Top matchups, dark horses to follow in the Arkansas high school baseball state tournaments
By Kevin Bohannon | Photo by Tommy Land
Arkansas high school baseball state tournaments begin Thursday statewide. SBLive Sports has your primer as we dive into what games to watch, and which teams could surprise and which ones are the favorites to move to next week’s state finals in Conway on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas.
Keep up with the bracket updates and scores and follow Kevin Bohannon on Twitter at @KBoBaseballGuru for live updates.
Class 6A
Where: Cabot High School
Top Seeds: Rogers, Cabot, Conway and Springdale Har-Ber
Top Matchup: Bentonville and Jonesboro. The Tigers lost a key member of their team over the weekend in a tragic accident. They made a run last year and are primed to do it again. They were dangerous down the stretch. Jonesboro has taken some lumps this season moving up to 6A, but they have been in close games down the stretch. They have the talent to pull off the upset.
Dark horse: Catholic. They seem to have gotten their swager back after dropping three straight games in April. They have shown the ability to beat top teams and could shock the world if they get past Fayetteville.
Who will win and why: Rogers. No team has put together the body of work like the Mounties. They have more shutouts than any team in the state and only one in-state loss this season (Har-Ber). They come in as the top ranked team for the second straight season.
Class 5A
Where: Marion High School
Top Seeds: Valley View, LR Christian, Arkansas High, Greenwood.
Top Matchup: Maumelle and Sheridan. Maumelle has the arms to get to Conway but how will they bounce back after a subpar performance in their biggest series of the season last week against LRCA. Sheridan is a tough No. 3 seed with experience and offense that can score in bunches.
Dark horse: Batesville. The Pioneers were not supposed to be a 20-win team this year. They lost too much talent from last year’s semifinalist team. They have proven their doubters wrong with a strong second place finish in the 5A East. I like Brissey and Baxter on the mound and they have a good lineup that puts pressure on opposing pitchers.
Who will win and why: Valley View. They have been the most complete team all season. Their 20-game winning streak was snapped by Rogers over the weekend. A last-minute trek across the state a week before state shows this team has no fear.
Class 4A
Where: Lonoke High School
Top Seeds: Lonoke, Gravette, Ashdown
Top Matchup: Morrilton and Robinson teams have young arms that will win a lot of games before their careers are over. This is also a rematch of 2019 first round game that Morrilton won as the underdog. Matt Long and Isaac Dulaney are two of the best in the state at getting the most effort out of their players and these two teams are extensions of them.
Dark horse: Ashdown. The 4A South champion has had a good year since moving up from 3A. They finished second in conference and then avenged a late season loss to Nashville by run ruling the scrappers in the regional championship game.
Who will win and why: Lonoke. They have four elite arms for two games. Steele Eaves should have thrown a perfect game in his regional start but settled for a no-hitter. No one can get Cutter Colvert out at the plate. He hit a home run on to the softball field at Robinson last week. The Jackrabbits set a school record for wins last year with 29 but fell short of their ultimate prize. It will not happen this year.
Class 3A
Where: Lincoln High School
Top Teams: Harding Academy, Genoa Central, Elkins, Gosnell
Top Matchup: CAC and Melbourne: Two future Arkansas Razorback athletes should square off in round one on the mound with CAC’s Grayson Wilson (football) and Melbourne’s Grant Wren (baseball). CAC suffered their first in class loss to Harding Academy in the 3A-2 regional championship game. Melbourne won their conference regular-season and tournament championships before losing to Gosnell.
Dark horse: Gosnell. After finishing third in conference, no one has come close to beating the Pirates in thepostseason. Chad Stewart is one of the top young catchers in the state.
Who will win and why: Harding Academy. They have too many weapons and they know how to win championships. . Kade Smith is one of the top two-way talents in the state and Levi Lang is a hitting machine that is finally healthy. They have been here before and that means something.
Class 2A
Where: Greenland High School
Top Teams: Woodlawn, Episcopal, Greenland, Riverside
Top Matchup: Mansfield and Sloan Hendrix. Mansfield lost to Greenland in the Region 1 championship game while Sloan Hendrix has given teams issues in the postseason. After a second-place conference finish, they defeated Bigelow in the regional tournament and took Episcopal to the wire in a 1-0 loss.
Dark horse: Mansfield. They have been ranked in the second half of the season and even though they are a two seed, I could see them making a run. They would have to get past Woodlawn in the second round assuming they beat Sloan-Hendrix. IF they get to Uca, they will have earned it.
Who will win and why: Episcopal. They have the best draw and the pitching depth to make it to UCA and possibly face Woodlawn. They did not allow a run in their regional tournament and Drew Grumbles can beat anyone on the mound.
Class 1A
Where: Taylor High School
Top Teams: Taylor, West Side Greers Ferry, Wonderview, Scranton
Top Matchup: Wonderview and Viola. Two teams that have been ranked in the top 5 at some point this season and shown the ability to play championship baseball. Viola was a tri-champ in the 1A-2 conference while Wonderview finished third behimd St. Joe and Nemo Vista in conference play.
Dark horse: Norfork. The party crashers are in the big dance this year after setting a school record for wins last season. They made it to the regional finals beating conference foe Viola for a second time this season.
Who will win and why: Taylor scored 59 runs last weekend to capture the 1A-4 regional title. They have been No. 1 every week and they have the most talent. The Tigers have a favorable draw to make it back to the state championship game for a shot at two straight state titles.
