CHAPEL HILL — The Richmond Senior High School baseball team is back in the state playoffs and is looking to do some damage.
With the release of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s official playoff brackets Monday around 2:30 p.m., the No. 20 Raiders were paired with No. 13 Leesville Road High School.
Returning to the NCHSAA 4A East postseason for the second straight season under the direction of head coach Eric Brown, Richmond will attempt an upset of the Pride during the first round Tuesday.
Richmond’s overall seeding is four spots better than its No. 24 seed in 2024, which ended in a first-round playoff loss at Purnell Swett High School.
In what will be the first meeting between the two programs, a current hot streak is what the Raiders hope to continue to use in the playoffs. Last Thursday, Richmond upset Pinecrest High School to win the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament championship.
“We are really excited for this opportunity,” Brown said. “The guys are riding this wave of momentum we’ve been on the past couple of weeks and we hope to carry that over into the playoffs.
“The great thing about the playoffs is that anything can happen,” he added.
Entering the playoffs, Richmond has won four straight games and seven of its last 10 outings. The Pride and head coach Dillon Cooper lost their final game of the regular season, but won 11 straight games prior to that loss.
The NCHSAA uses programs’ rating percentage index (RPI) to determine playoff seeding. Richmond had the 19th-ranked RPI in the final 4A East standings (0.55968), while Leesville Road was ranked 8th (0.61931).
Included in determining a team’s final RPI are its winning percentage, opponent winning percentage and opponents’ opponent winning percentage.
During the regular season, the Raiders (17-9) finished second overall in the SAC standings for the second year in a row, this time posting an 8-4 record against conference foes. Leesville Road (17-6) managed a second-place finish in the Cap Six Conference with a 7-3 record.
Through their 26 games this spring, the Raiders have averaged 5.01 runs per seven innings. Defensively, they’ve allowed 3.42 runs against.
The Pride, who have played three fewer overall games, are averaging 6.84 runs for and 3.77 runs against this spring.
Possible starters on the mound for Richmond during the first round matchup include senior Jason Walker or junior Caden Nolan. Both with a team-leading five wins this season, Walker and Nolan have thrown 51.1 and 47.0 innings, respectively.
Walker enters the postseason with a team-low 1.23 earned run average, while Nolan is just behind with a 2.09 ERA. Striking out 63 batters, Walker has kept opposing teams to a .181 batting average.
Nolan’s 68 strikeouts lead the team and he’s limited opponents to a .233 batting average. Nearly even, the two Raiders have combined to strand 69 runners on base in their nine respective pitching appearances.
The Pride’s probable starters are junior Jack Fields (36.1 innings, 2.89 ERA) or senior Avery Morton (31.2 innings, 2.65 ERA).
First pitch between the No. 20 Raiders and the No. 13 Pride is set for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
