2023 Georgia High School Baseball Rankings: Classes 1A-7A

Georgia High School Baseball Top 25: Classes 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A, 6A, 7A

Updated 5/29/23

Congratulations to the GHSA baseball state champions, as well as those teams that made it to the finals. It’s hard to make it through a long regular season and into the state finals, and it’s even tougher to finish as your classification’s top team. Our final 2023 Georgia high school baseball rankings reward the state champions as the top eight teams, then their opponents as the next ranked group. Our remaining ranked teams were those who were part of the final four.

State Championship Matchups

  • Class 7A: Parkview vs. Lowndes; Lowndes wins 2-0
  • Class 6A: Houston County vs. Pope; Houston County wins 2-0
  • Class 5A: Loganville vs. McIntosh; Loganville wins 2-0
  • Class 4A: North Oconee vs. LaGrange; North Oconee wins 2-1
  • Class 3A: Harlem vs. Ringgold; Harlem wins 2-0
  • Class 2A: Mt. Paran Christian vs. North Cobb Christian; North Cobb Christian wins 2-1
  • Class A-D1: Prince Avenue Christian vs. Irwin County; Prince Avenue Christian wins 2-0
  • Class A-D2: Charlton County vs. ECI; Charlton wins 2-1

Final Top-25 

  1. Houston County (6A) E
  2. Lowndes (7A) +3
  3. Harlem (3A) E
  4. North Cobb Christian (2A) +5
  5. Prince Avenue Christian (1A-DI) +2
  6. Loganville (5A) +4
  7. North Oconee (4A) +5
  8. Charlton County (1A-DII) E
  9. Parkview (7A) -7
  10. Mt. Paran (2A) -6
  11. Pope (6A) -5
  12. McIntosh (5A) -1
  13. Irwin County (1A-DI) E
  14. LaGrange (4A) E
  15. Ringgold (3A) E
  16. ECI (1A-DI) +1
  17. Schley County (1A-DII) +1
  18. Centennial (5A) +1
  19. Darlington (1A-DI) +1
  20. Bleckley County (1A-DI) +1
  21. Fellowship Christian (2A) +1
  22. Greenbrier (5A) +1
  23. Savannah Christian (3A) +1
  24. Appling County (2A) +1
  25. McIntosh County Academy (1A-DII) -9

Updated 5/15/23

The 2023 Georgia high school baseball state finals are set in six of the eight classifications, with the semifinals scheduled for next weekend in 2A and the Class A divisions (A-D1 and A-D2). Following are the matchups and our updated rankings as of Monday at 5 p.m.

State Championship Matchups

  • Class 7A: Parkview vs. Lowndes
  • Class 6A: Houston County vs. Pope
  • Class 5A: Loganville vs. winner of Centennial/Mcintosh
  • Class 4A: North Oconee vs. LaGrange
  • Class 3A: Harlem vs. Ringgold
  • Class 2A: Mt. Paran Christian vs. North Cobb Christian

Semifinals – Class A-D1

  • Irwin County vs. Bleckley County
  • Darlington vs. Prince Avenue Christian

Semifinals – Class A-D2

  • Mcintosh County Academy vs. Charlton County
  • ECI vs. Schley County

Top-25

  1. Houston County (6A) E
  2. Parkview (7A) E
  3. Harlem (3A) E
  4. Mt. Paran Christian (2A) E
  5. Lowndes (7A) +4
  6. Pope (6A) +4
  7. Prince Avenue Christian (1A-DI)
  8. Charlton County (1A-DII)
  9. North Cobb Christian (2A) +16
  10. Loganville (5A) NR
  11. McIntosh (5A) +1
  12. North Oconee (4A) E
  13. Irwin County (1A-DI) +1
  14. LaGrange (4A) NR
  15. Ringold (3A) NR
  16. McIntosh County Academy (1A-DII) NR
  17. ECI (1A-DII) NR
  18. Schley County (1A-DII) NR
  19. Centennial (5A) NR
  20. Darlington (1A-DI) NR
  21. Bleckley County (1A-DI)
  22. Fellowship Christian (2A) -17
  23. Greenbrier (5A) -15
  24. Savannah Christian (3A) -11
  25. Appling County (2A) -2

