Aye-yi-yi! West Albany's Bulldogs took down Springfield, our #1 seed, 11-1. West Albany hammered out three home runs in the process. They have scored 10 or more runs at least 13 times. They scored 20 or more three times this season. Put it all together and the Bulldogs average 9.5 runs per game. And with all but one game score showing on the MaxPrep site, the Bulldogs have never been shut out or even held to just one run!
Defensively, the Bulldogs have really tightened up their game during the playoffs. They held Glencoe to just two runs and Pendleton to just one run.
That said, we do have a little MWL comparison to look at. Thurston beat West Albany 3-2 in the season opener. A week later the Bulldogs jumped on Willamette at Willamette, 10-2. Finally, North Eugene lost to West Albany 5-4 two weeks ago.
So what's in store for North Eugene in the semis? I'm thinking that North's defense will keep the Bulldogs within reach. That means that the Highlanders will need an offensive game more like the Corvallis (13-2) playoff game than the KU game (3-2). The Bulldogs like to jump on it early, so if North can get out of the first two innings in good shape, they can put some pressure on the West Albany defense. If North stays close they can get the small ball game going and then mix in some extra base hits.
It'll be interesting to see who goes to the mound for North on Tuesday. Kyle DeHaven pitched four innings against West Albany just two weeks ago and Garrett Harpole tossed three against the Bulldogs, allowing no hits. Just last week, Garrett Mills tossed four innings against Corvallis before turning the ball over to Chris Clayton in the fifth, Mills holding the number one team in the state to one run through four. Finally, Andrew Moore pitched a complete game last Friday, but has had three full days of rest. All pitchers are availalbe Tuesday and it's common in the state playoffs to see the same starter in the Friday-Tuesday- Saturday quarterfinal to final stretch. We'll find out at game time. I'm guessing Mills will start and coach Nicholsen will make early changes as he did with Corvallis and West Albany to give the Bulldogs lots of different looks.
Offensively for North, the Highlanders have been getting good production up and down the line up recently. That takes a lot of pressure off of the top of the order when they know the bottom four guys have been knocking in runs and hitting doubles and homers in the playoffs. The recent batting surge throughout the lineup also gives hope for a comeback if the Bulldogs do happen to jump out to a fairly large early lead. The Aslhand one inning comeback from six runs down agaisnt Thurston in the quarters serves as a reminder that with a little luck and some hard hit balls, you're never down too far.
....Coach Corey Nicholsen becomes only the second baseball coach in North Eugene's 53 year history to take the Highlanders to the state semifinals. Garry Selby pulled off the trick in 1977 and 1998. North fell short of the state championship game by one run both times. Hopefully, this is the Highlander's year, which would make 2010 the fourth year in a row that the MWL has sent a team to the state finals.
Go North. Go MWL.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
5A Coaches Poll - Kaboom
MWL fans have to be proud that unranked North Eugene crushed #1 Corvallis in Corvallis. Another MWL winner, Thurston, was ranked number eight and beat number six Lebanon 7-3. Hopefully, Springfield will not undo the MWL success by losing to unranked Madison at PK Park tonight.
The first full round of playoff games provides ammo for every baseball coach to tell his players to "Ignore the polls. Games are won on the field". Let's take a look:
Unranked Crater beat #11 South Albany in a subround game.
Crater beat #12 Cleveland 12-0 in the first full round.
Unranked Klamath Union beat 7th ranked Wilsonville.
Unranked North Eugene beat #1 Corvallis 13-2.
Almost (#13) unranked West Albany beat 3rd ranked Pendleton.
That means half of the quarterfinalists are unranked or nearly unranked. What's with the coach's poll?
Well, I can't imagine a coach having the time to check out teams statewide or hearing about key injuries or a pitcher who just hasn't had it the last half of the year.
Media polls used to be better predictors than coaches polls, especially early in the season. Reporters had a pretty good network around the state and would pick up info from each other. But with the cutbacks in staff at all newspapers, that doesn't happen much anymore.
The questionable 5A poll probably lends support to a Power Ranking System and seeding for playoffs. Fortunately, at the 5A level, there weren't too many matchups where a team played another team that was closely ranked in the polls. #8 Thurston versus #6 Lebanon was one of those games. Lebanon players will probably always wonder why they couldn't have been matched up with an unranked team, although 2010 wasn't a good year to play the unranked.
At the 6A level, things were a little different. Six of the top 10 teams will be in the quarterfinals (Elite Eight). Lincoln, ranked #11, is the 7th team in the playoffs. Unranked South Medford is the final quarterfinalist, having won two games over unranked teams. Unlike the 5A level, 6A did have some match ups between teams closely ranked. #2 Lake Oswego versus #3 North Medford being one of those games. Seeding using Power Rankings would have prevented the #2 versus #3 matchup and unranked South Medford would not have advanced to the quarterfinals without playing a ranked team.
Quick Notes:
The Midwestern league can advance three teams to the quarterfinals for the first time ever if Springfield beats Madison tonight (Wednesday).
North Eugene can advance to the semifinals for the first time since 1998 with a win over Klamath Union in Klamath Falls Friday. BRRRR!
North Eugene and Springfield are on the same side of the bracket.....
North Eugene pulled off a miracle getting their game in last Friday. It had rained most of the day and was raining solidly when I showed up at 4:30. The rains slowed to a sprinkle by 5:00. The North players rolled back the tarp and the sprinkles turned to a light mist and the field was mowed and dry. I think that the Dalles-Wahtonka players were ready to call it an evening, stay overnight, and play at PK park on Saturday. Those thoughts apparently didn't go out the window when the umps called "Play Ball" at 5:05. The sun even poked it's smiley face out now and again.
