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Rapid Reactions: GHSA State Championships Day One

May 20, 2025
Prep Baseball Georgia
Staff

After a hard fought spring across the Peach State, we've finally made it to State Championship Week!

Over the next 4 days, Champions will be decided from classes 1A-I to 6A at three different locations across the state.

Coolray Field (Gwinnett Stripers)

AdventHealth Field (Rome Emperors)

Georgia Southern University

300 plus games covered by our staff throughout this spring, and we will be capping it off with extensive coverage across multiple classes this week. Daily rapid reactions where we recap the night from before while highlighting players and some of the standout highlights. 

5A State Championship

Newnan Cougars vs. Houston County Bears

It was a banner night for the Cougars as they earned their first state championship since 1991 with the sweep over Houston County by the tune of 3-1 and 11-1. It started with 2027 RHP Hayes Maginnis, who would set the tone early with a 1-2-3 top of the first with three strikeouts. The sophomore would sit 89-91 in the outing, running it up to 92 when needed with consistent in-zone misses. CB remains a swing-and-miss offering at 72-76 with sharp 12/6 break that creates a ton of depth. Tight, high-70s SL was shown with good late bite and CH flashed above-average at times with tumble in the low-80s. Maginnis would finish with 10 strikeouts in the complete game showing, allowing just 1 earned and 7 hits against one of the deepest lineups in the state. Timely swings from sophomores Brodie Campbell and Maginnis would score runs early for the Cougars on a 1B and Sac Fly respectively, and would be The deciding factor in the final score. Sophomore Tyson Ganas (2-for-3, 2B) and junior Isaiah Galason added a pull-side HR to lead the offense for Houston County in the game. .


Game Two was all Cougars from the start. As they would scratch 1-run across in the 1st and push across 3-runs in the 3rd before erupting for 7-runs in the 4th inning en route to an 11-1 run-rule victory. Backed by a plethora of big-time performances on offense. Junior backstop,
Reid Davis led the way with a pair of RBI knocks. Clemson commit Dax Kilby would find barrels at a rapid rate out of the lead-off spot across the DH and would pick up a huge RBI 3B. Two-way sophomore Hayes Maginnis would look the part at the plate after a massive GM1 performance on the mound. As he would come through with a 2-RBI base-hit as part of the 7-run 4th inning. Uncommitted senior Cole Gilmore was a "spark-plug" atop the series all long as he epitomized "the definition of doing a job". As he would execute a hit-and-run in GM1 and would lay down a squeeze in GM2 to push across an early run. As well as picking up a backside barrel for a base-hit. Junior CF Caden Lamb really looked the part on both sides of the ball. Showing off highly impressive range in the early stages to track down a ball in the gap as above-average foot-speed is present. Lamb would also do an excellent job of flipping the line-up over with a pair of backside knocks. The Bears would get on the board after a Kendall Jackson triple and a Vick Gann RBI single. But outside of that Jaden Hill was terrific across a quick and efficient 5.0 IP of 1-run ball in a victory. 

Game Highlights 

1A-1 State Championship

Gordon Lee vs. Pepperell

Game 1
It was an intense night in Rome with a strong crowd presence on both sides. Fans were lined up outside the gate well before they opened at 4pm. Senior Aiden Goodwin took the mound for Gordon Lee as the home team in game 1. Sophomore Braden Little will be a name that pops up a lot in this recap, but he would lead the bottom of the 1st off with a walk and then steal 2B a few pitches later. Junior Peyton Groce opens up the scoring with a loud fly ball to deep left field to score Little. Fast forward to the 2nd and Little is up again and smokes one to the pull side for  a RBI double to make it 2-0. Goodwin ran into some trouble in the 3rd with some free bases where Pepperell capitalized on a big 2 out swing by Tucker Glenn to tie the game. Aiden Goodwin and junior Sam Ross on the mound. Ross really competed against a top arm in the state and kept Pepperell in it. Fast forward to the 5th and the game is still tied up. Senior Ty Thompson led off the inning with a loud barrel up the middle. Gordon Lee ended up loading the bases with 2 outs and the game still tied. Little was due up and Dragons went to the pen. He was looking to hit early and went down 0-2 with 2 foul balls. He fought off a tough 0-2 pitch and pulled it into the 4 hole to give the Trojans the 4-2 lead. Junior Garrett Ross added one more run for the Trojans to make it 5-2 and Goodwin finished it out in the 7th to secure the game 1 win. 

Game 2
The Pepperell Dragons would turn to their ace, Cade Middleton in game 2. He escaped a bases loaded 1 out jam with 2 big strikeouts, running the fastball up to 90. Once again sophomore Brady Little smokes a 90mph fastball backside to give the Trojans the 1-0 lead in the 2nd. Senior JP Kilgo carried the Pepperell line up in game 2 with 3 hits. He would answer with a lead triple in the 2nd. Junior Madoc Garcia would drive him in to tie the game. Chris Alphin would come through later in the innings with the bases loaded and 2 outs. Pepperell took the 2-1 lead, but Ty Thompson threw a perfect throw to get the 3rd out at home plate for shift the momentum back into the Trojans favor. Garrett Ross led the next innings off with a double and Dustin Day drove him in to tie the game. Day would later score on a wild pitch to take the 3-2 lead. We have to talk about JR Zeimet in this double header series. He took a ball off the face in the semi final series and gets hit in the same spot in game 1 and had to exit the game. He would gut it out and get back in the line up in the 2nd game and came through with 2 loud barrels, 1 for a base hit to put the pressure on up 3-2 in the 5th. Garrett Ross followed up Zeimet to open things up a bit and make it a 6-2 game. Maddox Millard pitched an excellent game on the mound for Gordon Lee and they would turn to senior Jackson Scali in the 6th. Pepperell rallied off 3 base hits by Kilgo, Ross and Garcia. After a swinging bunt, HBP and fielders choice it was a 1 run game. Scali got a huge strikeout to end the inning. They sent it to the bottom of the 7th after Cooper Middleton struck out the side in the top half. The Dragons managed 1 hit in bottom half, but Scali secured the final out and clinched the 1A-I State Championship. 

Game Highlights
Game 1

Game 2