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.

We are going to kick things off today with our 6A GHSA State Playoff Preview. Coverage for the 6A division begins on April 23rd with double headers at the higher seeds field. All match ups in the 6A division can be found HERE

Top seeds: Etowah (Defending 6A State Champions), North Gwinnett, Buford, East Coweta, Lowndes, Grayson, West Forsyth, Hillgrove

Final Four Sleepers: Denmark, Harrison, Cherokee

6A Playoffs

The round of 32 boasts some major match ups that are likely to be 3 game series. Here are a few that we are keeping our eyes on.

Cherokee @ Lowndes
Brookwood @ Denmark
Mountain View @ Carrollton
North Atlanta @ Parkview
Dacula @ East Coweta
North Paulding @ Tift County

North Paulding vs. Tift County

North Paulding is without question the most talented #3 seed in the entire tournament. They compete in one of the toughest regions in the state with Etowah, Walton and Cherokee. As they head to Tift County they will face off a talented squad that is hungry for more after dropping the region title to Lowndes.

North Paulding Wolfpack Outlook (23-7,12-6)

Pound for pound, this series could have the most talent overall in the entire first round, regardless of class. Starting with the Wolfpack, Coach Matt Richardson navigated one of the toughest regions in 6A into yet another playoff appearance and look to make the final four for the 3rd straight season. Georgia State commit RHP/CF Yenli Nolasco has been powerful on both sides of the ball this spring and will lead an impressive outfield that also features senior speedster Collin Brightwell and junior Bryce Davis. Junior Cade Cox and sophomore Wesley Moering bring big tools up the middle, and Moering is looking to repeat his big playoff performance as a freshman that generated 5 HR. Senior C Nathan Rowland and junior 3B Lawson Sheffield provide huge depth in the lineup as well and when hot, this lineup can compete with anyone. LHPs in sophomore Jacob Krivanek and junior Luke Dolsen alongside Young Harris commit and senior RHP Raedan Jones offer quality starting pitching depth that's vital in a 3-game series.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen To Watch
Cade Cox, SS, 2026
Collin Brightwell, OF, 2025
Lawson Sheffield, 3B, 2026
Luke Dolsen, LHP/1B, 2026

Tift County Blue Devils Outlook (21-9,10-5)

The committed duo of OF/LHP in senior John Davis (Georgia Southern) and Tyler VanSumeren (Kennesaw State) bring the juice and leadership alongside massive two-way profiles for this Blue Devils squad. Seniors OF Mac Brooks and 1B Landon Parrish are multi-year starters for Tift and bring battle-tested experience that can be invaluable at this time of the year. Sophomore SS Jake Spurlin has a chance to be a catalyst in the playoffs after making some big strides this spring across his projectable all-around profile. The duo of Davis and fellow senior RHP Ryan Whitley will give Tift a 1-2 punch that can give this team a chance night in and night out with VanSumeren providing a lockdown option in the late innings. An elite-eight loss left a bad taste in this teams mouth from a year ago and will be looking to start with a bang in what will be a very high-energy environment in Tifton.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch
Mac Brooks, OF, 2025

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Cherokee vs Lowndes

This is a rematch from a few years back where Cherokee had one of their more talented teams in recent years, but dropped the series, so they are looking to avenge that loss as a #4 seed in one of the toughest regions in the state. These 2 teams match up fairly well from a line up perspective. Cherokee may have a slight upper hand on the mound, but Lowndes has 2 of the bigger bats in the state that are going to be key for the Vikings. This will be a series that comes down to the team that makes the least amount of mistakes and capitalizes with runners in scoring position.

Cherokee Outlook (15-15, 10-8)

The Warriors are the epitome of a “well coach, scrappy bunch” that play together as a team. Their culture has a lot to do with their success, and being 0-0 with a brand new season ahead of them could be dangerous. They are led by the top arm in the state in Kennesaw State commit, Reid Worley. Whenever he is on the bump the Warriors have a chance to beat anyone in the state. Behind Worley is Mr. Reliable, Sammy Ericson. Ericson can compete with the best of them, and will be no different in the playoffs. They will need the bullpen to step up with a cast of players in Conner Smith, Asher Webb, Jackson Beatty, Alex Morales and Brennath Roth, Owen Prisock. If we get to a game 3 the Warriors will rely on them to get them to the next round. The scrappiness of this Cherokee line up starts with senior Collin McGhee. McGhee’s numbers can compete with anyone in the state with the ability to drive balls in the gap with his 100+ career doubles or take his walks and be on 3B in a few pitches. The trend of this line up continues with juniors Andre Sweet, Alex Morales, Brennan Roth, Aden Cifuentes. Seniors Jayce and Jared Jones supply the speed to become threats at any time. Sophomores Brandon Holstein and Hudson Will are 2 that need to get hot at the plate with the ability to score runners in the middle of the order. Will can also wreak havoc on the bases with good instincts and speed. The lone freshman in the line up, Jayden Bibby has had a breakout year and will be one to keep an eye on with the ability to change the game with one swing.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch
Alex Morales
Andre Sweet
Brennan Roth
Sammy Ericson
Aden Cifuentes

