There are five states—Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Georgia—that play high school softball in the fall and, as part of a 12-week series covering the prep play in the Peach State, contributor and Georgia softball aficionado Steve Hickey is tracking the Road to Columbus: the pathway to the state championships in Columbus, Ga. 

Here is Week 11 of the series…

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The first round of state playoffs started this week under the most beautiful crisp fall skies that the Peach State can offer.

Georgia High School Association (“GHSA”) softball playoffs typically confirm and prove a couple of principles each year.

There are two dominant trends: 

1. The home team wins.

Historically speaking, the higher seed host prevails. Softball is a sport based on routine and the home team can stick these routines the best. Also, the bus rides across Georgia (especially in and around Metro Atlanta) has a cumulative and disruptive effect on the aforementioned routines.

This includes both pre-game, like nutrition, heat, tape, or KT wraps, stretching, throwing, running, hitting, fielding, and other prep routines. We have seen many a team coming in hot on 2 wheels and miss all of this.

This also includes post-game, like meals, recovery, ice, and the granddaddy of them all – sleep in your own bed. 

2. Whoever wins the first game, most often sweeps.

There is a complete, and utter lack of Game #3s in most series.

It could be that most programs only have one pitcher, and if they can’t get Game #1, it only gets worse into Game #2.  

These trends are most prevalent in the first round of the playoffs, and we will watch these trends for both rounds of the state playoffs. 

• In total, there were 100 total 1^st round series.
• In the first round, there were 86 sweeps and, in 17 of the series, the lower seed upset the host team.
• Only 14 of the series went to three games, and of this 14, only five of those did the underdog win the series.
• Also, of the 14 three-game series, there were only six of these where the eventual winner lost Game 1.
• Finally, the rarest of all feats was carried out by one team, Thomasville, who was the lower seed, lost Game 1 and ended up rallying to take the series against the host.

If you read prior columns, I have called out four programs that have suggestive good records, high rankings, and home field advantage in the playoffs.

However, their weak scheduling in regular season makes them ripe to upset this trend.

This prognosticator is calling home field paper tigers to be:

• South Atlanta
• Holy Innocents
• Lovett, and
• Miller Grove.

At press time, Miller Grove has fallen, and the other three are still in the tournament. 

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Private – Brackets and Results (Click HERE)

12 of the 20 qualifying teams have first round byes, while the other eight must duke it out in the first round to advance. All four series were sweeps, and of these four series, two of them were upsets by the visiting team. 

• #1 Wesleyan – Bye

• #18 Greater Atlanta Christian upset #17 Landmark Christian 18-2 and 23-4
• #9 Whitefield – Bye
• #8 Kings Ridge – Bye
• #5 Mt Paran Christian – Bye 
• #12 North Cobb Christian – Bye 
• #13 Trinity Christian – advances 
• #4 Prince Avenue – Bye
• #3 Holy Innocents – Bye
• #19 Christian Heritage upset #14 Walker 10-6 and 10-9 
• #11 Providence Christian – Bye
• #6 Lovett – Bye 

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1A Bracket and Results (Click HERE)

13 of the 16 matchups were sweeps, and only two upsets by the lower seed against the home team. 

• #1 Elbert County won 15-0 and 19-0 over #32 Putnam County
• #17 Thomasville upset #16 Model in three games, 6-9, 10-5, and 14-5
• #9 Dade beat #24 Jasper County 8-0 and 6-3
• #8 Lamar County beat #25 Dodge County 10-2 and 12-0
• #5 Social Circle beat #28 Worth County 7-2 and 10-3
• #21 Armuchee upset #12 Brantley County 2-0 and 4-1
• #13 East Laurens beat #20 Swainsboro 2-4, 2-1, and 4-2
• #4 Bacon County beat #29 Temple 6-1 and 7-3
• #3 Gordon Lee beat #30 Fanin County 12-0 and 8-0
• #14 Heard County beat #19 Haralson County 4-0 and 5-0
• #11 Toombs beat #22 Oglethorpe 7-0 and 9-5
• #6 Vidalia beat #27 Washington 10-0 and 13-1
• #7 ACE Charter beat #26 Berrien 9-1, 11-12, and 8-7
• #10 Banks County beat #23 Chattooga 5-0 and 18-0 
• #15 Jeff Davis beat #18 Bleckley County 5-0 and 14-3
• #2 Bremen won against #31 Commerce 8-0 and 12-0

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2A Bracket and Results (Click HERE)

14 of the 16 matchups were sweeps, this classification had the most upsets by the lower seed against the home team with four. 

• #1 Appling sweep #32 Glenn Hills 16- and 16-0
• #17 Jackson upset #16 Stephens County in three games, 5-2, 2-5, and 9-3
• #9 Cook beat #24 Coahulla Creek 8-1 and 6-0.
• #8 Rockmart beat #25 KIPP Atlanta 18-0 and 18-0
• #5 Shaw beat #28 Sumter 15-0 and 15-0
• #21 Crisp upset #12 Burke County 18-1 and 16-1
• #13 Pierce County beat #20 Therrell 15-0 and 18-3
• #4 South Atlanta beat #29 Salem 18-5 and 33-16
• #3 Morgan County beat #30 Tatnall Count 12-0 and 14-2
• #14 Hart County beat #19 Franklin County 16-6 and 16-7
• #11 Columbus beat #22 Drew Charter 20-0 and 20-0
• #11 Callaway upset #6 Thomson 14-5 and 16-1
• #7 Pike County beat #26 Ringgold 5-0 and 14-8
• #23 Hardaway upset #10 Millar Grove 18-8 and 17-2
• #15 Union beat #16 Murray County in three games, 1-0, 1-2, and 2-0
• #2 Sonoraville beat #31 Josey 18-0 and 16-0

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3A Bracket and Results (Click HERE)

Interestingly, all 16 of the matchups were sweeps, and just as interestingly, four of these were upsets by the lower seed against the home team.  

