As the final week of the baseball regular season goes by, a pair of county-area teams will begin to prepare for the playoffs.

The Social Circle Redskins(25-2, 12-1) and the Newton Rams(19-11, 13-5) have clinched spots in their respective playoff brackets.

‘Skins looking to carry momentum

It has been quite the season for the Social Circle Redskins and its apparent with their 25-2 record on the year.

The ‘Skins wrapped up their region slate this past Friday with a three game series with Towers.

However, Social Circle claimed the Region 4A-Division I crown in game one of the series with a 16-0 win on Tuesday, April 15.

Whether it has been on the road or at home at Burks Field, the Redskins have had success in almost every facet of their game.

With a lineup spearheaded by third baseman Brayden Allen, Social Circle has been able to find success all throughout the lineup.

Allen, along with Ian Miller and Luke Cross, boast a batting average well north of .400 along with an on-base plus slugging(OPS) that is above 1.000.

Outside of those three, head coach Kevin Dawkins has also received quality seasons at the plate from players such as Cooper Davis, Jake Blankenship, Caden Richardson and Barrett Bramlett — who are all currently batting over .300 on the season.

The offensive success for the ‘Skins has also shown up on the basepaths, too.

As a team, Social Circle has tallied 102 stolen bases in 2025.

Slugger Lucas Langley leads the team with 20 while Cross and Blankenship follow with 15 and 13, respectively.

The success for Social Circle this season could not be told fully without mentioning the veteran pitching staff.

A mix of Caden Richardson, Cooper Duncan and Gehrig Knapp has given Dawkins all he has needed from his starters this season.

Each pitcher has gone over 29 innings pitched this year and the trio have combined for a 15-1 record in their starts. The three have combined for a 125-47 walk-strikeout ratio.

Richardson’s 1.77 earned run average leads the pack while Knapp and Duncan are not far behind with 2.86 and 2.91, respectively. 

Following a non-region game against Lake Oconee Academy on Saturday, April 19, the ‘Skins will prepare to host the first round of the Class A-Division I playoffs.

Newton looking to capitalize on breakout season

In many ways, last year could have been seen as the breakout year for the Rams. However, the 2025 results for Newton show a significant rise in the second season under head coach Delvin Jordan.

The Rams wrapped up the regular season on Wednesday, April 16 with a three-game sweep over South Gwinnett. In three games, Newton outscored the Comets 41-3.

Newton ended the regular season with a 19-11 record and a 13-5 finish in Region 4-AAAAAA — good enough for second place behind the Grayson Rams.

When it comes to the Rams’ lineup, the big bat for the Rams resides in the hands of senior Caden Brown.

Brown, who signed to Southern University ahead of the season, is currently batting .390 with 32 hits and a 1.070 OPS.

Along with leading the team in batting average and hits, Brown also holds the team lead in triples(six) and is tied for the lead in home runs(two).

The success for Brown has also shown up on the mound, too.

After posting a 5.25 ERA as a junior, Brown currently holds a 2.70 ERA through 33.2 innings pitched.

The only player to have more innings pitched than Brown is junior Chris Guillory, who has proved to be almost unhittable.

Guillory holds a 1.02 ERA through 12 starts while striking out a team-leading 68 batters while only allowing five walks the entire season.

The Kennesaw State-commit has also held his own at the plate. Guillory is batting .341 and has 28 hits and 15 RBIs ahead of the playoffs.

Jeremiah Francis and Kris Ross hold the team’s next highest averages at .327 and .324, respectively.

Outside of Brown and Guillory, the Rams have received other quality seasons on the mound.

Ross is fourth on the team in innings pithed and holds a 1.59 ERA on the year.

Dare’On Adkins, who enters the game in relief most of the time, holds a 0.75 ERA in nine innings pitched. Jayce Yearwood pitches in a similar role and holds a 2.44 ERA.

Similar to the Redskins, stolen bases have played a big part in the Rams’ success this year.

In total, Newton has stolen 99 bases on the season. Brown leads the team with 18 while Ross and Yearwood have 16 and 15, respectively.

While Social Circle still awaits the announcement of its first round matchup, Newton already knows who it will face to begin the playoffs.

Newton will host the McEachern Indians for the first two games of a three-game series on Wednesday, April 23.