George County, playing for a state baseball title for the first time since 2018, will battle Warren Central in a best-of-three series for the Class 6A championship starting Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Trustmark Park in Pearl.
Game Two is set for Friday at 4 p.m. and a third game, if necessary, will be played on Saturday at a time to be determined.
The Rebels (28-5) punched their ticket to the series with a 12-1 Game Three victory at Pearl River Central last week to claim the 6A South State crown.
The Rebels outscored the Blue Devils 16-8 in the series.
George County is back in the state finals for the fourth time in the last decade but hasn’t won the title since 1997. Coach Brandon Davis, who is in his 12th season at George County, was a player for the ’97 Rebels.
Davis likes how his 2024 team has performed to this point in the season, especially when the Rebels’ backs have been against the wall.
“Our MO has been if we’ve had to win the game, we’ve won it,” said Davis during The Southern Six Sports Podcast.
The pitching staff for the Rebels is strong.
Preston McAdory, who Davis considers to be a strikeout pitcher with his mid-90s fastball, has developed more this season into what Davis believes he’s going to become in the future. Senior Andrew Nielsen, who signed with East Central Community College, has been consistent on the mound.
“His stuff is electric and if it’s in the zone, he’s hard to deal with,” said Davis of McAdory. “For that reason, he will start Game One of the state championship.”
With McAdory getting the ball first, Nielsen will get an extra couple days of rest.
Canyon Reeves, the top reliever on the staff, is 7-0 out of the bullpen for the Rebels.
Offensively, the Rebels have put up their best numbers since the 2011 season, according to Davis.
“We have guys up and down the lineup where every inning is a chance to score,” said Davis. “I think that’s the reason why we are here. The best offensive team we’ve had at George County since I’ve been here. I think this offense travels well.”
Davis is familiar with winning state baseball championships as a coach—he won three at Richton—and would love to bring back a state crown to his alma mater. A pair of victories in the state title series would also give Davis 200 career wins.
“Obviously when you’re playing for it all and have worked hard for it since August, you’re to this point and it’s like let’s do what we’ve got to do,” said Davis. “We’ll get out there and get after it.”
Warren Central (19-11), which has suffered five walk-off losses this season, is hot at the right time. The Vikings, who won a state title in 2001, swept Center Hill to capture the 6A North State championship. Warren Central is riding a 12-game win streak and has lost just one playoff game during that stretch.
“We feel really prepared going into it and look forward to the challenge,” said Davis. “I think our brand of ball will give us a good chance to win this thing.”
