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DEL.ICIO.USGeorgia High School Baseball Blog: State Finals Preview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Step up to the plate: Hardball is the place to talk high school baseball on ajc.com. We’ll be posting scores as they become available, but if you’ve got the scoop, please feel free to post scores, recaps and highlights. Thanks.
Finals Friday: Spotlight
• Georgia popping with MLB prospects
The final weekend of the 2008 baseball season has arrived, and the Hardball staff couldn’t be happier with the five matchups. Here’s a look at the final 10:
Class AAAAA
Walton at Brookwood, Friday, 5 p.m.
Game 3 (if needed), Saturday, 6 p.m.
A dandy of a Class AAAAA title series between Walton and Brookwood will take place at the Dave Hunter Complex. The Raiders are looking to win consecutive state titles with a virtual carbon copy of the 2007 team that took down Kennesaw Mountain in three games for the school’s second state championship. This year’s opponent is Brookwood, ranked No. 3 nationally, which has a lineup that includes seven hitters averaging better than .300.
Class AAAA
Loganville at Griffin, Friday 4:30 p.m.
Game 3 (if needed), Saturday 2 p.m.
Show us a single person who thought Loganville and Griffin would be playing for Class AAAA’s top prize and we’ll show you a genius. The Red Devils ended Greenbrier’s two-year state title run in the quarterfinals before winning consecutive one-run games against region foe Salem.
Everyone knows about Griffin shortstop Tim Beckham - he’s projected as one of the top two picks in the upcoming major league baseball draft - but the rest of the Bears can hit, too (nearly eight runs a game). The offense and underrated pitching staff helped the Region 4-AAAA school reach the state championship round for the first time since 1981.
Class AAA
Stephens County at Cartersville, Friday 4 p.m.
Game 3 (if needed), Saturday 2 p.m.
Call this series the “Battle of the Bats.” Both teams can score in a hurry and both benefit from the long ball. Stephens County has hit a school-record 57 home runs, and Cartersville had seven in its semifinal sweep of South Effingham. The Indians are making their first trip to the finals since 1973. Cartersville has been a regular this decade, winning three crowns from 2001-2003 and appearing in the 2004 championship series.
Class AA
Lovett at Wesleyan, Friday 4 p.m.
Game 3 (if needed), Saturday 2 p.m.
Lovett and Wesleyan not only will renew Region 6-AA acquaintances, but will be going head-to-head in the Class AA final for the second time in three seasons. The Lions swept the 2006 series but face a stiff challenge in a Wolves team that boasts Georgia Tech-bound Connor Winn, Vanderbilt signee Grayson Garvin and a blossoming Devin Stanton.
Class A
Pacelli at Landmark Christian, Friday 4:30 p.m.
Game 3 (if needed), Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
Can anyone stop Landmark Christian? We’ll find out when the stout Pacelli pitching staff looks to stop the red-hot War Eagles, who are averaging nearly 12 runs a game in eight consecutive postseason victories. Landmark had never even reached the state semifinals before this season, and Pacelli last played for a state title in 1991.
Step up to the plate: Hardball is the place to talk high school baseball on ajc.com. We’ll be posting scores as they become available, but if you’ve got the scoop, please feel free to post scores, recaps and highlights. Thanks.
Comments
By JDE
May 29, 2008 11:02 AM | Link to this
Go Walton! Nothing better than E.Cobb baseball.
By Clint
May 29, 2008 11:19 AM | Link to this
Will PBS be broadcasting any of the games?
By CHSer
May 29, 2008 11:22 AM | Link to this
I think it was Cartersville that eliminated South Effingham and possibly has the home run record rather than Stephens County. I do know that Cartersville hit 7 home runs in it sweep over S. Effy.
By Cloud
May 29, 2008 11:47 AM | Link to this
Isn’t there anything more you can say about the Loganville Red Devils?? This team has done an excellent job but have gotten little to no coverage at all. GO DEVILS!
