The 2025 GHSA State Playoffs kick off on Wednesday. Playoff baseball in Georgia is some of the best baseball in the entire country and we are lucky enough to get to cover it. We have covered the state of Georgia from as south as Lowndes to as north as Gordon Lee and everything in between. Our staff has watched over 200 baseball games this year and can’t wait to cover playoff baseball.

To kick off the season we highlighted over 80 teams in our “Team Preview” articles if you want to check out any of those before the playoffs they can be found HERE.

If you missed anything from the season we have you covered with our weekly scout blogs with hundreds of players mentioned with notes and video that can be found HERE.

We also highlight players weekly in our Diamond Notes articles that can be found HERE. Top players in our Diamond Notes piece are announced at Player Of the Week, and they can be found HERE.

Here we are going to breakdown the 4A GHSA State Playoff Preview. Coverage for the 4A division begins on April 23rd with double headers at the higher seeds field. All match ups in the 4A division can be found HERE

Top seeds: Starr’s Mill (Defending 4A State Champions), Allatoona, St. Pius X, Blessed Trinity, Maynard Jackson, Wayne County, Ola, North Oconee

Final Four Sleepers: East Forsyth, Kell

4A Playoffs

Similar to 5A we have a major match up looming in the top right quad. Again, this is playoff baseball, everyone is 0-0 with a chance to make a run, but Marist vs Blessed Trinity in the 3rd round is in the cards and would be a championship type game with 2 rounds left. As we look to round 1 there are some big match ups we have our eyes on.

Walnut Grove @ Ola
Central @ Maynard Jackson
Cambridge @ Cartersville
Locust Grove @ North Oconee
East Forsyth @ Union Grove
Jones County @ Flowery Branch

Walnut Grove vs Ola (4A)

This could be one of the bigger 1st round match ups in 4A. Ola is experienced and has a group of upperclassmen ready to avenge their loss against Greenbrier last season. Walnut Grove is a team that stacked up in a really strong region and played quality teams like North Gwinnett and Brookwood in the regular season. Ola is a high powered offense with tons of experience,but Walnut Grove has a couple arms that will put up a fight.

Ola Outlook (27-2, 18-0)
They are led by senior pitcher Braden Pourron (Wabash Valley), along with seniors Ryan Cook (Gordon State) and Brady Cunningham rounding out their starting rotation. Junior Daniel Mendez is their swiss army knife that can do a little bit of everything. He will be one of their top bats in the line up and can start or be a reliever on the mound. Rece Leathers is an uncommitted junior that can really pick it in the infield and is a really tough out at the dish. Seniors Traeton McLaughlin (Thomas University), Mac Sanders and Aiden Harris round out the core of their line up with Junior Timothy Clark.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch
Daniel Mendez
Rece Leathers
Timothy Clark
Aidan Harris

Walnut Grove Outlook (18-11, 8-7)
Walnut Grove is led by their ace and big bat in the line up Sam Martell (Walters State). They have a chance to beat anyone when he is on his A game on the mound, and could change a game with 1 swing at the plate. Branson Blalock is their next 2 way player that can compete with anyone on the mound and be a tough out in the line with consistency over at 3B. They will need guys like Sean Martell and Gary Staffins to step up on the mound to give them a chance. Freshman Cole Roberts could see some big innings in the 1st round as well. Martell will also look to be a key contributor in the line up. The line up is scrappy with juniors Gary Staffins Jr, Davis Hunt, Cade Riffle and Brayden Kelly. Hunt is having a great year at the plate and has been solid all year behind the dish. They play great defense, so if those 4 could come up with some timely hits they could be in a good spot if they get quality starts from Sean and Blalock.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch
Branson Blalock
Cade Riffle
Davis Hunt
Gary Staffins Jr

Cambridge vs. Cartersville

Cambridge with a lineup full of veteran bats playing with house money face a Cartersville squad looking to avenge a state championship loss from a year ago while replacing some key pieces from that team this spring. The young pitching for Cambridge will be a catalyst in this matchup and will have to operate with a low heartbeat in this series if they want a chance to win.

Cambridge Bears Outlook (17-12-1, 7-5)
The Bears navigated a tough region and came out as 3 seed. However they are a battle-tested bunch as they are in the same region with Blessed Trinity and Kell who appear to be powerhouses in 4A. Leading the way offensively is 2025 Nico Sanchez, a Valdosta State University commit, who also holds a strong defensive profile at the hot corner. Three uncommitted seniors, Ross Greene, Junior Moore, and Junior Moore, issue senior leadership and supply reliable sticks to the order. Holding down spots in the OF, 2025 Hayden Pierce and 2026 Patrick Spencer provide consistent left-handed bats with strong bat-to-ball skills. Junior Will Degenhard delivers a thump with the bat in the heart of the order and man’s the duties behind the plate. Sophomores Calloway Holmes and Ethan Herrington gained valuable experience this Spring and remain pivotal pieces for the club as top of the order bats. Herrington anchors the pitching staff as well. Freshman Gavin Gebhardt is an upper 80s arm that can swing it as well and could be a Swiss Army knife type of player for the Bears in round 1.

