The first round of the state baseball playoffs begin Thursday with 112 best-of-three series. They conclude May 21-23 with neutral-site championship series at the Grayson Stadium in Savannah, State Mutual Stadium in Rome, OrthGeorgia Park in Macon and Foley Field in Athens. Draws can be found here on the GHSA website.
Here’s a class-by-class look at some storylines and teams to beat:
AAAAAAA – Mill Creek (26-4) enters ranked No. 12 nationally in MaxPreps' Excellent 25. The Hawks made the semifinals last season, losing to eventual champion Etowah, but have never won a state title. No. 2 Parkview (25-5) has won six state titles, the most recent in 2015. The Panthers edged No. 6 Brookwood (22-8), another prime contender, in a Region 8 race that went down to the final game.Third-ranked Woodstock (25-5), the state runner-up last season, is a newcomer to being a state power and will be a factor again.
AAAAAA – East Cobb powerhouse Pope (24-5), the defending champion, is ranked No. 1. Many other top contenders have never won state. Those include Region 6 rivals No. 2 River Ridge (25-5), a semifinalist last season, and No. 3 Allatoona (25-5), a 2017 quarterfinalist. No. 4 Lee County (22-7) also has never taken home a title.
AAAAA – No. 2 Loganville (25-6) defeated No. 1 Wayne County (26-4) by scores of 3-0 and 3-2 in the final last year. They could meet again. Buford (19-11), the Region 8 runner-up to Loganville, is always a threat. .No. 3 Veterans (23-7) has made the quarterfinals each of the past five seasons but never won. No. 7 Locust Grove (19-10) won AAAA in 2016 and lost to Wayne (8-7 in Game 3) in the semifinals last season.
AAAA – Blessed Trinity (28-2) is No. 5, the highest of any Georgia team, in MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 national rankings. The Titans were runners-up to Marist last year and to Westminster in 2016. They won AAA titles in 2006, 2014 and 2015. Six-time state champion Cartersville (23-7) is ranked No. 2. Third-ranked Heritage-Ringgold (23-6) lost to Blessed Trinity in last year's semifinals. No. 4 Woodward Academy (23-4) and No. 5 Troup (23-7) are other top programs that make the playoffs frequently but haven't won a title yet.
AAA – Ringgold (26-4) went 18-0 in Region 6. The Tigers of northwest Georgia have reached the championship round five times, but never won. They lost in the quarters last season to eventual champion North Hall (21-5), which appears underrated at No. 9. Second-ranked Cook (24-6) and third-ranked Pike County (22-6) were undefeated in their regions, too. Cook has a pair of state titles (1992, 2000) to its credit. No. 4 Appling County (23-7) beat 2017 runner-up Pierce County to win Region 2. No. 6 Lovett (18-8) and No. 10 Westminster (16-11) always bear watching. The Buckhead boys from Region 5 have won 12 state titles between them, with each winning one in 2016.
AA – No. 1 Thomasville (25-4) made the quarterfinals last season but hasn't gone further since the 1950s. The Bulldogs were Class A champions in 1956. The only top-10 team in this class that has won a state title in the last 30 years is No. 5 Benedictine, which won AA in 2014. No. 2 Westside-Augusta (24-4) and No. 10 Berrien (19-11) won in 1988. No. 3 Callaway (20-9) and No. 4 Dodge County (23-4) are after their first state titles. Thomasville and Callaway could meet in the quarterfinals.
A public – No. 1 Schley County (22-2) won the title last season without dropping a playoff game, going 8-0. The Wildcats also won the title in 2015. No. 2 Charlton County (21-7) was champion in 2013 and 2014. Schley and Charlton are on the same side of the draw. They've never met in the state playoffs.
A private – Second-ranked Savannah Christian (23-2) is the defending champion and beat Tattnall Square 5-2, 5-4 in last year's final. Tattnall Square (25-4), ranked No. 1, won in 2016.
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