Providence High baseball coach Danny Hignight didn’t hesitate if his team’s opponent in this weekend’s 4A state baseball championship series reminded him of anyone he’d seen this season.
“Yeah,” Hignight replied promptly. “Us.”
The Panthers (32-0), top-ranked in North Carolina and rated third nationally by Maxpreps, take on Pinecrest (25-6) on Friday and Saturday at Burlington Athletic Stadium, in a best-of-three state finals series.
Four other area teams — South Rowan (3A) and Cherryville (1A) in baseball, and West Stanly (2A) and South Stanly (1A) in softball — also will be chasing state titles in best-of-three sets Friday and Saturday.
Hignight says Pinecrest, the East Region champion, will try to get runners on the basepaths and move them along, rather than trying to win with power.
“They like to create havoc out there,” he says. “They really try to make things tough for an opponent.”
Hignight and Pinecrest head coach Jeff Hewitt are not strangers. Hignight was an assistant to Hewitt in 2011 with the 14-Under Team USA squad.
“His teams are always fundamentally sound,” Hignight says. “They play solid defense and have good pitching.”
Providence has more than doubled Pinecrest’s team total of 11 home runs this season, but the Panthers also like to get runners on base and move them around with sacrifices, stolen bases, and clutch hits.
“We’re a lot alike,” Hignight says.
He knows a bit about taking a team to the state finals, having coach Providence to the 4A championship in 2015.
“You’ve got to be really, really organized,” he says. “We’ve been working on the details since last Friday. There are travel plans, meals, and a lot of other things. I’m fortunate enough to have a great staff of assistants to get everything set up.”
Here is a look at this weekend’s baseball and softball championship series involving Charlotte-area teams:
4A baseball
Providence (32-0) vs. Pinecrest (25-6)
Where: Burlington Athletic Stadium
When: 5 p.m. Friday (Game 1); 11 a.m. Saturday (Game 2); 5 p.m. Saturday (Game 3, if needed)
Scouting Providence: The Panthers have arguably the state’s best pitching staff, led by seniors Eli Jerzembeck and Michael Forret. Jerzembeck, a South Carolina commit who is expected to be picked in the first few rounds of the MLB Draft in July, throws a 96 mph fastball.
The Panthers have power hitters, like Tommy Walker and Anthony Watson, and solid contact hitters like Sam Dansky, Luke Wolff and Carson Dunlap.
Scouting Pinecrest: East Carolina commit Colby Wallace, a junior, has an 8-0 pitching record with a 0.81 ERA. He also is batting .379 with 16 stolen bases. Cam Bunker (5-0, 1.41 ERA) is likely to pitch Game 2. Wallace, J.D. Scarbrough (.343) and Nick DiCarlo (.330) are among five starters batting .300 or better.
History: Providence won state titles in 1995 and 2015 and was second in 1997. Pinecrest was the 1979 champion in 4A and finished second in Class B in 1949, as Southern Pines High.
3A baseball
South Rowan (28-5) vs. South Brunswick (24-3)
Where: Ting Stadium, Holly Springs
When: 5 p.m. Friday (Game 1); 11 a.m. Saturday (Game 2); 5 p.m. Saturday (Game 3, if needed)
Scouting South Rowan: The Raiders have a powerful pitching staff, led by Carson Crainshaw (10-0) and also including Haiden Leffew (a Wake Forest commit) and Chandler Oddie, who specializes in off-speed pitches. Outfielder Kane Kepley is a hit machine and leads an offense that mixes power with situational baseball.
Scouting South Brunswick: Centerfielder-pitcher Walker Jenkins is hitting .519 with 10 home runs and 24 extra-base hits. Third baseman-pitcher Cameron Burgess is batting .412 and has a 7-0 record and 0.97 ERA. Pitcher Aubrey Smith is 11-1 with a 1.77 ERA.
History: South Rowan has never won a state championship in any team sport. The school finished second to East Rowan in the 1964 Western N.C. High School Athletic Association baseball playoffs, but that’s it. This could be a historic weekend for the China Grove school. South Brunswick, meanwhile, won the 1988 2A title, sweeping Charlotte Catholic in two games.
1A baseball
Cherryville (21-10) vs. Perquimans (29-1)
Where: Ting Stadium, Holly Springs
When: 8 p.m. Friday (Game 1); 2 p.m. Saturday (Game 2); 8 p.m. Saturday (Game 3, if needed). Game 3 will be played at 5 p.m., if the 3A series at Ting Stadium is finished in two games.
Scouting Cherryville: The Ironmen’s record is not stellar, but they competed in a conference with several 2A powers. Six starters are batting better than .300, led by Landon Hahn (.385, 42 hits) and Kanon Willis (.378, 40 RBI). Brayden Reynolds leads the pitching staff (6-2, 1.80), but Willis (6-1, 3.00) is likely to start one of the games.
Scouting Perquimans: The Pirates are a powerhouse, with five starters batting better than .400. Beating them might require a lot of runs. Tanner Thach, the MVP of Perquimans’ 1A title run a year ago, is batting .565 with 12 homers and 48 RBI. As a pitcher, he’s 10-0 with a 0.13 ERA. Mason Winslow is batting .642, and his brother Jeff has a .479 average with 42 RBI. Look out!
History: These two teams are icons in North Carolina prep baseball. Cherryville’s history of success dates back to a state championship in 1917. The Ironmen also won in 1980, 1982, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2001, 2008 and 2016. They also won a Western N.C. High School Athletic Association title in 1962 and finished second the two previous years. Perquimans won state titles in 1952, 1954, 1963 and last year.
2A softball
West Stanly (27-4) vs. Washington (28-0)
Where: Anderson Softball Stadium, UNC Chapel Hill.
When: 7 p.m. Friday (Game 1); noon Saturday (Game 2); 3 p.m. Saturday (Game 3, if needed)
Scouting West Stanly: The Colts are led by Teagan Ritchie and Lily Huneycutt. Ritchie is batting .446 with a school-record 18 home runs – almost as many was Washington’s team total of 19. She also has batted in 47 runs. Huneycutt has a 25-2 pitching record with a 1.51 ERA.
Scouting Washington: Pam Pack pitcher Emma Orr is 26-1 with a 0.54 ERA. Laci Campbell leads the offense with a .554 batting average, 51 hits, and 32 RBI.
History: West Stanly is going for its third straight 2A state crown. The Colts won in 2019 and ’21 (the 2020 finals were canceled due to COVID). West Stanly also won state titles in 1997 and 2013 and were second in 1996 and 1998. Washington is in the state softball finals for the first time.
1A softball
South Stanly (28-3) vs. Bear Grass Charter (24-4)
Where: UNC Greensboro Softball Stadium
When: 5 p.m. Friday (Game 1); 11 a.m. Saturday (Game 2); 5 p.m. Saturday (Game 3, if needed)
Scouting South Stanly: The Bulls are led by Mattie Poulos (14 home runs, 49 RBI). They beefed up their regular-season schedule with bigger opponents such as Providence, Scotland County, Whiteville, Central Cabarrus and Anson County – and beat them.
Scouting Bear Grass Charter: This Williamston school is relatively new to the scene and making its first appearance in the state championship series. The Bears (naturally!) are a strong hitting team, scoring 10 or more runs in 12 games this season.
History: South Stanly won state titles in 1998 and 2012 and lost a three-game series a year ago to Camden County. Bear Grass Charter is in the finals for the first time.
This story was originally published June 2, 2022, 6:00 AM.