If you have friends who are interested in softball, I started a few pages for MWL softball. Just has this year's league and playoff results, all stars and some playoff history so far. http://www.mwathletics.com/softball/softball_index.htm
Photos prices slashed:
Only two people ordered photos this year -- even as good and as inexpensive as they are :) I've already left some DVD's of photos with some of the teams, but I've also lowered the prices of the photos to a little above cost. If you saw some photos of your favorite player that you were interested in, you may want to check out the prices.
The first full round of playoff games provides ammo for every baseball coach to tell his players to "Ignore the polls. Games are won on the field". Let's take a look:
Unranked Crater beat #11 South Albany in a subround game.
Crater beat #12 Cleveland 12-0 in the first full round.
Unranked Klamath Union beat 7th ranked Wilsonville.
Unranked North Eugene beat #1 Corvallis 13-2.
Almost (#13) unranked West Albany beat 3rd ranked Pendleton.
That means half of the quarterfinalists are unranked or nearly unranked. What's with the coach's poll?
Well, I can't imagine a coach having the time to check out teams statewide or hearing about key injuries or a pitcher who just hasn't had it the last half of the year.
Media polls used to be better predictors than coaches polls, especially early in the season. Reporters had a pretty good network around the state and would pick up info from each other. But with the cutbacks in staff at all newspapers, that doesn't happen much anymore.
The questionable 5A poll probably lends support to a Power Ranking System and seeding for playoffs. Fortunately, at the 5A level, there weren't too many matchups where a team played another team that was closely ranked in the polls. #8 Thurston versus #6 Lebanon was one of those games. Lebanon players will probably always wonder why they couldn't have been matched up with an unranked team, although 2010 wasn't a good year to play the unranked.
At the 6A level, things were a little different. Six of the top 10 teams will be in the quarterfinals (Elite Eight). Lincoln, ranked #11, is the 7th team in the playoffs. Unranked South Medford is the final quarterfinalist, having won two games over unranked teams. Unlike the 5A level, 6A did have some match ups between teams closely ranked. #2 Lake Oswego versus #3 North Medford being one of those games. Seeding using Power Rankings would have prevented the #2 versus #3 matchup and unranked South Medford would not have advanced to the quarterfinals without playing a ranked team.
Quick Notes:
The Midwestern league can advance three teams to the quarterfinals for the first time ever if Springfield beats Madison tonight (Wednesday).
North Eugene can advance to the semifinals for the first time since 1998 with a win over Klamath Union in Klamath Falls Friday. BRRRR!
North Eugene and Springfield are on the same side of the bracket.....
North Eugene pulled off a miracle getting their game in last Friday. It had rained most of the day and was raining solidly when I showed up at 4:30. The rains slowed to a sprinkle by 5:00. The North players rolled back the tarp and the sprinkles turned to a light mist and the field was mowed and dry. I think that the Dalles-Wahtonka players were ready to call it an evening, stay overnight, and play at PK park on Saturday. Those thoughts apparently didn't go out the window when the umps called "Play Ball" at 5:05. The sun even poked it's smiley face out now and again.
If you have friends who are interested in softball, I started a few pages for MWL softball. Just has this year's league and playoff results, all stars and some playoff history so far. http://www.mwathletics.com/softball/softball_index.htm
Photos prices slashed:
Only two people ordered photos this year -- even as good and as inexpensive as they are :) I've already left some DVD's of photos with some of the teams, but I've also lowered the prices of the photos to a little above cost. If you saw some photos of your favorite player that you were interested in, you may want to check out the prices.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
North Medford - Are 6A Schools that good?
It was quite a treat watching #3 rated North Medford play North Eugene at Swede Johnson stadium on Monday. The Black Tornado showed off their hitting prowess and some spectacular defense.
And to think that we didn't get to see North Medford's two best pitchers - Matt Mauer (Pepperdine next year) and Bradey Shipley (Western Nevada Junior College).
North Medford's catcher Colin Sowers led off the game by driving a first pitch fastball over the Red Lion sign in left center. The dinger wasn't a towering shot barely clearing the fence. It was more of a liner. The hard hit ball was a foreshadowing of the 18 hits to follow. Most of the Tornado hits were hit on the button. The most noticeable consistency of the Medford batters was that they were rarely fooled by off speed pitches. I can only recall three or four times where the batters upper body was out ahead of their legs. It didn't matter what type of pitcher the Highlanders threw - Moore, Mills or Clayton - the batters just stayed back and attacked the ball at the last moment possible and with tremendous explosion.
Defensively, the Medford shortstop put on a show. He played so deep and covered so much ground that I think they could have played without the third baseman. He made two throws from deep behind the third baseman and then topped off his performance by going well behind second base and flipping the ball, back handed, to second for a force.
The Medford catcher, Colin Sowers, not only made a point of not throwing him a fastball in his zone, but he showed he was a wily catcher by setting up a Highlander on first by hiding behind a left handed batter for a few pitches. The Highlander kept creeping off a little more and then Sowers picked him with a nice backdoor move behind the batter.
Medford's Michael Bradshaw shut out the Highlanders in a complete game victory. The good news for the Southwest conference is that Bradshaw and the other two pitching aces are all seniors.
