Jeff Hart

The pace of change at North Georgia Technical College has picked up again. This fall, along with the transition from quarters to semesters, new building openings, and adjustments to HOPE, NGTC takes another giant step forward entering into college athletics with an inaugural Cross Country team.

Two area baseball players will be part of the junior Team Georgia squad that will be playing in a national tournament beginning Friday.

Derek Lowe took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, loaded the bases and departed with his team up by two runs. Then the real excitement began. The Atlanta Braves survived that scoring threat, gave up the lead one strike from victory, went ahead again in the 10th and escaped another jam to beat the Florida Marlins 3-2.

Todd Redmond allowed just one run in seven innings to lead the Gwinnett Braves to a 10-5 win over the Toledo Mud Hens Wednesday.

The Georgia Bulldogs had seven current players and 11 members of its incoming class selected in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft.

In a very classy move, University of Georgia outfield Jonathan Taylor was selected by the Texas Rangers in the MLB draft on Wednesday.

Max Pentecost of Winder-Barrow High was selected by the Texas Rangers Tuesday with the 234th overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft.

The dream had to end for one Cinderella team Monday at Gerald McQuaig Field. Fortunately for Buford, the glass sleeper fit just right as the Wolves won their first state baseball title in 34 years with a 5-1 win over Pike County in the deciding game of the two teams' Class AA championship series.

In a series many expected to be pitching oriented, the hitters from both Buford and Pike County apparently disregarded the memos in their best-of-three, Class AA state title series Saturday at Gerald McQuaig Field.

It's been more than 30 years since Buford last played for a state baseball title. Monday, the pitching of Georgia Tech signees Jake Burnette and Josh Heddinger sparked the Wolves to a Class AA semifinals sweep of Appling County at Gerald McQuaig Field and a shot at their first title since 1978.