GAINESVILLE -- It has been a collective run not seen in these parts in quite some time, if ever.
But there is no secret to the success of the six area teams still alive in the GHSA baseball playoffs.
Pitching, pitching, pitching.
Uh...did we mention pitching?
Buford, Gainesville, Jackson County, Jefferson, North Hall, and Rabun County all advanced to the Elite 8 in their respective classifications last week -- the largest contingent of teams in the northeast Georgia area to reach this deep in the playoffs in the same season since the advent of the new playoff system.
Collectively, the six teams have given up 45 runs in 25 games, for an eye-poppingly low 1.80 runs per contest. Only Jefferson, which survived a tough three-game showdown with No. 5 Pierce County in Class AAA in the second round, did not pull off consecutive sweeps in the first two rounds.
And all are expected to face some stiff competition again on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Gainesville will play host to South Effingham in Class AAAAA; Buford will travel to Locust Grove and North Hall will travel to Whitewater in Class AAAA; Jackson County travels to Westminster and Jefferson travels to Callaway in Class AAA; and Rabun County will play host to Lovett in Class AA.
Doubleheaders will be played on Tuesday with Game 3s, if necessary, slated for Wednesday.
Gainesville coach Jeremy Kemp, who has spent most of his career playing and coaching in the northeast Georgia area, said that the area is in a boom period for quality pitching.
“I don’t think I recall ever having this many quality arms in the area at the same time,” Kemp said. “Really, it’s almost state-wide. Practically every game we’ve played this year we have seen a quality pitcher. Sometimes talent in a sport can run in waves and I’d say (the area) is riding a pretty big one right now.”
North Hall coach Trent Mongero stopped just short of calling it “ridiculous” when talking about the sheer number of quality pitchers out there. His Trojans have faced 12 Division I-caliber pitchers in 29 games so far. They are expected to face two more against Whitewater.
“In my nine years in the area this is by far the most depth of pitching I have seen,” Mongero said. “We’ve seen good pitching every year I’ve been here but nothing like this at one time. It’s crazy. It’s fun to watch as a fan of the game but it makes for some hair-pulling, especially this time of year, if you’re a coach.”
Jackson County coach Tommy Fountain, who is guiding his Panthers into uncharted waters with the deepest playoff run in program history, agreed with both Kemp and Mongero.
“I would say it’s the most consistent pitching from game-to-game I can ever remember around here,” Fountain said. “There is definitely a talent wave for pitchers around northeast Georgia, which is good to see for all of us.”
Kemp and the Red Elephants are blessed with one of the upper-tier arms in the state in junior Jonathan Gettys. Combined with seniors Caleb Whitenton, Harrison Styles, and knuckleballer Mikey Gonzalez, Gainesville can offer opponents quite the challenge as well.
“We feel like we can pitch with anybody,” Kemp said. “I’d like to see a little more offense than we’re getting right now but it’s because we’re facing a quality pitcher every time out. It’s been a little nerve-wracking.
“What I’d like to see is a great pitched game by us and for our offense to kill the ball at the plate. But, I haven’t been able to get much of that lately.”
Gainesville swept Evans in the second round in the Class AAAAA playoffs but needed a late rally to tie and then won the first game in extra innings. Whitenton then closed out the series with a shutout victory.
“Caleb has been coming on of late,” Kemp said. “Pitching is always the key the deeper you get and we’ll need to keep getting quality starts.”
The Gainesville offense has had its power moments, with Michael Curry blasting four home runs so far in the playoffs.
Buford, the favorite to win the Class AAAA title coming into the playoffs, has not disappointed on the mound behind its Fab Four of Jake Higginbotham, Connor Bennett, Kevin Coulter, and Keyton Gibson. The Wolves have given up just one skinny run in the first two rounds.
North Hall, behind Corbin Lewallen and a host of others, has given up just seven runs in four games. The Trojans may face the toughest challenge of any area team in the quarterfinals against Whitewater, the 2014 Class AAAAA state runner-up.
“(Whitewater) returned practically their entire team from last year and have three top-notch pitchers and a solid lineup,” Mongero said. “We will need our guys to pitch perhaps the best they’ve thrown all year. But we faced a tough non-region schedule so we’ve seen good pitching all year.
“There are what I call dominant pitchers, like your Higginbothams, and Gettys, and Bennetts, and then there are the quality pitchers. Corbin is a quality pitcher, which to me is better than a dominant arm sometimes. He has experience, he knows how to pitch in all kinds of situations, and that can be an advantage over a dominant guy who may not have it on a particular day.
“For us, we have to find that consistent No. 2 guy. We’ve been able to get good work from several guys like Lincoln Hewett, Aaron Miles, and Drew Atha, who has really been throwing well lately, and they give us a lot of options. We’ll see how things go.”
However, North Hall batters have been raking in the playoffs. The Trojans pounded out 25 hits in their two-game sweep of Upson-Lee in the second round and have 43 hits in their first two series combined.
Jackson County, on the strength of Chris Griggs and Coleman Barbee, has yielded just eight runs in four games and both have been in what Mongero calls that “dominant” range.
Griggs took a no-hitter into the sixth in the first game of the Panthers’ second round series against Jackson while Barbee followed with a six-inning gem of his own in the Game 2 clincher.
“Those guys have gotten better as the year has gone on but we will need them to stay consistent,” Fountain said. “But we’re not just a two-guy staff. I feel like we have about five or six guys that could give us quality innings whenever we need it. We have been developing our pitchers in the middle school the last few years and it’s really showing up now.
“The number of quality arms you have I think is the difference between just being able to make the playoffs and being able to make a run. We’re finally at the place where we can make a run. Pitching is the key to titles.”
Jefferson has yielded 11 runs in five games, but seven of those game in Game 3 of the Dragons’ second round matchup. The Dragons are paced by Micah Carpenter, a Division I prospect, as well as Jake Franklin, Taylor Wilkes and Christian Hutch. They were an early-season dark horse pick to make a run at the Class AAA title. Nothing has changed to this point.
In fact, all four Region 8-AAA teams -- Oconee County and Hart County as well as Jackson County and Jefferson -- are still alive in the Class AAA playoffs making up half of the Elite 8 field.
“Our region is tough every game,” Fountain said. “There are about 10 guys between those four teams and East Jackson that are upper-level pitchers. Wins were hard to come by. But I feel that is why we are all still in it. We saw a quality pitcher every time out so what we are seeing in the playoffs in nothing new to us.”
Rabun County, like Jackson County, is also making an historic run. The Wildcats are making their first-ever Elite 8 appearance. It will be a stern challenge against perennial power Lovett.
Rabun County has allowed just nine runs in four games and is led by senior Stetson Scott (two complete games) and junior Alden Wright (one complete game), who both have been outstanding in the first two rounds. The Wildcats also have plenty in the bullpen with freshmen Chase Horton and Bailey Fisher and seniors Zach Gragg and Will Humphries.
“Stetson and Alden have been outstanding so far and our staff is rested, which is a good thing at this point of the season," first-year Wildcats coach Daniel Young said. "But we realize Lovett may be at a different level than what we have faced in the playoffs so far. It’s going to be a battle but I believe we are ready."
Being at home, where the Wildcats are 12-2 and have won seven straight, could be a factor.
"We love playing at home and the fans have really been behind us," Young said. "Hopefully we'll have an advantage with them traveling and being at home. We’re excited about the opportunity and we’re just going to try and play Rabun County baseball.”