So, are the 6A schools that much better than 5A schools? For the most part yes. The obvious reason is that they have so many more bodies in their school to choose from. The OSAA has North Eugene with an average daily membership of 938 students and North Medford at 1665. Imagine if Highlander coach Nicholsen could look down the hallway and choose from 840 boys instead of 470. There would be a lot more juniors and seniors on the team, meaning a bigger, stronger, faster team.
It's tempting to say that the teams down south just play a lot more ball than Eugene teams. But with fall ball and legion and kids being invited to Area Code games, the Eugene schools have players who get in a lot of baseball. Notably, since the big boys were split off four seasons ago, just three of twelve state semifinalists were from down south. And from 2000 to 2006, when there were 80 teams in the upper 4A Division, only one SOC team made the state finals. So I go back to larger student bodies as the reason for success - along with a great program and conditioning.
So how do the smaller schools compete when they merge with the 6A schools next year? Well, pitching and defense are the classic neutralizers in baseball. One good ace on a staff can win half of a team's league games. Just look at the teams going to state from the current MWL and you'll find that with the exception of one starting pitcher, the pitchers rarely walk anyone. (By the way, North Medford got to Andrew Moore for two in the first inning, but Moore settled down in the second and might have had a good outing if he would have been allowed to go more than two innings.)
Developing a good hitting team seems to be more difficult than putting together a good defense. I believe this is where focus and conditioning come into play. Good hitters focus on every pitch, even in practice. Focus is a habit, and good habits have to be practiced. Focus needs to be automatic in gametime. Good hitters believe a sharply hit ball - a line drive preferably, or a blistering grounder- are the only acceptable hits, even in the cage. Some coaches preach almost any grounder as okay, but grounders weren't going to get through the North Medford infield.
Conditioning has changed tremendously in the last 15 years. I remember when the Churchill football team was running the double wing. The entire team worked out relentlessly and they looked like they would do well in any street fight. The next team to take conditioning to another level was when Marty Johnson took over the Sheldon football program. Amazingly, the Irish have maintained their weightroom/plyometrics attitude for over ten years. Other teams have had spurts in different programs. A few years ago, the Thurston basketball team would have looked like NBA thugs is they had just added some tats. The bottom line is, if you want to compete with the big boys, you better have a great 'core' conditioning program. In baseball, you need to add the arm muscles, too. Bigger - stronger - faster.
North Eugene hosts The Dalles-Wahtonka Friday. The Indians-Eagles made the playoffs in both football and basketball, but were eliminated early. So they have players with playoff experience and they will hungry to advance. For the most part, the Indians-Eagles have played good D, the exception being getting blown out by second ranked Pendleton. (Interresting hyphenated school and mascot names. If Sheldon and North Eugene merged, would they be called the Irish-Highlanders, or just the Kilts?)
Here's a challenge to North Eugene. Friday's playoff game is the last chance for a MWL team to advance past the sub round into the group of sixteen under the current playoff model. The OSAA four year classification experiment is over after spring season and next year begins the 'Hybrid' leagues and the 'Everybody goes to the Playoffs' format. Let's get three teams into the Sweet Sixteen!
And to think that we didn't get to see North Medford's two best pitchers - Matt Mauer (Pepperdine next year) and Bradey Shipley (Western Nevada Junior College).
North Medford's catcher Colin Sowers led off the game by driving a first pitch fastball over the Red Lion sign in left center. The dinger wasn't a towering shot barely clearing the fence. It was more of a liner. The hard hit ball was a foreshadowing of the 18 hits to follow. Most of the Tornado hits were hit on the button. The most noticeable consistency of the Medford batters was that they were rarely fooled by off speed pitches. I can only recall three or four times where the batters upper body was out ahead of their legs. It didn't matter what type of pitcher the Highlanders threw - Moore, Mills or Clayton - the batters just stayed back and attacked the ball at the last moment possible and with tremendous explosion.
Defensively, the Medford shortstop put on a show. He played so deep and covered so much ground that I think they could have played without the third baseman. He made two throws from deep behind the third baseman and then topped off his performance by going well behind second base and flipping the ball, back handed, to second for a force.
The Medford catcher, Colin Sowers, not only made a point of not throwing him a fastball in his zone, but he showed he was a wily catcher by setting up a Highlander on first by hiding behind a left handed batter for a few pitches. The Highlander kept creeping off a little more and then Sowers picked him with a nice backdoor move behind the batter.
Medford's Michael Bradshaw shut out the Highlanders in a complete game victory. The good news for the Southwest conference is that Bradshaw and the other two pitching aces are all seniors.
So, are the 6A schools that much better than 5A schools? For the most part yes. The obvious reason is that they have so many more bodies in their school to choose from. The OSAA has North Eugene with an average daily membership of 938 students and North Medford at 1665. Imagine if Highlander coach Nicholsen could look down the hallway and choose from 840 boys instead of 470. There would be a lot more juniors and seniors on the team, meaning a bigger, stronger, faster team.
It's tempting to say that the teams down south just play a lot more ball than Eugene teams. But with fall ball and legion and kids being invited to Area Code games, the Eugene schools have players who get in a lot of baseball. Notably, since the big boys were split off four seasons ago, just three of twelve state semifinalists were from down south. And from 2000 to 2006, when there were 80 teams in the upper 4A Division, only one SOC team made the state finals. So I go back to larger student bodies as the reason for success - along with a great program and conditioning.
So how do the smaller schools compete when they merge with the 6A schools next year? Well, pitching and defense are the classic neutralizers in baseball. One good ace on a staff can win half of a team's league games. Just look at the teams going to state from the current MWL and you'll find that with the exception of one starting pitcher, the pitchers rarely walk anyone. (By the way, North Medford got to Andrew Moore for two in the first inning, but Moore settled down in the second and might have had a good outing if he would have been allowed to go more than two innings.)
