Five state baseball champions will be decided in best-of-three series that begin Saturday. Doubleheaders will be played on the first day. Here’s a quick look at the five finals:
Class AAAAA
Hillgrove (28-7) at Parkview (27-9)
When: 4 p.m. Saturday (5:30 p.m. Monday, if necessary)
History: Parkview won state titles in 1996, 2001 and 2002, the two most recent when Jeff Francoeur was the star player. Hillgrove is a five-year-old school playing for its first state title in any sport and could become the fifth different Cobb County school in six seasons to win the AAAAA baseball title.
Worth noting: Both teams have deep hitting lineups. Hillgrove’s Ryan Raper (.391, nine HRs), Max Oberkofler (.383, 12 HRs) and Chad Adkins (.404, nine HRs) hit for power and average. Edwin Arias (.453), Josh Hart (.444) and Matt Olson (.418) are the top three of six Parkview underclassmen hitting .400 or better.
Class AAAA
Whitewater (27-7) at Marist (31-4)
When: 3 p.m. Saturday (2 p.m. Monday, if necessary)
History: Marist, the defending champion, has won 11 state titles in baseball. Whitewater has won state titles in wrestling, soccer and volleyball since graduating its first senior class in 2007.
Worth noting: Marist left-hander Brandon Leibrandt (11-0, 0.67 ERA) is a leading contender for state player of the year. He has signed with FSU. ... In the past two playoff series, Whitewater catcher Joel Van Asch is 8-for-14 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly.
Class AAA
Spalding (30-3) at Columbus (28-8)
When: 2 p.m. Monday (4:30 p.m. Tuesday, if necessary)
History: Columbus is seeking its second consecutive state title and 11th in history. Spalding, a Griffin school that opened in 2000, has never won a state title in any sport.
Worth noting: Columbus swept Spalding 3-0, 4-3 in the 2010 second round. ... Kyle Carter of Columbus has hit a school-record 21 home runs, and he had 15 strikeouts in a semifinal shutout of Thomson. ... Spalding beat Woodward Academy 18-14 in Game 3 of the semifinals on Casey Moody’s walk-off grand slam.
Class AA
Pike County (30-6) at Buford (29-3)
When: 4 p.m. Saturday (4 p.m. Monday, if necessary)
History: Buford’s only state title in baseball came in 1977. Pike County is a 56-year-old school that has never won a state title in a boys sport. This is the school’s first baseball state final.
Worth noting: Pike County swept Buford 7-2, 5-4 in the 2010 second round. ... Buford’s rotation of Josh Heddinger (9-0, 2.08), Jake Burnette (7-0, 1.37) and Sam Clay (7-1, 1.59) is 23-1 with 224 strikeouts in 152 innings.
Class A
Providence Christian (26-11) at Hebron Christian (31-3)
When: 3 p.m. Saturday (2 p.m. Monday, if necessary)
History: Hebron is playing in its first state final in any sport since joining the GHSA in 2004. Providence has won state titles in soccer, softball and gymnastics, but never in a boys sport. These are two of four Gwinnett teams in the finals. Buford and Parkview are the others.
Worth noting: Providence swept Hebron 4-3 and 4-3 in the 2010 second round, the only time these private schools (16 miles apart) have played in baseball. ... Providence’s Christin Stewart holds the Gwinnett record for home runs (25) and RBIs (69) in a season. ... Hebron’s Danny Lockhart (.565, 13 HRs) holds the state record for career hits with 216.
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