Houston County is once again a state title contender in 5A this season. Last year, the Bears finished 29-9 and made it to the semifinals before losing to Pope. This year they are 18-4 and are 11-1 in Region 2-5A. They looked primed for another deep playoff run with their strong hitting and impressive play from their bullpen.
“I feel good there. Last year, we had injuries and a bunch of other things that kind of limited the back of our bullpen. We had to ask a lot of guys to step up. Guys that were starters had to throw a little bit more than we would have liked,” said head coach Matt Hopkins. “This year, we’ve had some guys who have really stepped up on the back end. Ethan Kenny has given us some good innings. Ethan Buffone has thrown for us. I do love the depth of our arms and I also love my starters as well. When you have guys that can back up guys on the front end it’s a really good situation to have.”
Since winning their first title in 2024, the Bears have won two of the last four state championships with their most recent one coming in 2023. They are a team loaded with prospects that will play on the next level in Vick Gann (Georgia Gwinnett College commit), Will Allen (South Florida commit), Ethan Buffone (Mercer commit), Tucker Hale (Gordon State commit), and Max Willhide (Chattahoochee Valley commit).
“I feel great. Those guys are getting really confident. They are getting comfortable. I think that is the biggest thing with high school kids especially in baseball. Being confident and comfortable in what you are doing is going to pay huge dividends down the stretch and I think our guys are settling into what role they have in different spots of the lineup. I am excited to see how that continues to develop and hopefully, we can keep this kind of momentum going,” said Hopkins.
They also have senior Kendall Jackson, talented pitcher Tyson Ganas and a plethora of juniors who have stepped up big this year. Ganas is coming off Tommy John Surgery and is rounding into form at a critical juncture of the season for Houston County.
“Our catcher has been really good, Raymond Byrd. He’s a junior and a first-year starter. Ethan Kenney has hit the ball really good for us. He is a DH and has given us really good bullpen innings, he’s a junior. Noah Odom is another one who has stepped up as a junior. Isaiah Galason is hitting .527 and has 37 RBIS as a sophomore and has really cemented our No.3 spot in the lineup.
“Unfortunately, that is the new norm in baseball (Tommy John Surgery). They are throwing so much and all the time, so we are trying to navigate it. What we’ve tried to do with Tyson is manage his workload as best as we can and just make sure we are communicating with him,” said Hopkins. “He could be a starter for us but the way we use him is short inning relief, at three innings at a time. We haven’t run his pitch count up real high, and we’ve been making sure that we’ve been just working through it. He seems to be getting stronger and stronger as the year goes on. He’s done everything that he was supposed to do and has gotten himself into a really good shape. He’s been fantastic for us out of the bullpen.”
They will play at the Lakepoint Sports Academy up in Cartersville, GA against some of the best teams in the country. The teams featured will be Etowah, East Coweta, and Stony Brook (NY).
They will face defending state champion and nationally ranked Etowah, which is brewing with confidence, especially after sweeping No. 5 Walton in the Score Atlanta poll. Etowah has just one loss this season and has one of the best bullpens in the country.
Stony Brook is an excellent team from New York that is playing a national schedule filled with elite teams across the country. They’ve already faced several Georgia teams, including Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, Druid Hills, Peachtree Ridge, Heritage-Newnan, and Clarke Central.
East Coweta is another team that is currently on an 11-game winning streak and swept a perennial playoff team in the Carrollton Trojans in a three-game series.
Spring Break baseball at a beautiful place @HocoAthletics @Hudson_PBR @IanSmittyGA pic.twitter.com/F9sOnTAtTy
— HoCo Baseball (@hocobaseball) April 1, 2025
Here is what head coach Matt Hopkins on the upcoming stretch against tough opponents.
“As you get down the stretch, every good arm we can see and every good bat that we can see, and every team we can play that really challenges us, can shore some things up. We tell our guys all the time that we try to force failure. How do we respond to it? If we can force failure, you are either growing to grow or die,” said Hopkins. “Typically, we have grown from it, and it’s just another way for us to get prepared for the stretch that is 5A playoff baseball. We’re excited about the competition and we are excited about the venue. It’s a great place for our kids to get seen as well. We can’t wait, and we love the challenge.”
The Bears certainly do like playing the best of the best and challenging themselves against elite opponents. It’s made them a formidable baseball team that is dangerous come postseason time with the rigorous schedule they face every year, the talent they produce every year, and the development of their players, especially the young ones throughout the season. You can bet that Houston County will have something to say before the season is over.
Here is the full interview with head coach Matt Hopkins
Loading ...