Developing a good hitting team seems to be more difficult than putting together a good defense. I believe this is where focus and conditioning come into play. Good hitters focus on every pitch, even in practice. Focus is a habit, and good habits have to be practiced. Focus needs to be automatic in gametime. Good hitters believe a sharply hit ball - a line drive preferably, or a blistering grounder- are the only acceptable hits, even in the cage. Some coaches preach almost any grounder as okay, but grounders weren't going to get through the North Medford infield.
Conditioning has changed tremendously in the last 15 years. I remember when the Churchill football team was running the double wing. The entire team worked out relentlessly and they looked like they would do well in any street fight. The next team to take conditioning to another level was when Marty Johnson took over the Sheldon football program. Amazingly, the Irish have maintained their weightroom/plyometrics attitude for over ten years. Other teams have had spurts in different programs. A few years ago, the Thurston basketball team would have looked like NBA thugs is they had just added some tats. The bottom line is, if you want to compete with the big boys, you better have a great 'core' conditioning program. In baseball, you need to add the arm muscles, too. Bigger - stronger - faster.
North Eugene hosts The Dalles-Wahtonka Friday. The Indians-Eagles made the playoffs in both football and basketball, but were eliminated early. So they have players with playoff experience and they will hungry to advance. For the most part, the Indians-Eagles have played good D, the exception being getting blown out by second ranked Pendleton. (Interresting hyphenated school and mascot names. If Sheldon and North Eugene merged, would they be called the Irish-Highlanders, or just the Kilts?)
Here's a challenge to North Eugene. Friday's playoff game is the last chance for a MWL team to advance past the sub round into the group of sixteen under the current playoff model. The OSAA four year classification experiment is over after spring season and next year begins the 'Hybrid' leagues and the 'Everybody goes to the Playoffs' format. Let's get three teams into the Sweet Sixteen!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Non playoff teams to decide MWL title
It's hard to believe it could turn out this way, but the three teams fighting for the MWL title do not play each other this week. If the top tier teams each win their two games this week, then here's the playoff seeds:
1. Springfield 12-3
2. Thurston 11-4
3. North Eugene 11-4
Fourth place Churchill, a playoff team last year, is the most likely to change the above scenario. The Lancers host North Eugene Monday and have both Spencer Jorgensen and Brad Birch available to pitch. North Eugene threw Andrew Moore all seven last Friday, so he probably won't be throwing Monday unless it's an inning of relief. I'm assuming that North Goes with Kyle DeHaven, who is 4-1 on the season. But he has thrown both of the other games against Churchill. On Wednesday, the Lancers travel to Thurston Wednesday with Sam Kiesse rested.
Fifth place Willamette hosts first place Springfield Monday and travels to North Eugene Wednesday. The Wolverines have wins over Churchill and North Eugene, so they know they can knock either Springfield or North down a notch. The Wolverines are likely to face Kameron Bates for the first time this year on Monday. Then Willamette will likely see Moore at North Eugene on Wednesday.
Marshfield hosts Thurston Monday and travels to Springfield Wednesday.
I'm thinking the highest possibility of an upset(s) will be Monday with the Springfield at Willamette game and the North Eugene at Churchill game. Both games are at the underdog's field. Willamette hasn't seen Bates yet this year, but I don't think that is a problem. Willamette doesn't like to strike out and they should put up a battle..... Churchill and North Eugene have traded 1-0 ball games. We could see a third 1-0 game.
Wednesday's games are less likely to give us an upset. All three playoff bound teams are at home. Marshfield at Springfield, Willamette at North Eugene (Moore) and Churchill at Thurston (Phinney). And I'm betting it's all hands on deck as far as the pitchers go on Wednesday, everyone is a potential reliever for the last league game.
The pressure's on. The number one seed is the only MWL team to get home field advantage for their first playoff game. Who wants it?
PS. Thanks to those who text me the scores last Friday. I was at the James Taylor/Carol King concert in Portland - Row 1. I know you youngins don't know who these people are, but they were and are still awesome.
1. Springfield 12-3
2. Thurston 11-4
3. North Eugene 11-4
Fourth place Churchill, a playoff team last year, is the most likely to change the above scenario. The Lancers host North Eugene Monday and have both Spencer Jorgensen and Brad Birch available to pitch. North Eugene threw Andrew Moore all seven last Friday, so he probably won't be throwing Monday unless it's an inning of relief. I'm assuming that North Goes with Kyle DeHaven, who is 4-1 on the season. But he has thrown both of the other games against Churchill. On Wednesday, the Lancers travel to Thurston Wednesday with Sam Kiesse rested.
Fifth place Willamette hosts first place Springfield Monday and travels to North Eugene Wednesday. The Wolverines have wins over Churchill and North Eugene, so they know they can knock either Springfield or North down a notch. The Wolverines are likely to face Kameron Bates for the first time this year on Monday. Then Willamette will likely see Moore at North Eugene on Wednesday.
Marshfield hosts Thurston Monday and travels to Springfield Wednesday.
I'm thinking the highest possibility of an upset(s) will be Monday with the Springfield at Willamette game and the North Eugene at Churchill game. Both games are at the underdog's field. Willamette hasn't seen Bates yet this year, but I don't think that is a problem. Willamette doesn't like to strike out and they should put up a battle..... Churchill and North Eugene have traded 1-0 ball games. We could see a third 1-0 game.
