Colquitt County sophomore shortstop Gavin Patel slides into to third base in a game at Lowndes.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — After coming off a 7-17 season that was the only losing season in Tony Kirkland’s coaching career, the Colquitt County baseball team has made amends.

And the Packers would like to add to the turnaround when it travels to Powder Springs for a first-round Class AAAAAA best-of-3 series against Hillgrove.

The series will start with a doubleheader beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

If the two teams split on Friday, the deciding game will be played on Saturday.

The last two seasons have been frustrating for Kirkland and the Colquitt County program.

The longtime Packers assistant left to begin his head coaching career at South Effingham, but returned in 2010 and in his first four seasons led the Packers to two region titles, a Final Four appearance and a combined 74-47 record.

But the last two years have been difficult.

The 2014 team went 17-17. And last year’s team won just seven games, equaled the 2014 loss total and did not qualify for the postseason.

This year, the Packers, 16-10 overall and 6-6 in the region, are back in the playoffs as Region 1’s No. 4 team, but Kirkland is pleased with the rebound.

“I’m as proud as I can be,” Kirkland said. “We’ve gone from 7-17 to 16 wins and a chance at several more.”

And the Packers have done it with just four seniors. The young team will be expected to perhaps make similar improvements next season.

But Kirkland would like to see his team make a little more noise over the next week to add to the momentum to take into 2017.

Hillgrove, the Region 4 champion, will provide a stern opening playoff test.

The Hawks are 15-11 and went 11-3 in Region 4. And they did all that after starting 3-7.

Although the Hillgrove program is in just its 10th season of varsity baseball, it already has won three region titles and advanced to the postseason in six of the last seven seasons.

David Richardson was an assistant for 11 years under David Joiner at McEachern before starting the Hillgrove program in 2007. His first team went 5-21, but there has been plenty of success since, including 24 wins in 2010, 29 in 2011 and 24 in 2012.

The 2011 Hawks were the state runners-up.

This year’s Hillgrove team will have to contend with a Packers lineup that starts with junior catcher Jay Saunders, a Junior Team Georgia selection who will represent the state in the Sunbelt Classic in June in McAlester, Okla.

A rare leadoff-hitting catcher, Saunders is batting .405 with four doubles, a home run and 10 runs driven in. He leads the Packers in hits with 30 and runs scored with 24.

From behind the plate, he will handle a Packers pitching staff that is led by senior Beau Dalton, who is 4-2 with a 2.04 ERA.

Sophomore Cory Newsome has been the team’s biggest surprise. He is 5-1 with a 1.38 ERA.

Trey Clark (2-2, 3.27), Austin Craven (0-0, 3.79), Ethan Phillips (0-1, 2.50), Dylan Collins (2-1, 5.73), Austin Singletary (1-0, 3.00), Buck Blalock (1-0, 1.56) and Kodi Bishop (0-0, 0.00) also could be called upon.

The infield is likely to have Logan Wheeler at first, Austin Singletary at second, Blalock at third and Gavin Patel at shortstop.

Singletary, who is hitting .306, leads the team with 23 RBIs and seven extra base hits, including a pair of home runs.

Wheeler also has two homers and has driven home 21.

Blalock missed a big chunk of the season with hamstring woes, but is hitting .296.

Patel is a smooth fielding sophomore.

The outfield will have, from left to right, Hayden Bledsoe, Cole Collins and Kodi Bishop.

A senior, Bishop has driven in 15 runs and has signed to play at Andrew College next year.

The winner of the Colquitt County-Hillgrove series will advance to a second-round meeting with the Etoway-Parkview winner.