April 28, 2026 — Heading into last week’s baseball playoffs, Cobb had nine teams still alive for postseason play. Unfortunately, five of those teams dropped out of contention with first-round losses. Four teams remain with hopes of winning a state championship: two in Class 4A, one in 5A, and one in 6A.
Class 4A: Allatoona and Kell
Picking up where they left off last season, Allatoona and Kell are playing great baseball at just the right time. The Allatoona Buccaneers advanced to the Class 4A semifinals last season, only to be knocked out by eventual state champions Blessed Trinity. The Kell Longhorns reached the quarterfinals in 2025 but were eliminated by Wayne County in two one-run games.
This year, the Bucs defeated Pace Academy in two games in the first round, while the Longhorns eliminated Locust Grove in three games. Both Cobb teams will be on the road in Round Two. Allatoona will head to Savannah to take on Benedictine, while Kell travels south to Hamilton to face Harris County. A doubleheader will be played on Wednesday and, if necessary, a tiebreaker on Thursday.
"I communicate to our players that if we play our brand of baseball, the results will take care of themselves," said Kell Coach Todd Harris. "Playing a competitive non-region schedule and playing teams in our region have prepared us for Harris County. Our team competes no matter the score or the situation. They compete until the very last out, and that is rare with a lot of high school teams."
Class 5A: Pope
Kennesaw Mountain, Lassiter, and Pope all made the playoffs, but only Pope remains. The Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs lost to McIntosh last Friday, and Lassiter was eliminated by perennial powerhouse Houston County. The Pope Greyhounds defeated Veterans in two lopsided wins, 13-1 and 15-0, and will host McIntosh in Round Two. With eight strikeouts, Nick Bobrowski became Pope's all-time career strikeouts and wins leader!
"Our mindset is not to try to do too much. If we stay within ourselves and play freely and under control, we believe that we will be composed enough to play up to our potential. We have steadily improved each week, and we do not have to do anything outside of our normal operations to play our best game," Pope head coach Chris Turco said about upcoming playoff games.
Looking back on his first season as head coach, Jared Parker liked what he saw from his Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs.
"I'll remember how this group improved as the season went on; starting 4-6 through the first ten games and finishing the regular season 18-12 as the number two seeds in region play. I appreciate this group's acceptance of change and trusting the coaching staff's plan and vision. This senior class was a dream class to have for my first year as head baseball coach, and their long-term impact is indescribable," Coach Parker said.
Lassiter Coach Kyle Rustay was similarly proud of how his team came together throughout the season.
"Collectively, we learned how important each game is to the playoff picture, and I think that will pay dividends in the future with our returning players. They had their backs against the wall a couple of times and really jelled as a unit. It’s always rewarding to see individuals give themselves up for the team and seeing them come to the understanding that team success breeds individual success," said Coach Rustay about his 2026 team.
Class 6A: Walton
Harrison, Hillgrove, McEachern, and Walton made the 6A postseason bracket, but Walton alone is left. The reigning Class 6A state champions, the Walton Raiders, eliminated Hillgrove in a three-game series in Powder Springs over the weekend and will now face Carrollton in Round Two.
Harrison was eliminated by 2025 Final Four team, Etowah. The Hoyas closed their 2026 season 18-14 and 9-3 in region play.
McEachern was eliminated by Cherokee. The Indians finished 2026 with a 24-8 record (10-2 in region play) and the top seed in Region 3-6A.
Best of luck to the four remaining Cobb teams in the second round this week— programs that continue to prove Cobb baseball is Built for Beyond. Let's go, Cobb!