Updated 5/8/23

The Georgia high school playoffs are getting into the final rounds, with semifinal rounds set for Classes 2A through 7A, and the Classes A-D1 and A-D2 semifinals coming a week later. There were a few upsets last week in the quarterfinal rounds, with the biggest stunner coming in Class 5A as Greenbrier defeated No. 3 Cartersville. The other was previously unranked Social Circle knocking off No. 14 Elbert County. Including these two upsets, seven ranked teams were knocked out of the state playoffs. While that’s bad news for those teams and their fans, it does allow several unranked teams to enter our 2023 Georgia high school baseball Top-25 rankings this week.

As has been the case all season, there were no surprises with the top two teams as Houston County and Parkview won their matchups to advance to the semifinals. All of the remaining teams in Classes 6A and 7A are ranked. Are other upsets still awaiting unsuspecting teams? The way things have gone so far, you can bet on it – but who will be the victims? Here’s are our latest Top 25 rankings, with Round 1 of the playoffs in Classes 6A and 7A complete, and the rest of the playoffs yet to come later this week.

  1. Houston County (6A) E
  2. Parkview (7A) E
  3. Harlem (3A) +1
  4. Mt. Paran (2A) +1
  5. Fellowship Christian (2A) +1
  6. Prince Avenue Christian (1A-DI) +1
  7. Charlton County (1A-DII) +1
  8. Greenbrier (5A) +9
  9. Lowndes (7A) +7
  10. Pope (6A) -1
  11. McIntosh (5A) -1
  12. North Oconee (4A) -1
  13. Savannah Christian (3A) -1
  14. Irwin County (1A-DI) +3
  15. Metter (1A-DI) +3
  16. Lovett (4A) +5
  17. Mill Creek (7A) +6
  18. Pike County (3A) +6
  19. North Paulding (7A) NR
  20. Etowah (6A) NR
  21. River Ridge (6A) NR
  22. Social Circle (1A-DI) NR
  23. Appling County (2A) NR
  24. Starrs Mill (4A) NR
  25. North Cobb Christian (2A) NR

Updated 5/2/2023

The baseball state playoffs are now heading into the quarterfinals, with the exception of Class A-D1 and Class A-D2, which are a week behind. Playoff teams in those classes just completed their first round of the postseason. 

In Classifications 2A through 7A, most of our ITG Next Top 25 teams advanced to the quarterfinals with a few exceptions. Four of our previously ranked teams are out after losing to previously unranked teams. 

The biggest upset was the previously fourth-ranked Cherokee Bluff, who lost to unranked Lovett in their second-round playoff series. 

Previously ranked Denmark also lost to an unranked team, dropping their second-round playoff matchup against Dacula, also in three games. 

Kennesaw Mountain was ranked No. 20, but they lost to Mill Creek, while No. 23 Calvary Day fell to Pike County. 

In a battle of two ranked teams, No. 19 Tift County knocked North Atlanta out of the playoffs and our Top 25 by coming back from a series-opening loss to take the next two games and advance to Round 3.   

  1. Houston County (6A) E
  2. Parkview (7A) E
  3. Cartersville (5A) E
  4. Harlem (3A) +1
  5. Mt. Paran (2A) +1
  6. Fellowship Christian (2A) +1
  7. Prince Avenue Christian (1A-DI) +2
  8. Charlton County (1A-DII) +2
  9. Pope (6A) +2
  10. McIntosh (5A) +2
  11. North Oconee (4A) +3
  12. Savannah Christian (3A) +3
  13. Tift County (6A) +6
  14. Elbert County (1A-DI) +2
  15. Blessed Trinity (6A) +2
  16. Lowndes (7A) +2
  17. Greenbrier (5A) +4
  18. Irwin County (1A-DI) +4
  19. Metter (1A-DI) +5
  20. Jeff Davis ( 2A) +5
  21. Lovett (4A) NR
  22. Dacula (7A) NR
  23. Mill Creek (7A) NR
  24. Pike County (3A) NR
  25. Hillgrove (7A) NR

Updated 4/25/2023

The 2023 Georgia high school baseball regular season is over, and already we have the first round of the state playoffs in the books. The postseason began with Classes 6A and 7A last weekend. The rest of the classes will start this week, and by the time our next Top 25 rankings are released, the remaining teams will be the ones who have survived the opening round.

