Gastonia, Shelby baseball, softball rankings: How area teams stack up going into final week

Joe L Hughes II, Gaston Gazette

Here’s a look at how high school baseball and softball teams in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties rank going into play April 29, 2024.

This week is most important for...

  • Crest baseball: In the midst of a six-game losing streak, the Chargers’ NCHSAA 3A West RPI has slid to No. 28, presently good enough for an at-large berth.

  • Burns softball: Winners in three of their last four games, the Bulldogs suddenly are in the running for an at-large berth in the 2A West playoffs. A deep run in the Southern Piedmont 1A/2A tournament should all but assure them of qualifying for the postseason.

  • Stuart Cramer softball: On the playoff bubble heading into the final week, the Storm face Ashbrook, South Point and Forestview to end the season.

IT COMES DOWN TO THIS: Big week ahead for Big South 3A as baseball, softball decide league champions

LAST WEEK'S HONOR ROLL: Gastonia, Shelby top performers: Forestview softball's Blair Riley hits career milestone

Baseball

  1. Burns (23-0, 12-0 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A): Coach Alex Leonhardt’s club has outscored opponents 149-8 en route to finishing a perfect conference slate. The beat may roll on for a while, Burns’ junior varsity team last week capping an undefeated 2024 season of its own.

  2. Gaston Christian (14-3, 6-2 NCISAA Metrolina): Aaron Main has dazzled for the Eagles, the senior pitcher with a 5-2 record, 0.76 ERA and 52 strikeouts. GCS is a game behind Metrolina Christian and Hickory Grove Christian in the loss column.

  3. South Point (13-5, 11-1 Big South 3A): The magic number is two for the Red Raiders in their pursuit of another Big South 3A crown. South Point regained its place atop the league Friday with a 5-3 win over Kings Mountain.

  4. North Lincoln (15-6, 9-3 Western Foothills 3A): The Knights still hold an outside shot at a league title, sitting a game behind Foard (16-4, 10-2) with two games remaining. On deck for North Lincoln are West Iredell and North Iredell.

  5. Kings Mountain (15-6, 10-2 Big South 3A): Kings Mountain begins the season’s final week a game behind Big South 3A leader South Point. Ranked seventh according to NCHSAA 3A West RPI, it begins a two-game set against Crest on Tuesday.

  6. East Lincoln (16-6, 8-4 Western Foothills): A league championship may be out of question, but there’s plenty for the Mustangs to play for. Wins over Hickory and West Iredell this week could earn them a home date to start the NCHSAA 3A West playoffs.

  7. North Gaston (15-6, 9-3 Big South 3A): The Wildcats have won five of their last six, including a sweep of Crest this past week. North Gaston holds an outside shot at earning a share of the Big South 3A crown, needing a sweep of South Point and Kings Mountain to lose its two-game set against Crest.

  8. Lincoln Charter (15-7, 13-1 Catawba Shores 1A/2A): Lincoln Charter claimed the Catawba Shores 1A/2A title with a sweep of Christ the King last week. Senior standout Jacob Smith is hitting .441 with five home runs and 17 RBIs this season. He also has a 0.88 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched.

Softball

  1. Kings Mountain (16-0, 12-0 Big South 3A): Kings Mountain can claim its first league championship since 2015 with wins over Hunter Huss and Crest. The Mountaineers are also pursuing one of the NCHSAA 3A West’s top seeds, beginning the week second in RPI rankings.

  2. Crest (14-3, 11-1 Big South 3A): Though an outright league championship is unlikely, the Chargers can claim a share of the Big South 3A crown by knocking off Kings Mountain on Friday. Crest begins the week a game behind the rival Mountaineers in the conference standings.

  3. Cherryville (18-2, 10-0 Southern Piedmont 1A/2A): The Lady Ironmen claimed their first league championship since 2012 with a dominant run through Southern Piedmont 1A/2A. Cherryville features four players hitting better than .500 at the plate this season.

  4. North Lincoln (15-4, 9-3 Western Foothills 3A): Since losing three of four games in March, the Knights have won 12 of 13 games and put themselves in position to potentially host a NCHSAA 3A West first round playoff game.

  5. Forestview (12-6, 8-4 Big South 3A): The Lady Jaguars’ have enjoyed a solid season, led by senior Blair Riley who is hitting .593 with three home runs and 19 RBIs. She has accounted for 16 extra-base hits this season.

  6. West Lincoln (13-8, 8-5 Catawba Valley 2A): The Rebels go into the Catawba Valley 2A tournament on a high, winners of five in a row, reaching double figures in four of those games.

  7. Lincoln Charter (14-5, 11-0 Catawba Shores 1A/2A): An unbeaten run through Catawba Shores 1A/2A earned the Eagles a league championship and a top seed in the upcoming NCHSAA 2A West playoffs.

  8. East Lincoln (9-8, 7-5 Western Foothills 3A): Three straight losses have ended the Lady Mustangs’ pursuit of a Western Foothills 3A championship, in addition to relegating them to playing on the road in the NCHSAA 3A playoffs.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NCHSAA sports: Gastonia, Shelby Week 10 baseball, softball rankings

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