ROCKINGHAM — Postseason baseball will be played under the lights this week and is returning to Raider Field for the first time in four years.
The Richmond Senior High School baseball team punched its return ticket to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state playoffs for the fifth straight year Monday when the NCHSAA released its official brackets.
Richmond and head coach Eric Brown checked off another pre-season goal when the Raiders earned their highest seed in recent years and secured a home playoff game.
Seeded as the No. 6 team in the 7A West bracket, thanks in part to winning the Mid-South Conference regular season championship, the Raiders received a first-round bye and will host No. 11 Butler High School in round two.
The home game will make it the first time the Raiders have played on their home diamond in the postseason since hosting Clayton High School in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.
The NCHSAA seeds the playoffs based on each program’s final ratings percentage index (RPI), the Association’s formula that uses a team’s overall winning percentage, its opponents’ winning percentage and its opponents’ opponents winning percentage to factor overall ranking.
Thanks to a tough non-conference schedule that saw the Raiders play teams like Myers Park, Weddington and West Brunswick, along with Scotland and conference rival Pinecrest, they finished the season with the 17th-best RPI in the entire 7A classification (East and West teams combined).
Richmond’s final RPI was 0.592737.
Following Tuesday’s opening round of the playoffs, Richmond’s opponent became concrete when No. 11 Butler High School defeated No. 22 Page High School 8-1. The Bulldogs have the 23rd-ranked final RPI in 7A (0.574036).
For Brown, the return of playoff baseball to Raider Field means a little bit more because it’s the same field he played on as a youngster in the green and gold.
In just his third year at the helm of the program, he’s rejuvenated the Raiders’ baseball culture and coached the team into a position to be competitive every game regardless of who they face.
“I’m really pleased with our seeding for the playoffs,” Brown said. “It was something we discussed in the preseason, putting ourselves in a good position to earn a bye and get back to hosting playoff games at Raider Field.
“I’m excited for our players to experience playoff baseball at home,” he added. “I’m biased, but I think we have the best ballpark in the state to watch high school baseball. I hope the community will get behind these guys and show up to support them.”
When the show gets underway Friday, the Raiders (18-6) will host the Butler Bulldogs (20-7), a team Richmond last faced during the 2025 regular season and defeated 2-0.
Richmond and Butler have followed similar storylines this season. The Raiders won the MSC conference title with a 13-2 record, while the Bulldogs and head coach Jake Moroff went 10-0 to win the Meck Power Six Conference.
Richmond enters the postseason having won seven of its last 10 games and are averaging 7.08 runs per game this season. Its defense and pitching have limited opposing teams to just 3.25 runs per game.
The Bulldogs have plated 7.92 runs per game this spring and have allowed opposing teams to score 3.55 runs per game. Butler is currently on a 10-game winning streak.
An upper hand the Raiders will have in the second round is who they will put on the mound against the Bulldogs.
With a fresh bullpen, Richmond could throw either one of its pitchers in its 1-2 starter combo – seniors Caden Nolan and Evan Hodges. Or sophomore Devin Haynes could make a starting appearance, as well.
Nolan has logged 50.1 innings this season and has struck out 100 batters, while limiting opposing batters to a .162 average and has an impressive 1.11 earned run average. He’s ranked first in 7A in strikeouts and tied for third in ERA.
Hodges (32.1 innings) and Haynes (37 innings) are also strong possible starters. Striking out a third of the batters he’s faced this season, Hodges has K’d 55 hitters and has a 2.81 ERA, while Haynes has recorded a 2.27 ERA and 39 punchouts.
Butler pitched its No. 1 starter, sophomore Patrick O’Shaughnessy, in Tuesday’s first round, which makes him ineligible to pitch Friday.
Probable starters for the Bulldogs are seniors Chase DeCurtis (30.1 innings) and Jackson Clark (29.1 innings). DeCurtis has 2.31 ERA with 10 Ks and Clark has struck out 18 batters and carries a 4.77 ERA.
Regardless of who Butler puts on the bump, or any other outlying factors, Brown said the Raiders’ focus is on what the team can achieve together.
He’s confident that Richmond is one of the stronger teams in the 7A playoffs and expects this year’s team to make a possible run.
“It’s cliche, but we’re focused on going 1-0, survive and advance,” Brown explained.
“There are 23 other teams in the West region, I don’t see why we couldn’t be the last one standing and go take our shot at bringing home a state championship. I can’t wait to see our guys compete Friday night.”
A win Friday over the Bulldogs would be Brown’s first postseason victory as Richmond’s head coach.
First pitch between the No. 6 Raider and No. 11 Bulldogs is slated for Friday at 7 p.m.
