Hixson coach Colton Green talks during the game against Central Wednesday at Hixson High School. District records
6-AAA: Rhea County 4-2.5-AAA: Bradley Central 8-0, Soddy-Daisy 7-1, Cleveland 4-4, East Hamilton 1-5, Ooltewah 1-5, Walker Valley 1-5.7-AA: Chattanooga Christian 4-0, Grundy County 3-1, Signal Mountain 3-1, Notre Dame 2-2, Bledsoe County 0-4, Sequatchie County 0-4.6-AA: Hixson 8-0, Central 6-0, Red Bank 2-2, Tyner 2-2, Brainerd 0-6, Howard 0-6.5-AA: Loudon 2-0, Sweetwater 1-1, Sequoyah 1-1, McMinn Central 0-2, Polk County 0-2,6-A: Marion County 5-1, Whitwell 5-1, Lookout Valley 4-2, South Pittsburg 4-2, Sale Creek 0-6, Van Buren County 0-6.5-A: Silverdale Baptist 2-0, Boyd-Buchanan 3-1, Arts & Sciences 2-2, Grace Academy 2-2, Copper Basin 0-4.3-A: Meigs County 6-2.
With district tournaments scheduled to begin in less than a month, a pair of top seeds for the first round of the TSSAA baseball postseason could be decided this week.
Bradley Central and Soddy-Daisy are scheduled to play today and Tuesday with the 5-AAA title and possibly an automatic region berth on the line.
"This series is why I love (5-AAA) baseball and the setup we have," said Soddy-Daisy coach Jared Hensley, whose Trojans travel today before hosting Tuesday. "Two teams battling for first place in a traditionally tough district."
Said Bradley Central coach Travis Adams: "It's the biggest matchup we've seen this year. It'll dictate who's going to be top seed in the tournament."
District 6-AA also is up for grabs as Central and Hixson play a two-game set.
"It'll be our biggest series all year," said Central coach Glen Carter, whose Purple Pounders host today and travel to Hixson on Tuesday.
History supports Carter's assessment, and Hixson coach Colton Green agreed about the stakes of the series.
"It's probably going to decide the district's regular-season championship. It has the last two years," Green said.
With rain in the area forecast Tuesday, the deciding games may be postponed until Wednesday.
There is an extra carrot hanging out there for Bradley and Soddy-Daisy. The Bears are 14-4 overall and 8-0 in 5-AAA with a series next week against McMinn County finishing their district schedule. Soddy-Daisy is 13-3 and 7-1 in the district. The way the league bylaws are written, if a team wins the regular-season title by at least two games, that team automatically earns one of the district's two berths for the region tournament.
"You take them one at a time and try to do what you've been doing," Adams said. "I would think runs would be hard to come by. They should be tight games."
The tightest district game Bradley has had to date was a 5-3 win over East Hamilton - the day after the Bears run-ruled them.
"They're district games," Adams said. "You have to keep your foot on the gas."
If Central wins both games against Hixson, the Pounders will clinch 6-AA. If Hixson wins both, the Wildcats would still need to sweep Red Bank next week.
Other district races are still being defined, including the one in 5-A, where Silverdale is currently on top at 2-0. Boyd-Buchanan slipped up and split a series with Arts & Sciences. The Buccaneers, under first-year coach Taylor Gilley, know that sweeping the Seahawks might become a must for their championship aspirations.
That series is a week away, though. Silverdale faces Arts & Sciences today and Tuesday.
In 6-A, Marion County and Whitwell are 5-1 after splitting their series and Lookout Valley and South Pittsburg are 4-2. Lookout Valley and Whitwell play today and Tuesday, and Lookout Valley plays Marion County next week.
District 7-AA also is tight. Chattanooga Christian (4-0) is the only unbeaten team remaining, while Grundy County and Signal Mountain are 3-1. Chattanooga Christian plays Signal Mountain today and Tuesday. Grundy County still has a series with each to play.
Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him on Twitter @wardgossett.