Walton baseball team to open state tournament at Marietta HS

The Walton High School baseball team was to have opened the first round of the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state tournament Saturday at its temporary home field at the East Cobb Baseball facility near Kell High School.

But due to a full schedule of East Cobb Baseball games there this weekend, the Raiders will be playing at Marietta High School instead.

They’ll still be the home team against South Forsyth in a Saturday doubleheader with games at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

A third and decisive game in the series, if necessary, will take place at East Cobb Baseball on Monday at a time to be determined.

Walton, which is 19-11 this season, has been playing the last two years at East Cobb Baseball while a new facility is under construction near campus.

Cobb County School District officials had hoped it would be ready for the 2023 season, but the facility was reconfigured due to neighborhood concerns about noise and lighting.

They also will be constructing a pedestrian path and bridge from the main campus to the new sports complex—which includes courts for the Walton tennis teams—for safety reasons.

The former Walton baseball field on campus was converted for the Walton softball team, which along with the tennis teams played home competitions at Terrell Mill Park when the school’s new classroom building was being built.

Walton HS sports complex pedestrian path

Grading has been completed at the new Walton baseball facility, and foundational construction supplies have been delivered to the site.

Also on Saturday, the Pope High School baseball team will be opening its defense of the Class 6A state championship at home against Apalachee. The doubleheader starts at 2 p.m.