We’re going to call this week judgment week. For three of our four Bulloch County baseball teams, it’s getting late early around here.

            Starting with Statesboro, the Blue Devils are 4-3 in Region 2-AAAA play with five league contests to go. Three of those games are against squads ahead of them in the standings. And this week could be considered murderer’s row.

            Statesboro travels to third-ranked South Effingham tonight and hosts second-ranked Effingham County on Friday at Mill Creek. Both rivals have already beaten SHS this season.

            The Devils have had state-title aspirations since Day One and this week is a chance for them to show a championship isn’t just a pipe dream but a possibility.

            Statesboro can make a statement this week with wins over their neighbors to the east.

            Down the road in Brooklet, Southeast Bulloch is on the revenge trail. Tonight it’s a trip to Swainsboro. A week from today, the Yellow Jackets welcome arch-rival Screven County. It’s the final two Region 3A-AA games for SEB against two teams that have already handed them a loss.

            And while a sub-region title may be out of grasp — SCHS would have to lose two — SEB can still put itself in good position for a state playoff.

            Southeast needs to play with a sense of urgency this week to show it’s a contender and not a pretender.

Up the street in Portal, the Panthers can’t shy away from reality — they need to win out. Three of Portal’s final four games are in Region 3A-A play. A 3-0 record would put PHS at 5-7-1 in the region play and mathematically give them a chance to finish in the top four in the standings. A win against Metter on April 20 — the final home game of the season — could be important for tiebreaker purposes.

            Portal travels to rival Claxton tonight and Savannah Country Day on Wednesday. Turn that ‘P’ upside down and inside out, PHS needs to rally.

Finally, Bulloch Academy has had 10 days off since its last outing. The Gators resume play today at Gator Alley against Memorial Day and Thursday at Robert Toombs in two crucial GISA Region 2-AA contests.

            Bulloch still has a long way to go in its regular season, but would it be wrong to say this week gives BA a chance to send a message to the rest of the league? I think not.

            Time for the Gators to make some noise.

            Let’s hope all these kids have a better week than I did last time out: 0-2 last week, 0-2 for the year.