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Playoffs preview: HoCo Baseball looks to have ‘playoff energy’ as a new season starts tomorrow against Brunswick

The Houston County Bears Baseball team had a dominate regular season by going 26-4 overall; 15-0 in region play that included going 22-0 in non-tournament games. Now; the Bears are turning the page and are preparing for a new season to begin…. the 2023 GHSA AAAAAA State Playoffs.

HoCo is back to 0-0 and the countdown has been set at 10 which is the amount of victories away that the Bears are from winning the State Championship. When head coach Matt Hopkins was asked about what he wants to see in his team by Sportsmic team member Cole Powell…. he responded with “playoff energy…. Playoffs are different, it adds a little something to it and its easier to get up for games, its easier to be motivated and if you can’t get excited for Playoffs I don’t know if you can”.

Here is HoCo’s regular season results:
02/13 vs Lowndes W 14-2
02/17 vs Marist W 10-5
02/18 vs Marist W 10-8
02/21 @ Warner Robins W 22-3
02/23 vs Jones Co W 10-0
02/25 @ Perry W 3-0
03/03 neutral Helena, AL W 10-6 PG Showdown in Hoover, AL
03/03 neutral North Broward Prep, FL W 7-6 PG Showdown in Hoover, AL
03/04 neutral Central (Phenix City, AL) W 5-4 PG Showdown in Hoover, AL
03/04 neutral IMG Academy, FL L 13-1 PG Showdown in Hoover, AL
03/07 @ Northside W 12-4
03/09 vs Northside W 15-0
03/09 vs Nortside W 8-2
03/14 @ Veterans W 8-2
03/16 vs Veterans W 11-1
03/16 vs Veterans W 10-0
03/21 vs Thomas Co Central W 13-0
03/24 @ Thomas Co Central W 14-1
03/24 @ Thomas Co Central W 10-0
03/29 neutral JSerra Catholic, CA L 4-3 NHSI Cary, NC
03/30 neutral Hagerty, FL L 4-3 NHSI Cary, NC
03/31 neutral Calvary Christian, FL W 3-0 NHSI Cary, NC
03/31 neutral Jesuit, OR L 4-3 NHSI Cary, NC
04/04 vs Tift Co W 10-4
04/06 @ Tift Co W 6-3
04/06 @ Tift Co W 7-4
04/11 @ Lee Co W 7-1
04/12 vs Lee Co W 12-2
04/12 vs Lee Co W 6-5 – 9 innings
04/18 vs Ola W 4-1

Some highlights of the Bears’ 2023 regular season include two high scoring victories over Marist. Hanging 22 runs on Warner Robins, trailing 4-2 early against Northside on March 7th and leading only 7-4 going into the top of the seventh before adding five runs to win 12-4, allowing one run in three games against TCC, losing three games at the NHSI all by a score of 4-3 and adding a 3-0 shutout victory over the then #2 nationally ranked Calvary Christian Warriors out of Clearwater, FL. , winning the region title on April 11th with a 7-1 road victory over Lee Co, and then scoring four runs in the sixth and seventh innings combined and later walking off Lee Co in the ninth to win game two of the home doubleheader 6-5 to go undefeated in region play for the second consecutive season.

The Bears have plated 257 runs (8.57 per game), allowed 89 runs (2.97 per game), hit 18 home runs via six different players and allowing only 3. Their run differential is currently +168 (5.6 per game).

The Bears open their Playoff run tomorrow at home in a doubleheader vs the Brunswick Pirates starting at noon. To hear more on what Coach Hopkins had to say…. click the video below.

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