On deck: Contenders separating themselves from the pack | Myrtle Beach Sun News

Carolina Forest made it four area baseball or softball teams headed to the Lower State tournament.

St. James baseball has a great chance of pushing that figure up to five. On Friday, the Sharks will play host to Hanahan in the district finals.

And while other Grand Strand programs also reached their respective district championships, the Sharks are the last remaining local team to play it at home. Why is that important?

If the state’s other three classifications are any indication, playing at home and having a one-game buffer – road teams must win twice – has all but a guaranteed teams a ticket to the next round. In Classes AAAA, AA and A baseball and softball, the home teams won 46 of the 48 district championships. Only Johnsonville baseball and Carvers Bay softball pulled off the improbable.

It bodes well for the St. James baseball team, but not necessarily the three local Class AAA softball teams heading on the road.

CLASS AAA

No. 2 Hanahan at No. 1 St. James (district finals)

CLASS AAA

No. 1 Georgetown at No. 2 Berkeley, 6 p.m. (district finals)

No. 2 North Myrtle Beach at No. 1 Hanahan, 5 p.m. (district finals)

No. 3 St. James at No. 1 Midland Valley (district finals)

CLASS AAA (third round)

No. 2 Brookland-Cayce at No. 1 Myrtle Beach

No. 3 St. James at No. 1 Hilton Head, 7 p.m.

CLASS AA

No. 5 Waccamaw at No. 1 Academic Magnet

CLASS AAAA

White Knoll at Carolina Forest (Lower State tournament, first round

CLASS AA

Johnsonville at Aynor (Lower State tournament, first round)

CLASS AA

Aynor at Battery Creek (Lower State tournament, first round)

CLASS A

Hannah-Pamplico at Carvers Bay (Lower State tournament, first round)

CLASS AAAA

No. 1 Bluffton at No. 1 Socastee

CLASS AAA

No. 2 Aiken at No. 1 Myrtle Beach

No. 3 North Myrtle Beach at No. 1 Hilton Head

CLASS AA

No. 4 Waccamaw at No. 1 Bishop England