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GHSA Playoff Round Up: Final Four recap

May 19, 2026
Prep Baseball Georgia
Staff

It is playoff time in the state of Georgia, the best time of the year. As we nearly hit the 300 game mark in the regular season, we have 400 games in site with a full slate of playoffs the next month.

We will be recapping each day of games, so be sure to check back daily to see how the games went. 

Thursday

Pickens @ Calhoun (DH)

Score: Pickens sweep, 4-2 & 11-5.

Standouts:

AJ Rice, RHP/SS, 2026, Pickens


Christian Starks, 2B, 2026, Pickens


Kam Jenkins, C, 2026, Pickens


Robert Turner, OF, 2026, Pickens


Matthew Zander, 1B, 2028, Calhoun


Ryder Hood, 3B, 2027, Calhoun


Camden Stewart, 2B, 2026, Calhoun


Hudson Chadwick, OF, 2027, Calhoun

Key Moments:

GM1: The Dragons got on the board early after a Jennings Allen single and a pair of walks followed by an error made it a 1-0 ballgame. Hudson Chadwick put the Yellow Jackets on top in the 4th via a 2-run homerun to make it 2-1. Pickens would answer back in the 5th as AJ Rice homered to tie it at 2-2 then Christian Starks added the go-ahead homerun to take a 3-2 lead. Insurance was added from Kam Jenkins in the 7th on an RBI double as game one resulted in a 4-2 Pickens victory.

GM2: Calhoun came through early with a pair of runs thanks to a Ryder Hood 2 RBI single. The Yellow Jackets tacked on another run in the 2nd via an RBI knock from Matthew Zander as it was now a 3-0 ballgame. Pickens answered with a run in the 2nd as they took advantage of walks. The Dragons tacked on 5-runs in the 3rd as AJ Rice led off the inning with a single followed by a couple of walks, a bloop single from Matthew Davis Jr., and the final blow coming from Robert Turner with a 2 RBI double. The Dragons now led 6-3. More walks in the 5th got another rally started for Pickens as they tacked on 5 more runs. Robert Turner had a sacrifice fly followed by a Christian Starks 2 RBI single as it was now an 11-3 ballgame. Camden Stewart came through with an RBI single for Calhoun to cut the lead to 11-4 in the 6th inning. Matthew Zander added another RBI base-hit in the 7th to make it 11-5 as the Dragons picked up a decisive game 2 win to advance to the state championship.

Avery’s Takeaway: We have seen Pickens a plethora of times this year and the depth of this squad stands out in each look. Jackson Nunn kept the Dragons in it when they went down early in game 2 and could prove to be a pivotal piece on the mound during the State Championship. 1-9 in the lineup can hurt you on any given night and with a rotation of Rice, Starks, and Grubbs, Coach Williams has confidence to go toe-to-toe with anyone. This is a well-connected group that will look to take revenge on the team that ended their season last year in a heavyweight 1-seed vs 3-seed match-up.

Holy Innocents @ King’s Ridge
Score:
GM 1: Holy Innocents 10 King’s Ridge 0

GM 2: Holy Innocents 6 King’s Ridge 2
Standouts:
Amaree Griffin, LHP, 2027, Holy Innocents


Bryce Floyd, RHP, 2028, Holy Innocents


Grant Bradley, CIF, 2027, Holy Innocents


Jude Smith, OF, 2028, Holy Innocents



Key Moments:
GM 1:
Amaree Griffin held the Kings Ridge offense scoreless for 6 innings until Patrick Zito got a pinch hit 1B. He would go on for another scoreless frame in the 7th for the CG shutout performance. As for the Golden Bears offense, they got on the board early in the 2nd to make it 1-0 on an error. From there they would get things going again in the 3rd after a walk by Taylor Fuller and single by Jude Smith. They would execute a double steal and score on a Xavier Wilson 1B and some heads up running by Smith to score from 2nd. Grant Bradley led the offense with 4 hits in game 1. Jude Smith would come through again in the 6th with a home run to make it 7-0. They capped off game 1 with a 3 run 7th for the 10-0 final.