One team that rolled through most of the regular season but hit an unfortunate cold streak at the worst possible time was Cherokee High School. The Warriors were red hot through their first 20 games with 19 wins. Then they fell ice cold, dropping four straight games heading into the playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs against Forsyth Central, Cherokee lost a tight game 9-8 to open the best-of-three series. They then lost 7-0 to bring what had been a promising season to a screeching halt.

Cherokee’s exit leaves an opening for Tift County, which enters the Top 25 at No. 19.  The Blue Devils won their opening-round playoff game over unranked South Effingham and will face No. 13 North Atlanta next. There were no surprises, however, at the top of the rankings, as Parkview and Houston County advanced with little problem. Here’s the latest Top 25:

  1. Houston County (6A) E
  2. Parkview (7A) E
  3. Cartersville (5A) E
  4. Cherokee Bluff (4A) E
  5. Harlem (3A) E
  6. Mt. Paran (2A) E
  7. Fellowship Christian (2A) E
  8. Denmark (7A) E
  9. Prince Avenue Christian (1A-DI) E
  10. Charlton County (1A-DII) E
  11. Pope (6A) E
  12. McIntosh (5A) E
  13. North Atlanta (6A) E
  14. North Oconee (4A) E
  15. Savannah Christian (3A) E
  16. Elbert County (1A-DI) E
  17. Blessed Trinity (6A) E
  18. Lowndes (7A) +1
  19. Tift County (6A) NR
  20. Kennesaw Mountain (7A) E
  21. Greenbrier (5A) E
  22. Irwin County (1A-DI) E
  23. Calvary Day (3A) E
  24. Metter (1A-DI) E
  25. Jeff Davis (2A) E

Updated 4/18/2023

As the Georgia high school baseball regular season begins to wind down, there are at least a couple of top-10 teams in our ranking showing a few kinks in their armor after breezing through the regular season with few losses. Perhaps the biggest shock is previously ranked No. 3 Blessed Trinity; after a 19-1 start to the season, they have lost six of their final eight games, including two of three to unranked Lassiter. 

The other highly ranked squad that has faltered a bit after a 19-1 start to the season is the Cherokee Warriors. A loss to Kennesaw Mountain started a four-game losing streak, which included a three-game sweep against unranked Walton. 

The Lowndes Vikings are headed in the other direction, picking up steam at the right time here at the end of the season. The Ryan Page-led Vikings have won 12 of their last 14 games, including a 3-0 game sweep over crosstown rival Valdosta. That gave the Vikings an undefeated region record and the Region 1-7A title.

The red-hot North Atlanta Warriors make their debut this week in the ITG Next Top 25, as they are perfect in region play with a 17-0 record in Region 4-6A and have won 18 of their last 19 games overall.

The rest of the poll sees little movement, especially with the top two teams, as Houston County and Parkview continue to hold dominant positions as the two best teams in the state.

Here is a look at the updated ITG Next Georgia high school baseball Top 25 ranking.

  1. Houston County (6A) E
  2. Parkview (7A) E
  3. Cartersville (5A) +2
  4. Cherokee Bluff (4A) E
  5. Harlem (3A) +2
  6. Mt. Paran (2A) +2
  7. Fellowship Christian (2A) +4
  8. Denmark (7A) +4
  9. Prince Avenue Christian (1A-DI) E
  10. Charlton County (1A-DII) E
  11. Pope (6A) +6
  12. McIntosh (5A) +1
  13. North Atlanta (6A) NR
  14. North Oconee (4A) E
  15. Savannah Christian (3A) E
  16. Elbert County (1A-DI) E
  17. Blessed Trinity (6A) -14
  18. Cherokee (7A) -12 
  19. Lowndes (7A) E
  20. Kennesaw Mountain (7A) E
  21. Greenbrier (5A) E
  22. Irwin County (A D-l) E
  23. Calvary Day (3A) E
  24. Metter (1A-DI) E
  25. Jeff Davis (2A) E

Updated 4/10/2023

In our updated 2023 Georgia high school baseball rankings, there remains little to no argument about who the top teams in Georgia high school baseball are. Truthfully, about the only debate surrounds who is No. 1. My choice? Houston County.

