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GHSA Daily Round Up: Friday and Saturday, March 20th/21st

March 22, 2026
Prep Baseball Georgia
Staff

The high school baseball season is officially underway. This is our favorite time of the year and we can’t wait to cover the state from now until the state championship. Be sure to to be tuned in daily for content on the season.

Everything high school baseball related will be on the GHSA tab on our website. It can be found HERE. This will include the Power 25, Classification Rankings, weekly scout blogs and more.

Today, we are going to introduce a new piece of content called the “Daily Round Up”. Here we will take a look at the games our scouts went to from the previous day and highlight key moments, standout players and our takeaways from the game.

Friday 

Pierce County @ Appling County

Score: Pierce County win, 4-0

Standouts:

Beck Hodges, SS, 2028, Pierce County

Jack McClellan, OF, 2028, Pierce County

Christian Osborne, C, 2028, Pierce County

Brantley Willis, RHP/DH, 2028, Pierce County

Key moments: The Pierce County Bears jumped out to an early 3-0 start behind an RBI single from Jack McClellan and a 2 RBI double from Christian Osborne. Things were quiet on both sides until the 6th innings where Bryson Smith added another insurance run via a sacrifice fly en route to a 4-0 win. Brantley Willis went 6-shutout innings pitched with only 2 hits and Emmitt Hall slammed the door in a clean inning of work.

Avery’s Takeaway: We had been wanting to get eyes on Brantley Willis this Spring after a strong past calendar year and were finally able to do it. He shut down the Pirates offense all night as he went 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, and 4 K in the victory. Emmitt Hall tossed a clean inning of relief and provides senior leadership/experience to the staff. 2027 Chance Williams sets the tone out of the lead-off spot with ability to reach base at a high clip. I was thoroughly impressed with a pair of sophomores including Beck Hodges (2-hole) and Jack McClellan (3-hole) who both collected hits. McClellan boasts a strong feel to hit and is one of the engines that makes this offense go. Hodges provided lockdown defense at the 6 and made countless tough plays throughout the night. The biggest swing of the night came from 2028 C Christian Osborne who came through with a 2 RBI 2B and showed well this Preseason while offering upside on the mound as well. Senior Johnny Stone and Sophomore Dylan Johnson were others that had hits as well. The Pirates look to bounce back after the tough region sweep with a quality upperclass group leading the way with names like Braye Brown, Kaden Walls, and Landon Anderson.

North Atlanta @ Denmark

Score: 6-2, Denmark wins, sweeps series
Standouts:
Thatcher Dumford, OF, 2027, Denmark

James Callway, RHP, 2028, Denmark

Max Taylor, LHP, 2027, Denmark

Lee Holt, C, 2027, Denmark

Cole Petersen, INF, 2028, North Atlanta

Chase Jones, OF, 2027, North Atlanta

Key Moments: The Demark offense was in control from the jump with Thatcher Dumford coming through in the 1st with a 2 RBI single with the bases loaded. From there Lee Holt and Dumford added a home run a piece to go up 6-0, and cap off a 4 RBI day for Dumford. The Danes did escape a number of potential big innings from North Atlanta. James Callaway tossed 3 scoreless innings, getting some big outs when he needed to. Max Taylor came on to relieve Callaway in the 4th with no outs and 2 runners on. He came through with 2 strikeouts and a fly ball to get out of the inning. From there Caden Street helped Taylor out the same way Taylor did Callaway. He came in and got a strike out then loaded the bases, but escaped to send it to the 7th. Chase Jones got North Atlanta on the board with a solo home run and then Ryan Edwards hit a 2B to make it a 6-2 game that would end up being the final and Denmark gets the sweep in a big region series.

Huddy’s Takeaway’s:
It was good to check back in on Denmark after not seeing them since Georgia Dugout Club. They are going to be a real threat in 6A if they keep doing what they are doing. It looks like they have figured their line up out and getting Thatcher Dumford back from injury has given them some life. Jack Powell has been the work horse for the pitchers. He has stepped out as their 1st arm to go out in region play to sets the tone. They are giving some new guys some chances out of the pen like Max Taylor and Jack Greene. Guys like this could be huge for them down the stretch to give depth in the pen. Easton Holmes is coming off a big outing in game 2 vs North Atlanta, which could give him some big momentum the rest of the season.