GM 2:
Bryce Floyd took to the mound in game 2 for Holy Innocents, Kings Ridge offense jumped on him early in the first to make it 2-0. They were able to get 1 run back in the bottom half to make it 2-1. The top of the 2nd was the most pivotal point in the game where Kings Ridge loaded the bases with 0 outs. Floyd proceeded to get a line out and 2 strikeouts for a huge momentum shift where the Golden Bears never looked back. Taylor Fuller came through in the 3rd to tie the game and Grant Bradley gave them in the lead with a deep SAC fly to centerfield. Floyd went into shutdown mound and Holy Innocents punched their ticket to the championship game with a 6-2 win.

Huddy’s Takeaway:
This was a highly anticipated match up in the private classification with Kings Ridge getting the upper hand in the regular season match up. Holy Innocents' depth on the mound continues to prove themselves as one of the top staffs in the state. Amaree Griffin and Bryce Floyd were near perfect in 14 innings of work. Grant Bradley and Jude Smith paced the offense throughout with Ryan Dunham being a spark plug at the bottom of the order. They match up really well with Wesleyan and it will be fun to watch their staffs square off on Friday with 2 high powered offenses that are very similar to one another.

Wesleyan @ North Cobb Christian

Score: Wesleyan sweep, 3-2 & 4-1

Standouts:

Maddox McCollum, RHP/3B, 2027, Wesleyan


Brice Gillis, OF, 2026, Wesleyan


Hudson Pursell, RHP, 2029, Wesleyan


Coleman Eldridge, OF, 2026, Wesleyan

Key Moments:

GM1: NCC would take an early lead with a Mother Nature-aided RBI 2B from Carson Bruce in the bottom of the 1st before a couple unforced errors in the 2nd would help lead to Wesleyan scoring a pair of runs and flipping the momentum. Quiet middle innings thanks to quality defense on both sides and timely pitching before who other than Carson Bruce with the RBI fielder’s choice to tie things up in the 5th. Wolves came right back in the top half of the 6th with a leadoff 2B from Maddox McCollum followed by an error that would plate the go-ahead run in the 6th. McCollum was masterful on the mound and closed the door on his complete game performance by touching 92 in the 7th to take the GM1 win.

GM2: Once again the Eagles would jump out to an early lead thanks to strong station-to-station baseball, capped off with an RBI 1B from Andrew Kelley. Wolves would strike back in a hurry with Brice Gillis coming through with one of the biggest swings in the series on the ringing 3-run HR that would end up being the deciding factor in the game. Freshman RHP Hudson Pursell would be more than ready for the moment and hold one of the more potent lineups in the classification to just 4 singles over 6.0 one-run innings and help send the Wolves to the state championship.

Ian’s Takeaway: We have talked about the Wolves having the right pieces in place all spring long and now Wesleyan finds themselves two wins away from a state championship. Having a frontline starter you can trust to get you 5+ quality innings is a luxury you can’t overlook in the playoffs and Maddox McCollum continues to check that box in every series. Hudson Pursell continues to shine behind McCollum as just a freshman while gaining more and more confidence to handle these high-pressure outings. The lineup continues to thrive at the top with Andrew Waite, Carter Hayes, and Brice Gillis providing key swings in huge situations with experience in the bottom half that have seen everything over the last few years to provide the key depth to be a difference maker down the stretch. Hard to imagine a better matchup on paper than Holy Innocents and Wesleyan, looking forward to a highly competitive series at AdventHealth Field.

Friday

Pope @ Houston County (DH)

Score: Pope sweep, 8-5 & 3-2.