The Bears seem to be locked in pretty well, as they have been all season. Their four losses have come against out-of-state teams, with the last three of those defeats coming by one run. The remaining loss occurred at the back end of a double-header, which was part of a multi-team showcase tournament. It was the third straight day that the HoCo hurlers were forced to pitch, and was against some of the best baseball talent in the Southeast, including IMG Academy, which has given our top two teams all they can handle this season. The Florida high school juggernaut beat up on the Bears 15-1, then whipped the Parkview Panthers by a 15-0 score. Yikes.

In addition to HoCo and Parkview, Blessed Trinity didn’t fair very well against out-of-state opponents. The Titans entered the Perfect Game tournament with a 19-1 record, but they too dropped three of four against out-of-state competition. Thankfully for those teams, it’s a Georgia poll, and the games really mean nothing in terms of post-season play.

Tift County recently hit a dry spell, losing three straight to Houston County. They are replaced in this week’s Top 25 by Class A-D1 Irwin County, giving the Indians their first appearance on the list. Fellowship Christian leaps up the rankings and comes close to cracking the Top 10. They’ll settle for the 11th spot after moving up six spots.

  1. Houston Co (6A) E
  2. Parkview (7A) E
  3. Blessed Trinity (6A) E
  4. Cherokee Bluff (4A) E
  5. Cartersville (5A) E
  6. Cherokee (7A) E
  7. Harlem (3A) E
  8. Mt. Paran (2A) E
  9. Prince Avenue Christian (A-D1) E
  10. Charlton County (A-D2) E
  11. Fellowship Christian (2A) +6
  12. Denmark (7A) E
  13. McIntosh (5A) E
  14. North Oconee (4A) E
  15. Savannah Christian (3A) +3
  16. Elbert County (A-D1) E
  17. Pope (6A) -6
  18. East Coweta (7A) -3
  19. Lowndes (7A) E
  20. Kennesaw Mountain (7A) E
  21. Greenbrier (5A) E
  22. Irwin Co (A-D1) NR
  23. Calvary Day (3A) E
  24. Metter (A-D1) E
  25. Jeff Davis (2A) E

 

Updated 4/3/2023

In the latest edition of our 2023 Georgia high school baseball rankings, there remains little to no argument about who the top teams in the state are. Last week, we pointed out that the dominance of Parkview and Houston County were on display for the entire state to see, as both teams were rolling through their opponents, region and non-region.

The Bears ran into some top national talent from Oregon, Florida, and California in the NHSI (invite-only) tournament hosted by USA Baseball, and they fell by one run in each game against Jesuit-Portland, Hagerty (Oviedo, FL), and JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, CA). All three losses were 4-3 finals. HoCo did manage to defeat the No. 2-ranked team in the country, Calvary Christian Academy from Clearwater, Florida. Parkview suffered its first loss of the season against a Georgia high school, dropping a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Marist.

However, we begin to see some shuffling after the top five teams, including three newcomers making their debut. That includes the red-hot Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs, as well as the East Coweta Indians, led by Georgia icon Franklin DeLoach, and Tift County.

Here’s our updated GHSA baseball rankings for Week 8 of the 2023 season. Give us your thoughts: agree or disagree with our choices?