By truedawg
May 29, 2008 12:00 PM | Link to this
Sorry JDE, Did you not read that Brookwood has 7 hitter’s in the line-up hitting over .300 and a pitcher thats already committed to Georgia and he is “LIGHT’S OUT”!! Walton doesnt stand a chance…..oh yeah, its at our house!!!
By Todd
May 29, 2008 12:06 PM | Link to this
Loganville was in the state finals in 2002 when they lost to Micah Owings and Gainesville.
By Tbrown5300
May 29, 2008 12:41 PM | Link to this
I wish Cloud would quit crying about the attention your squad gets. Earn your respect on the ball field and you will get plenty of attention. THE GRIFFIN BEARS “TEAM” has also done a terrific job of playing good baseball this year. Good luck Loganville and Griffin hope to see a great game Friday at the Bears Den!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By Cloud
May 29, 2008 1:13 PM | Link to this
Tbrown5300…I simply made one comment. Who’s crying? Looks to me like you have nothing better to do with your time than try to start an argument with a stranger. Respect on the field? They’ve earned that already by their stellar performance at Rome then Greenbrier then on to beat Salem. Either team that wins on Friday has done something few thought they could do, make it this far. Well done Devils and Bears!!
By Not a Walton Fan But
May 29, 2008 1:55 PM | Link to this
not a walton fan but if (and that’s ‘if’) they win at brookwood, they deserve the championship. they have played all road games thru the play-offs. now….go brookwood!
By Kurt Aschermann Jr.
May 29, 2008 2:12 PM | Link to this
Todd
completely over-looked that in my Loganville notes - I see it right now 2002 AA runner-up
apologize for the error.
By eddie
May 29, 2008 2:20 PM | Link to this
GO LANDMARK WAR EAGLES.WHAT A SEASON.HITTING,PITCHING,FIELDING,EVERTHING YOU NEED FOR A GREAT SEASON. WE APPRECIATE THE COVERAGE FROM THE AJC. TWO MORE WINS FOR THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP.GO LANDMARK…….
By brodie
May 29, 2008 2:37 PM | Link to this
Wow, once again AA is a battle of metro-money teams, the private school recruiting universities. When will GHSA ever fix this, so the playing field will be level. It’s a bunch of crap. Nobody gives a crap about this series except the two teams in it, b/c money and recruting bought them a championship. What freaking joke!!!
By Dooder
May 29, 2008 2:48 PM | Link to this
isn’t the Class A final between two private schools?
By azcat225
May 29, 2008 3:48 PM | Link to this
truedawg:
As I recall, Alpharetta and Norcross didn’t stand a chance against Brookwood either, but both of those series went three games.
Walton has Mark Pope as their first game pitcher—-signed with Georgia Tech—-and he has been “LIGHTS OUT” four straight games. TJ Kerins is going to the Naval Academy and will most likely play ball there, and Kyle Putkonen will sign with a Div I school if he is not drafted high enough. Both Mark and Kyle are ranked by various rating services as second or third round picks in the upcoming baseball draft.
As far as being “at your house”, Walton has won four straight series on the road, so I doubt that one more will bother them all that much, and since this last series is in the metro area, they will have plenty of fans there to cheer them on any way.
And finally, I have to believe that the Brookwood team itself, of which you are obviously not a member, has far too much respect for the defending AAAAA champion to be so dismissive of a fine baseball team that has peaked at the right time. If they do have the same attitude that you do, it will be over in two games with Walton as the repeat state champion.
Respect is earned, not demanded.
By azcat225
May 29, 2008 4:11 PM | Link to this
Kurt, assuming that you have first pick as to which series you’re going to cover for the AJC, which one are you attending?
Enquiring minds want to know…
By Rodney Dangerfield
May 29, 2008 4:35 PM | Link to this
Talk about getting no respect. How about a little respect for Ethan Martin and the Stephens County Indians. Will be tough to beat Cartersville, but you might as well bring it back to Toccoa. Good luck Indians! Too bad we don’t get them at the Reservation. Congrats to Ethan for the Gatorade Player of the Year!
