Baseball finals primer: History lesson on the 16 finalists

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Here’s a historical look at the 16 state baseball finalists, who will take the field beginning Monday or Tuesday for eight championship series in from Rome to Savannah, Macon to Athens.

Find out what team is 6-0 all-time in state-championship series, the frequency of all-Gwinnett, all-Cobb or all-Atlanta state finals, the five schools that are in the state finals for the first time, and the one that has never won a state title in any GHSA sport. And find out each state finalists’ all-time record in the state playoffs. For example, Loganville is 46-13 all-time in state-playoff series.

And for a recap of all 32 semifinal series played last week, check  here.

AAAAAAA

Two Gwinnett County schools meet for the title. This is the third all-Gwinnett County final in baseball history. The others came in 2012 (Parkview beat Brookwood in AAAAA) and in 2011 (Hebron Christian beat Providence Christian in A). Parkview and Mill Creek aren’t exactly neighbors, though. They’re 30 miles apart. Mill Creek borders Hall County. Parkview borders DeKalb County. They did play each other in February. Mill Creek won 5-3.

*Mill Creek has reached the playoffs 12 of the past 13 seasons, but this is the Hawks' first state final. They made the semifinals last year (lost to eventual champion Etowah) and in 2012 (lost to eventual champion Parkview). Mill Creek can become the first non-Parkview team from Gwinnett to win the highest class since Brookwood in 2008 and the third ever. (Brookwood also won in 1986.) Mill Creek is 19-11 all-time in state-playoff baseball series.

*Parkview has won six state titles, the most recent in 2015. The Panthers also are 6-0 in championship series. They've beaten Walton (2015), Brookwood (2012), Hillgrove (2011), Lassiter (2002), Lowndes (2001) and Walton (1996). The Hillgrove and Walton series went three games. The rest were sweeps, giving Parkview a 12-2 record in individual championship games. Parkview is 52-19 in playoff series through history. That's the most series won by any school in the highest classification.

AAAAAA

This will be the sixth all-Cobb County state baseball final in history. Previous ones occurred in 2016 (Walton d. Pope), 2010 (Harrison d. Lassiter), 2007 (Walton d. Kennesaw Mountain), 2006 (Lassiter d. Kell), 1998 (Harrison d. Sprayberry) and 1995 (Sprayberry d. Lassiter). Allatoona and Pope have not played each other this season, nor ever in the state playoffs.

*Pope is the defending champion. The Greyhounds swept Lee County last season in the finals. They also won in 2013 (beating Lassiter) and 2009 (beating South Forsyth). A victory over Allatoona would give Pope the most state titles of any Cobb school. Currently, Walton and Pope (bordering school districts in baseball-rich East Cobb) have three apiece. Pope is 32-10 in state-playoff series.

*Allatoona, a 10-year-old school in northwest Cobb, has made the playoffs the past five seasons and seven of the past eight. The Buccaneers have made the quarterfinals five times, the semifinals twice and now the finals once. Allatoona is 14-6 in state-playoff series.

AAAAA

Loganville and Buford and Region 8 rivals that have won three state titles apiece. Loganville beat Buford 4-2 and 8-1 when they played last month. They’ve played in 129 playoff series between them all-time, but never against each other, until now.

*Buford won its state titles in 2015, 2011 and 1977 in three different classes. The 2015 victory came in AAAA over Whitewater. Buford also won in AA over Pike County and B over Mount de Sales. Buford also has lost in three state finals, most recently in 2016 against Locust Grove. Buford is 43-27 all-time in state playoff series.

*Loganville won its state titles in 2017 over Wayne County, 2012 over Greenbrier and 2008 over Griffin. Loganville is 3-1 in state finals (lost to Gainesville in 2002) and 46-13 in playoff series overall. What's remarkable is that Loganville had never won a playoff round until 2001. The school opened around 1964.

AAAA

Two North Georgia teams are in the finals. In fact, two North Georgia teams are in every final above Class AA. These two have not played each other this season, nor ever in the state playoffs.

*Cartersville has won six state titles, the most recent in 2013 over North Hall. The others came in 2009, 2008, 2003, 2002 and 2001. Cartersville is 6-2 in state-championship series. Cartersville lost to Blessed Trinity in 2014 and LaGrange in 2004, both in AAA. Cartersville is 65-20 in all state-playoff series. The 65 series wins rank fourth all-time behind the 94 of Marist and Columbus and the 73 of Lovett.

*Jefferson has made the state playoffs 18 of the past 21 years. This is the Dragons' second championship series. Jefferson lost to Blessed Trinity in the 2015 Class AAA final. Jefferson is 25-18 all-time in baseball playoff series. Prior to the late 1990s, though, Jefferson was no factor in baseball. The Dragons didn't even have a baseball team through much of the 1970s.

