ace pitcher Brodie Chestnutt allowed two runs (one earned) in a complete-game, 4-2 victory. Then the Indians brought out the offense in Game 2 scoring 11 runs on 10 hits in a six-inning 11-1 victory. Pitcher Zach Smith allowed a run on one hit to earn the six-inning victory, while Keegan Folker went 3-for-3 with a two-run homer to pace the offense. Irwin County is in the semifinals for the second straight year. Schley County is in the semifinals for the fourth time in the past five seasons after needing three games to move past Commerce. After splitting a pair of games, Schley County was able to escape with a 6-4 victory after the Tigers loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning of Game 3. Ashton Goodin had a two-run homer and Dylan Taylor went 3-for-3 to lead the Wildcats past Commerce. Schley is looking to make the state championship series for the third time in the past five seasons.

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Bowdon (19-19) at Gordon Lee (28-4)

When: Tuesday (DH), 5 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 5 p.m.

Coaches: Bowdon -- Brian Vance; Gordon Lee -- Mike Dunfee

How they got here: Bowdon defeated Charlton County in three games in the first round, defeated Baconton Charter in three games in the second round, then defeated Clinch County in three games in the quarterfinals. Gordon Lee received a first round bye, swept Jenkins County in the second round, then swept Seminole County in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Irwin County-Schley County series for the Class 1A Public championship.  

Outlook: Bowdon has made the best use of its time in the state baseball playoffs. The Red Devils may have needed three games to get past every series so far, but they are one of the four teams still playing in the Class 1A Public bracket. The drive to Gordon Lee will seem like a short one considering the Red Devils have made two long trips to South Georgia the past two rounds. After splitting the first two games with Clinch County in the quarterfinal series, Braden Bowen went 3-for-4 to lead the offense and was the winning pitcher in Bowdon's 4-0 victory in Game 3 to clinch the series. Gordon Lee is 12-0 in its last six playoff series dating back to the 2018 season. The defending state champion Trojans shook off a slow start in Game 1 of their quarterfinal series to defeat Seminole County 11-4. Gordon Lee scored seven runs in its half of the sixth inning to turn the game into a rout. Then the Trojans erupted for 15 runs on 15 hits to take a six-inning 15-0 victory to sweep the series. Gordon Lee and Bowdon are meeting in the semifinals for the second straight year. Both compete in Region 6-1A and Gordon Lee owns a pair of one-run region victories in early March over the Red Devils.

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Class 1A Private

Hebron Christian (19-14-1) at Tattnall Square (31-2)

When: Tuesday (DH), 4 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 6 p.m.

Coaches: Hebron Christian -- Ben Drust; Tattnall Square -- Joey Hiller

How they got here: Hebron Christian swept Brookstone in the first round, swept Lakeview Academy in the second round, then defeated Calvary Day in three games in the quarterfinals. Tattnall Square received a first round bye, swept Athens Christian in the second round, then defeated Strong Rock Christian in the quarterfinals.

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Wesleyan-Savannah Christian series for the Class 1A Private championship.

Outlook: This series is a rematch of the Class 1A Private state championship series that Tattnall Square won in 2016. Hebron Christian, the No. 20 seed, is the lowest remaining seed in the Class 1A Private division. The Lions, however, are playing their best baseball of the year. After dropping the first game of the quarterfinal series to Calvary Day, Hebron rebounded to win Games 2 and 3 to advance. Pitcher Nathan Alexander allowed a run on two hits to earn the complete-game win in a 4-1 victory over Calvary in Game 2. Then Mason Ashby went 4-for-4 at the plate to lead Hebron to a 9-2 victory in Game 3, helping the Lions win the series. Tattnall lost its first playoff game this year in the quarterfinals to Strong Rock Christian, its first postseason loss since the 2017 state championship series. The Trojans were 11-0 in the playoffs until Strong Rock scored a 7-0 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday to force a decisive Game 3. Tattnall Square narrowly defeated Strong Rock Christian 7-6 in eight innings to win the series. Tattnall Square is playing in its sixth straight semifinal series since joining the Georgia High School Association in 2015.  

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Wesleyan (26-7) at Savannah Christian (26-6)

When: Tuesday (DH), 3:30 p.m.; Wednesday (if needed), 3:30 p.m.

Coaches: Wesleyan -- Brian Krehmeyer; Savannah Christian -- Carl Carter

How they got here: Wesleyan received a first round bye, defeated North Cobb Christian in three games in the second round, then defeated Fellowship Christian in three games in the quarterfinals. Savannah Christian received a first round bye, swept Mount Paran Christian in the second round, then defeated Savannah Country Day in three games in the quarterfinals

Winner of this series: Will meet the winner of the Tattnall Square-Hebron Christian series for the Class 1A Private championship.

Outlook: Wesleyan is in the semifinals for the first time since 2016 when they played in Class 2A. The Wolves split with Fellowship Christian in the first two games of the quarterfinals before Wesleyan finished with 19 hits in a 20-6 Game 3 victory Friday evening to advance to the semifinals. James McCoy was 5-for-5 with three RBIs to lead the offense. Savannah Christian is back in the semifinals for the second time in three seasons after ousting Savannah Country Day in three games. After splitting the first two games of the series, Savannah Christian got a three-run homer from Mark Langston en route to a 4-1 victory to win the series.