Lowndes Outlook (20-10, 13-2)
The Lowndes Vikings have been one of the powerhouse programs in Georgia for a while now. Coach Page knows how to win and has no plans to change that in the 2025 playoffs. They lost nearly their whole team from a year ago, but bring back some key players that helped them secure the region title this year. The consistency on the mound is going to be the biggest piece for the Vikings for a 2025 playoff run. Senior Garrett Moon will be the leader of the rotation alongside sophomores Heath Davis and Brinson Rountree. The rotation should keep them in it for their offense to get rolling, but they will need some bullpen arms to really step up if any of their starters get knocked out early. The Vikings have been consistent this season scoring runs, only getting shut out a couple times all year. They will be led by Coleman Lewis (Georgia Tech), Matthew Kerrigan (Auburn) and Cason Fletcher (Mercer) at the plate. All 3 have a chance to change the game with 1 swing, but especially Lewis and Kerrigan. Kerrigan has been setting the tone at the top of the order and was a big piece in the region series win vs Tift. They will need guys like Derrick Carter and Heath Davis to step up to piece together the attack against Cherokee. The Vikings are always in the hunt, but will face one of their toughest 1st round challenges in recent years.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch
Derrick Carter
Tyler Parker
Westin Hancock

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Forsyth Central vs. North Gwinnett (6A)

In what could be one of the more sneaky 1 vs 4 matchups, the Bulldogs are set to square off against each other in the first round. Forysth Central is played some great ball as of late, which is always good headed into playoff time. 

Forsyth Central Bulldogs Outlook (15-14, 12-9)

Forsyth Central got extremely hot down the stretch and rattled off eight straight region wins. At the top, Forsyth Central is led by Georgia commit Josh Gibbs. Who seemingly shows up when the lights are brightest as he will look to power the offense through round one. As well as being a key piece on the mound touching low 90s. Brady Smith, an uncommitted senior, sets the tone out of the lead-odd spot ahead of Gibbs. Behind Smith and Gibbs is Gordon State commit Landon Barr who provides a heavy stick in the order. In each look at uncommitted senior Austin Friedlander this Spring he has consistently performed as a massive run-producing threat batting clean-up. Another commit for the Bulldogs is senior Hudson Roach, an Emmanuel commit who mans the duties behind the dish and provides a reliable bat. Mason McRoberts, 1B, 2025 is another uncommitted name that holds down a spot in the lineup for an upper class heavy team. Two uncommitted juniors consisting of Ty Cannon and Nathan Smith help supply depth to the lineup. Sophomore and dual-sport athlete, Durham Roach is an underclassman to watch as he will look to provide stability with the bat and on the mound. On the mound, senior and Reinhardt commit Parker Lindquist anchors the staff and will be tasked with giving his club quality innings in round 1. Uncommitted junior Roland Wood showed well down the stretch and will be a pivotal piece for the staff behind Lindquist. This could be a sleeper team to watch backed by a gritty upper class heavy lineup through and through.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch

Brady Smith, OF, 2025
Austin Friedlander, 3B, 2025
Nathan Smith, OF, 2026
Mason McRoberts, 1B, 2025
Roland Wood, RHP, 2026
Ty Cannon, OF, 2026

North Gwinnett Bulldogs Outlook (27-2, 13-1)

North Gwinnett is arguably one of the deepest rosters you’ll find and it shows with their 27-2 record across the regular season. The Dawgs are armed with a deep talent pool within the senior class that consists of 10 committed players. Leading the way for North Gwinnett is Georgia Tech commit Ryan Hall who does it all for his squad both at the plate and on the bump. Senior OF Samford Halcomb, a North Greenville State commit, is the prototypical lead-off bat and sets the tone out of the lead-off spot. Three other committed OFs consisting of Ian Bicknell, Jake Gaskill, and Nathan Chumley should all see viable time and yield reliable sticks in the order. Flagler commit, Nathan Shaffer provides a heavy bat in the heart of the order with strong actions behind the plate as well. Young Harris commit Caiden Wilson supplies depth to the lineup and captains the IF at SS with a strong glove up the middle. Two more IF senior commits Kacey Shanks and Sam Reardon bear consistent bats. Senior, GCSU commit and two-way, Tyler Sohn is a versatile piece that could see time on both sides of the ball. Junior bats Ryan Taran and Calvin Brown issue pivotal depth to a lineup that can compete with anyone. Sophomores Graydon Sellers and Dane Heil have shown well this spring and could work their way into the lineup during the playoffs. Upperclass RHPs Ryan Shumate and Joseph Park will be crucial pieces for the pitching staff as they will key innings. North Gwinnett has put it all together this spring with all the makings to make a deep run in the 6A State Playoffs.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch
Ryan Shumate, RHP, 2025
Joseph Park, RHP, 2026
Ryan Taran, OF/1B, 2026
Calvin Brown, OF, 2026

