Northeast Florida high school baseball regional second-round previews (2A, 3A, 4A)

Clayton Freeman, Florida Times-Union
·4 min read

The Florida High School Athletic Association continues the second round of high school baseball playoffs across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida. In 2022, playoffs are staggered across different days and different classes, leading to a span of more than a week of state championships from May 18-21 and May 23-25 at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. Bolles, Fleming Island and St. Johns Country Day reached the final four from Northeast Florida last year. Playing schedules are subject to change.

Regional semifinals

7 p.m. Saturday unless noted

REGION 1-4A

Clay (18-10) at Suwannee (22-4)

Will Wednesday night's 10-inning slugfest at Alachua Santa Fe leave the Blue Devils drained? Clay won that one 12-9, getting key hits from Max Williams and Alec Burke in a marathon matchup, but they now turn their attention to a Suwannee team that's won 13 in a row. Easton Kirby and Tyson Greene helped the Bulldogs bounce back from a 3-0 hole against Baker County. These teams have already met, a 14-2 Suwannee win on April 24 that included a home run from Josh Fernald, two doubles from Camdon Frier and a 3-for-4 game for senior Coby Campbell.

St. Johns Country Day pitcher Finn Howell prepares to deliver a pitch against Mount Dora Christian in the 2021 Class 2A baseball semifinal. The Spartans are two wins away from a second consecutive final four visit, but face Trinity Christian in an all-local showdown Saturday.
St. Johns Country Day pitcher Finn Howell prepares to deliver a pitch against Mount Dora Christian in the 2021 Class 2A baseball semifinal. The Spartans are two wins away from a second consecutive final four visit, but face Trinity Christian in an all-local showdown Saturday.

Panama City Beach Arnold (22-6) at Bishop Kenny (20-6), 4 p.m.

Two of North Florida's hottest. Both Arnold and Bishop Kenny are winners of their last 10. Arnold swings for the fences and often clears them, led by Warrick Wilmot (.376, 6 HR, 28 RBI) and impressive freshman Cooper Moss (.400, 6 HR, 38 RBI; 5-3, 1.69, 82 K as a pitcher). Franco Chaluja has come through with two game-winning hits in the past two weeks for BK, including Wednesday night against South Walton. The Crusaders rested ace Garrett Corbett (7-0, 1.21) in that game, meaning he could be available for this one. Two-time state champion BK could reach its first regional final since 2011.

Thursday night wrap: Columbia Tigers advance in Class 5A

Thursday softball wrap-up: Oakleaf, Middleburg among victors

REGION 1-3A

Fernandina Beach (15-9) at Ocala Trinity Catholic (19-8)

Fernandina Beach didn't waste any time jumping all over Bishop Snyder on Wednesday for a convincing win from the No. 8 seed. Quinten Dye knocked in three runs and Todd Rushing added two more for the Pirates in their 11-5 win at Bishop Snyder, scoring eight runs in the first three innings. The host Celtics have won six straight games, allowing one run total over their last three, and include one of the region's pitching aces in Cole Stephens (9-1, 1.80, 53 K). If Fernandina Beach wins, it would mark their first trip to the final eight since 2006.

The Villages (18-7) at Providence (15-12)

The rare No. 7 vs. No. 6 bracket matchup, after both the Buffalo and the Stallions knocked off higher seeds. Fortunately for Providence, bats seem to be connecting with baseballs at just the right time up and down the lineup, including Nove Masci and Brett Dennis in the heart of the batting order. James Garvey (4-1, 0.74) and Carter Parks (4-3, 2.31) are the front-line pitchers for a Buffalo squad that relies on pitching and defense rather than extra-base power. Providence is seeking its first regional final visit since 2016.

REGION 1-2A

Trinity Christian (20-8) at St. Johns Country Day (22-4)

Can Trinity stop the season sweep? St. Johns has already defeated the Conquerors twice this year, 4-1 on March 29 and 11-1 in the district championship game. Both games have been episodes of the Bradley Hodges Show: The Spartans' Virginia-bound senior got the wins in both, with 16 combined strikeouts, and doubled in each victory. Even hotter against Trinity has been Finn Howell, 5 for 7 with three doubles. But the Conquerors are always tough. Alonzo Austin, Colton Avera and Eric Fouraker are steady extra-base threats for a 20-win Trinity team.

University Christian (22-6) at Tallahassee North Florida Christian (19-5), 3:30 p.m.

It wasn't easy for University Christian on Wednesday against Wakulla Christian, but doubles from Noah Clark and Jayden Nesmith combined with a Brady Wright homer to give UC just enough runs to work with. NFC is tough as usual: They've beaten their last five opponents by the mercy rule, top pitchers Aiden Butler (5-3, 1.95), Tucker Narkinsky (8-0, 1.11) and Garrett Workman (2-1, 1.77) all have ERAs below 2.00, and Noah Miller and Kaseman Pressley highlight a power-packed lineup with 22 homers on the year.

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school baseball: 2022 Jacksonville second-round playoff previews, Saturday