North Stanly's Jaylon McCoy warms up in the on-deck circle. (Charles Curcio / Stanly News Journal)

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The 2025 state baseball playoffs kicked off Tuesday night with three Stanly baseball teams hosting first-round games.

North Stanly 8, Wheatmore 5

The Comets entered the 2A Western Region with the highest seed North has ever had in a 2A baseball playoff game, seeded third.

A big six-run first inning gave the Comets enough cushion to hold off a late rally from the No. 30 Wheatmore Warriors for an 8-5 first-round win.

Charlie Shaver went the distance on the mound for North (25-1), giving up four earned runs on eight hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Back-to-back doubles by Tyler Daugherty and Aiden Hamilton kickstarted a six-run effort in the bottom of the first. Nathan Helms delivered an RBI double then Heath Klingensmith drove two more in with a base hit to center field. Rylan Furr’s two-RBI double gave North an early 6-0 lead.

North added two runs in the second on a Hayden Moore RBI and a sac fly from Zach Lowder to lead, 8-0.

Caleb Coggins put Wheatmore (8-16) on the board with a two-RBI triple in the top of the fourth, later scoring on an RBI groundout which cut North’s lead to five, 8-3.

Wheatmore added an unearned run in the fifth and had two runners on base in the seventh when a balk with two outs scored a run to bring the visitors within three runs. Shaver struck out the last batter to end the game.

North Stanly was scheduled to host North Surry (16-9) this past Friday night. The Greyhound, the No. 15 seed, advanced with a 12-2 win over No. 18 McMichael in the first round.

South Stanly 13, Elkin 3

The Rebel Bulls, the No. 3 seed in the 1A Western Region, easily advanced to Friday’s scheduled second round of the postseason with a 10-run five-inning home win.

Braylon Tyson was the winning pitcher for South (21-6) allowing three earned runs on three hits for the complete game victory, walking two and striking out five.

Peyton Luffman took the loss for the Elks (6-17), with Xan Charles leading Elkin’s offense with two hits.

Ayden Russell and Carter Callicutt had two hits each to lead the offense for South, while Callicutt and Justice Buck drove in two runs each. Braden Smith had a three-RBI double for the Bulls as well, and Jack Crump was 3-for-4 at the plate. Tyson, Jarrett Hinson and Luke Dennis all drove in runs for South.

The Bulls were scheduled to host Eastern Randolph (12-12) Friday night. The No. 15-seeded Wildcats (12-12) advanced to the second round with a 10-9 victory versus No. 18 Cornerstone Charter.

West Stanly 3, Walkertown 0

The Colts, the No. 7 seed in the 2A West, got a superlative pitching effort from its staff in advancing to the second round of the playoffs with a 3-0 home win versus No. 26 Walkertown (18-9).

Sam Carpenter went 6.1 innings on the mound for West () allowing one hit with three walks and 11 strikeouts, reaching the pitch limit with 106 pitches. Cooper Crisco pitched .2 innings of scoreless relief with two strikeouts.

Leadoff hitter Landon Bailey was 2-for-3 for the Colts, while Crisco also had a 2-for-3 night with an RBI. Ben Mecimore was 1-for-2 with a solo home run, while Ethan Saylor was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

West Stanly will host No. 10 West Davidson (17-9) in the second round of the state playoffs. The Dragons advanced with a 4-3 home win versus No. 23 Morehead Tuesday.