Pope baseball team moves into top 25 nationally

After securing the Class AAAAAA state title last week against Allatoona, Pope’s baseball team rose to a No. 23 national ranking by MaxPreps and No. 19 by Baseball America.

“I think any time you get a national ranking, it’s super exciting,” Pope coach Chris Turco said. “It’s a testament to the players’ hard work, and to our strength of schedule. It’s also a testament to how good Allatoona is as a baseball team.”

The 2022 season was Turco’s first as coach after taking over for mentor Jeff Rowland. Turco led Pope to a 33-7 record, including a 14-2 mark in Region 6AAAAAA play.

The Greyhounds went on a 10-0 run through the state playoffs to earn the program’s fifth state title and its first since 2018. Pope defeated Dacula, Effingham County, Evans and Buford en route to the state championship series, where they defeated Allatoona 10-0 and 9-2 on May 19 at Truist Park.

The Greyhounds are no stranger to appearing in national polls, having placed eighth in Baseball America’s final poll for the 2018 season and ninth in 2017. It is the fifth time Pope has finished in Baseball America’s season-ending top 25.

Looking ahead to the 2023 season, Turco said while there is plenty of returning talent for Pope, there are concerns about the loss of multiple experienced starting pitchers.

“We return numerous starters, but we graduate most of our starting pitching,” Turco said. “Some guys are going to have to step up, and it’ll be fun to watch the guys challenge for those pitching spots. Depending on how quickly our pitching matures, we definitely have the talent. It’ll just depend on how quickly they come along.”