North Cobb Christian @ Rockmart

Score: North Cobb Christian wins, 9-6

Standouts:

JD Aufderheide, OF, 2027, North Cobb Christian

Carson Bruce, OF, 2027, North Cobb Christian

Gage Campbell, 1B, 2026, Rockmart

Troy Mastrogianakis, 3B, 2026, North Cobb Christian

Trey Luke, OF/LHP, 2026, Rockmart

Truitt Stafford, C/RHP, 2028, North Cobb Christian

Brody Brant, UTL, 2026, North Cobb Christian

Key Moments: Eagles came out to make a statement early in the big region game with Troy Mastrogianakis and JD Aufderheide both adding pull-side HR in the 1st to make it 3-0 instantly. Gage Campbell would get 2 runs back in a hurry with a loud 2k swing for the ringing HR to dead CF in the bottom half. After a couple quick innings, Truitt Stafford would help double the lead for NCC in the 3rd for a rocket to RF for a 2-run lead. Some small ball from Rockmart in the later innings would cut the lead to 3 but a 2-run 2B from Carson Bruce after a 9-pitch at-bat would be the deciding factor in the end.

Ian’s Takeaway: A region matchup featuring the last three 2A State Champions lived up to the bill. The trio of junior OF for North Cobb Christian in Austin Tamborra, Carson Bruce, and JD Aufderheide continue to pace this offense in a big way, combining for 5 RBI and 4 R in win. Troy Mastrogianakis thrived in a part-time role last spring and looking even better this year as the everyday 3B while showing significant power on a nightly basis. Truitt Stafford played a huge role on both sides in the win for the Eagles as the sophomore added the 2-run HR as well as closing the game out on the mound while dancing out of a bases-loaded jam. Trey Luke, Neyland Hulsey and Gage Campbell lead the Rockmart roster in all facets as shown in Friday’s game and despite the result, can carry this team to the playoffs once again.

Saturday

Fellowship Christian @ Mount Paran Christian

Score: Fellowship wins, 10-6

Standouts:

Coe Puckett, C, 2027, Fellowship Christian

Cash Cauley, SS, 2028, Mount Paran

Rylan Long, C, 2029, Mount Paran

James Sharp, 3B/RHP, 2027, Fellowship Christian

Walker Waggoner, OF, 2027, Fellowship Christian

Reid Harke, SS, 2027, Fellowship Christian

Key Moments: Fellowship Christian came out of the gates on fire with an 8-run outburst in the top of the first that was highlighted by bringing 11 to the plate with Coe Puckett going 2-for-2 with a HR and 3 RBI in the inning. The Eagles got a few runs back instantly with a Cash Cauley leadoff 1B followed by Rylan Long, who sent a ball to dead CF through stiff winds for the impressive 2-run HR. The Eagles would actually outscore the Paladins 4-2 after the first inning with Cauley putting on an impressive display at the plate that featured a no-doubt pull-side HR and 4 barrels overall.

Ian’s Takeaway: The depth in this Fellowship Christian lineup was on display from first pitch. Coe Puckett is in the midst of a breakout spring in the leadoff spot and is pacing this offense in multiple categories. The junior trio of Reid Harke, James Sharp and Walker Waggoner bring high-floor profiles that our the nucleus of this roster and that was on full display on Saturday as they combined to reach base 10 times with 5 RBI as well. Eli Latora and Trummie Patrick provided impact in the bottom of the order to match and overall 1-9 the lack of chase is noticeable, making this lineup a tough out every time. The youth movement at Mount Paran is well underway and talent in the pipeline is as good as you’ll find in the state. The duo of Cash Cauley and Rylan Long at the top of the lineup says it all, with both contributing in a big way as displayed in both notching multi-hit days with big-time home run swings. RJ Westbrook is another freshman that’s developing in a hurry with potential for massive stuff on the mound for years to come for the Eagles. Both of these teams will be contenders throughout the spring and the private classification continues to get stronger by the day.

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