After games on Saturday, May 26

The teams that were talked about for most of the season as contenders are not the same teams that remain standing as the state championship series kick off this weekend.

None of the squads that made up the top 10 entering the playoffs (Week 9) are alive, but there's still plenty of good baseball on tap. Middle Creek held off Richmond to advance to the Class 4A state title series against Hough, while Weddington, which cracked the top 10 earlier in the year after beating then-No. 1 Providence, enters its first championship series against CB Aycock. All-State pitcher Alex Bostic leads Weddington with a 10-0 record, 125 strikeouts, 0.98 ERA and seven home runs to go with a .404 batting average.

Here are this week's rankings (last week's rankings in parentheses):

1. Middle Creek (Apex) 24-7 (NR)

Mustangs, winners of 15 of their last 17 games, advanced to Class 4A state title game by beating Richmond in best-of-three series. They will face Hough for the crown.

2. Weddington (Matthews) 25-6 (4)

Reached the Class 3A championship for the first time after sweeping North Buncombe. Next up: CB Aycock for the title.

3. Hough (Cornelius) 23-10 (NR)

Swept East Forsyth to advance to this weekend's Class 4A championship against Middle Creek.

Click here for the full POWERADE weekly North Carolina baseball rankings.