NCHSAA baseball, playoffs are near. Where could Gastonia, Shelby teams fit in?

Joe L Hughes II, Gaston Gazette

High school baseball and softball teams in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties have reached the final furlong of the 2024 season, with a host of them pursuing postseason berths.

In leagues with six or more member schools such as Big South 3A, Western Foothills 3A and Catawba Valley 2A, the league’s top two finishers automatically qualify for the playoffs. One team from Metro 8 1A qualifies for postseason play due to it having only five member schools. As for Southern Piedmont 1A/2A and Catawba Shores 1A/2A, an automatic qualifier is granted to its top 1A and 2A finishers.

The NCHSAA’s RPI ranking system will be used to fill out the rest of the 64-team field for each classification, with East and West brackets featuring 32 teams apiece.

Playoff brackets are to be revealed May 6, with first-round games the following evening. Games will be on a Tuesday-Friday rotation through the first four rounds, with regionals being played from May 21-25. The NCHSAA state championship series are scheduled for May 31 and June 1.

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Here’s a look at the playoff picture at the start of this week.

Baseball

Big South 3A

  • League title contenders: South Point (12-4, 10-0 (first in Big South 3A); NCHSAA 3A West RPI: 10); Kings Mountain (14-5, 9-1 (second in Big South 3A); RPI: 9)

  • Likely at-large bids: North Gaston (13-5, 7-3; RPI: 13); Stuart Cramer (12-7, 6-4; RPI: 15)

  • On the bubble: Crest (9-9, 6-4; RPI: 28)

Southern Piedmont 1A/2A

  • League champion and 2A automatic qualifier: Burns (20-0, 10-0; NCHSAA 2A West RPI: 2)

  • 1A automatic qualifier: Cherryville (11-8, 7-3; NCHSAA 1A West RPI: 6)

  • Likely at-large bids: East Gaston (13-7, 8-4; NCHSAA 2A West RPI: 22); Highland Tech (8-10, 5-5; NCHSAA 1A West RPI: 17)

  • On the bubble: Bessemer City (4-12, 2-7; NCHSAA 1A West RPI: 27)

Other area teams in the hunt

  • 3A West: East Lincoln (15-4, 7-3, tied for second in Western Foothills 3A; RPI; 2); North Lincoln (13-5, 7-3, tied for second in Western Foothills 3A; RPI: 8)

  • 2A West: Lincoln Charter (13-6, 11-1 (first in Catawba Shores 1A/2A, 2A automatic qualifier); RPI: 13)

  • 1A West: Mountain Island Charter (6-10, 2-10 Catawba Shores 1A/2A; RPI: 20); Piedmont Community Charter (10-7, 4-1, first in Metro 8 1A (automatic qualifier); RPI: 23)

Softball

Big South 3A

  • League title contenders: Kings Mountain (14-0, 10-0 (first in Big South 3A); NCHSAA 3A West RPI: 3); Crest (12-3, 9-1 (second in Big South 3A); RPI: 4)

  • Likely at-large bid: Forestview (9-6, 6-4; RPI: 19)

  • On the bubble: Stuart Cramer (7-7, 5-5; RPI: 30); South Point (9-8, 5-5; RPI: 35)

Southern Piedmont 1A/2A

  • League champion and 1A automatic qualifier: Cherryville (15-2, 8-0; NCHSAA 1A West RPI: 5)

  • Contenders for 2A automatic bid: East Gaston (10-6, 7-3; NCHSAA 2A West RPI: 24); Shelby (7-4, 5-3; NCHSAA 2A West RPI: 32)

  • On the bubble: Bessemer City (2-8, 2-6; NCHSAA 1A West RPI: 33); Burns (6-8, 4-4; NCHSAA 2A West RPI: 35)

Other area teams in the hunt

  • 3A West: North Lincoln (13-4, 7-3 Western Foothills 3A; RPI: 16); East Lincoln (9-6, 7-3 Western Foothills 3A; RPI: 25)

  • 2A West: West Lincoln (11-8, 6-5 Catawba Valley 2A; RPI: 16); Lincoln Charter (12-4, 9-0 (first Catawba Shores 1A/2A, 2A automatic qualifier); RPI: 17)

  • 1A West: Mountain Island Charter (7-5, 7-2 Catawba Shores 1A/2A; 1A automatic qualifier); RPI: 17); Piedmont Community Charter (1-6, 1-2 Metro 8 1A; RPI: 29)

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NCHSAA baseball, softball: Gastonia, Shelby area playoff picture

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