BY CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

VANCLEAVE — One of the top prep baseball playoff series in the state features a “Southern Six” squad this weekend.

And that’s why Friday’s series-opening game in Vancleave pitting the defending Class 5A state champion Bulldogs and South Jones is the “Sonic Big Game of the Week” in the “Southern Six” as sponsored by Sonic Drive In of South Mississippi.

This match-up in the Class 5A South State semifinal round is a rematch from the South State finals last season in which Vancleave used the home-field advantage to sweep the Braves 8-1 and 3-0 and move on to the state finals.

Vancleave repeated as Region 4-5A champs this season, while South Jones in a bit of a surprise finished second behind Florence in Region 3-5A. The Bulldogs are a solid 25-6 while the Braves are 26-6 overall heading into this best-of-three affair.

“They’re a really good baseball team,” first-year VHS head coach Zac Haarala said. “We know they are going to be coached well and play with a ton of confidence and energy. They aren’t going to give us anything easy so it’s going to come down to us making pitches and plays on defense when we have to and getting timely hitting with guys in scoring position. It should be a great series.”

Vancleave is coming off a series clinching win over Brookhaven Monday in the rubber match of that series, while South Jones swept Wayne County on the opening round of the playoffs after the War Eagles finished third in Region 4-5A behind VHS and East Central.

Game one is expected to be a match-up of a pair of the top starting pitchers in South Mississippi, in Vancleave’s Hunter Harper and Dylan Causey of South Jones.

Both seniors, the southpaw Harper is a solid 7-1 this season in 11 appearances and has been a workhorse on the Hill for Haarala as he has logged 49 innings in 11 appearances including 10 starts with 46 strikeouts for the southpaw and a sparkling 1.69 earned run average with three complete games.

Causey, a Southern Miss signee, sits at 6-2 on the season with a 1.72 ERA in eight appearances. He has struck out 70 in 37 innings. He earned the win in game one vs. Wayne County with just over five frames of work and seven strikeouts. The game was tied at 1-1 until the Braves put up a four spot in the fourth inning and cruised to the win.

Game two is set for Ellisville Saturday night at 6 p.m.

Sonic Drive In of South Mississippi has long been a staunch supporter of prep sports in the “Southern Six” and all across the Southeast. There are several Sonic locations for all of your pre-game and pos-game meal needs if your’re following the Bulddogs and Braves with Sonic locations at 3105 U.S. Hwy 90 in Gautier, 3909 Bienville, Blvd., in Ocean Springs, 208 Hwy 11 N., in Ellisville or 2025, Hwy 15 N., in Laurel.