AAA

Lovett and Westminster are region rivals that are just three miles apart in Atlanta’s Buckhead area. They’ve met twice before in the baseball playoffs. Lovett defeated Westminster 2-game-to-1 in the 2013 Class AA final and swept Westminster in the 2009 AA semifinals. (The 2013 Lovett-Westminster championship was the first all-city-of-Atlanta baseball final since Murphy beat O’Keefe in 1951. There was another before that.) Westminster and Lovett have split their meetings this season, both played in March, with Westminster winning 9-0 and Lovett winning 2-1.

*Lovett has won eight state titles in baseball, most recently in 2016, winning 5-4 in Game 3 over Wesleyan in the Class AA final. Lovett also won in 2013, 2009, 2005, 1999, 1994, 1993 and 1990. Lovett has won 73 rounds in the state playoffs in history. That ranks third behind Marist and Columbus, which have 94 apiece. (Lovett is 73-19 in playoff series, to be exact.)

*Westminster has won four state titles in baseball, most recently in 2016 with a two-game sweep of Blessed Trinity in the Class AAA final. Westminster also won in 1975, 1968 and 1967. Westminster is 42-21 in state-playoff series.

AA

It’s the last rodeo in Class AA for Benedictine, which will move to AAA next season. The Cadets of Savannah are hoping to beat Berrien and claim their fifth state title in all sports over the past two years. This is the only final with two teams below I-20. Both are well below in South Georgia. The two teams have not played each other this season, nor ever in the state playoffs.

*Berrien won the AA championship in 1988, defeating Shiloh. A baseball victory would be the school's first state title in any sport since winning slow-pitch softball in 1993. Berrien has made the baseball state playoffs for 14 years in a row, and 17 of the past 19. But this will be the team's first final since the '88 championship. The Rebels hadn't made even the semifinals since then until now. Berrien is 15-20 all-time in state-playoff series.

*Benedictine had won a baseball state title in 1961, but the 2014 title seemed to be a pivotal victory in the school's athletics program. To that point, Benedictine had won five state titles in its history. Since then, and counting the 2014 baseball title, Benedictine has won seven. In the 2014 final, Benedictine beat Greater Atlanta Christian in three games. Benedictine is 18-12 all-time in state-playoff series.

A Public

It’s Gordon Lee vs. Telfair County, the battle of Trojans.

*Gordon Lee is seeking its first state title since 1984, when the Chickamauga school (extreme northwest Georgia) beat a team called the Whigham Braves in the Class A final by the scores of – if they are to be believed in the GHSA archives – 17-6 and 31-7. (Whigham is in Grady County, near Cairo.) Gordon Lee also won in 1979. Gordon Lee lost in the finals in 2017 to Schley County and 2013 and 2014 to Charlton County, the latter two in three games. Gordon Lee is 34-18 all-time in state-playoff series.

*Telfair County is in the state baseball finals for the first time. Telfair made the semifinals last season for the first time – winning 11-10 against Treutlen in Game 2 of the quarterfinals - and lost to eventual champion Schley County. Telfair County is 11-7 all-time in state-playoff series. Telfair has won five other state titles – 2017 and 2018 ngirls track and field, 2016 boys tennis, 1999 slow-pitch softball and 1960 boys basketball.

A Private

Prince Avenue Christian, of Athens, are Tattnall Square, of Macon, are strong in lots of sports, but they’ve won only one GHSA championship. It’s about to be two.

*Tattnall Square Academy won the Class A private-school title in 2016. Tattnall had won eight state baseball titles in the Georgia Independent School Association. Tattnall Square is 12-2 all-time in GHSA playoff series. Tattnall won 39 state titles in GISA. The baseball title remains the school's only championship in the GHSA, which Tattnall joined in 2014.

*Prince Avenue Christian is playing in its first baseball state final and can win its first state title in any GHSA sport. Prince Avenue had not gone past the quarterfinals in baseball since 2002. Prince Avenue Christian is 10-8 all-time in state-playoff series.

Answers to the teasers in the lead: Parkview is 6-0 all-time in state-championship series. There will have been six all-Cobb finals, three all-Gwinnett finals and four all-Atlanta finals. Mill Creek, Allatoona, Telfair County and Prince Avenue Christian are playing in their first baseball state finals. Prince Avenue has never won a GHSA state title in any sport.

Championship series schedule:

At Grayson Stadium (Savannah) 
Monday - Class 2A (Berrien vs. Benedictine)
Tuesday - Class 1A Public (Gordon Lee vs. Telfair County)

At State Mutual Stadium (Rome)

Monday - Class 4A (Cartersville vs. Jefferson)
Tuesday - Class 6A (Pope vs. Allatoona)

At Mercer (Macon)

Monday - Class 3A (Westminster vs. Lovett)
Tuesday - Class 1A Private (Tattnall Square Academy vs. Prince Avenue Christian)

At Foley Field (UGA)

Monday - Class 5A (Buford vs. Loganville)
Tuesday - Class 7A (Parkview vs. Mill Creek)

Note: Each series begins with a double-header. Any necessary Game 3 will be played Wednesday.