Jefferson’s best finishes in the state playoffs have been runs to the semifinals in 2001, 2002 and 2007. Coach Tommy Knight has the Dragons ranked No. 1 this week in Class AA after an 8-6 victory over Wesleyan, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs in the second round a year ago.
Knight believes this team has deeper pitching than those that made the semifinals.
‘’It’s just a matter of if we can swing the bat enough,’’ Knight said. “Pitching has been the mainstay. In the playoffs, you see those good pitchers, and you have to figure it out and get some runs across.’’
Jefferson’s top pitcher is Max Ford, a senior who has signed with Georgia as a shortstop. He’s hitting .357 with two home runs. He’s 6-1 on the mound with an 0.52 ERA and only five walks in 40 innings.
Junior Micah Carpenter is the No. 2 pitcher. He’s 6-1 with a 1.91 ERA.
The most consistent hitter is probably junior shortstop/third baseman Jake Franklin, batting .429 with three home runs and 21 RBI. Franklin has committed to Kennesaw State.
Hanon Price, a senior center fielder, is hitting .436 with a home run and 13 RBI. Senior second baseman Alex Gaba, who has committed to LaGrange College, is batting .332.
Jefferson is 19-3 overall, 11-0 in Region 8-AA.
In other baseball news …
Lambert, which won the USA Baseball Classic in Memphis last week, is the new No. 1-ranked team in USA Today's national rankings. Back home, Lambert improved to 20-0 this week with a 2-0 defeat of North Forsyth. Seth Beer tossed a complete game four-hitter with seven strikeouts. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate and is batting .638 (37-for-58) with 13 doubles and three home runs. Lambert's team ERA is 1.31. J.D. Dutka, the tournament MVP in Memphis, is 7-0 with a 1.37 ERA and is hitting .388 with three home runs and 11 extra-base hits in 67 at-bats.
Kennesaw Mountain head coach George Hansen got his 300th victory on Wednesday in a 5-2 victory over Harrison, whose coach, Mark Elkins, got his 300th victory earlier this season. The victory was Kennesaw Mountain's sixth straight and kept the Mustangs in first place in 4-AAAAAA with a 15-5 overall record, 8-2 in region play. Hansen's younger brother Keith is Allatoona's head coach and has 230 wins.
Roswell had 10 players to sign college scholarships from its 2014 state runner-up team but finds itself tied for first in what might be the state's toughest region, 5-AAAAAA. The Hornets are 12-7 overall, 6-2 in region play. The only players back who played significantly last season are outfielders Lawson Dunkin, Ryan Ritson (out with Tommy John surgery) and Georgia Tech signee Austin Krzeminski, who also pitches. Senior Scott Franklin is 4-0 with three saves. ''We've been able to get great starting pitching and very good relief pitching to get us out of late-inning jams,'' Roswell coach Mike Power said. Players hitting over .300 are senior shortstop Jordan Hovater, senior third baseman Mitchell Benson (Georgia State signee) junior catcher Matthew Hammaker and junior outfielder/pitcher Rory Horde. Junior Dion Simpson is another solid pitcher. And if anybody is counting, here are the 10 from 2013 that signed -- Connor Johnstone (Wake Forest), Matt Meeder (Mercer), Drew Davis (Kennesaw State), Zach Hald (Belmont), Alex Dickerson (Army), Syd Hopkins (Georgia Tech), Adam Terrinoni (LaGrange), Michael Mayuski (LaGrange), Zach Chandler (Georgia College and State) and Trent Corbett (Birmingham Southern).
Etowah won the game of the week on Thursday – a 6-4 decision against North Cobb innings. The winning rally, according to coach Greg Robinson, went this way: Noah Karst singled to RF, Cole Gandolfo singled to LF, Bryce Obrien singled to RF (for the go-ahead run), H.D. Dillard doubled to LF. Karst pitched he bottom half of the inning and got the win. ''I would bet on that game of five hours is a state record,'' Robinson said. None exists to verify it. Etowah is 17-3 overall, 6-2 in 5-AAAAAA.
Grayson is 13-7 overall and 9-1 in Region 8-AAAAAA, making a run at second-ranked Parkview. Junior second baseman Andrew Falgiano has hit in 17 of 20 games and is batting .419. Junior right fielder David Stinson is hitting .406 in region play and has scored 13 runs in those 10 games. Senior left fielder Tyler Knight is batting .375 in region play with two home runs and nine runs scored.
Walton's baseball players will be at Harrison Park in Marietta on Saturday helping out with the Challenger Baseball League. Walton right fielder Henry Rowling has been involved in the Challenger League for years. His younger brother, Hugh, is a player in the league for special needs children. "He's a special-needs student and player that just loves playing the game of baseball,'' said Walton coach Jeff Amos. "I feel this is important for us to give some time back to the community and for our players to realize how fortunate they are.'' Walton is 14-5 overall, 5-2 in 5-AAAAAA.
First Presyterian Day junior Austin Cox is having an all-state season. He improved to 4-1 as a pitcher on Wednesday in a 7-1 victory over Georgia Military. A lefthander, Cox has a 1.35 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. He was 2-for-4 against GMC and improved his average to .426 (20-for-47) with six doubles. FPD is 11-5 overall, 8-1 in Region 7-A.
Montgomery County won its first game of the season this week, beating Telfair County 8-4. The victory broke a 16-game losing streak. Senior Ryan Truett went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs. He's beating .341 (15-for-44) on the season. Sophomore Jonathan Rogers picked up the win, going the distance while striking out eight and walking only one. For the season, Rogers, also a shortstop, is hitting .469 (23-for-49) with five doubles, a home run and 10 RBI.
Mountain View is 17-3 overall, 8-2 in 7-AAAAAA, entering Friday's game against Mill Creek (9-7, 7-2) that will decide first place in the region. Mountain View's team ERA is 1.09. The leader is A.J. Moore 96-0, 0.73 ERA). He has 58 strikeouts in 38.1 innings and has allowed only 18 hits. The others in the rotation are Matthew Hubbard (4-1, 1.36 ERA) and Brendan Munson (4-1, 1.37 ERA). The team's three primary relievers – Ben Utley, Crew Peery and Tyler Zack – have pitched a combined 26.2 innings without allowing an earned run.
Westminster beat Lovett 8-2 and 10-7 this week in a rematch of the 2013 Class AA championship series won by Lovett. Hunter Davis pitched a complete game in the first victory, giving up two runs (one earned) and striking out five. He is 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA. Jack Forte hit two home runs in the second game, one a grand slam.
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