GHSA Class 4A Preseason Top-10
February 12, 2022
The 2022 GHSA baseball season is less than a week away. Which means it is time to unveil our class-by-class top-10 rankings.
+ No. 1 North Oconee
North Oconee has a loaded pitching staff that will put them in the driver's seat in 4A. Coach Lasley will have a wealth of talent at his disposal, and not just on the mound. The offense is a well balanced one with impact bats up and down.
The Titans have one of the best pitching staffs in the entire state. On any given day they could roll out potentially five-plus arms that are over 90 mph. LHP Andrew Arnold (2022; Georgia Southern) will take over as the staff ace after the departure of RHP/SS Bubba Chandler (Pittsburgh Pirates). Arnold had a big 2021, going 9-0 with a 1.21 ERA, He will be joined by RHP Ben Stuart (2022; Georgia Southern), RHP Stiles Begnaud (2022; Uncommitted), C/RHP Gavin Black (2022; Florida Southwestern), SS/RHP Justin Byrd (2022; USC-Aiken), RHP Connor Harris (2022; North Georgia), and RHP Cole Evilsizor (2022; Uncommitted).
It will be a very deep and very experienced staff.
The offense will once again have some big bats in the lineup, but they will need to up their production to fill the void left by graduation. Black, Byrd, 1B Braeden Smith (2022; Uncommitted), and C/2B Cale Stricklin (2023; Georgia) all have long ball power. OF Jack Fabris (2023; Uncommitted) led the Titans in batting average last year (.432) and will be relied on again. 3B Grayson Godbee (2023; Uncommitted) has the potential to be a breakout power bat. OF Parker Herndon (2022; ABAC) came on strong late in the summer and fall, and will look to carry that momentum into the season.
Keep an eye on newcomer 1B/RHP KJ Moon (2024; Uncommitted). Moon is physically ready to compete at this level, and could contribute with his arm or bat.
+ No. 2 Marist
The War Eagles lost some key players to graduation, but expect them to be in the mix late. The Marist pitching staff is in good hands with the return of their top three arms. RHP Ryan McTighe (2022; Uncommitted), 3B/RHP Preston Larmore (2022: Uncommitted), and RHP Isaac Coronado (2022; Uncommitted) were the backbone of the staff. This trio has seen it all, and should give the War Eagles an edge on the mound.
The offense gets OF Andrew Mannelly (2022; Wofford), 3B Champ Davis (2023; Wofford), and OF Andrew Buschmann (2023; Uncommitted) return to pace the offense. Mannelly and Davis were instrumental to the War Eagles success last season. Buschmann will be looked at to step and fill in the gaps left by graduation.
+ No. 3 Troup County
The Tigers had a record setting year in 2021, collecting 29 wins, and look to be even better in 2022. They will need some players to step up, but the core of players to build around is promising.
OF/RHP Brett Haynes (2022; Coastal Alabama), 3B/RHP Daniel Martin (2022; Uncommitted) 3B/RHP Reed Morris (2023; Uncommitted), and SS/RHP Devon Murphy (2023; Uncommitted) are going to carry a heavy load. They will pace the offense and form what should be an explosive top of the order. The big arm of Haynes will anchor the staff along with the aforementioned players.
Troup County filled a need in the offseason with the arrival of C Ty Medders (2023; Uncommitted) from LaGrange. Medders was an offensive leader last season for Grangers. He will further deepen the lineup and immediately start behind the dish. Newcomer LHP Tripp Cummings (2024; Uncommitted) has a chance to make an impact on the mound for the Tigers.
+ No. 4 Perry
The Panthers could go a long way in 2022 with the help of an experienced and talented pitching staff. Five arms return who saw significant time last season. RHP Ben McDow (2023; Uncommitted) led the team in innings and will be back as the go to arm. 1B/RHP Jonah Wynn (2022; Uncommitted) and RHP/3B Carson Bryant (2022; ABAC) will provide further depth and leadership.
Left-handers Wyatt Doyle (2022; ABAC) and Cooper Edwards (2023; Uncommitted) will see elevated roles in the pitching staff after both accumulating 12 innings on the mound last season. The development of Edwards could be what puts Perry over the top. Regardless, the Panthers will have options out of the bullpen, and can create some tricky matchups.
The offense will be headlined by one of the state’s top shortstops, Tanner Knowles (2022; Georgia). A nearly .400 hitter a year ago, Knowles is a tone setter. The bats of SS Tyler Newhouse (2022; Uncommitted), C Dylan Butler (2022; South Georgia State), and Bryant will be relied on to be the run producers.
+ No. 5 Flowery Branch
The Falcons will need some players to mature quickly in order to challenge North Oconee for the region title. The core of the team should be encouraging for Coach Ray though.
