2024 GSHA Preview: Hillgrove Hawks

December 27, 2023
Ian Smith
Assistant Scouting Director

The 2024 Georgia high school baseball season is quickly approaching and, as usual, excitement is abound throughout the state. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across Georgia.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in mid-May inside one of Coolray Field, AdventHealth Stadium, or JI Clements Stadium at Georgia Southern University. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview individual teams across Georgia. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, eventually releasing our Preseason Power 25 rankings that’ll carry us into the opening week of action.

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across the state. Each week we will be releasing our Players of the Week and updating the Power 25 rankings.

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Hillgrove Hawks
Head Coach: David Richardson & Andrew Alverson
Classification: 7A
2023 Record (Finish): 25-12 (Lost in Elite 8)
Team X Handle: @hghawksbaseball

Team Strengths: Team Speed; 7 returning position players that played significant roles in 2023
No. of Returning Position Players: 7
No. of Returning Pitchers: 5

TOP SENIORS

Tanner Greenwald, Auburn-Montgomery commit
Zavier Cahill, Reinhardt commit
Zac Miller, Gadsden State CC
Jack Peek
Cooper May
Sawyer Kale
Carl Paolino
Landon Abrams

TOP JUNIORS

TOP UNDERCLASS FOLLOWS

TEAM OUTLOOK

Aside from losing veteran leadership and talent in both the middle infield and on the mound, Hillgrove brings a quality roster into this spring with a great chance to repeat as region champions. A pair of juniors in outfielder Avery Wilson, who is one of the fastest players in the state and catcher Carson Vick will pace the offense. Senior outfielders Jack Peek and Tanner Greenwald with senior middle infielder Zavier Cahill will provide balance in the lineup with strong hit tools, along with junior infielder Daniel Parker looking to make a big impact in 2024. Sophomores Donovan Dortch and Jordan Walker seemed poised to have significant roles this season and will provide another spark to this deep lineup. LHP Zac Miller will lead the rotation for the Hawks this spring, looking to build off of a strong travel ball summer. Sophomore Tucker Bowen will be tasked with a big role in the rotation as well as a few underclassmen as well. This Hillgrove ballclub is full of true “gamers” with a ton of real speed throughout a strong lineup. If the Hawks can get the pitching to match the lineup, a run to the elite eight in back-to-back years shouldn’t be out of the question.

Upcoming Events

SHOWCASE	DATE	LOCATION
South Georgia Preseason ID	January 6th, 2024	Coffee County High School
East Georgia Preseason ID	January 7th, 2024	IVSA Training
North Georgia Preseason ID	January 13th, 2024	Georgia Highlands College
Georgia Preseason All-State	January 14th, 2024	IVSA Training