Senior Andrew Box is a pitchability lefty that will be asked to produce key innings. This could be a sneaky team to watch with a good mix of upper class and underclass talent.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch
Ross Greene, SS, 2025
Junior Moore, 1B, 2025
Jared Johnson, C, 2025
Hayden Pierce, OF, 2025
Andrew Box, LHP, 2025
Patrick Spencer, OF, 2026
William Degenhard, C/1B, 2026

Cartersville Canes Outlook (23-7,19-2)

Less than 12 months ago, Cartersville and Coach Kyle Tucker were just a game away from their 7th state championship in school history and come into the 2025 playoffs riding an 18-game winning streak, hungry to finish the job. High-level pitching wins championships, and the Canes have that in spades. Senior 3B/RHP Andrew Purdy (Alabama), senior LHP Avery Shiflett (Kennesaw State), and uncommitted junior RHP Nate Russell combined for just 21 earned runs over 104.1 IP this spring, with Russell also throwing the first no-hitter in school history to boot. Senior RHPs Maddox Frazier (Southern Union State) and Logan Shrewsbury (Columbus State) provide even more invaluable depth with the ability to fill many roles including start with stuff to get outs against any lineup. Purdy quickly stepped into the role of “the man” for the Canes with the likes of Caleb Daniel, Aiden Larkin, Luke Miller graduating from last year’s team and the Bama commit did so with flying colors, including an OPS over 1.600 and leading the team in nearly every offensive category. Seniors 2B Tristan McKibben (Cleveland CC) , C Julez Pratt (Wabash Valley), CIF Cam Cochran provide high-floor profiles that fit nicely behind Purdy in the lineup with great gap-to-gap approaches. Sophomore Cole Crawford and junior OF Brayden Logan provide some of the monster juice for this offense with big-time strength coming the XL 6-foot-3 frames. Freshman David Vargas is a name to know in the class and could have an immense opportunity to become a household name with a great showing in the playoffs for Cartersville. This team checks a ton of boxes of a squad to make a run and it starts with a great showing against Cambridge.

Uncommitted Upperclass To Watch
Nate Russell, RHP, 2026
Brayden Logan, OF, 2026

Central vs. Maynard Jackson

This is a really intriguing 1st round match up with Maynard Jackson coming off a perfect region season and winning their 1st region title. Both teams rely on underclass talent and play the game fast with a ton of energy.

Central (20-9, 11-7)

The run this Central team went on to begin the year was really impressive. Especially considering they had 3 freshmen in the line up. They lost some games the back half of the year, but can be expected with such a young squad. Coach Presnell has done a great job, putting his players in situations to succeed. Freshman Grant Chaffin sets the tone for the Lions at the top of the order. He is the epitome of a lead off hitter. He will take his walks, steal bags, drive in runs when needed and find barrels late in counts. Fellow freshman Bradley Willingham and Asher Allen stick up the middle together at SS and 2B. They will also see time on the mound with the ability to compete, throw strikes and get outs. All 3 of these freshmen are mature beyond their years and love the game. Continuing the trend of underclassmen they will have sophomore Jake Ivester in CF. He plays some of the best CF in the state with plus speed, great instincts and natural athleticism. Senior Davis Smith supplies the power for this team at the dish. Blake Culverhouse is another senior to keep an eye on that can really get this line up going.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch

Blake Culverhouse
Davis Smith

Maynard Jackson Jaguars (23-7, 14-0)

The Jaguars went an impressive 14-0 without a blemish on the record across region play. Lead-off bat and senior Seth Geter is simply going to hit as he sets the tone atop the order. Geter also just broke the single season school record with his 40th SB of the Spring. Two juniors Maceo White and Pearce Henry have burst onto the scene this spring and pace the offense behind Geter. Backstop Aric Dean and 1B Marcus Blash are two more seniors that hold down spots in the lineup and possess physicality in the box. Junior OFs Leon Alford and Donovan Thomas issue depth to the lineup. Tallashee CC commit Tyler Dunn anchors the staff as a mid 80s arm with a feel for spin as well as supplying a steady bat in the order. Charlie Schrope, a mid 80s arm and pivotal piece to the pitching staff, furnishes a spot in the IF defense when not on the mound. Schrope also provides a consistent stick as well. Thornton Wilder, a freshman RHP that fills up the zone in the mid-upper 70s, will be a pivotal piece for the pitching staff whether starting or out of the pen. This is a fun team that always brings the energy and will compete with anyone, especially as the 1 seed in their backyard.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch
Seth Geter, 2B, 2025
Aric Dean, C, 2025
Marcus Blash, 1B, 2025
Donovan Thomas, OF, 2026
Charlie Schrope, RHP/3B, 2026
Leon Alford, OF, 2026

UPCOMING EVENTS