Two Big Bend teams remain standing in the FHSAA baseball playoffs, each one series win away from a trip to the state’s Final Four.
Game 1 of the best-of-three series is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. for both teams.
After last week’s regional semifinals, Tallahassee’s postseason hopes rest with Lincoln in Class 5A and St. John Paul II in Class 1A. Both teams advanced to the Elite Eight and are a series away from a state championship in Fort Myers.
Here’s a look at their matchups:
Lincoln set for regional rematch with Niceville
Lincoln is no stranger to Niceville.
The Trojans will face the Eagles again in a rematch of last year’s regional final — a series Lincoln won in game 3 on its way to the state semifinals, where it fell to Wesley Chapel
Lincoln enters the series riding momentum from a stunning upset of top-seeded Chiles, continuing a Cinderella postseason run in which the Trojans have won five of six playoff games.
The Trojans’ lineup is anchored by a pair of Division I commits who were part of last year’s semifinal team: junior Chase Fuller, an Florida State signee, and Jayson Parker, a Baylor commit.
Niceville counters with its own star power at the plate. Deacon Avery and Remington Crum are both batting at least .400 this season for the Eagles.
Avery, a Coastal Carolina commit, leads Niceville in nearly every offensive category, including home runs (seven), hits (34) and runs scored (35). Crum, a junior catcher committed to the Air Force Academy, is batting .406 and is tied with Avery for the team lead with 35 RBIs. He also has 28 hits and 31 runs.
If the fifth-seeded Trojans advance, they will face the winner of the Winter Springs-Wesley Chapel series in the state semifinals.
St. John Paul II faces toughest test yet
In Class 1A, St. John Paul II prepares for what may be its most challenging series of the postseason against St. Johns Country Day of Orange Park.
The Panthers are coming off a two-game sweep over the Covenant School of Jacksonville, including forcing nine innings in game one that led to a 7-6 win and eventually transitioned to a 7-2 victory in game two.
Sophomore Wyatt Cantella has led the Panthers with 5 RBI during the series, including a home run. He has 32 RBI this season. His older brother, Jason, has 32 hits and is batting .410
St. Johns Country Day enters the Elite Eight ranked No. 12 in the MaxPreps national rankings and features one of the state’s most dominant players in Brayden Harris.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-handed pitcher and future Florida State player has posted a 1.14 ERA with 135 strikeouts this season and a 9-2 record. Harris is equally dangerous at the plate, with six home runs, 35 hits, 25 RBIs and 22 runs.
The Panthers will also need to contain catcher Hunter Rodgers, a Jacksonville University commit. Rodgers ranks second on the team with five home runs and has added 32 hits, 23 RBIs and 20 runs while batting .360. East Carolina commit Preston Cole has chipped in 30 hits and three home runs for the Spartans.
St. John Paul II will need to navigate that depth if it hopes to reach the Final Four, where Orangewood Christian or Mount Dora awaits next week.
Peter Holland Jr. covers Florida State athletics and Big Bend Preps for the Tallahassee Democrat. If you like to pitch a story on a high school athlete, don’t hesitate to get in touch with him via email at PHolland@Gannett.com or on X @_Da_pistol.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Big Bend baseball: Can Lincoln, St. John Paul II continue its playoff run
Reporting by Peter Holland Jr., Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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