Standouts:

Luke Winbush, SS, 2027, Pope


Henry Bauer, 1B, 2028, Pope


Peyton Nauss, 2B, 2027, Houston County


Jensen Morneau, C, 2027, Pope


Kayden Campbell, 3B, 2026, Pope


Noah Odom, OF, 2026, Houston County


Ethan Kenney, 1B, 2026, Houston County


Nick Bobrowski, LHP, 2026, Pope


Isaiah Galason, SS, 2026, Houston County

Key moments:

GM1: The Greyhounds opened the scoring on a pair of RBI knocks from Luke Winbush and Jensen Morneau to make it 2-0 early. Cal Pearson brought home another run in the 2nd to make it 3-0. Pope took advantage of a lead-off walk and scratched across another run in the 5th as they led 4-0. Houston County answered back in a loud way and took the lead on the heels of a 5-run inning. The Bears took advantage of a couple of walks and a huge go-ahead 2- RBI double from Noah Odom. The Greyhounds tied things up in the 6th as Cal Pearson came through with an RBI single. Kayden Campbell kickstarted a rally in the 7th with a double and Ben Hill gave the Greyhounds a lead as he laid down a squeeze to make it a 6-5 game. Henry Bauer tacked on some insurance runs on a 2 RBI single as the Greyhounds now led 8-5. The Bears couldn’t get anything going in the bottom half of the 7th resulting in a Pope win.

GM2: The Bears got on the board early as Ethan Kenney came through with an RBI double to make it 1-0 early. Isaiah Galason extended the lead in the 3rd inning on an RBI single as it was now 2-0. Kayden Campbell and Henry Bauer tied things up at 2-2 in the 4th with RBI base-hits. Things remained 2-2 in the 7th and Luke Winbush delivered with a 2-out walk-off RBI double to secure a 3-2 victory and advance to the State Championship. Nick Bobrowski tossed a gem with 12 strikeouts in yet another dominant start.

Avery’s Takeaway: Pope is one of the more buttoned-up teams that I have seen all year with standout depth on both sides of the ball. It’s a talented blend of upperclass and underclass talent in the lineup that can make an impact on any given night. Nick Bobrowski has been one of the best arms in the state over the years and gives the Greyhounds a chance amongst anyone in the state. Pope will square off against Loganville in the State Championship and both of these squads know what it takes to win. This will be a heavyweight showdown with two perennial powerhouses in the state over the years.

Saturday

Etowah @ Carrollton (DH)

Score: Etowah sweep, 3-1 & 5-0.

Standouts:

Matthew Sharman, RHP/SS, 2026, Etowah


Colin Anderson, 3B, 2028, Etowah


Kaleb Binion, 1B, 2026, Carrollton


Nate Curcio, RHP/SS, 2027, Etowah


Walker May, C/OF, 2027, Etowah


Dylan Bishop, SS, 2026, Carrollton


Trevor Condon, OF, 2026, Etowah


Caden Borcherding, C, 2027, Etowah


Carson Heath, LHP, 2027, Carrollton

Key Moments:

GM1: This was a pitchers duel between Carson Heath and Matthew Sharman through and through. The Eagles got out to a 3-0 lead in the 6th after a Trevor Condon single followed by an intentional walk to Matthew Sharman, and Colin Anderson proceeded to blast one over the LF wall. Evan Moody and Ty Sabo singled in the 7th as the Trojans scored on an RBI single from Dylan Bishop to make it 3-1. Matthew Sharman went the distance with 14 strikeouts as he set the tone for the Eagles.

GM2: The only inning runs were scored in the second game were the 3rd inning. The Eagles brought across 5 on a 2 RBI double from Matthew Aharman, an RBI single from Caden Borcherding, and 2 more on a 2 RBI double from Walker May. Nate Curcio followed Sharman with a statement start of his own as he tossed a complete game shutout with 10 strikeouts.

Avery’s Takeaway: The Eagles are playing some of their best ball of the year at this point in time. If they can continue to get these types of performances from Matthew Sharman and Nate Curcio they could be celebrating on the field in Gwinnett come this time next week.