  1. Houston County (6A) E
  2. Parkview (7A) E
  3. Blessed Trinity (6A) E
  4. Cherokee Bluff (4A) E
  5. Cartersville (5A) +1
  6. Cherokee (7A) -1
  7. Harlem (3A) E
  8. Mount Paran (2A) E
  9. Prince Avenue Christian (1A-DI) E
  10. Charlton County (1A-DII) E
  11. Pope (6A) E
  12. Denmark (7A) E
  13. McIntosh (5A) E
  14. North Oconee (4A) E
  15. East Coweta (7A) NR
  16. Elbert County (1A-DI) E
  17. Fellowship Christian (2A) E
  18. Savannah Christian (3A) E
  19. Lowndes (7A) E
  20. Kennesaw Mountain (7A) NR
  21. Greenbrier (5A) E
  22. Tift County (7A) NR
  23. Calvary Day (3A) E
  24. Metter (1A-DI) E
  25. Jeff Davis (2A) E

 

Updated 3/27/2023

Our updated 2023 Georgia high school baseball rankings find just about every team from last week locked in to their same position. The lone change in this week’s Top 25 sees North Oconee and LaGrange flipping spots from the previous week, with North Oconee moving up a spot and LaGrange falling back one place to No. 15.

That’s it. All other teams maintained the positions they held the week before, including Houston County and Parkview. The Bears and Panthers are a combined 31-4 without a region loss between them. Blessed Trinity and Harlem are right there too, with the Class 3A Bulldogs rolling through the first six weeks of their season with a 17-0 record, and Blessed Trinity making its case to stay near the Top 5 with 18 wins since opening the season with a loss to No. 22 Woodstock.

  1. Houston County (6A) E
  2. Parkview (7A) E
  3. Blessed Trinity (6A) E
  4. Cherokee Bluff (4A) E
  5. Cherokee (7A) E
  6. Cartersville (5A) E
  7. Harlem (3A) E
  8. Mount Paran (2A) E
  9. Prince Avenue Christian (1A-DI) E
  10. Charlton County (1A-DII) E
  11. Pope (6A) E
  12. Denmark (7A) E
  13. McIntosh (5A) E
  14. North Oconee (4A) +1
  15. LaGrange (4A) -1
  16. Elbert County (1A-DI) E
  17. Fellowship Christian (2A) E
  18. Savannah Christian (3A) E
  19. Lowndes (7A) E
  20. Allatoona (6A) E
  21. Greenbrier (5A) E
  22. Woodstock (6A) E
  23. Calvary Day (3A) E
  24. Metter (1A-DI) E
  25. Jeff Davis (2A) E

 

Updated 3/20/2023

Our first regular season rankings of the 2023 Georgia high school baseball season are here. How do they compare to our preseason poll we released back in January? Well, six of those teams are still ranked in what has become our Top 25 poll, including Houston County and Parkview, who remain our top two teams in the state. 

The Houston County Bears of head coach Matt Hopkins are 15-1 at the time of this first 2023 regular season ranking, but I don’t expect there to be any major changes with this powerhouse bunch. They have all the tools that Hopkins needs to claim the top spot in our rankings, as well as many other statewide rankings. 

Parkview currently sits at a modest 10-3 as we release our poll at the beginning of Week 6 of the season.

Blessed Trinity certainly makes a case for a top spot in the rankings with a 16-1 record. 

A school not known for fielding a highly ranked baseball program is doing just that while basking in the attention. Harlem, a 3A program, has started the season undefeated and is 13-0 rolling into Week 6.

  1. Houston County (6A)
  2. Parkview (7A)
  3. Blessed Trinity (6A)
  4. Cherokee Bluff (4A)
  5. Cherokee (7A)
  6. Cartersville (5A)
  7. Harlem (3A) 
  8. Mount Paran (2A)
  9. Prince Avenue Christian (1A-DI)
  10. Charlton County (1A-DII)
  11. Pope (6A)
  12. Denmark (7A)
  13. McIntosh (5A)
  14. LaGrange (4A)
  15. North Oconee (4A)
  16. Elbert County (1A-DI)
  17. Fellowship Christian (2A)
  18. Savannah Christian (3A)
  19. Lowndes (7A)
  20. Allatoona (6A)
  21. Greenbrier (5A)
  22. Woodstock (6A)
  23. Calvary Day (3A)
  24. Metter (1A-DI)
  25. Jeff Davis (2A)
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