RINGGOLD, Ga. — With an overall record of 17-5 and in a tie for first place in Region 6-AAA with an 8-1 mark following Friday night's five-inning 12-1 win over Ridgeland, the Ringgold Tigers should be riding high as the GHSA baseball playoffs draw near.
This, however, is a program that is accustomed to being at or near the top of the state rankings, so the standards are high. Coming off a state runner-up finish in 2023 (34-9) and losing three Best of Preps all-stars — including area Player of the Year Ross Norman — a minor reset would have been expected.
Resets, though, are not really accepted at the school that's produced many of Northwest Georgia's top prep players over the last three decades. That's why the Tigers and coach Drew Walker, a former Tigers' all-star himself, are realistic and hopeful great things are again ahead.
"We're old and inexperienced, if that makes any sense," Walker said. "We've had to fight through some stuff to try and play at a high level this season.
"We don't have a lot of guys who have played a whole lot of baseball, and that's something new here. It's a different group with a different intensity and mindset, but the more we play together and are around each other we're getting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses.
"We always want to protect the standard of this program; that's always our top goal."
If Friday night was any indication, the Tigers are well on their way to doing more than that.
In winning their seventh consecutive game — and third straight by 10 or more runs — Ringgold showed why it is, despite its relative inexperience, still ranked among the state's top five Class AAA teams.
Eli Crew, the team's No. 3 starter behind ace Sebastian Haggard and Jackson Black, combined with Logan Bramlett on a one-hitter to subdue the Panthers (11-8, 2-7). The offense managed 13 hits in four innings, with Haggard going 4-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, and Haddon Fries, one of the team's first-time starters, adding a pair of doubles, driving in one and scoring three times.
Ringgold also pushed the envelope on the bases, scoring four runs on aggressive running and taking extra bases whenever possible.
"I am very proud of the way the guys went about their business all week," Walker said. "This was spring break for our guys, but they stayed hungry and earned everything they got this week.
"They showed up at the facility for early work every day and went about their business like champions. We haven't finished previous weeks in the fashion that we would like, so it was nice to see them determined to finish this evening."
Now, the Tigers hope to finish the regular season on another strong note. To win another region title will likely come down to the regular season-ending two-game set with Gordon Lee (April 14 and 16), which is also 8-1 in league play. Both league-leading teams have split with Bremen, which is 6-3, and five of the eight region teams have winning records.
"Everybody is more even than we've ever been in this region," Walker said. "If it comes down to us and Gordon Lee it's going to be tough because they have a bunch of really good young players."
"Right now, we're being consistent, which is always a goal. We're consistently good, not great, right now and the guys are showing up and working hard. That's what gets us where we are right now and, hopefully, to another nice playoff run. We have guys who are willing to work and, as a coaching staff, we can build with that."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com.