Tift's Drew Hembree touches home plate as the ball gets away for the game-winning run against Brunswick. Hembree scored on a sac fly by Brady Moretz.

TIFTON — Tift County is making history. Now, the baseball team would like to add a few more.

At 4:30 this afternoon, the Blue Devils face Etowah in a doubleheader. The winner of this series heads to the state semifinals against Blessed Trinity or Marist. On the other side of the bracket, Thomas County Central plays at Pope and Houston County hosts Lassiter.

Tift is hosting its first elite eight series since 1984. This is only the second time in school history they have played in back-to-back quarterfinals, the other being 1983 and 1984.

This series is different that ones of the 1980s, however. Then, only the region champions made state, meaning an automatic qualifier to the quarterfinals.

Should they make the semifinals, it would be the first time for a Blue Devils team since 1990.

Etowah comes in with a 28-5 mark to Tift’s 27-7. Based out of Woodstock, the Eagles have only surrendered five or more runs twice this season. Four of their last five games have been shutouts, including both of their second round games against Habersham Central.

The Blue Devils are in the quarters after surviving No. 9 Brunswick in the second round. Both Tift wins were in extra innings and the Pirates out-hit them 27-17 in the series, the locals advanced.

John Davis went 6-for-12 in the series, raising his average to .352. Brady Moretz, Landon Parrish, Davis and Mac Brooks are regulars all have averages above .300.

John Dorman, Tyler Holmes, Moretz, Parrish, Cam Smith and Tyler VanSumeren have all driven in at least 20 runs, while Brooks, Davis, Luke Ellerbee, Holmes, Moretz, Parrish and VanSumeren all have scored at least that many.

Holmes and Parrish are tied for team lead with three homers.

On the pitching side, Davis leads in ERA and strikeouts. The team has a 2.10 ERA for the season.