• #1 Jefferson beat Mt Zion 17-0 and 7-0
• #17 Monroe Area upset 24-0 and 17-0 #16 Douglass 
• #9 West Laurens beat #24 Ridgeland 9-1 and 12-5
• #8 Cairo beat #25 Cross Creek 11-2 and 17-1
• #5 Lumpkin County beat #28 Riverdale 15-0 and 15-0
• #12 SE Bulloch beat #21 Whie County 10-1 and 9-2
• #13 Heritage beat #20 Gilmer 11-1 and 8-2
• #4 Harlem beat #29 Islands 15-0 and 15-0
• #3 Long beat #20 Baldwin 16-0 and 16-0
• #19 Pickens upset #14 Whitewater 11-0 and 13-3
• #11 Cherokee Bluff beat #22 LaGrange 6-3 and 10-1
• #6 Mary Persons beat #27 Westover 15-0 and 16-1
• #26 Oconee County upset #7 Luella 11-1 and 15-2
• #10 North Hall beat #23 Liberty 14-0 and 19-0
• #18 Dawson County upset #15 Dawson County 8-0 and 19-11
• #2 Lafayette beat # 31 Bainbridge 8-0 and 21-0

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4A Bracket and Results (Click HERE)

12 of the 16 matchups were sweeps, and only one upset by the lower seed against the home team. 

• #2 seed Walton Grove beat #3 Ware County 10-2 and 10-7 to advance to the Sweet 16.
• #1 Pace Academy beat #4 Cass 5-4 and 9-4.
• #2 Central, Carrollton beat #3 SW Dekalb 8-0 and 15-0.
• #1 OLA won the holy war versus #4 Blessed Trinity 6-5 and 8-0.
• #3 Madison County upset #2 Perry 7-3, 0-10, and 4-3
• #1 Cartersville swept #4 Forrest Park 15-0 and 15-0
• #2 St. Pius X beat Northside, Columbus in three games, 7-4, 2-7, and 6-5
• #1 Kell beat #4 Locust Grove 11-0 and 15-0
• #2 Cambridge won 4-2 and 14-1 against #3 Jones County
• #1 Harris County won 15-0 and 15-0 (gulp!) against #4 North Springs
• #2 Allatoona won 13-1 and 18-0 against #3 Midtown.
• #1 Wayne County won 3-0 and 11-0 against Flowery Branch. 
• #2 Union Grove beat #3 Westminster 4-3, 4-6, and 8-0
• #1 Marist beat #4 Starrs Mill 0-2, 3-1, and 7-1
• #3 Cedartown upset 17-0 and 22-0 against #2 Creekside (wow!)
• #1 Eastside won 9-0 and 8-0 against #4 Warner Robins

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5A Bracket and Results (Click HERE)

13 of the 16 matchups were sweeps, and there were three upsets by the lower seed against the home team. 

• #2 Jackson beat #3 Glynn Academy 6-7, 5-4, and 3-1
• #4 seed Lanier upset #1 Decatur 8-3 and 7-6
• #3 South Paulding upset #2 McIntosh 9-7 and 8-0
• #1 Houston County beat #4 Riverwood 5-6, 4-2, and 5-1
• #2 South Effingham won 9-6 and 15-3 over #3 Winder-Barrow
• #1 Milton beat #4 Woodward Academy 9-0 and 16-3
• #2 East Paulding won 9-1 and 18-5 over #3 Newnan
• #1 Lassiter won 8-4 and 4-3 over Lee County
• #2 Creekview won 8-0 and 18-0 over #3 Coffee 
• #1 Northgate beat #4 Villa Rica 11-1 and 2-1
• #2 Seckinger won 17-2 and 16-0 over #3 Chamblee
• #1 Effingham County won 3-1 and 9-1 over Apalachee
• #2 Veterans won 4-2 and 7-3 over #3 River Ridge
• #1 Alexander won 15-0 and 19-0 over #4 Lovejoy
• #3 Roswell upset #2 Dunwoody 9-2, 7-10, and 1-0
• #1 Loganville won 14-3 and 17-7 over #4 Greenbriar

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6A Bracket and Results (Click HERE)

14 of the 16 matchups were sweeps, and only two were upsets by the lower seed against the home team. 

• #2 Dacula won 9-2 and 14-2 over Camden County
• #1 Archer beat #4 Parkview 11-3 and 21-11
• #3 Cherokee upset Paulding County 8-1, 6-7, and 9-3 
• #1 East Coweta won 12-1 and 7-0 over #4 West Forsyth
• #2 Richmond Hill won 9-8 and 10-2 over #3 Mill Creek
• #1 North Gwinnett beat #4 Newton 17-0 and 9-0
• #2 North Paulding won 15-7 and 15-2 over #3 Campbell
• #1 North Forsyth won 10-0 and 23-1 over #4 Westlake
• #2 Denmark beat #3 Chapel Hill 7-6 and 24-8
• #4 Walton upset #2 Harrison 14-10 and 7-6
• #2 Brookwood beat # 3 Grayson 11-2 and 17-2 
• #1 Tift County beat #4 Collins Hill 6-5 and 12-0
• #2 Carrollton beat #3 Lambert in three games, 0-2, 6-3, and 6-2
• #1 North Cobb beat #4 Hillgrove 6-0 and 6-0 
• #2 Grovetown beat #3 Duluth 4-0 and 11-3
• #1 Buford 7-0 beat Colquitt County 7-0 and 14-0

Next week, there will be tickets punched to Columbus. We will be on the edge of our bleacher or watching the Gamechanger feeds. 

— Steve Hickey for Line Drive Softball