GHSA PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND
Best-of-3 series begin today with doubleheadersClass AAAAAA› Dalton (20-7) at Gainesville (21-7), 4 p.m.Class AAAA› Stephens County (17-13) at Northwest Whitfield (20-8), 4:30› Jefferson (16-12) at Heritage (24-6), 4:30 p.m.Class AAA› Jackson County (18-12) at Ringgold (25-5), 2:30 p.m.› Franklin County (20-9) at Coahulla Creek (20-8), 4 p.m. ›North Murray (19-8) at Hart County (14-16), 5 p.m. ›Calhoun (17-11) at Morgan County (25-6), 5 p.m.Class AA› Lamar County (13-14) at Dade County (17-8), 5 p.m.› Chattooga (9-16) at Callaway (21-8), 3:30 p.m.Class A public› Terrell County (14-8) at Trion (15-10), 2:30 p.m.
Northwest Whitfield and Coahulla Creek high schools are six miles apart, and while their athletic programs compete in different classifications, their 2017 baseball seasons have been eerily similar.
Each will host a GHSA first-round playoff series beginning today - two of the 10 northwest Georgia programs in action - and both have ridden elite pitching and surprising contributions from youngsters to produce head-turning seasons.
Northwest's Bruins (20-8), who face Stephens County, are a mystery even to coach Todd Middleton. They went from 8-18 in 2016 to Region 6-AAAA champions despite a .243 team batting average, subpar defense and the preseason loss of two returning starters.
"I can't really explain it," Middleton said, laughing, when asked how his team won 20 games. "It's been a struggle offensively, but I'm proud of the way they've battled and figured out ways to win.
"We win with pitching, sufficient defense and timely hitting. We've minimized damage defensively and capitalized on others' mistakes. We've hit one home run this year, but we seem to do just enough."
Northwest's pitching is among the area's best and will make the Bruins a tough out in any best-of-three series. Senior Ethan Cronan (6-4, 1.75 ERA) has been the No. 1 starter all season, but it's the next two who have transformed the team into a contender.
Sophomore David Ramirez is 5-0 with a 1.64 ERA, while freshman Hank Bearden is 5-1 with a 1.67 ERA and has a team-best 71 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched. He also leads the team with a .328 batting average.
"Hank Bearden has made the biggest impact, especially coming from a freshman," Middleton said. "I will admit, starting the season we were just hoping to make the top four. We lost our first region game to Southeast, but after that something clicked."
At Coahulla Creek, also 20-8, a program that averaged 10 wins a season the previous four years is set to host its first playoff series (against Franklin County). The Colts, the Region 6-AAA runners-up to Ringgold, are a bit more well-rounded than Northwest, but as with the Bruins, pitching has been the clear key.
Coach Michael Bolen's team also has dealt with adversity, notably the Christmas break car accident that forced returning starting pitcher Will Douglas to miss the season.
"Our pitching has really done a good job all season," said Bolen, whose team has a 1.68 ERA. "Losing Will Douglas hurt, but we had a couple of sophomores step up and our number one, Trent Collins, has been terrific."
Collins, a senior, is 7-0 with a miniscule 0.31 ERA and has given up only 22 hits in 45 innings while striking out 51 batters. He is followed in the rotation by sophomores Eli Turso (5-1, 0.98) and Grant Ogle (4-1, 2.48), with senior Spencer Hawkins and freshman James Moore also logging significant innings.
The Colts also have one of the area's most dangerous hitters - senior Hayden Lock. The Chattanooga State signee leads the team with a .398 average, five home runs, five triples and 30 RBIs.
"Eli and Grant had to step up and we did not hold them back, because you can't in our region," Bolen said. "Trent Collins gives us an edge any time he pitches, and Hayden Lock has gotten a lot stronger and has produced all year. These guys decided early in the season they wanted to make it a special one, and they have."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22