Wednesday's games are less likely to give us an upset. All three playoff bound teams are at home. Marshfield at Springfield, Willamette at North Eugene (Moore) and Churchill at Thurston (Phinney). And I'm betting it's all hands on deck as far as the pitchers go on Wednesday, everyone is a potential reliever for the last league game.
The pressure's on. The number one seed is the only MWL team to get home field advantage for their first playoff game. Who wants it?
PS. Thanks to those who text me the scores last Friday. I was at the James Taylor/Carol King concert in Portland - Row 1. I know you youngins don't know who these people are, but they were and are still awesome.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Will North Eugene spoil Springfield's Party?
Before going into the North Eugene - Springfield game, a question.... Why would anyone pay to see the Ducks or Ems play at PK park, when you can see a ten inning 3-2 game at Thurston with great pitching and fantastic defensive plays for free?
Back to the MWL. Springfield has answered the call this week with wins over fourth place Churchill and second place Thurston. But believe it or not, Springfield still could fall all the way to third. If Springfield loses out and North Eugene or Thurston wins out, Springfield falls to at least second.
North Eugene will begin their final push to take the pennant away from Springfield on Friday. A North Eugene win over Springfield gives North a 3-0 tiebreaker over the Millers. Springfield would still have a one game lead with two games to go with games against Willamette and Marshfield. But stumble once and North Eugene can steal the first seed by beating Churchill and Willamette next week.
North Eugene has two wins over Springfield by scores of 13-1 and 3-1. Springfield's Kameron Bates won't be available Friday after pitching ten innings Wednesday. In the other dugout, Andrew Moore is fresh and available for the Highlanders. North has given up just a little over 1 run per game over the last ten games. As bizarre as it may seem, Springfield might be wise to work their relievers a few innings each, see how the chips fall, and save their starters for next week. What the heck, North Eugene already owns the tiebreaker.
Willamette at Thurston
Dawson Phinney should be on the mound for Thurston. He'll be going for his fifth league win. Thurston is tied with North Eugene for second and the Colts own the tie breaker. Thurston should be focused for this one. I was impressed by the Colts valiant effort against the Millers yesterday with frosh Kyle Watson on the mound. Thurston will certainly miss Tyler Johnson if he can't get back on the field, but the Colts sure aren't going to be feeling sorry for themselves.
Churchill at Marshfield
I saw a Churchill-Marshfield game in Coos Bay a few years ago when Churchill was playing fantastic ball. The Lancers laid a complete egg. I think everyone felt that the Lancers would just kick into gear at some point and destroy the Pirates, but suddenly the game was over and the Pirates won. It looks like Elliot Aurdahl is available for the Pirates while Spencer Jorgensen pitched yesterday for Churchill.
My guesses, which were worth something before this year, is that North will prevail over Springfield and tighten up the race for the title. ... Thurston's Phinney will continue his mastery of the strike zone and beat Willamette to stay deadlocked with North in the standings.... And Churchill will have their hands full with Marshfield.
Bottom line is that we are down to the last three games and we don't know who our top three seeds are. A Churchill win and North Eugene loss Friday, keeps Churchill's faint playoff hopes alive. Churchill can catch North Eugene and capture the tiebreaker. Long odds, but it could happen.
Back to the MWL. Springfield has answered the call this week with wins over fourth place Churchill and second place Thurston. But believe it or not, Springfield still could fall all the way to third. If Springfield loses out and North Eugene or Thurston wins out, Springfield falls to at least second.
North Eugene will begin their final push to take the pennant away from Springfield on Friday. A North Eugene win over Springfield gives North a 3-0 tiebreaker over the Millers. Springfield would still have a one game lead with two games to go with games against Willamette and Marshfield. But stumble once and North Eugene can steal the first seed by beating Churchill and Willamette next week.
North Eugene has two wins over Springfield by scores of 13-1 and 3-1. Springfield's Kameron Bates won't be available Friday after pitching ten innings Wednesday. In the other dugout, Andrew Moore is fresh and available for the Highlanders. North has given up just a little over 1 run per game over the last ten games. As bizarre as it may seem, Springfield might be wise to work their relievers a few innings each, see how the chips fall, and save their starters for next week. What the heck, North Eugene already owns the tiebreaker.
Willamette at Thurston
Dawson Phinney should be on the mound for Thurston. He'll be going for his fifth league win. Thurston is tied with North Eugene for second and the Colts own the tie breaker. Thurston should be focused for this one. I was impressed by the Colts valiant effort against the Millers yesterday with frosh Kyle Watson on the mound. Thurston will certainly miss Tyler Johnson if he can't get back on the field, but the Colts sure aren't going to be feeling sorry for themselves.
Churchill at Marshfield
I saw a Churchill-Marshfield game in Coos Bay a few years ago when Churchill was playing fantastic ball. The Lancers laid a complete egg. I think everyone felt that the Lancers would just kick into gear at some point and destroy the Pirates, but suddenly the game was over and the Pirates won. It looks like Elliot Aurdahl is available for the Pirates while Spencer Jorgensen pitched yesterday for Churchill.
My guesses, which were worth something before this year, is that North will prevail over Springfield and tighten up the race for the title. ... Thurston's Phinney will continue his mastery of the strike zone and beat Willamette to stay deadlocked with North in the standings.... And Churchill will have their hands full with Marshfield.
Bottom line is that we are down to the last three games and we don't know who our top three seeds are. A Churchill win and North Eugene loss Friday, keeps Churchill's faint playoff hopes alive. Churchill can catch North Eugene and capture the tiebreaker. Long odds, but it could happen.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Millers Clinch Playoff Spot - Title next?
