More baseball is on deck.

With the high school baseball regular season behind us, we now turn our attention to playoff baseball — one of my favorite times of the year.

This year, all four teams in our coverage area — Alcovy, Eastside, Newton and Social Circle — made the playoffs.

Along with enjoying the game of baseball, I enjoy watching these teams compete at a high level and earning a spot to continue their seasons through April and possibly into May.

From here, let’s dive into each team to see what we can expect in their first round matchups.

Alcovy @ Evans — Round One

The Tigers finished in fourth place in Region 3-AAAAAA.

By season’s end, Alcovy’s region truly came down to the wire in terms of seeding. Ultimately, key losses to Morrow and Mundy’s Mill in the final week moved the Tigers from the three-seed to the four-seed.

However, the losses do not tell the full story. 

Alcovy had a few highs during its final week and a half of the regular season as the team threw two separate no hitters.

A no-hitter from Cooper Duncan was followed by another from Reece Payne just days later.

The Tigers will look to carry momentum on the mound into their first round matchup with Evans.

The Knights finished the season 23-6 and were the champions of Region 2-AAAAAA.

Alcovy will have its work cut out for them as it tries to take down a team that has won 15 of its last 16 ball games.

The Tigers will travel on the road for the first two games of the series on Thursday, April 25. 

Eastside @ Villa Rica — Round One

Despite a skid late in the season, the Eagles punched their ticket to the dance with a fourth place finish in Region 8-AAAAA.

Eastside lost five of its last seven games to end the season, but capped it with a 9-4 win on the road to Whitewater.

With another road test awaiting them, the Eagles will look to carry the momentum from that game into their first round battle with Villa Rica.

The Wildcats finished the year 26-2 and were the champions of Region 5-AAAAA. 

Eastside will enter the series leaning on what got them there — the senior class.

The Eagles’ senior class takes up a majority of the starters and they will play a pivotal role in how far this Eastside team can make it in the playoffs.

Eatside’s first round matchup with Villa Rica will begin on Thursday, April 25 with games one and two.

Newton Rams @ Lowndes — Round One

An impressive final two weeks of the season propelled the Rams to a playoff berth in their first season with Delvin Jordan as their skipper.

The Rams won seven of their last eight games, but a dominant sweep of South Gwinnett to end the season is what secured the spot for Newton.

In that series, Newton outscored the comets 38-4 in three games.

Newton ended the season in fourth place in Region 4-AAAAAAA.

That finish set the Rams up with a series against Lowndes in round one.

The Vikings ended the season with a 25-5 record as the champions of Region 1-AAAAAAA.

Newton will make the long trip down to Valdosta on Thursday, April 25 for the first two games of the series.

For Newton, the key will be keeping the momentum for the previous week.

The final series saw strong showings from the bats and the arms, but Newton’s work will be cut out for it as they take on a team that has only lost at home once in 2024.

Social Circle vs Elbert County — Round One

The Redskins ended the season with a 18-12 record to go with their second place finish in Region 5A-Division I.

After sweeps of Oglethorpe County and Jasper County, the Redskins could not defeat Prince Avenue as they suffered a three-game sweep to end the regular season.

Now, Social Circle turns its attention to Elbert County.

Due to the second place finish in region play, the Redskins will have the luxury of playing the Blue Devils at home.

Elbert County will travel to Social Circle with a 20-10 record to go with a third place finish in Region 8A-Division I.

Opposite of the Redskins, the Blue Devils enter the playoffs with momentum. In their last 11 games, Elbert County has come out victorious nine times.

One key for the Redskins will be pitching. In its final two games against Prince Avenue, Social Circle allowed 11 and 12 runs, respectively.

Social Circle will begin the first round on Thursday, April 25.