Parkview @ North Paulding

Score:

GM1: Parkview win, 9-4

GM2: North Paulding win, 6-4

GM3: North Paulding win, 12-2

Standouts:

Andres Jimenez, RHP, 2027, Parkview


Santos Wade, 2B, 2026, Parkview


Chandler Weldon, OF, 2026, North Paulding


Winston Barnett, OF/2B, 2026, Parkview


Casey O’Brien, C, 2026, North Paulding


Ellis Appling, OF, 2026, Parkview


Skyler Lee, C, 2027, North Paulding


Jaxson Crancer, OF, 2026, North Paulding


Jacob Krivanek, LHP, 2027, North Paulding


Luke Dolsen, 1B/LHP, 2026, North Paulding

Key Moments:

GM1: A back-and-forth start to GM1 with the Panthers jumping out to the early lead thanks to a 1st inning Grant Lambert RBI 1B before the Wolfpack would push across 3 in the bottom half of the inning with Chandler Weldon and Bryce Davis coming through with back-to-back RBI knocks to take the 3-1 lead after the first. The big inning would awaken Parkview as they would score 7 runs across the next three innings highlighted by a 4-run 4th inning to take the lead with Santos Wade coming through with a huge 2-run 3B with 2 outs to send all of the momentum to the Panthers. Andres Jimenez would have a shaky 1st inning, allowing 3 ER but locked in to throw a CG while allowing just one run across the last 6.0 innings and earn the huge GM1 on the road.

GM2: Santos Wade would continue his impactful series for the Panthers with a big 2-run 1B in the 3rd that would help an early 3-0 lead for Parkview after 2. Some small ball from Wolfpack would help claw 2 runs back in the top of the 3rd before a Winston Barnett RBI 2B in the bottom half would stretch the Parkview back to two runs. North Paulding would refuse to back down though as Wesley Moering would come through with an RBI 1B in the 4th before a massive pinch hit 2-run 1B from Casey O’Brien would highlight a 3-run 5th inning for the Wolfpack that end up being the go-ahead runs to force GM3 at home.

GM3: The Wolfpack walked into GM3 carrying a ton of momentum and proceeded to set the tone early. A first-inning Skyler Lee 2-run HR would send an already raucous crowd into a frenzy early. North Paulding could continue to build the lead to 5 over the 3rd and 4th innings led by RBI knocks from both Chandler Weldon and Bryce Davis. Parkview would show some fight in the 5th with RBI knocks from Malachi Washington and Santos Wade but the Wolfpack continued their assault in the bottom half with a massive 7-run inning that showed 9 straight batters reach base and earn the run-rule victory in 5 innings.

Ian’s Takeaway: Region 6A-5 is establishing itself as one of the best regions in the state regardless of classification. Three teams in the Elite 8, and now 1 and 2 in the region standings will meet for the 6A State Championship that will also mark someone from the region being the 6A State Champions in each of the last 3 years. Coach Richardson and the Wolfpack came into the spring with higher expectations thanks to a senior-heavy lineup and have lived up to expectations throughout. Pitching depth was tested early with an injury to Luke Dolsen but that allowed Chance Williams and JR Hoffman to step up and become a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of rotation. Depth filtered in behind in both the rotation and bullpen that has a chance to be a difference maker in the championship series. A healthy Wesley Moering sets the tone at the top of the lineup with 8 upperclassmen slotting in behind featuring quality approaches and a feel for the clutch factor throughout. The Wolfpack play a very sound brand of baseball and will rarely make mistakes to close games with mental errors and that might be one of their biggest strengths heading into this championship series against Etowah.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Showcase State Date Location
LakePoint Summer ID GA 05/27 LakePoint Sports
LakePoint Rising Stars (2030-2031 Grads) GA 05/27 LakePoint Sports
Top Prospect Games: Underclass (Invite Only) GA 06/02 LakePoint Sports
Top Prospect Games: Upperclass (Invite Only) GA 06/09 LakePoint Sports
Athens Summer ID GA 06/16 Universtiy of Georgia-Foley Field
Athens Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) GA 06/16 Universtiy of Georgia-Foley Field
Augusta Summer ID GA 06/23 Augusta University
Augusta Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) GA 06/23 Augusta University
Macon Summer ID GA 06/30 Southern Pines Indoor Facility
Savannah Summer ID GA 07/07 Benedictine Military
Savannah Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) GA 07/07 Benedictine Military

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