Class 6A Preview: Regions 1 & 2

At the start of last April, Lee County squared off against Houston County in what wound up being a decisive three-game series. The Trojans and the Bears split the first two games of the series and needed extra innings to determine the pivotal mid-season series winner. Ultimately, Lee County earned the 4-3 win over Houston in 10 frames. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Trojans finished regional play at 10-2, a game better than Houston.

While the Trojans earned the higher seed in the 6A tournament, the Bears wound up having more success in May. After shutting out Richmond Hill in both games in the first round, Lee was swept themselves by Greenbrier, ending their season earlier than they had hoped. Meanwhile, on the other side of the bracket, Houston sneaked past first-round opponents Brunswick in three games and held Heritage to a single run in the second round to earn a third-round berth against defending champs Pope. The Bears forced a game three, but the Greyhounds, on the route to a successful title defense, pushed past Houston 8-2.

In 2019, the Bears will be boosted by junior southpaw Jaden Woods, a Georgia State commit and a top-40 prospect in the state’s 2020 class. Seniors LHP Cameron Jones and RHP Chandler Dawson will make it to Georgia State’s campus a year before Woods, but will first help lead an experienced staff in an effort to make it even further than last year’s third-round appearance.

Given the depth of its proven pitching staff, Houston County should be labeled the favorites in this region, but that isn't to stay that their time at the top is inevitable.

Valdosta finished 2018 a couple games off of a top-two finish and they are fully capable of snagging at least a second-place finish this time around – and they might even have an outside shot of rolling past Lee and Houston for first. Colby Thomas (Mercer commit) is arguably among the region’s most talented prospects, and he could be the key piece to help propel the Wildcats to a better finish than their third-place mark a season ago. The athletic senior outfielder swings with an aggressive approach and has some of the best pop in the state – emphasized by 14 homers last spring. He’s the No. 36-ranked prospect in the state’s 2019 class as a result. Valdosta’s Avery Stephens and Jude Ard (Tallahassee CC) are the talented, experienced seniors set to eat most of the innings on this staff.

Colby Thomas (5/10/18)

Lee County has three next-level senior prospects enlisted to help secure back-to-back Region 1 titles: OF Spencer Hanson (Tallahassee CC), RHP Matt Cooper (Tallahassee CC), and RHP Logan Goff (uncommitted). Also, keep an eye on junior INF Hill Corley (uncommitted), a two-way talent who looked sharp at the plate as a sophomore with irregular playing time last spring.

Coffee County was 4-8 last spring but has a pair of notable prospects that could lift them to a better record this year: OF Brady Courson (uncommitted) and 1B Wes Lott (uncommitted). Versatile sophomore RHP/UTL Trevor Gruszka could make a sizable impact in the win column, too.

Northside went winless in regional play last year but did manage five wins outside of Region 1. With six returning starters, including junior SS Dylan Franks (uncommitted) among them, they’re primed to build off last year’s out-of-region success within the region this spring.

REGION 2

To close February of 2018, the Effingham County Rebels dropped four of five games. Two more losses in the first eight days of March and the Rebels knew that something had to change. From March 10 on, Effingham lost just three times in the regular season. A 10-2 finish in Region 2 action was two games better than what second place Glynn Academy could muster, earning the Rebels the top seed entering the state tournament. After a two-game sweep of Region 1’s Coffee County, the Rebels were tasked with a second-round matchup against Grovetown and, after winning game one, dropped two straight for the first time since February, ending their season abruptly.

The bulk of the Rebels’ offensive firepower from a season ago is back in 2019 as a senior-heavy dugout looks to lead Effingham to another first-place finish in Region 2. The senior presence is an additional boon for first-year head coach Chris Johnson. SS Christian Campbell is one of eight returning starters and led the Rebels with a .389 batting average last spring. Jerid Stokes is also back after hitting .361 with nine doubles in 2018.

Even in the rotation, juniors did the heavy lifting from the mound a season ago. That vital experienced gained in last year’s state tournament should help buoy Effingham to another top seed again in late April. Senior righty Ethan Johnson will lead this staff after going 9-1 last spring with a 0.73 ERA. Ryan Harley is another righty who was reliable last spring, credited with five wins for Effingham in 2018.

The three other teams that represented Region 2 in the state playoffs – Glynn, Brunswick, and Richmond Hill – won a single game combined in the tournament, but there’s some reasons to forecast more success out of this region beyond Effingham.