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Marist and Chamblee Prepare for First Round of State Baseball Playoffs

Tough competition in Region 6-AAAA should have both teams ready to roll

The and Chamblee baseball teams finished the regular season among the top four teams in Region 6-AAAA, and now both are preparing for their opening round series in the state playoffs.

Marist (23-3), winners of the 2010 state championship, is the top seed from the region and will host Madison County (15-8). The War Eagles host the Red Raiders in a best-of-three series beginning with a doubleheader Friday at 4 p.m.

"Madison County comes from a very good region," said Marist baseball coach Mike Strickland. "Coach [Charlie] Griffeth does a fantastic job with his kids. We must be ready to play."

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Chamblee is the fourth seed and will travel to Winder-Barrow (19-7). This best-of-three series also begins Friday with the first pitch at 3:30 p.m. Madison County and Winder-Barrow both played in Region 8-AAAA.

Marist and Chamblee should be well-prepared for state playoffs after competing in Region 6-AAAA all year. The region includes some of the finest programs in Georgia, including two defending state champions (Marist and Dunwoody), a traditional baseball power (Redan), and an emerging one (Chamblee). Last year Marist took the AAAA title, and Dunwoody won the AAA championship before moving into the higher classification this season. 

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Marist has a long history of excellence in baseball, including 10 state titles, more than any other school in Georgia. The first occurred in 1949, and the most recent came last year under the guidance of coach Strickland.

Strickland took over Marist's historic program in 2005, following in the footsteps of legendary coaches Dan Perez (two state titles), Steve Franks (two state titles) and Jerry Queen (five state titles).  In the seven years he's been at the helm, Marist has won a total of 174 games, including the state final in 2010 over Lakeside-Evans.

This year's club suffered only three losses (five fewer than last season), and finished undefeated in region play, including four shutout wins to end the season. They outscored their opponents 59-0 in that four-game stretch.

"We have been fortunate this year, and our kids have worked very hard on a daily basis," said Strickland.

Marist's offense is led by Daniel Spingola, who has a batting average of .483 with 25 RBIs. The pitching staff is anchored by senior Brandon Leibrandt, who finished 8-1 last year and carried that success into this season, where he’s 6-0 with an 0.55 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched. He is the son of former Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie Leibrandt, who now serves as an assistant coach at Marist. He is also the younger brother of Brodie Leibrandt, a 2008 graduate, who is now the ace of Columbus State University's pitching staff. Brandon has signed to pitch for the Florida State Seminoles next year.

Chamblee does not have the same history as Marist, but head coach Brian Ely has created a new tradition of excellence since he took over the program in 2006. The Bulldogs have won 94 games during his tenure, making him the most successful baseball coach in the school's history. Key contributors to this year's squad include starting pitcher Stephen Gaulden and clean-up hitter Anthony Brown. 

The Bulldogs tied Redan with an 11-4 record in Region 6-AAAA, trailing only Marist (15-0) and Dunwoody (13-2). Given the competition, they should have a legitimate shot at advancing beyond the first round, despite having to face a region champion in Winder-Barrow.

If either team (Marist or Chamblee) splits its doubleheader, the third and deciding game will be played on Saturday at the same location.

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