Class 7A
BRYANT (32-2) VS. FAYETTEVILLE (31-3)
TIME 4:30 p.m. today WHERE Baum Stadium BRYANT COACH Kirk Bock NOTEWORTHY Starting pitcher Blaine Knight (10-0, 0.47 ERA) has struck out 75 in 59 2/3 innings. Lead-off batter Trevor Ezell is hitting .525 and has 8 triples and 6 home runs. Four of his home runs have been inside-the-park. Chase Tucker is batting .519 and Jason Hasting is batting .403. Bryant has a team batting average of .344. FAYETTEVILLE COACH Vance Arnold NOTEWORTHY Fayetteville will choose between senior Kyle Pate (10-2, 0.60 ERA) and junior Andy Pagnozzi (11-0, .48 ERA). Pate has struck out 116 batters in 69 2/3 innings. Pagnozzi has struck out 97 batters in 72 2/3 innings. Centerfielder Cody Davenport is batting 436 with 5 home runs and 28 RBI. Grant Koch is hitting .352 with 4 home runs and 27 RBI.
Class 6A
RUSSELLVILLE (19-8) VS. MARION (15-14)
TIME 3 p.m. Saturday WHERE Baum Stadium RUSSELLVILLE COACH Matt Long NOTEWORTHY Junior Mark Moyer (8-2, 1.38 ERA) is expected be the Cyclones starting pitcher. He struck out 14 and tossed a four-hitter vs. Benton in the semifinals. Shortstop Cody Underhill is the team’s leading hitter (.457). Second baseman Jacob Barker has a team-high 24 RBI. First baseman Andy Campbell is batting .407 and shares the team’s home run lead with Underhill with three. MARION COACH Daniel Kelly NOTEWORTHY Senior Peyton White (4-4, 0.78 ERA) is scheduled to go for the Patriots on the mound. White has won his last three starts. Senior third baseman Bailey Burford leads the team in batting average (.432), home runs (4) and RBI (23). Lead-off hitter Drake Rowton has a .389 batting average and has a team-high 27 runs. Centerfielder Zach Morris is hitting .321 and has scored 19 runs.
Class 5A
PULASKI ACADEMY (20-12) VS. WHITE HALL (15-11)
TIME 12:30 p.m. Saturday WHERE Baum Stadium PULASKI ACADEMY COACH Billy Adams NOTEWORTHY Colin Castleberry (6-2, 2.06) leads the Bruins pitching staff. He has 82 strikeouts in 68 innings. Blake Wiggins has slugged 11 home runs and has 37 RBI to go along with 9 doubles, 6 triples and a .476 batting average. Merritt Osment and Bryce Bartlett have each driven in 23 runs. WHITE HALL COACH Skip Carr NOTEWORTHY The Bulldogs rode the pitching of Daniel Sprinkle (6-3, 1.56 ERA), Antonie Luster (3-3, 1.77 ERA) and Cade Canada (4-2, 2.75 ERA) in the state tournament. Luster is hitting .489 with 3 home runs and 14 RBI. Kirk Baugh has 3 home runs and 21 RBI and Caleb Carr is batting .397.
Class 4A
ARKADELPHIA (26-5) VS. ASHDOWN (24-6)
TIME 5:30 p.m. Saturday WHERE Baum Stadium ARKADELPHIA COACH Brant Matros NOTEWORTHY Senior John Franklin Matros is the probable starting pitcher. Ty Kosters leads the Badgers in home runs while Matros and Jake Knight lead the Badgers in RBI.
ASHDOWN COACH Riley Fincher
NOTEWORTHY Jake Alexander (10-1, 1.88 ERA) has struck out 54 batters in 52 2/3 innings. Austin Cross (7-1, 1.22 ERA) has struck out out 33 in 46 innings. Kyle Duncan has hit 7 home runs, 14 doubles and has 32 RBI to go along with a .456 batting average. Drew Akins is batting .365 with 8 doubles and 26 RBI.
Class 3A
FORDYCE (20-6)
VS. GENOA CENTRAL (29-2)
TIME 10 a.m. Saturday WHERE Baum Stadium FORDYCE COACH Tim Rodgers NOTEWORTHY Braden Chambers is scheduled to start on the mound for the Redbugs. Chambers is also the team’s leading hitter, averaging .414 with 24 runs. Jakeymes Gates is averaging .341 with 19 runs scored. The Redbugs are back in the state title game for the second year in a row. GENOA CENTRAL COACH Jonathan Gosdin NOTEWORTHY Justin Swecker (4-1, 2.89 ERA) has pitched the most innings for the Dragons while Dillon Drabble (5-0, 2.45 ERA) has the most victories and strikeouts (48). Drabble leads the team in home runs (6) and RBI (41). He also has a .482 batting average. Cole Beckham is hitting .444 with 27 RBI and Cale Ridling has a .461 average with 4 triples and 23 RBI.
Class 2A
WALNUT RIDGE (27-8) VS. JUNCTION CITY (23-12)
TIME 7 p.m. today WHERE Baum Stadium WALNUT RIDGE COACH Derek Bramlet NOTEWORTHY Baron Estes (6-3, 1.95 ERA) is the Bobcats’ likely starter. He has struck out 69 in 57 1/3 innings. Estes is also the team’s leading hitter (.427) with nine doubles and 29 RBI. Layne Ditto leads the team in RBI (35) while Lane Kennedy and Cole Hicks have each driven in 32 runs.
JUNCTION CITY COACH Joe Paul Hammett
NOTEWORTHY Senior Paul Hammett (13-2, 1.89 ERA) is expected to start on the mound for the Dragons. Sophomore Will Smith was 19 of 25 at the plate during the district, regional and state tournaments. He is batting .475 for the season. Second baseman Zach Doolin has a team-high 28 RBI. Junior catcher Payton Jolley has thrown out 12 of 13 runners attempting to steal. Outfielders Keegan Henry and Blake McClellan are batting .340 and .300, respectively.
Class 1A
SOUTH SIDE BEE BRANCH (25-6)
VS. ARMOREL (23-12)
TIME 2 p.m. today WHERE Baum Stadium SOUTH SIDE COACH Ty Glover NOTEWORTHY Mason Duncan is 8-1 with a 2.20 ERA. Brian Dumas is 7-2 with a 3.38 ERA and Will Penington is 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA. Garrett Collums leads the team with a .404 average while Duncan is batting .372 and Dumas is at .396. ARMOREL COACH Charles Brown NOTEWORTHY Senior Dallas Nicholson tossed a one-hitter in the Tigers’ 2-1 victory over Ouachita in the state tournament semifinals. He struck out 10 and walked five. Armorel is making its fifth state title appearance in the last 10 years.