The Georgia High School Association has announced that opening day of the 2020 season will commence on Feb. 10. Programs were allowed to begin practicing in an official capacity on Jan. 13, meaning it's time for the PBR Georgia staff to break down the high school baseball scene in the state in the countdown to the first pitch thrown in 2019.Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we will be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2019 spring season, touching on programs spanning multiple state classifications, counting down the official PBR Georgia Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Our Preseason Power 25 rankings coverage starts today.

Team: Winder-Barrow
Preseason Rank: 18
2019 Record: 28-5
Region: 8-6A 
2019 Region Finish: 1st 
GHSA Classification: 6A
Head Coach: Brian Smith
Playoff Run: Quarterfinals
Returning Starters: 4
Returning Pitchers: 2

X-Factor
Winder-Barrow has built a long standing tradition of winning baseball over the past decade. Despite losing 3B Zack Smith (Mississippi) and RHP Cain Tatum (Georgia) to graduation, and 1B Hunter Marsh (2020; Walters State) to a season-ending injury, the heart and desire to win still remains among the returnees. And there is no one more equipped in the state to take the bull by the horns than SS/RHP Brady House (2021; Tennessee). House is a physical specimen at 6-foot-3, 217-pounds and is currently the state's No. 1-ranked prospect and No. 4 in the country. A two-way prospect, he has bat speed and raw power at the plate, whistling the barrel through the zone. On the mound, he shows the same speed and power, working his fastball into the mid-90s.

Brady House - Pitching

Brady House - Fielding & Hitting

Outlook
As we laid out in the X-Factor, Coach Brian Smith lost two of his top players to graduation and then took another hit when Walters State commit 3B Hunter Marsh (2020) went down with a season ending injury. What may help lessen the blow to the roster is the arrivals of OF Andrew Lewis III (2021; Eastern Kentucky) and C Andreaus Lewis II (2021; Eastern Kentucky). Both Lewis' can pitch into the upper-80s, but it is most likely their overall athleticism and impact on the offensive and defensive side of things that will be most integral to Winder-Barrow's success.

The pitching staff would appear to be hard hit on paper with only two returning pitchers. However, when you take a dive into the roster, the Diamond Doggs have a number of quality arms that are ready to step-in and fill the shoes of Smith and Tatum. There is, of course, House, who will be gunning mid-90s this spring. Supporting House will be RHP CJ Harrison (2020; Young Harris).

Over the past seven to eight months, Harrison has been nothing short of electric each time we have seen him get on the bump. He is energetic and works uptempo, creating deception, along with a quick, compact. Capable of pitching around the 90 mph mark with all sorts of life. His go-to off-speed pitch is his changeup, which has much the same type of life his fastball has, making it a difficult pitch to handle.

CJ Harrison

Winder-Barrow will be a very fundamental squad this year, will guts and heart be enough for them to make a run in 2020?

Make sure to follow @PBRGeorgia on Twitter for the most-up-to-date coverage throughout the 2020 season.

Find more information on the 2020 Diamond Doggs below:

+ Full Schedule
+ Team Website
+ Team Twitter

Preseason Power 25 Countdown