County teams get ready for weekend action

The Evans High School baseball team opened its Region 4-AAAAA schedule last weekend with a 4-3 home win over Eagles Landing.

Now the Knights will take flight, as the squad travels Friday to Henry County High School for its first region road game of 2002.

Evans rolled through Region 4-AAAAA without a loss last season, but the Knights also spent a lot of time rolling down the highway - Evans played eight region games on the road and logged more than 2,000 miles of travel.

This season Evans will play only seven region road games, but two of those are at Newnan and East Coweta, the Region 4-AAAAA high schools located farthest from Columbia County.

"It's as bad as it was last year," Evans coach Ricky Beale said of the travel his team faces.

Beale admits his players have it tough, and must mature quickly in order to adapt to the rigors of the road.

Still, the first-year coach tries to avoid the negatives.

"We try not to talk about it. We prepare our kids to travel," Beale said. "We make sure they get their studies done, and they can do some work on the bus. And we keep them well-fed."

Greenbrier Diamond Day

While Evans is on the move, Greenbrier High School's baseball opponents will pay a visit to Columbia County Saturday for Diamond Day festivities at the Brtierpatch.

Diamond Day action begins with a 10 a.m. junior varsity game between Greenbrier and Westside. At 1 p.m. Westside and Parkview take the diamond, and the action concludes with a 4 p.m. contest pitting Parkview and Greenbrier.

Parkview brings a powerhouse team to town, and the defending Class AAAAA state champion Panthers also boast one of the top prep players in the country.

"I'm sure the fans who really keep up with high school baseball know about Parkview," Greenbrier coach Ed Williams said. "They've been ranked nationally as high as fifth, and their center fielder (Jeff Francouer) is going to be one of the top picks in the major league draft. It will be good for the community to come out and see some good baseball."

In addition to the three games, Diamond Day fun also features T-shirts and barbecue chicken dinners for sale.