When Brookwood opens the Class AAAAA baseball playoffs Friday in Snellville, the Broncos will have the tag of Georgia's top team, complete with national acclaim.

The Broncos are ranked No. 1 in one national publication.

Left-handed pitcher Chase Hawkins, who has signed with Georgia, is 10-0 with a 1.02 ERA and also leads the team in hitting with a .516 average. No. 2 starter Alex Beebe is 7-0 with a 1.53 ERA, and No. 3 Matt Adams is 5-0 with a 1.56 ERA. The three would seem to give the Broncos an edge in any three-game series.

Brookwood is averging 8.8 runs per game. Junior Ronnie Freeman is right behind Hawkins, hitting .515 with 25 RBIs. Jordan Erisman is at .471 with a team-high 27 RBIs, and Seth Adkins is hitting .422 average with 25 RBIs.

"We're not so dependent on our 3-4-5 hitters," Brookwood coach Rick Howard said. "We really like our guys at the bottom of the lineup. We like our lineup, top to bottom. [And] that's what's been special about this group. There are nine seniors, and they play the game extremely well. You go 24-1 ... you've got to have more than one kid step up."

The next three weeks won't be easy for Howard's club. If the Broncos get past Alpharetta, winners of five consecutive games coming into the playoffs, the winner of Norcross-Woodstock awaits. A tough opponent could emerge in later rounds from East Coweta. M.L. King, Jenkins or Coffee. If Brookwood reaches the state championship series, any number of quality teams from the other side of the bracket, including USA Today No. 9 Harrison, could be waiting.

"You throw the seeds out," said Howard. "[Alpharetta's] a No. 4 seed, but I don't think of them as a 4-seed. Anything can happen."