The baseball semifinal series will begin Saturday with doubleheaders in eight classes and conclude with if-necessary Game 3s on Monday.
The championship series will be played May 19-25 at the Braves’ Truist Park (classes 7A, 6A), Rome’s Adventhealth Stadium (5A, 4A, 3A), Coolray Field (3A, A Private) and Statesboro’s Clements Field (2A, A Public), the GHSA announced this week.
Here’s a rundown on the matchups and teams remaining in each class.
Class 7A: All four semifinalists were region champions except Etowah, the Region 5 runner-up to Woodstock, so these teams have been good all season. Mill Creek got back-to-back shutouts in the quarterfinals to eliminate Lowndes after losing Game 1. Beau Brailey in Game 2 and Hunter Pirkle in Game 3 pitched three-hitters. Parkview, the defending champion, is traveling to Woodstock. Both are 6-0 in playoff games. Woodstock and Mill Creek, the home teams, have never won state titles in baseball.
Parkview at Woodstock
Etowah at Mill Creek
Class 6A: Lassiter beat South Paulding 7-6 in a Game 3, scoring the game-winner on a wild pitch in the seventh inning. It was Lassiter’s third straight Game 3 victory. Pope hasn’t lost in six playoff games while scoring 70 runs. Allatoona, seeking its first state title, gives Cobb County three teams in the semifinals. Buford, now the favorite, beat No. 1-ranked Houston County in the quarterfinals and continues to look strong despite season-ending Tommy John surgery for Dylan Lesko, the state’s top pitching prospect.
Lassiter at Allatoona
Buford at Pope
Class 5A: Ashton Sapp hit a two-run walk-off homer in Apalachee’s 10-9 victory over Wayne County in Game 3 this week after Apalachee trailed 9-0. Sapp also pitched four scoreless innings. Next for Apalachee, which has never won a state title, is six-time former champion and No. 1-ranked Cartersville. Decatur and Loganville, which are 6-0 in the playoffs, meet in the other semifinal. Decatur last won a state title in 1948. Loganville is a five-time former champion.
Apalachee at Cartersville
Decatur at Loganville
Class 4A: All four semifinal teams won their regions. LaGrange got consecutive shutouts in Games 2 and 3 this week to beat Heritage-Ringgold. Trevor Booton pitched a four-hitter in Game 2, and freshman Caden Wood threw a seven-hitter in the finale. Another LaGrange team, Troup, had the single greatest moment when Reed Morris hit a walk-off grand slam to beat Benedictine 9-8 in Game 2, but Benedictine won the deciding game 7-3. Cedartown and North Oconee are chasing their first state titles. North Oconee, ranked No. 1, has won 32 straight games. Benedictine last won in 2018, LaGrange in 2004.
Cedartown at LaGrange
North Oconee at Benedictine
Class 3A: Defending champion North Hall travels to 2019 champion Pike County while Redan, the only unranked team remaining, plays at No. 1-ranked Pierce County. Pierce has never won a baseball state title. Redan, traditionally DeKalb County’s top baseball program, won in 2013.
North Hall at Pike County
Redan at Pierce County
Class 2A: Vidalia has outscored its six playoff opponents 84-5. Expect that to tighten up against No. 5 Lovett this weekend. Lovett’s Buckhead neighbor Pace Academy is ranked No. 1 and plays at home against No. 3 Thomasville. Anderson Everett pitched a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts in Game 3 of the semifinals in a 3-0 victory over 2021 champion Jeff Davis.
Lovett at Vidalia
Thomasville at Pace Academy
Class A Private: These four metro Atlanta schools have been pretty dominant in the playoffs to this point. Fellowship Christian had to win Games 2 and 3 against Savannah Christian. Grant Hudson and Wilson Long were the starters in a pair of shutout victories. Mount Paran is the defending champion. Wesleyan is a four-time past champion. North Cobb and Fellowship have never won.
Mount Paran Christian at Wesleyan
North Cobb Christian at Fellowship Christian
Class A Public: Metter is the defending champion. The North Georgia teams – Commerce and Social Circle – have never won baseball titles.
Social Circle at Charlton County
Commerce at Metter
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