Baseball, soccer seasons resume as playoffs near

WHAT'S UP: The bulk of the area returns to school this week, ready to enter the final few weeks of the spring sports season.

Georgia soccer will be the first sport to enter the postseason: girls play begins April 21 and the boys April 22. Baseball playoffs begin May 8 in Georgia and April 30 in South Carolina.

SOCCER CLASH: Aquinas and Greenbrier play a boys soccer game tonight in a meeting of two of the area's three undefeated teams. The winner will enter the playoffs with an undefeated record.

Greenbrier (14-0) has won the last four meetings between the schools, dating back to a 6-0 Aquinas win in 2004.

Aquinas (11-0-1), ranked seventh in the state in Class A/AA, is the top seed out of Area 8 for the state playoffs. Matthew Leonard leads the Irish with 16 goals.

South Aiken also is unbeaten.

MARTIN SIGNS: Harlem point guard Chancellor Martin will sign to play basketball at Middle Georgia this afternoon.

Martin was the Region 3-AAAA co-player of the year and helped the Bulldogs win the first playoff game in school history.

Area signings should spike this week because Wednesday is the first day of the NCAA's basketball spring signing period, which runs until May 20.

BIG GAMES THIS WEEK

BASEBALL

Airport at South Aiken, 7 p.m. today: Meeting of two teams in the top quarter of Region 3-AAA, which might be one of the strongest in South Carolina.

Luella at Greenbrier, 5:30 p.m. Friday: Luella is Greenbrier's main threat in Region 2-AAAAA; the Wolfpack, who are in first place, got no-hit earlier in this season by the Lions and still won.

Evans at Westside, 5 p.m. Friday: First meeting came down to the last pitch; Westside won 2-1 with the potential tying run on third base.

SOCCER

Aquinas boys at Greenbrier, 7: 30 p.m. today: Will be preceded by a girls game at 5:30 matching Greenbrier with state-ranked Brookwood, one of the best Class AAAAA teams in the state.

Brookland-Cayce girls at South Aiken, 7:30 p.m. today: South Aiken, ranked second in the state in Class AAA, won the first meeting 5-2 over its region rival.

Reach Matt Middleton at (706) 823-3425 or matt.middleton@augustachronicle.com.