By truedawg
May 29, 2008 5:24 PM | Link to this
azcat225……as far as all your praise for walton “which im sure you dont play for them” eithier. I would be willing to put a little wager on the series and however you think we should do that you just let me know…..my email is on here and you can email me and put a little wager on it!!
By Kurt Aschermann Jr.
May 29, 2008 7:36 PM | Link to this
azcat225
I’ll be at Walton-Brookwood. Very much looking forward to it; I think it’s going to be a fantastic series.
where are you headed?
By ddp
May 29, 2008 7:52 PM | Link to this
To those who whine about private schools-read the GHSA rules. Private schools have service areas also. kids can’t transfer to a private school without penalty(sitting out a year) any easier than someone wanting to go from one public school to another. In fact it is easier for a kid to leave private school and go back to a public school as long is is in the area that they live. All they have to do is claim that they can’t afford tuition any longer and they are usually granted eligibilty.Private schools are not allowed to give athletic scholarships either- contrary to the beliefs of the ignorant. As far as recruiting goes it is illegal everywhere and public schools do it quite often. There are many who used fake addresses to play at certain schools and those that move to play at a school after being recruited. For the most part everyone is above board.The fact that a majority of the private schools, because of numbers, are in AA and A has a lot to do with the private schools being successful in those classifications. If private schools had such an advantage with the rules why don’t they dominate AAA, AAAA or AAAAA? There are a great number of private schools in the lower classifications and they compete against schools, for the most part,in rural area schools with scattered populations and virtually no choice even if they move a few miles. No one mentions the city schools who have kids who don’t live in the city limits but are able to pay to go there. Blaming a non-level playing field is just an excuse. Just lose with dignity and look forward to next year.
By Kurt Aschermann Jr.
May 30, 2008 12:37 AM | Link to this
Clint
as far as I know, nothing is scheduled to be broadcasted, though I’ve been to some playoff games this year where Fox 5 had a camera man for highlights on the evening’s news programs.
That might be all you get.
enjoy the games.
By azcat225
May 30, 2008 8:41 AM | Link to this
Kurt Alas, work always gets in the way. I would love to be able to go to the Walton/Brookwood series; it should be an outstanding series between two great teams. Occasionally, the best two teams are there in the end.
truedawg Unless the GHSA has changed the rules, I don’t think some one “my age” is eligible to play with the high schoolers. I won’t wager with you but, as I stated above, I dearly wish I could be there to watch what should be an outstanding series. Which is the point I was trying to make through your continued disrespect of a great Walton team. Am I biased? You’re darn right I am. My son graduated from Wheeler last year but he played summer ball for three years with most of the seniors on the Walton team. Not only are they great players, but they’re great kids, and their parents are still friends these many years later. But I won’t disrepect what is obviously an outstanding Broncos team, either.
Go to the games, cheer your heart out, but don’t act like some of the Valdosta fans apparently did.
Best of luck to both teams but I will be rooting for Walton.
By truedawg
May 30, 2008 9:05 AM | Link to this
I was just messin with you azcat225….i wish Walton all the Luck and just like you i am too old to be on the team as well….I graduated from Brookwood in 98’….i will problably be there….just look for the big guy (6’5, 330) i was on the 96 championship football team so you know where my heart is!!! ahahah Good luck to both teams…..
By Coates
May 30, 2008 9:30 AM | Link to this
Cartersville will broadcast live on www.bartowheadlines.com. The link is in the top right corner. It will be the 1450 Cartersville link and you will have to choose your platform from 3 choices. First game is at 4PM. GO MIGHTY HURRICANES
By Cougarmom
May 30, 2008 12:34 PM | Link to this
Good luck to Phillip and the rest of the Landmark Christian team! We are rooting for you all the way!!!!
By Go Big Red
May 30, 2008 12:42 PM | Link to this
You can listen to the Indians broadcast on www.wnegradio.com with the legendary Ted Taylor calling the game with Greg Pitts. These guys do a fantastic job calling a game. I no longer live in Toccoa so I wanted to say thanks guys for doing a great job all year. Go Indians!
