2025 NCISAA Baseball Bracket Breakdown: Predictions & Insights from the Experts

As the 2025 NCISAA baseball state championship tournaments begin, three knowledgeable voices — Patrick Johnson, Zack Boraski, and Brandon Hall — have submitted their bracket breakdowns, sleeper picks, and championship predictions. In making their selections and predictions, each of our scouts worked independently and did not discuss any of their thoughts prior to posting. Below is a comparative analysis of their insights, highlighting where they align and diverge across classifications.

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Tournament Brackets: All four tournaments will be updated here.

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🏆 NCHSAA Tournament Predictions & Analysis

🧭 Easiest Paths to a State Title: Quick Takes by Classification

🔹 1A — Bear Grass & Voyager Lead the Way

• Voyager Academy, Bear Grass Charter, and South Stanly appear multiple times from our scouts. With multiple answers we may not have an easy path in the 1A Bracket.
• Bear Grass shows up on multiple questionnaires, signaling a solid that they may have a solid draw — especially if they avoid landmines early.
• South Stanly might be lurking out West, but the East seems more wide open for a run.
  

  🔹 2A — Bunn & East Rutherford: All Clear Ahead

• East Rutherford (Patrick) and Bunn (Zack & Brandon) seem to have the most manageable lanes to the finals.
• Zack Boraski noted Burns potentially posing a challenge in the West. They have been to the last two State Championship series. If healthy, their depth is tops at the 2A level.
• Bunn has been a hot pick throughout the year from the Prep Baseball NC Staff. A combination of solid pitching and an offensive that can be explosive has the Wildcats as a popular pick.

  🔹 3A — JH Rose & East Rowan Have a Path

• J.H. Rose earns two mentions (Patrick & Zack) for having a favorable path in the East, thanks to their postseason experience and deep roster.
• East Rowan shows up twice as well, flagged by Zack and Brandon as the West’s top bet. Several of the top teams in the West ended up in the bottom half of the bracket where there could be some chaos over the next couple of weeks.
• If both hold, we could see a clash of heavyweights in the finals.
  

  🔹 4A — Cuthbertson and Wakefield Draw Attention

• Cuthbertson is named twice, hinting they’ve landed on the right side of the bracket in the brutal 4A West. The upper bracket lacks some of the “Power 25” name recognition littering the bottom half of the West Bracket.
• Wakefield also earns two mentions as having a favorable path. This does not mean Wakefield will walk to the Regional Finals as the distance between the seeds seems to be razor thin.
• With powerhouses scattered across 4A, any path that avoids early showdowns, like the potential 2nd round matchup of TC Roberson and Charlotte Catholic, is considered golden.

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🔹 Toughest Bracket to Navigate

• Patrick Johnson: NCHSAA 4A West
• Zack Boraski: NCHSAA 2A West
• Brandon Hall: NCHSAA 4A West

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🔹 Double-Digit Seeds Poised for a Deep Run

Patrick Johnson

• Charlotte Catholic (4A): Faces a challenging 2nd round against TC Roberson but has the talent and arms to make a state title run.

Zack Boraski

• 1A - Bethany Community: 17 wins can’t be ignored — poised for a potential surprise.
• 2A - Midway: Experienced and fundamentally sound with playoff history.
• 3A - Person: Excellent pitching depth; Keegan Holmes is having an outstanding year.
• 4A - Charlotte Catholic & Wake Forest: Both have playoff pedigree, deep lineups, and face tough early matchups.

Brandon Hall

• 4A - Charlotte Catholic, Weddington, Marvin Ridge (West); Ashley, Wake Forest (East): Loaded with double-digit threats. The seeding is more of a reflection of the depth of the tournament than a look at potential surprise teams.
• 3A - West Rowan: Tied for the conference lead with #1 East Rowan, dangerous if the bracket opens up.

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🏅 Regional Finals, State Finals & Champions

✅ 1A Predictions

• Patrick Johnson
  
• East: Voyager Academy vs. Bear Grass Charter
• West: North Stokes vs. South Stanly
• Finals: Bear Grass vs. South Stanly
• Champion: Bear Grass Charter
• Zack Boraski
  
• East: Perquimans vs. Bear Grass
• West: Cherryville vs. South Stanly
• Finals: Bear Grass vs. Cherryville
• Champion: Cherryville
• Brandon Hall
  
• East: East Wake Academy vs. Bear Grass Charter
• West: Uwharrie Charter vs. Christ the King
• Finals: Bear Grass Charter vs. Christ the King
• Champion: Bear Grass Charter

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✅ 2A Predictions

• Patrick Johnson
  
• East: West Bladen vs. Whiteville
• West: East Rutherford vs. North Stanly
• Finals: East Rutherford vs. Whiteville
• Champion: East Rutherford
• Zack Boraski
  
• East: West Bladen vs. Bunn
• West: East Rutherford vs. West Stokes
• Finals: East Rutherford vs. Bunn
• Champion: East Rutherford
• Brandon Hall
  
• East: Ayden-Grifton vs. Bunn
• West: Burns vs. East Rutherford
• Finals: Bunn vs. East Rutherford
• Champion: East Rutherford

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✅ 3A Predictions

• Patrick Johnson
  
• East: J.H. Rose vs. Terry Sanford
• West: East Rowan vs. Tuscola
• Finals: J.H. Rose vs. Tuscola
• Champion: Tuscola
• Zack Boraski
  
• East: J.H. Rose vs. Terry Sanford
• West: East Rowan vs. Tuscola
• Finals: J.H. Rose vs. Tuscola
• Champion: J.H. Rose
• Brandon Hall
  
• East: West Johnston vs. Terry Sanford
• West: West Rowan vs. East Rowan
• Finals: West Johnston vs. West Rowan
• Champion: West Johnston

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✅ 4A Predictions

• Patrick Johnson
  
• East: Corinth Holders vs. Laney
• West: Cuthbertson vs. Charlotte Catholic
• Finals: Corinth Holders vs. Charlotte Catholic
• Champion: Charlotte Catholic
• Zack Boraski
  
• East: Apex Friendship vs. DH Conley
• West: TC Roberson vs. West Forsyth
• Finals: DH Conley vs. TC Roberson
• Champion: TC Roberson
• Brandon Hall
  
• East: Corinth Holders vs. DH Conley
• West: West Forsyth vs. Marvin Ridge
• Finals: West Forsyth vs. DH Conley
• Champion: DH Conley

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