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Brookwood vs. Denmark (6A)

On paper, this matchup offers could be as equal as you’ll find across any bracket and features a host of both upperclass and underclass talent. Denmark was a team we were bullish on heading into the spring, and survived what ended up being a murder’s row type of region in Forsyth County that can give the Danes some confidence into the playoffs. Brookwood will be looking for another final-four run in 2025 with a brand-new, yet capable rotation and high-level bat-to-ball skills throughout the lineup that can grind out runs against any type of pitching.

Brookwood Outlook (21-9.11-3)

Replacing three SEC arms from a final-four team is never going to be an easy task for anyone but Coach Robby Gilbert and the Broncos are a well-rounded group in 2025 with depth in the right places and hitterish profiles throughout the lineup. Pitching will be a strong suit for Brookwood, led by an uncommitted junior duo in LHP Joseph Soto and RHP Marshall Jackson who have both flourished in full-time roles this spring against quality competition. Central Alabama commit and senior RHP Cristian Mendez was outstanding this spring with a sub-2.00 ERA and has the pitchability to fill many roles on this staff. Senior RHP Dylan Larsen and sophomore RHP Max Rogozinski have a chance to be big pieces in the bullpen as well, with Rogozinski offering an electric FB/SL combo that could be a real difference maker. The 1-2-3 of junior and Stetson commit SS Boomer Rogozinski, Young Harris commit senior OF Mason Archie and uncommitted junior C Alex Reyes will pace this lineup for the Broncos, showing impressive all-field approaches with keen eyes for the zone and budding raw pop in the bats of all three. Senior OF Chase Goodwin alongside the likes of juniors Diego Dejesus and X_Carson Tulles all hit north of .300 this spring and provide depth to make this lineup tough out from top to bottom. As much as Max Rogozinski is a catalyst at the plate, the sophomore will be huge in the lineup as well as he offers a real power/speed threat for this club. There’s pieces all throughout this roster that can allow the Broncos to be for anyone in the postseason.

Uncommitted Upperclassmen to Watch
Joe Soto, LHP, 2026
Alex Reyes, C, 2026
Marshall Jackson, RHP, 2026
Diego Dejesus, MIF, 2026
Michael Heath, OF, 2026

Denmark Danes Outlook (18-12, 13-8)

The Danes are led by a heavy junior and sophomore class that battled through the gauntlet of region 6-6A. At the helm of this battle-tested group is 2024 Future Gamer Geno Goralski, who paces the offense with an impressive hit/power combo.

Junior leadoff Jason Williams, a Georgia Southern commit, holds innate bat-to-ball skills with athletic actions up the middle in the dirt. Air Force commit, Alex Thompson issues senior leadership with a consistent stick in the heart of the order. Sophomore C Daniel Biondo burst onto the scene this Spring and is leading the Danes in multiple offensive categories. Two juniors consisting of Jack Powell and Gavin House provide reliable bats that can stick anywhere in the lineup. Powell is the go to arm out of the pen that competes in-zone and will be asked for key innings in the playoffs. We wouldn't be suprised if we see him starting one of the games on the mound Wednesday. Sophomores Travis Wallace, Trey Bailey, and Thatcher Dumford have all seen viable time this spring and will supply depth to the lineup. Freshman Jax Nystrom has also earned time this spring with strong traits in the box and is one to watch. On the mound the Danes have a deep staff and a quartet of arms they could go to at any time. Anchoring the staff is 2024 Future Gamer 2026 Sebastien Walsh. Junior Kurtis Maher is a LHP with strong pitchability

Sophomore Cross Dennard is a must follow sitting in the mid 80s with pitchability and much more to come within the frame/profile. Freshman

Easton Holmes has ran it up to 90 this Spring and holds present pitchability with a wipeout SL as he will be a pivotal piece for the staff. Although they draw a tough opponent in Brookwood this Danes club has all the talent to make a deep run.

Uncommitted UpperClassmen to Watch
Geno Goralski, OF, 2026
Kurtis Maher, LHP, 2026
Jack Powell, RHP/3B, 2026
Sebastien Walsh, LHP, 2026
Gavin House, OF/3B

UPCOMING EVENTS