Baseball finals recap: 3 teams win 1st titles; Loganville etches history
Three schools won baseball titles for the first time, and Loganville made its case for baseball program of the century in the championship series that finished this week.
Kell of Class 4A, Pickens of 3A and Morgan County of 2A were first-time state champions.
Pickens’ title was its first in a boys sport, and first in any sport since 1974.
In the deciding Game 3 on Monday in Columbus, Everett Grubbs pitched all but the final out of a 2-1 victory over defending champion Troup.
Kell won as a Cinderella fourth-place finisher from its region, winning four straight road series and beating North Oconee 3-2 and 8-5 in the finals at Rome.
“I felt like our talent would eventually kind of rise to the top,” Kell coach Todd Harris said.
Loganville of 5A won its ninth state title, all since 2008, at Gwinnett Field.
Loganville is tied with Parkview and three others for third-most all-time behind Marist (14) and Columbus (12). Loganville passed Parkview for most state titles this century.
Loganville also claimed the most dramatic Game 3 victory of all the finals, winning 4-3 against Pope after trailing 3-1 in the seventh inning. Brantley Carter hit a walk-off, two-run single.
Etowah of 6A won its third title overall and second in two seasons by sweeping North Paulding 2-1 and 4-3. Matthew Sharman, a Georgia signee, pitched a complete game win in Game 1 and scored the winning run in Game 2.
Wesleyan of 3A-A Private won its sixth title overall, first since 2022 and first under second-year coach Mark Pope, a former All-America pitcher at Georgia Tech.
Class A schools Lanier County and Gordon Lee repeated as champions.
Lanier County has won three straight and joined Wesleyan in sweeping baseball and fastpitch softball titles this academic year.
Only 10 schools have done that, though Lanier County and Wesleyan have done it twice now this decade.
“We’ve been incredibly blessed in Lanier County, and the last three years have been special times for sure,” Lanier County coach Matthew White said. “This town sure does love its baseball and softball.”
Below is AJC Varsity’s coverage of the eight finals played May 22-27 in Rome, Lawrenceville, Statesboro and Columbus.
Class 6A: Etowah 2, North Paulding 0. Game 1, Game 2
Class 5A: Loganville 2, Pope 1. Game 1, Games 2-3
Class 4A: Kell 2, North Oconee 0. Games 1-2
Class 3A: Pickens 2, Troup 1. Games 1-2. Game 3
Class 2A: Morgan County 2, Pierce County 0. Games 1-2
Class A Division I: Gordon Lee 2, Vidalia 1. Games 1-2. Game 3
Class A Division II: Lanier County 2, ECI 0. Games 1-2
Class 4A-2A Private: Wesleyan 2, Holy Innocents. 1. Games 1-2, Game 3
About the Author
Todd Holcomb covers high school sports across the state. He rejoined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2025 and has worked with the AJC in varying capacities since 1985. He is a co-founder and editor of Georgia High School Football Daily.
