Class 7A Preview: Region 6

Welcome to PBR Georgia’s 7A week!

This week marks the start of our high school coverage, now that we’re about 25 days out from the first pitch of the GHSA season. We’ll open our coverage by examining the 48 programs that make up the state’s 7A class, comprised of some of the most powerful and prestigious programs in the country, including last year’s 7A champs Parkview.

We previous covered regions 1, 2, and 3 here and regions 4 and 5 here.

Today, we’ll continue our coverage by touching on notes and recaps on the 2018 season for the schools representing GHSA Region 6, deserving of a post on its own. It’s very possibly the deepest and most competitive in the state.

REGION 6

Upside. Impact. Depth. Three words that capture the level of talent in GHSA’s Region 6. For a little perspective, North Gwinnett has three of the top-five prospects on the state’s Class of 2020 board and a fourth prospect hovering within the top 40. The premium prospects the Bulldogs are stacked with should carry them deep into the postseason and they’re the early favorites to take home the regional crown, too.

But not without a fight. Mill Creek, last year’s state runners-up, went 17-1 in this ruthless region and Mountain View is loaded with a few exceptional players of their own. Peachtree Ridge and Collins Hill are two more programs capable of pulling off some inter-regional upsets, making this group one of the most competitive in Georgia. 

We’ll start our Region 6 breakdown by taking a look at early favorites North Gwinnett, equipped with a list of four robust juniors: OF Josh Shuler (ranked No. 2; South Carolina commit), OF Dalton Pearson (No. 4; uncommitted), C Corey Collins (No. 5; Georgia), and RHP Brandt Pancer (No. 38; uncommitted). We covered all four prospects heavily during last week’s class of 2020 analysis, both here and here. Shuler has a chance to be one of the state’s fiercest bats, regardless of age, this spring after spending part of the summer with the 17U USA Baseball National Team Development Program. Pearson’s an excellent athlete who’s getting stronger and already has superior bat-to-ball skills. Collins has middle-of-the-order thump and slots in nicely amidst Shuler and Pearson. 

On the mound, fellow junior Pancer might be called upon to lead this staff in the spring. He’s a strike-thrower capable of touching in the upper 80s who’s still finding the feel for his go-to offspeed.

Senior leadership and experience will be important to this squad, one that was defeated by an uber-talented Grayson team in last year’s round of 16, in three games. Two uncommitted 2019s Michael Borah and Jayden Perrine could become x-factors for this Bulldogs team if/when they’re able to make a deeper run in the state tournament later this year.

Josh Shuler (6/6/2018)

Mountain View might pose the biggest threat to North Gwinnett in 2019, behind ace RHP Gavin Collyer, a Clemson commit. The senior righty is bound to stir some real draft buzz this spring leading up to June’s MLB Draft, and if that’s the case, it means trouble for the teams in Region 6. He’s a projectable 6-foot-1, 155-pound righty who’s able to sit in the 89-91 mph range already, and it feels safe to project more as he adds to his thin frame. Teammate and fellow senior Cole Johnston is a two-way prospect and could be the one effectively backing up Collyer on the hill as this team’s No. 2.

Junior Garrett Spikes is a Georgia-committed pitcher/shortstop who hit .371 in 2018 and led the Bears with a team-high 33 RBIs. And as far as x-factors go, while North Gwinnett might be relying on a pair of seniors, Mountain View could turn to an important sophomore. OF Kenny Mallory is a two-way prospect with a ton of upside and could help the Bears in 2019 with his impact versatility.

We’d be remiss if we neglected to mention the 2018 runners-up in the state finals, Mill Creek, too. They graduated some premium talent from last year’s 34-8 team, including RHP/1B Davis Sharpe, who was ranked in the top 200 on PBR’s overall board and is working on carving out a role on Clemson this spring. But they still have backstop Alek Boychuk, a catcher who earned a nod to be a part of the USA Baseball 17U squad this past summer. The junior and South Carolina commit is ranked No. 6 in the state’s 2020 class, namely for his advanced defense. He has some promise on offense though, given his natural bat strength – he homered against Parkview in the state title series last year.

Boychuk and the Eagles also have Brendan York (uncommitted), a competitive infielder who defends well up the middle and has a bat packed with doubles power presently. He’s also ranked on the state’s top 50 on its 2020 board.

There’s some high-follow talent playing outside these three aforementioned schools, as well, beginning with Collins Hill senior SS Nasim Nunez, a Clemson commit, and arguably the most advanced defender in the state. He’s ranked No. 91 on the PBR Draft 100 and is only gathering momentum on his way to June. Nunez’s growth on offense will ultimately decide his draft fate. His 6-foot-5, 220-pound teammate, junior Travis Burnette, will help pack a heavy punch in the middle of this lineup.

For Peachtree Ridge, two-way prospect Jack Rasmussen was counted on in the Lions’ rotation last spring and should be a factor for them in 2019 as they hope to climb back into the state tournament this year after bowing out in the first round last year to South Forsyth.

Two Duluth players to be aware of: senior OF Matthew Helmstetter and junior RHP/UTL Kaito Ono. Both will look to assist Duluth rebound from a 4-14 finish in the region a year ago.

Finally, there’s Discovery, a young team with a lack of experience that struggled in the cutthroat region last spring. Seniors Mark McGuire and Tyrique Leathers-Stone should be able to assist the Titans as they build off a tough 3-25 season.

Keep checking back for when we break down regions 6, 7, and 8 tomorrow. We’ve also started rolling out more detailed team-by-team previews as we gear up for what’s bound to be another exhilarating high school season.

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