No. 1 Walton continues to distance itself from the rest of the pack in AAAAAA. The Raiders are ranked No. 13 in the nation according to MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25 Writer’s Poll. Carter Kieboom (Clemson) and Parker McCoy (Georgia Tech) make up one of the best 1-2 punches up the middle in the entire nation. No. 3 Pope will challenge Walton’s legitimacy throughout the year. The Greyhounds hounded Walton last night 16-1 in an eye-opening performance. MLB bound ace Joshua Lowe (FSU) will anchor the Greyhounds staff all year long while showing pop at the plate.
In Class AAAAA, Gainesville retakes the No. 1 ranking from Greenbrier after the Wolfpack slipped against Grovetown. Loganville falls a spot to No. 4 after losing 13-6 to Collins Hill. The Red Devils turn their sights to the Red Elephants in a pivotal two-game series starting on Monday. Gainesville took game one 5-3. No. 6 Columbus suffered its first loss to LaGrange 6-5, but have won three straight since. Lefty Cason Greathouse has been tough to solve on the mound.
No. 5 Thomas County Central leaps five spots following an impressive 1-0 shutout of No. 8 Cairo to remain unbeaten in Region 1-AAAA. Johnathan Robinson hurled a complete game while allowing five hits, two walks and striking out six. Elsewhere, No. 10 North Hall debuts in the polls. The Trojans have a strong resume with a series sweep of Madison County headlining. Their only losses have come to North Gwinnett, St. Pius and West Forsyth.
No. 1 Blessed Trinity made a resounding statement in Class AAA that they are the team to beat by throttling No. 4 Westminster 15-1. The blow drops the Wildcats two spots while No. 2 Franklin County and No. 3 Jefferson are the beneficiaries. No. 10 Elbert County slides into the top ten for the first time this year.
Region 6-AA litters the Top 3 with No. 1 Holy Innocents’, No. 2 GAC and No. 3 Wesleyan. The Wolves drop a spot after a loss to Lovett. GAC leap frogs over Wesleyan and No. 4 Bowdon, who is 10-0. The Spartans get to put their No. 2 ranking to the test as they have a three-game set with Wesleyan looming. Fitzgerald drops out of the top ten after two straight losses and is replacing by No. 9 Metter.
A new No. 1 takes over Class A in Hebron Christian after King’s Ridge was defeated by new entry, No. 5 Trion. The Bulldogs are riding one of the hottest hitters in the entire country right now. Senior Gabe Howell is batting .773 with 16 RBIs and three homers. The devastating middle infielder hit over .530 last year and is a player to keep an eye on moving forward. In the Bulldogs’ 3-2 win over the Tigers, Howell went 1-for-3 with a homer and two runs scored. Evan Walker battled wildness but pitched a complete game. He allowed four hits, two unearned runs, walked seven and struck out six.
Class AAAAAA
1. Walton 11-2
2. Mountain View 8-3
3. Pope 11-4
4. Collins Hill 9-2
5. Milton 10-3
6. Parkview 8-5
7. Norcross 10-2
8. Lee County 13-1
9. East Coweta 11-3
10. North Cobb 12-1
Class AAAAA
1. Gainesville 9-2
2. Greenbrier 13-2
3. Allatoona 10-1
4. Loganville 8-2
5. Kell 11-2
6. Columbus 11-1
7. Jones County 11-1
8. Cambridge 8-3
9. Dalton 9-2
10. Hardaway 8-2
Class AAAA
1. Locust Grove 10-1
2. Buford 9-2
3. St. Pius 9-3
4. Marist 6-1
5. Thomas County Central 12-2
6. Whitewater 6-3
7. Wayne County 9-3
8. Cairo 12-2
9. Troup 8-2
10. North Hall 9-4
Class AAA
1. Blessed Trinity 11-0
2. Franklin County 13-0
3. Jefferson 9-3
4. Westminster 7-2
5. Pierce County 12-3
6. Cedartown 12-1
7. Rockmart 10-2
8. Dawson County 9-2
9. Ringgold 8-4
10. Elbert County 10-2
Class AA
1. Holy Innocents’ 12-1
2. GAC 10-2
3. Wesleyan 11-3
4. Bowdon 10-0
5. Benedictine 9-4
6. Gordon Lee 8-3
7. Bryan County 9-4
8. Jeff Davis 10-3
9. Metter 8-4
10. Darlington 7-5
Class A
1. Hebron Christian 12-2
2. King’s Ridge 10-2
3. Mt. Paran 11-3
4. Tattnall Square Academy 10-3
5. Trion 9-1
6. Schley County 13-2
7. Treutlen 11-3
8. Aquinas 12-3
9. Taylor County 11-2
10. ELCA 8-4
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