Georgia high school baseball playoffs Round 2 preview: Two can't-miss series in each classification

Two teams that know each other well, Walton and Etowah, play in a 7A series that feels state championship-worthy.

Photo by Willie Prince

The calendar has turned to May, which means the Georgia weather and high school baseball playoff season are heating up.

Round 1 saw the elimination of the defending Class 7A runner-up North Paulding, and Round 2 has some matchups that look worthy of late May.

Here are some must-see matchups this week in each classification.

Class A Private (May 4-5)

Calvary Day (22-8) @ Wesleyan (27-4); North Cobb Christian (23-6) @ First Presbyterian Day (22-6)

Calvary Day breezed through the first two rounds last year but got swept in the Sweet 16. The Cavaliers are a different team this year and enter this matchup on a 16-game win streak. Wesleyan boasts an impressive win streak as well, at 12 straight games. The Wolves have some star power, led by Druw Jones, and are looking for a trip back to the state championship. North Cobb Christian has  multiple wins over 6A and 7A opponents and has also taken down the regular-season No. 1 team in Class A Private, Mount Paran. First Presbyterian Day will have its hands full, but its play as of late should have every team’s attention. The Vikings have won eight of their last nine games and scored 24 runs in their last series versus Aquinas while giving up only two.

Class A Public (May 4-5)

Irwin County (28-2) @ Commerce (22-10); Social Circle (23-10) @ Wilcox County (27-0)

Commerce is flying high going into its matchup with Irwin County. The Tigers are Region 8 winners and treated the first round like they did most teams in the regular season, scoring 18 runs while allowing one. Irwin County lost only two games all season, both to the same opponent, and the Indians dominated just about every other team they faced. Wilcox County is one of the few undefeated teams left in the state. The question comes when you look at the competition level. The Patriots only played teams in Class A Public, and only five of the teams they faced ended the season with a record above .500. Social Circle ended the regular season with more losses but dipped its toe in a more competitive pool. This is a must-see matchup that could go either way.

Class 2A (May 4-5)

Jeff Davis (20-10) @ Elbert County (27-4); Cook (23-6) @ Model (25-4)

Jeff Davis had a tough go to start its season while facing higher-classification competition. Since March, when it started to play only 2A teams, Jeff Davis went 15-3. Elbert County has been great all season but has turned it up a notch in its last five games. The Blue Devils have scored 66 runs in that stretch while allowing only three. Model versus Cook is the only 2A matchup between teams with 23 or more wins. Model has been hot to end the regular season and start of the playoffs, winning 14 of its last 16 games. Cook has won 11 of its last 13 games, so something will have to give in this series.

Class 3A (May 4-5)

Cherokee Bluff (24-8) @ Pierce County (25-2); Appling County (17-7) @ North Hall (28-4)

Cherokee Bluff-Pierce County looks like the marquee matchup of this round in 3A. Cherokee Bluff lost only one series all season and Pierce County won every series, and both teams are trying to get back to the third round of the playoffs. Appling County is set to face the reigning 3A state champions in North Hall. Appling has put it in a different gear to end the regular season and start the playoffs, winning four in a row and scoring 54 runs while allowing only one. But with the way North Hall has played all season, the Trojans look like the favorite to become back-to-back state champions.

Class 4A (May 3-4)

Druid Hills (17-6) @ Perry (24-9); Troup County (22-9) @ Marist (25-7)

Druid Hills will look to extend its win streak, which sits at nine games. The Red Devils are hoping for a better outing than they had in the second round last year in which they got swept. Perry one-ups Druid Hills with its win streak of 10 games. The Panthers have been a team to be reckoned with since March 11, winning 20 out of 21 games in that stretch. Troup County will face off against the reigning 4A champs. The Tigers have won four straight and just took down a really good West Laurens team that won 24 games. Marist has looked like a team all season that can win back-to-back but must go through a motivated Troup County team first.

Class 5A (May 3-4)

Harris County (21-9) @ Loganville (24-8); Coffee (19-9) @ Cartersville (25-5)

Loganville has held a spot in the SBLive Top 25 all season long. The Red Devils are on a six-game win streak during which they have scored 48 runs and allowed five. Harris County is red hot, scoring back-to-back series wins against two really good ball clubs in Whitewater and Jones County. Cartersville has been one of the best teams in the state all season long regardless of classification. The Hurricanes have won nine straight but will have to take on a tough Coffee squad. Coffee has found a way all season to string together wins, and no team should take the Trojans lightly.

Class 6A (May 3-4)

Glynn Academy (24-8) @ Buford (24-7); Lassiter (24-8) @ Richmond Hill (23-7)

Buford cruised through the middle of the season looking like one of the best teams in the nation, but the Wolves have struggled mightily to end the regular season, losing seven of their last nine games. To start the season, no team would have said it wanted to face Buford in the postseason, but now the Wolves are showing vulnerability, and that works for Glynn Academy. The Terrors have strung together multiple seven-plus-game winning streaks, and they're feeling confident in taking down one of the best teams in the state for the past couple of seasons. Lassiter knocked off a red-hot Winder-Barrow in the first round and now turns its attention to Richmond Hill. Lassiter is another team that has maintained a spot in the SBLive Top 25 throughout the regular season. Richmond Hill comes into this matchup riding a nine-game win streak. The Wildcats will look to replicate their second-round success from last year, when they defeated Lakeside (12-2, 15-3).

Class 7A (May 3-4)

Cherokee (22-10) @ Lowndes (22-7); Etowah (25-7) @ Walton (21-11)

Lowndes and Cherokee shared the spotlight as two of the hottest teams in March. Both teams had a stellar Round 1, as Cherokee defeated Archer and Lowndes took down last year's 7A runner-up in North Paulding. Walton has already made it past the first round, which is where its season ended last year. Etowah burst onto the scene earlier in the season when it won 14 games in a row, and now the Eagles look to find the same success in the second round against a team they beat 11-8 earlier this season. This matchup will showcase D1 talent on both sides and is a must-watch for any baseball fan.