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PREP BASEBALL: Local clubs stare down playoff spots
Alcovy, Eastside, Newton, Social Circle all in hunt for postseason berths
Eastside Baseball
Cade Mitchell (pictured) and the Eastside Eagles have positioned themselves in third place in Region 8-AAAAA with just two weeks remaining in the regular season. They’re among the other three local baseball teams as contenders for a spot in the 2021 state playoffs. - Mason Wittner | The Covington News

The home stretch is on the horizon.

Just three weeks remain in the 2021 GHSA baseball season. And, thanks to a mixture of prime positioning and an abundance of remaining region games, each of our four local prep baseball teams remain in contention to earn a spot in the postseason. 

In Class AAAAAAA, the Newton Rams all but locked up a playoff spot in the opening week of region play by sweeping their three-game series with South Gwinnett.

They’ll be aiming to take a few games from state powers Parkview and Brookwood in the coming weeks, which could help them sneak into a No. 2 or No. 3 seed. Regardless of the outcome of those games, however, it’s unlikely they’ll fall from the No. 4 spot after handling their business against the Comets.

Alcovy, meanwhile, is in the hunt for its first state playoff berth since 2013.

The Tigers recently capped off a season sweep of Rockdale County — the program’s first sweep of a region opponent since 2016 — before stumbling in back-to-back losses to Heritage. With one game remaining against each of the four teams currently ahead of them in Region 3-AAAAAA, there’s still plenty of time to make up ground.

Eastside is holding its own in its new classifcation as a member of one of the state’s strongest regions in 8-AAAAA.

The Eagles’ only league setbacks came at the hands of Greenbrier, which also took a game from three-time defending state champion Loganville. If they can get past Walnut Grove and Jackson County in decent shape, the season-ending series with the Red Devils could be enourmous for both squads.

Social Circle has stormed out to a red-hot start in Region 8-A Public, winning 10 of its first 11 league games. 

As long as they avoid slipping up against Washington-Wilkes, the Redskins should find themselves playing in a de facto region championship series against Commerce in two weeks.