Kameron Bates had a day for Springfield against Churchill. Bates went 4 for 4 with a two run dinger. The 11-7 win put Springfield ahead of Churchill by five games with four to play, thus earning the Millers a playoff spot. This years trip to state will be the Miller's first playoff appearance since 2000.
The Millers next goal has to be to win an outright league title. The next step to the title for the Millers is to go on the road and beat crosstown rival Thurston this Wednesday. Springfield won the first two by scores of 11-8 and 6-2, so the Millers own the tiebreaker. But it is a lot different at the end of the season to be a co-champion with the first seed via tiebreaker, than to be the outright champion.
I was at the Thurston-North Eugene game last night where Thurston's shortstop and pitcher Tyler Johnson was hurt at second trying to turn a double play. Hopefully, the injury won't keep him out of the playoffs. I don't have any information from Thurston, but Johnson getting helped off of the field by teammates isn't indicative of being a starter against Springfield tomorrow. Dawson Phinney pitched five innings last night for Thurston, so Phinney probably won't be used as a starter tomorrow (Wednesday). Does coach Dube put the ball in the hands of frosh Kyle Watson? Or perhaps senior Jordan Loos? Maybe junior Austin Parrett or bring someone up from JV's?
Personally, I was hoping for a Kameron Bates - Tyler Johnson pitching matchup. But now my interest will be to see if the Thurston group can pull together in baseball like they did in football when they weathered some injuries late in the season. This game might be a little like the first Springfield - Thurston game this year - high scoring. Springfield got out in front and seemed to be cruising, but Thurston pulled within three in an 11-8 Miller victory. Springfield's coach Lansdon and Thurston coach Dube both have offenses that can hit with power and bunt you to death. If it is high scoring, I hope the wind stays down so I don't freeze taking pictures over a long period of time.
Churchill's shot at the playoffs are getting slim. A Lancer loss to Willamette Wednesday, combined with a North Eugene win over Marshfield knocks the Lancers out of the playoffs. (The Wolverines beat the Lancers in round 2, 9-6.) But there is still hope. Churchill is down three games to third place North Eugene with four games to go. The Lancers have to close the gap with North to one game by their league season finale against North Eugene. Churchill and North Eugene are even as far as the tiebreaker goes. Both teams won one head to head game, 1-0. I'm guessing the Willamette-Churchill game will be high scoring on both sides.
North Eugene hosts Marshfield. Marshfield's Elliot Aurdahl has the Pirates only two wins, and he pitched Monday. So the Highlanders will see someone else. The Pirates have given up just one run in each of the last two games and have been getting some good outings from some frosh and sophomore pitchers. It'll take a great outing for Marshfield to beat North. North Eugene has given up just 1.8 runs per game over all 11 league games. That stellar performance includes two shutouts and five games holding the opponents to just one run.
So it looks like we may know the playoff teams after Wednesday's games or maybe not until next Wednesday. I hope the drama drags on a little longer.
The Millers next goal has to be to win an outright league title. The next step to the title for the Millers is to go on the road and beat crosstown rival Thurston this Wednesday. Springfield won the first two by scores of 11-8 and 6-2, so the Millers own the tiebreaker. But it is a lot different at the end of the season to be a co-champion with the first seed via tiebreaker, than to be the outright champion.
I was at the Thurston-North Eugene game last night where Thurston's shortstop and pitcher Tyler Johnson was hurt at second trying to turn a double play. Hopefully, the injury won't keep him out of the playoffs. I don't have any information from Thurston, but Johnson getting helped off of the field by teammates isn't indicative of being a starter against Springfield tomorrow. Dawson Phinney pitched five innings last night for Thurston, so Phinney probably won't be used as a starter tomorrow (Wednesday). Does coach Dube put the ball in the hands of frosh Kyle Watson? Or perhaps senior Jordan Loos? Maybe junior Austin Parrett or bring someone up from JV's?
Personally, I was hoping for a Kameron Bates - Tyler Johnson pitching matchup. But now my interest will be to see if the Thurston group can pull together in baseball like they did in football when they weathered some injuries late in the season. This game might be a little like the first Springfield - Thurston game this year - high scoring. Springfield got out in front and seemed to be cruising, but Thurston pulled within three in an 11-8 Miller victory. Springfield's coach Lansdon and Thurston coach Dube both have offenses that can hit with power and bunt you to death. If it is high scoring, I hope the wind stays down so I don't freeze taking pictures over a long period of time.
Churchill's shot at the playoffs are getting slim. A Lancer loss to Willamette Wednesday, combined with a North Eugene win over Marshfield knocks the Lancers out of the playoffs. (The Wolverines beat the Lancers in round 2, 9-6.) But there is still hope. Churchill is down three games to third place North Eugene with four games to go. The Lancers have to close the gap with North to one game by their league season finale against North Eugene. Churchill and North Eugene are even as far as the tiebreaker goes. Both teams won one head to head game, 1-0. I'm guessing the Willamette-Churchill game will be high scoring on both sides.
North Eugene hosts Marshfield. Marshfield's Elliot Aurdahl has the Pirates only two wins, and he pitched Monday. So the Highlanders will see someone else. The Pirates have given up just one run in each of the last two games and have been getting some good outings from some frosh and sophomore pitchers. It'll take a great outing for Marshfield to beat North. North Eugene has given up just 1.8 runs per game over all 11 league games. That stellar performance includes two shutouts and five games holding the opponents to just one run.