LHP/OF Jake Beaver (2022; Georgia State) and RHP Mason Compton (2023; Wofford) give Flowery Branch two frontline starters on the mound. Beaver, a crafty lefty with a mid-80s fastball, and Compton, a power righty, are capable of hanging with any team in the class. RHP Max Wagner (2023; Uncommitted) and C/RHP Aaron Attaway (2023; Uncommitted) will have to step up to provide more depth.
Beaver along with OF Nick Linkowski (2022; Uncommitted) will pace the offense. The big bat of 1B/C Kade Smallwood (2023; Uncommitted) looks ready to take the next step forward. Smallwood has the potential to be a major run producing threat. SS Austin Bourrie (2023; Uncommitted) will also factor in.
+ No. 6 Jefferson
The Dragons will be looking at a lot of fresh faces in the lineup this year, and they will have to contribute immediately. SS/RHP Jase Peoples (2024; Uncommitted) will be counted on to do it all, despite only being a sophomore. Peoples certainly appears ready for the challenge as one of the state’s top prospects. SS Bowman Horn (2023; Uncommitted) will also do his part to carry the offense. SS/2B Robert Dumas (2023; Uncommitted) looked sharp in offseason workouts and could be poised for a breakout year.
Peoples will be aided on the mound by returning seniors RHP Spencer Neese (2022; Uncommitted) and RHP Brice Glausier (2022; Uncommitted). They will need some others to step up though.
+ No. 7 Cedartown
The Bulldogs may have surprised some teams as they took the region title and made a quarterfinals appearance in 2021. A young core of players has the potential to take them even further in 2022.
SS/RHP Dylan Cupp (2023; Mississippi State) will get all the attention, and rightfully so. The No. 1 ranked shortstop in the country is elite. Cupp is arguably the top defensive shortstop, regardless of class. His bat is a game changer, and his feel for the zone makes him one of the toughest outs in the state.
Cupp won’t have to do it all though, he has a solid supporting cast behind him. C Eli Barrow (2023; Uncommitted) is a reliable defender and brings a power bat to the lineup. OF/RHP MJ Holiday (2022; Uncommitted), OF/RHP Reece Tanner (2023; Uncommitted), SS/3B Xavier Holiday (2024; Uncommitted), and 1B/OF Cole Dingler (2024; Uncommitted) will all see prominent roles in the offense.
Watch out for RHP/C Jay O’Neal (2025; Uncommitted) to make an immediate impact. O’Neal has a big arm and could be of major use on the mound for the Bulldogs.
+ No. 8 Thomas County Central
The Yellow Jackets will be led by a trio of two-way standouts: OF/RHP Adam Lane (2022; Uncommitted), RHP/1B Griffin Taylor (2023; Uncommitted) and 3B/RHP Reid Harvey (2023; Mercer). All three will figure prominently into the starting rotation and batting order. Harvey and Taylor are both big power arms and bats who could take Thomas County Central a long way.
There is a lot of experience throughout the roster with a number of returning players from a 22 win team a season ago. Thomas County Central might be the darkhorse in this class, and a team you do not want to see in the postseason.
+ No. 9 Northwest Whitfield
The Bruins will ride the arms of LHP/1B Cade Fisher (2022; Florida) and LHP/OF Keaton McQuaig (2022; Uncommitted) as far as they can take them, and odds are they will take them far. Fisher is the top southpaw in the state and a top-25 player in the country. He has the potential to put up PBR Georgia Player of the Year numbers. McQuaig gives the Bruins another shutdown arm with his mid-80s fastball.
The offense will have some question marks, and they will need to find the answers quickly. However, with the starting pitching available, Northwest Whitfield will be in any game.
+ No. 10 Benedictine
The 2021 state runner-up lost a ton to graduation, including 2021 PBR Georgia Player of the Year LHP/1B Carter Holton (2021; Vanderbilt), but don’t count the Cadets out. There is still a strong group of returning seniors to get Benedictine back in the mix.
OF/RHP Justin Thomas (2022; Georgia), SS/RHP Kam Edge (2022; Army football), and OF/RHP Charles Pulaski (2022; Berry), and OF/RHP Ben Hollerbach will give the Cadets a strong top of the order. 3B/RHP Parker McCoy (2024; Uncommitted) has the potential to be a big bat in the lineup, and looks poised to take the next step forward.
The aforementioned players will lend their services on the mound as well. The Cadets will need some others to step up though if they want to contend late into May.
2022 Classification Polls
Related Content
- GA GHSA Class 7A Preseason Top-10 2/14/22
- GA GHSA Class 5A Preseason Top-10 2/13/22
- GA GHSA Class 6A Preseason Top-10 2/13/22
- GA GHSA Class 4A Preseason Top-10 2/12/22
- GA GHSA Class 3A Preseason Top-10 2/11/22
- GA GHSA Class 2A Preseason Top-10 2/10/22
- GA GHSA Class 1A-Public Preseason Top-10 2/09/22
- GA GHSA Class 1A-Private Preseason Top-10 2/08/22