The Greene County Tech Golden Eagles made it to the 5A State Tournament last year finishing 17-12 . GCT made it out of the brutal 5A East baseball conference that had the state champion , a state semifinalist , and a state quarterfinalist . The conference doesn ’ t get any easier with the addition of 4A runner-up Valley View , but with the return of several players from last season ’ s team , Coach Bruce Hunt is confident in his team . Experience is a strength for the Golden Eagles , and Coach Hunt hopes leadership will develop to take Tech deeper into the postseason . All-State shortstop Hutson Guinn leads the way for the Golden Eagles . The senior hit . 452 last season with seven home runs and 32 RBIs . Karter Willis will be up the middle with Guinn at second base . Willis had an on base percentage of . 461 with 18 stolen bases and looks to wreak havoc at the top of the lineup . Lane England will also play the infield after hitting . 379 with 39 RBIs last year . Camden Farmer will lead the pitching staff , as well as play some outfield . The U of A Rich Mountain commit posted a 2.02 ERA with 69 strikeouts last season . Farmer shows good control with three different pitches and hitting mid to upper 80s with his fastball . Jayden Rodgers has good command with three pitches , as well , and has hit the low 80s with his fastball . Tyler Vincent used a mid 80s fastball to post a 2.52 ERA a year ago and will add depth to a solid starting rotation . Camden Hart is another arm that will help on the mound and will patrol the outfield when he isn ’ t pitching . Several fresh faces will look to add to the Eagle lineup . Sophomores Hayden Jackson and Jack Williams are looking to crack the lineup . Jackson is a catcher , and Williams is an outfielder . Jude Stewart , Asher Griffin , and Ripken Tucker can add some depth to the pitching staff if needed , while Tucker can also play the infield . Freshmen Brodie Ryan , Tucker Beasley , Kannon Ring , and Cannon Driskill have all impressed in the preseason and could see some time . Ryan , Beasley , and Ring can all pitch with Ryan , Ring , and Driskill able to play in the infield while Beasley can play in the outfield . Tradition is deep at Greene County Tech , so look for the Golden Eagles to escape the 5A East again and make a run in the postseason .
The Gosnell Pirates added to their baseball tradition last year with another trip to the regional tournament . The Pirates lost in the first round of the regional and finished the season 15-11 . Coach Aaron Coots hopes to ride a deep pitching staff into the postseason once again . “ The overall team strengths will be depth on the mound and being able to throw multiple guys during the multi game weeks and still have a chance to win those games ,” Coach Coots explained . Junior Trent Middleton will lead Coot ’ s deep pitching staff . Middleton started seven games as a sophomore , posting a 6-2 record and a 2.92 ERA . Jake Reams will move into the number two spot this year after getting six starts and multiple relief appearances posting a 3.90 ERA . Chad Stewart will move from the outfield to catcher this season because of his strong arm . Stewart is a middle of the order hitter who batted . 375 last year with 17 RBIs and 16 stolen bases . Reid Shelton will start at third base and hit towards the top of the lineup . Reid hit . 329 last year with 23 RBIs , four homeruns , and 13 stolen bases . Brandon Weeks missed most of last year with a finger injury , but returns healthy to play first base . Weeks hit . 357 with 11 walks before the injury . Two freshmen look to make an impact for Gosnell this season . Hunter Riggs is a third baseman that will add depth to the pitching staff getting some relief appearances , while Chase Perkins should get significant time in the outfield this year . The Pirates should battle at the top of the 3A-3 conference , earning a regional berth , and possibly making a deep postseason run .