So it looks like we may know the playoff teams after Wednesday's games or maybe not until next Wednesday. I hope the drama drags on a little longer.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Millers Griller Week Coming Up
Churchill at home, Thurston on the road and a home game against the Highlanders. That's the Miller challenge this week. Sweep and Springfield would be on the verge of the MWL title. Win two and they are going to state. But, if they get swept, they could be on the edge of elimination if the Lancers get hot.
Springfield's bats have earned the Miller's a first place tie so far. They've pounded out 7.4 runs per game in league. That's quite a way ahead of Thurston's next best of 6.0. Four different players have jacked it for the Millers. Oliver Johnson and Blaine Dudley have two each, and Brandon Hubbard and Ryan Helfrich have one apiece.
Alex Camarena, Kameron Bates, Johnson and Cody Whitney have been hammering doubles and triples. With these bats it has to follow that Springfield would have the most players in the top 10 of RBI producers. And they do.
The other side of the Miller coin says that Springfield isn't winning their games with stellar D. They are giving up 5.6 runs per game in league. Fourth best out of six teams. But most of the runs against Springfield were scored in the first four games. Other than giving up nine runs to Willamette in a 15-9 victory in the second round, Springfield has held opponents to four or less in the last six games.
Frosh Malik Evans is 3-0 with wins over Thurston, Churchill and Willamette. Bates is 2-1 with wins over Thurston and Churchill. Jordan VanEngers is 2-1, the loss coming against North Eugene by a score of 3-1. It will be interesting to see who gets the Churchill start Monday, and who is saved for the game against Thurston on Wednesday.
Thurston
The Colts share of first place has been earned through a nice balance of offense and defense. The Colts are second in league in scoring at 6.0 runs per game. They are also second in defense at 4.2 runs per game. That's far behind North Eugene's 1.9 runs given up per game, and just ahead of Churchill at 5.0 and Springfield at 5.6 runs per game.
The Colts are getting hits, and hits with power, all up and down the line up. Jarren Goddard and Tyler Johnson have each homered and tripled, Goddard having two dingers. Goddard has also been hammering doubles, as have Peanut, Tylor Dumilieu, and Johnson. Zach Kopczanski and Jordan Loos have been hitting in the clutch and are among the team leaders in RBI's.
Colt pitcher Dawson Phinney leads the league in league wins with a 4-1 record. He could see another three starts in league. But it will be interesting to see if coach Dube holds him out of the Monday start at North Eugene to save him for Springfield. I'm guessing he goes with Phinney against the Highlanders. Phinney beat North, Willamette and Churchill in the first round. It makes sense to let him do it again.
North Eugene
The Highlanders are the defensive kings of the MWL. By a mile. They are giving up just 1.9 runs per game in league. Thurston is next at 4.2. So why aren't the Highlanders tied for first? Because they are next to last in scoring with 4.8 runs per game. My Pirates are last at 3.4 runs per game.
North's losses are by scores of 3-5, 2-4, 3-4 and 0-1. Sophomore Andrew Moore is 2-2 and has a key save. He's averaging over 10 strike outs a game versus a little over 1 walk. Kyle DeHaven is 3-1, with two wins over Marshfield and a split in 1-0 games against Churchill. Chris Clayton and Garrett Harpole have been doing very good work in relief roles.
North hosts Thurson Monday and travels to Springfield Friday. These are must wins if the Highlanders hope to regain the league title.
Churchill
The Lancers have been involved in three 1-0 ball games. Unfortunately for Churchill, they lost two of those in the second round to North Eugene and Thurston. If the Lancer's would have won those games, they would be in third place ahead of North and own the tie breaker. If....
Churchill may have to sweep this week to stay alive. They play Springfield, Willamette and Marshfield. In previous years, everyone would have thought "A sweep is very probable". Not even close this year. Any of the Lancer's opponents next week can defeat them.
Churchill's defense hasn't been too bad. At 5.0 runs given up per game, they are a little behind Thurston. It's the offensive side that is hurting. They've scored 3 or less in 7 games. I find it tough to believe that a line up with speedy left handed lead off man Ben Straka, Alex Priaulx (three dingers), Sam Kiesse, Brad Birch (2 dingers) and Spencer Jorgensen in the 1 through 5 spots, Churchill isn't putting up more runs.
Willamette
The Wolverines are third in runs scored in league and fifth in runs given up. Willamette finished the first round 0-5, with two one run losses, two two run losses and a fifth loss by three runs. Four of those losses were low scoring affairs. The Wolverines picked up their bats the second round and finished 3-2. This time in mostly high scoring affairs.
Willamette will most likely have to sweep the final round to have a chance of making the playoffs, although a miraculous cave in by North Eugene and Churchill could get them to the playoffs with a 4-1 final round.
Willamette's two homers have been by a frosh and soph - Scott Kuvaas and Trent Waggoner. Frosh Kuvaas also has tripled. Taylor Woodke has been hitting with men on and is among the league leaders in RBI's. Jake Hughes cleared the bases with a double to win the game against North last week. Junior TonySvensson has also been clutch with men on base.
Pitching duties have been spread pretty evenly among Trent Waggoner, Jack Hughes, Koleton Williams and Tony Svensson.
Marshfield.
The Pirates almost messed up the tie at the top of the league in a 1-0 loss to Springfield. They had a man on third with no outs in the 7th and couldn't get him in.
Seniors Cody Dew and has homered for the Pirates. There have been some outstanding performances late in the year by some frosh and sophs. The Pirates could end up in a three way tie for third if North loses out to end up 6-9, Willamette wins three to end up 6-9, Churchill wins one against North (5-10) and Marshfield sweeps five to end up 6-9.....