By Russ
May 30, 2008 12:51 PM | Link to this
The Brookwood - Walton game will be an excellent game. These two teams matched up at Brookwood early in the year, and Brookwood’s hitting & excellent pitching dominated Walton. E. Cobb baseball or not, Walton knows their in for a game. Brookwood isn’t #3 in the country because of luck.
By Tim
May 30, 2008 1:26 PM | Link to this
Kurt, let me say thank you for the coverage and the work you have put in covering these teams and more importantly, the kids. I enjoy the back and forth between adults but it is the kids who go between the lines and put out their best efforts. For most of the seniors playing this weekend, this will be their last time putting on the spikes and wearing their school’s uniform. I wish them all the best and I hope they take the time to “enjoy” the moment. Adulthood is right around the corner and their high school memories are something that should be cherished forever.
By GHSBRAT
May 30, 2008 2:22 PM | Link to this
ddp, My son also goes to private school, when the rules were set up, private schools were supposed to play up a division. If they qualify for AAA, they were supposed to play in AAAA. This was going to make private & public school more evenly matched, so coaches couldn’t go recruit students. Is this rule still in force for private schools?
By Tim
May 30, 2008 2:42 PM | Link to this
GHSBRAT, That rule was called the “Tom Murphy Rule”. Speaker Tom had a granddaughter who was in charge of the debate team at Bremen High School. Every year the Bremen debate team was beat out at state by one of the Atlanta private schools. Speaker Tom thought it would be fairer if the private schools had to count each of their students and then multiply this by 1.5 and compete at this level not by the real number of students they really had in their school. For several years you did not see the private schools playing in the finals or even the semi-finals in sports. Speaker Tom left, the law was recinded, as it should have been, and now the private schools are back. If only private schools recruit, someone please tell me how all the best basketball players end up in Norcross? AAU should have an office at Norcross High School.
By Vince
May 30, 2008 4:42 PM | Link to this
You saw it first here….Brookwood in 2!
By Jay Stone
May 30, 2008 4:42 PM | Link to this
Loganville 0 Griffin 0
Griffin’s Greg Fietsam and Loganville’s Drew Payne both looked sharp in the first
By Jay Stone
May 30, 2008 5:00 PM | Link to this
Loganville 00 Griffin 00
By Jay Stone
May 30, 2008 5:17 PM | Link to this
Loganville 000 2 Griffin 000 1
three errors help Loganville to a pair of runs.
By Jay Stone
May 30, 2008 5:35 PM | Link to this
Loganville 000 23 Griffin 000 10 Blake McCullers’ three-run homer big blow for Loganville
By Jay Stone
May 30, 2008 5:41 PM | Link to this
Loganville 000 23 Griffin 000 10
Blake McCullers’ three-run homer gives Red Devils 5-1 lead
By truedawg
May 30, 2008 5:52 PM | Link to this
does anyone have the brookwood score?
By Jay Stone
May 30, 2008 5:55 PM | Link to this
Loganville 000 232 Griffin 000 100
Drew Smith’s 2-run single makes it 7-1
By ACE
May 30, 2008 6:11 PM | Link to this
Brookwood and Walton are 0-0 in top of 5th.
By steve
May 30, 2008 6:48 PM | Link to this
Any further update on Loganville-Griffin??
By steve
May 30, 2008 6:48 PM | Link to this
Any further update on Loganville-Griffin??
By Tommy
May 30, 2008 7:00 PM | Link to this
The “Tom Murphy Rule” is still in effect until the 2008-2009 school year.
By azcat225
May 30, 2008 10:05 PM | Link to this
Congratulations to Brookwood on a super season, capped by a state title. And congratulations to Walton for one heck of a run through the playoffs, all of it on the road. Look forward to some details on what sounds like two well played games.
By tatrocgetcat
November 8, 2008 9:55 AM | Link to this
eltcoc
By nick_riccna
December 26, 2008 1:19 PM | Link to this
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