Loganville Wins Back to Back State Titles, Capping Off Impressive 2018 Campaign
May 22, 2018
Athens, GA- Foley Field played host to the GHSA Class 5A Georgia state title game Monday night between Buford and Loganville, the defending state champion. The stadium was jammed packed with supporters from both fan bases, and the atmosphere was truly electric. Both clubs have deep and talented rosters and are very familiar with each other, as they both hail from a loaded Region 8. Loganville separated themselves on the mound with strong performances from Seth Clark and Joseph Brandon, earning the sweep and taking home their second state title in as many years.
Game 1
The early game featured two impressive arms. Buford sent 2019 Auburn commit Ramsey David to the mound and Loganville countered with Georgia State signee Joseph Brandon, who was on point all night. He went five innings in the win giving up four hits, and punching out nine.
Ramsey David RHP / Buford, GA / 2019David has a long, lean, and athletic frame. He has good projection to a fastball that sat 87-90, though he will overthrow and come out of his delivery at times. His fast arm allows him to catch up on a tight slider (79-81), even when he gets quick and does not stay over the rubber. In this outing he struggled with the strike zone, walking five and pitching behind in too many counts. The overall ingredients are here, and he shows the ability to be a force in years to come. |
Joseph Brandon RHP / Loganville, GA / 2018Brandon is a medium framed right-hander with compact athletic actions. What the right hander lacks in projection, he makes up for in polish. His compact arm action allows his stuff to play up and makes him difficult to see. His fastball sat 86-89 and he located well all night. He spun and landed a true curveball at 74-76 and flashed an effective change-up. He is a strike thrower and everything comes from the same slot. Deception, feel and lack of fear should serve this young man well at the next level. |
Loganville was also impressive at the plate, showing patience and then taking advantage of hitters counts. The Red Devils were led by a deep lineup that did not show a lot of weakness one through nine. Dylan Strickland (2020 Georgia Tech commit), Brad Witcher (Troy signee) and Daniel Braswell (uncommitted 2021) all had multiple hits. Loganville walked away with this one in convincing fashion 13-3 in just five innings.
Game 2
This one was a low-scoring affair and had the fans on the on the edges of their seats the entire game. Both schools trotted out talented left-handed pitchers in Loganville’s Seth Clark (Georgia State signee) and Buford’s Sean Adams (Georgia Southern commit). All the scoring was finished after the second inning, and the game was battled out the rest of the way on the mound and in the field with both teams making highlight defensive plays and pitching out of late-inning jams.
Seth Clark LHP / Loganville, GA / 2018Clark is a big strong left-handed pitcher who is aggressive to the zone with a 87-90 fastball from a low three-quarter slot. It is an uncomfortable look out of his hand, and he spins a little one-plane slider at 70-73 that is a nice compliment to his fastball. Clark will also double down on a change-up. He does slow and drop slot slightly, but he is not scared to use it and offers upside to the pitch. Most impressive part of the outing today, was his ability to stay focused and not give in during tough situations. I see upside in his pitchability and stuff, and even more success as he develops and learns the power of early contact. |
Bryant Pietri (North Georgia signee) takes the game two offensive gameball, going 2-3 at the plate, with a long two-run shot to left field. Buford battled to the end, but as the dust settled Loganville was the clear cut winner. The Red Devils not only swept the state title series, they also swept the regular season series. Loganville’s run differential in these matchups was an overwhelming 28-8.