Please share your comments or corrections by responding in this blog or email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com
Springfield's bats have earned the Miller's a first place tie so far. They've pounded out 7.4 runs per game in league. That's quite a way ahead of Thurston's next best of 6.0. Four different players have jacked it for the Millers. Oliver Johnson and Blaine Dudley have two each, and Brandon Hubbard and Ryan Helfrich have one apiece.
Alex Camarena, Kameron Bates, Johnson and Cody Whitney have been hammering doubles and triples. With these bats it has to follow that Springfield would have the most players in the top 10 of RBI producers. And they do.
The other side of the Miller coin says that Springfield isn't winning their games with stellar D. They are giving up 5.6 runs per game in league. Fourth best out of six teams. But most of the runs against Springfield were scored in the first four games. Other than giving up nine runs to Willamette in a 15-9 victory in the second round, Springfield has held opponents to four or less in the last six games.
Frosh Malik Evans is 3-0 with wins over Thurston, Churchill and Willamette. Bates is 2-1 with wins over Thurston and Churchill. Jordan VanEngers is 2-1, the loss coming against North Eugene by a score of 3-1. It will be interesting to see who gets the Churchill start Monday, and who is saved for the game against Thurston on Wednesday.
Thurston
The Colts share of first place has been earned through a nice balance of offense and defense. The Colts are second in league in scoring at 6.0 runs per game. They are also second in defense at 4.2 runs per game. That's far behind North Eugene's 1.9 runs given up per game, and just ahead of Churchill at 5.0 and Springfield at 5.6 runs per game.
The Colts are getting hits, and hits with power, all up and down the line up. Jarren Goddard and Tyler Johnson have each homered and tripled, Goddard having two dingers. Goddard has also been hammering doubles, as have Peanut, Tylor Dumilieu, and Johnson. Zach Kopczanski and Jordan Loos have been hitting in the clutch and are among the team leaders in RBI's.
Colt pitcher Dawson Phinney leads the league in league wins with a 4-1 record. He could see another three starts in league. But it will be interesting to see if coach Dube holds him out of the Monday start at North Eugene to save him for Springfield. I'm guessing he goes with Phinney against the Highlanders. Phinney beat North, Willamette and Churchill in the first round. It makes sense to let him do it again.
North Eugene
The Highlanders are the defensive kings of the MWL. By a mile. They are giving up just 1.9 runs per game in league. Thurston is next at 4.2. So why aren't the Highlanders tied for first? Because they are next to last in scoring with 4.8 runs per game. My Pirates are last at 3.4 runs per game.
North's losses are by scores of 3-5, 2-4, 3-4 and 0-1. Sophomore Andrew Moore is 2-2 and has a key save. He's averaging over 10 strike outs a game versus a little over 1 walk. Kyle DeHaven is 3-1, with two wins over Marshfield and a split in 1-0 games against Churchill. Chris Clayton and Garrett Harpole have been doing very good work in relief roles.
North hosts Thurson Monday and travels to Springfield Friday. These are must wins if the Highlanders hope to regain the league title.
Churchill
The Lancers have been involved in three 1-0 ball games. Unfortunately for Churchill, they lost two of those in the second round to North Eugene and Thurston. If the Lancer's would have won those games, they would be in third place ahead of North and own the tie breaker. If....
Churchill may have to sweep this week to stay alive. They play Springfield, Willamette and Marshfield. In previous years, everyone would have thought "A sweep is very probable". Not even close this year. Any of the Lancer's opponents next week can defeat them.
Churchill's defense hasn't been too bad. At 5.0 runs given up per game, they are a little behind Thurston. It's the offensive side that is hurting. They've scored 3 or less in 7 games. I find it tough to believe that a line up with speedy left handed lead off man Ben Straka, Alex Priaulx (three dingers), Sam Kiesse, Brad Birch (2 dingers) and Spencer Jorgensen in the 1 through 5 spots, Churchill isn't putting up more runs.
Willamette
The Wolverines are third in runs scored in league and fifth in runs given up. Willamette finished the first round 0-5, with two one run losses, two two run losses and a fifth loss by three runs. Four of those losses were low scoring affairs. The Wolverines picked up their bats the second round and finished 3-2. This time in mostly high scoring affairs.
Willamette will most likely have to sweep the final round to have a chance of making the playoffs, although a miraculous cave in by North Eugene and Churchill could get them to the playoffs with a 4-1 final round.
Willamette's two homers have been by a frosh and soph - Scott Kuvaas and Trent Waggoner. Frosh Kuvaas also has tripled. Taylor Woodke has been hitting with men on and is among the league leaders in RBI's. Jake Hughes cleared the bases with a double to win the game against North last week. Junior TonySvensson has also been clutch with men on base.
Pitching duties have been spread pretty evenly among Trent Waggoner, Jack Hughes, Koleton Williams and Tony Svensson.
Marshfield.
The Pirates almost messed up the tie at the top of the league in a 1-0 loss to Springfield. They had a man on third with no outs in the 7th and couldn't get him in.
Seniors Cody Dew and has homered for the Pirates. There have been some outstanding performances late in the year by some frosh and sophs. The Pirates could end up in a three way tie for third if North loses out to end up 6-9, Willamette wins three to end up 6-9, Churchill wins one against North (5-10) and Marshfield sweeps five to end up 6-9.....
Please share your comments or corrections by responding in this blog or email me at mwlnow@yahoo.com
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