The six No. 1-ranked teams in the AJC's baseball rankings look tough to beat. Each made the semifinals or better in 2014 and look just as good, or better, in 2015.
Here is a close look at each one.
AAAAAA
Parkview (13-2) graduated its best two pitchers from a 2014 team that made the Class AAAAAA semifinals, but there is no statistical evidence of those departures in 2015. The team’s ERA is 1.36 against a challenging schedule. Georgia State-signee Ryne Inman (5-1, 2.03) has 42 strikeouts in 31 innings. Also outstanding are Will Ethridge (4-0, 1.29) and sophomore Cody Collett (2-0, 1.47). Andy Albright has thrown 13 scoreless innings. The standout hitter is second baseman Daino Deas, who has signed with Auburn. Deas is batting .432 (19-for-44) with six extra-base hits and eight stolen bases. The lineup is deep with catcher Austin Biggar (.310, 15 runs scored), shortstop Trevor Brown (.326, 18 RBI, 10 SB, signed with Kennesaw State), outfielder David Draper (.325), first baseman Johnathan Whitmer (.320) and outfielder Brandon Hill (.342, 17 runs). All have at least four extra-base hits. Hill, who has signed with Chattahoochee Valley, has two doubles, six triples, two home runs and six steals.
AAAAA
Greenbrier (12-0) has two Division 1 signees who serve as the No. 1 and No. 2 starters. Nick Sandlin (Southern Miss) is 6-0 with a 1.21 ERA over 34 2/3 innings. He has 52 strikeouts. Adam Sasser (Georgia) has allowed only one earned run over 15 1/3 innings (0.46 ERA) and has 25 strikeouts. Both also are outstanding hitters. Though viewed as a pitcher for college, Sandlin is batting .425. Sasser has a team-leading four home runs. Greenbrier has two other regulars hitting .400 or better. They are Ty Snipes (.487-2-12) and Braz Staples (.400, 12 runs scored). Greenbrier made the semifinals last season and won the most recent of its five state championships in 2007.
AAAA
Buford’s Jake Higinbotham (signed with Clemson) and Connor Bennett (West Virginia) have pitched 41 innings without allowing an earned run. That’s 21 2/3 for Higginbotham and 19 1/3 for Bennett. And those two might not be the team’s best pitchers. Also in contention for that honor are Georgia Tech-bound Keyton Gibson (3-1, 0.67 ERA, 30 SO, 21 IP) and Mercer-signee Kevin Coulter (3-0, 0.82 ERA, 29 SO, 17 IP). Catcher Joey Bart, also signed with Tech, is the team’s best hitter at .533 (24-for-45) with eight extra-base hits. Also formidable are Brandon Marsh (.397 on-base average, 20 runs, six steals) and Griffin Jolliff (.344) and twins Nick Wilhite (.341, 21 RBI) and Austin Wilhite (.370, 27 RBI). The Wilhite twins are signed with Tech. Higginbotham Buford, a semifinalist in AAA last season, is 14-2.
AAA
Defending AAA champ Blessed Trinity has four regulars batting over .400. They are catcher Cody Roberts (.462, 4 HR), catcher/DH Will Galloway (.429, 4 HR), second baseman Garrett Dupuis (.406) and center fielder Bronco O’Brien (.406, 10 SB). Roberts has signed with North Carolina, O’Brien with Erskine. Shortstop Jack Dunn (.297, five extra-base hits) has signed with Northwestern. Georgia College signee Brad Spinner (4-1, 0.28 ERA) and Hayden Lehman (3-0, 0.79) have been the top pitchers. Jackson Svete (12 IP) and Cole McNamee (9 2/3 IP) haven’t allowed an earned run.
AA
Wesleyan center fielder Jahmai Jones, a potential first-round pick in the June MLB Draft, is having a player-of-the-year season for this 13-2 team that returns seven starters from a semifinal finisher in 2014. Jones is hitting .500 (19-for-38) with three home runs, seven doubles and 20 stolen bases. Jones has signed with North Carolina. Shortstop Carter Hall, a Georgia Tech signee, is batting .359 with 11 steals. Second baseman Will Collins (.333), outfielder Colin Hill (.319) and pitcher Andrew Sauer (.333) also are hitting it well. Sauer is the pitching ace with an 0.56 ERA has 37 strikeouts in 25 innings.
A
Defending private-school champion King’s Ridge Christian (12-1) is hitting .409 as a team. The most celebrated bat belongs to Georgia Tech-signed outfielder Brandt Stallings, a Perfect Game All-American who is hitting .472 with four home runs and 10 stolen bases, but even he is chasing the monster numbers of sophomore catcher Lawson Hill, whose .632 average includes five doubles, two triples and two homers in 38 at-bats. Also hitting well are Adam Moore (.538), Kyle Brnovich (.471), Austin Higginbotham (.433) and Connor Burns (.361). And most of those guys are pitchers. The all-senior rotation is Burns (2-0, 1.98, Wake Forest signee), left-hander Higginbotham (4-0, 1.05 ERA, Austin Peay) and Moore (1-0, 1.40, Mercer). The top reliever is Brnovich (1-1, 1.58), a junior.
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