Social Circle baseball coach Chris Davis is no stranger to the baseball diamond. As the final week of the regular season approaches, that has been evident as the ‘Skins find themselves in position for another playoff run.

While the team may not match a program-record 30 wins from a year ago, Social Circle is once again in the driver’s seat in Region 4A-Division I.

Davis noted that while the transition has been seamless, there have been times where the softball coach comes out.

“There have been moments,” Davis said. “The easy thing is how much softball has turned into being more like baseball. I won't say baseball has changed too much, but over the years softball has changed. Softball used to be a pitcher dominated sport. It is still pitcher dominated, but it has turned into an offensive sport as well. You have to do defense, you have to have the bunt coverage, the first and third coverages. People hit it harder so you have to do the relays. The easy thing is that softball has mimicked baseball more and more in the last 10 to 12 years.”

When discussing the subtle differences between baseball and softball, Davis referenced lineup and substitution rules as two of the main things that seperate two.

“A lot of people don't understand what the flex and DP is, but it creates things that you can do defensively and with your substitute that you can't do with baseball so you have to be mindful of that,” Davis said. “In softball you have re-enter substitutes. In baseball, once that comes out they are burned for the game so you have to be judicious on how you use your subs some times. There's been some times I have had to think about it, but overall it has been smooth.”

A big factor that has been helpful for both Davis and the players was retainment of the assistant coaches. 

Donny Hartman and Brent Moore remained in their roles from past seasons, and Davis noted how the transition would not have been as seamless without the two.

“I think it's been huge for the boys on the team,” Davis said. “I don't think necessarily a whole lot of things have changed in the way practices were conducted or with what's expected of them. But, I think for the guys it was big for them because it is always a change when you have a new head coach. I think what the assistants have done, the kids knew the expectations wouldn't change. Who we are as a program would never change.”

Because of this, the ‘Skins hit the ground running and have posted strong numbers in region play as the postseason nears.

Social Circle has won all four of its region series up to this point and has one more remaining — a three game series against the 0-24 Towers Titans.

One part of the team that has made this season a little easier for Davis is the top of his lineup.

Brayden Allen, Ian Miller and Garrett Brooks have been mainstays at the top of the order for Davis. With a top of the lineup that possesses almost all of the tools, Davis shared how the trio sets the tone for the rest of the team.

“They have done a great job,” Davis said. “It is no wonder that all of them are at the top of runs scored, at the top in stolen bases, [and] top in batting averages. They create havoc because they get on base and they can all run. They help turn the lineup over even though they are at the top. Especially early in the game yesterday [against Jasper County], we scored five in the first inning. It is an opportunity to put the other team behind right out of the gate. All of them are going to battle.”

While the Social Circle lineup has provided a strong sense of consistency, the pitching depth has been another strong-suit in 2026.

Jake Frachiseur, Brooks, Logan Moss, Miller, Barrett Bramlett and Gibson Knapp are just a few of the Social Circle players that have pitched significant innings this season.

As the playoffs are on the horizon, Davis noted how the management of his pitchers early in the season are starting to pay dividends for the team now.

“At the beginning of the year we did a good job of pitching guys,” Davis said. “I think there were times where we probably looked at the big picture over everything else in certain games early in the year. When a guy got to a certain point, we made sure to pull them. There were also times where we said, ‘Hey, this guy needs to pitch today.’ Maybe we put them into situations that were not ideal at the time, but you have to put them in situations early into the year so they are ready for it later in the season.”

Five games remain on the regular season slate for the Redskins as they hope to earn a high seed in the Class A-Division I playoffs.

While rest and preparation will be important over the next week, Davis wants to see his team finish the regular season strong to have the right mindset for the first round.

“We will take a few days off and have what spring break you can have as a baseball player,” Davis said, "Just rest and understand [that] when we come back next week, in our mind we are getting ready for the playoffs. We are going to set up our pitching next week to make sure everyone gets some work. If we need extra work during the week, we will. We will have some intersquad situations so our guys are ready for the payoffs. That's what our focus will be — playing clean games. Clean games defensively, clean games pitching, clean games hitting. We will probably concentrate a lot on the basics, knowing that when you get to the postseason, those fundamentals are as important as they ever were.

“At the same time, you want to finish the season strong because you want to have that confidence.”