Dacula at Lambert

When, where: Today, 5 and 7 p.m., at Lambert High in Suwanee; tomorrow, 1 p.m., if necessary.

Record, ranking, seeding: Dacula is 16-10, unranked in Class AAAAAA and the No. 4 seed from Region 8; Lambert is 26-0, ranked No. 1 and the No. 1 seed from Region 6.

What to know: Dacula made an impressive turnaround this season after going 9-18 a year ago, especially when you consider that catcher Austin Collins and outfielder Nick Mollica, both seniors, were the only returning starters for the Falcons. But an influx of young talent arrived, senior infielder Dallas Richards transferred from Buford and role players like first baseman/pitcher Gage Murray and pitcher M.J. Hawkins, both juniors, stepped into more prominent roles and delivered.

But can they do what no team from Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee have done this season – beat Lambert? The Longhorns exemplify balance. They are hitting .384, with five regular players hitting over .400, led by sophomore Seth Beer (.623-4-37). Their pitching staff has a 1.18 ERA, led by Beer (6-0, 0.46) and senior Dylan Biumi (6-0, 0.82). Lambert is ranked No. 1 in the country, by USA Today, for a reason.

What’s next: The winner plays the Roswell-Mill Creek winner.