Spring Break in AZ
Four MWL teams went to the Coach Bob Tourney in Arizona. Good thing, too, as Churchill, Willamette, Sheldon and Thurston only had played a total of four games combined in Oregon before heading to the sun.
Sheldon has looked particularly good in Arizona, going 3-0 so far. Brett Nielsen has been lights out, mastering his strikes ratio on this road trip. Sheldon's defense has been super solid and the Irish have been using the trip to develop some number two's in their pitching rotation.
Thurston has gone the big bat route as expected. The Colts have 8-4 and 11-9 wins in Arizona.
Churchill looks to be stronger at the plate than on the mound at this early point in the season. The Lancers are 1-2 so far in Arizona. They haven't scored less than six runs in their four outings so far (three games in Az and a five inning 15-5 win over Siuslaw.
Willamette scored 19 and 9 runs in their two Oregon outings, both wins, before reaching Arizona. The Wolverines are 1-1 so far in the Coach Bob tourney. So I'm thinking the Willamette bats are going to be stronger than last year and their pitching will be better, too.
Spring break in Oregon.
North Eugene has played the most games of anyone in the MWL so far and have a 5-2 record. The Highlanders are living dangerously. Th most they've scored is six runs, which they've done twice, but one of those six run outings was in a ten inning game. On the other hand, North has only given up more than two runs once, and that was in a 6-5 ten inning win over Grant. I'm guessing the Highlanders have found enough pitchers to back up ace Andrew Moore to do well in MWL play.
South Eugene has the season opening 2-1 win over Sheldon and a 7-1 win over North Salem. I like this year's version of the Axemen. Schindler gets it done on the mound and at the plate and I think he's going to get plenty of defensive backup and his teammates will deliver enough at the plate to do well in the MWL.
Marist, Marshfield and Springfield are a combined 0-5. Marist and Springfield have one loss apiece while the Pirates have dropped three. The only game I've seen so far this year was a 12-0 loss to Summit by Marist. Marist was pretty much what I expected. Young, young, young.
MWL Hybrid thoughts
Most of you already know there isn't a full round robin schedule among the old MWL teams. So we don't have an official, unofficial MWL Hybrid League this year. But I have an unofficial, unofficial MWL Hybrid standing. It looks like most teams are scheduled to play 14 games against other 'old MWL' teams, so we can get a good read on how the 5A and 6A old MWL teams compare. Just keep in mind that there won't be the sense of urgency to make up rain outs between a 5A and a 6A team, as they must get in their OSAA 6A Special District games and OSAA 5A MWL games.
That said, I'm a little concerned with my earleri 'way too early' projection of the Colts strolling on a cakewalk to the hybrid title. The reason I'm concerned is that I was thinking the Thurston bats could clobber the ball enough over 14ish league games to lead the MWL pack. But after hearing the 'thud' of the bats this spring (versus the 'crack' of a wood bat of 'ping' of the uber-metal bats), and watching hit balls barely make it out of the infield, I'm thinking the game is going to be a lot more small ball than I had anticipated. That opens the door for Moore, Schindler, Nielsen and Lessel to just throw strikes baby, and let the D do their job.
Overall, I still think it's going to be a great year in the MWL. We have at least four great pitchers and a lot of solid number twos. And those twos might just become aces.
Some minor changes to my earlier prediction.
I'm going to leave Thurston at number one, but now I'm lumping them in with five other teams.
1. Thurston. Great bats, good pitching, solid fielding, speed on the basepaths. Experienced.
2. Sheldon. Good bats, very good pitching, very good fielding, speed on the basepaths. Experienced.
3. North Eugene. Great pitching, so-so bats so far, excellent fielding. A few varsity veterans, but a lot of new faces.
4. South Eugene. Great staff ace, solid defense, decent bats. Quite a bit of experience.
5. Churchill. Great staff ace, bats looking really good so far, overall defense okay.
6. Willamette. Should be very good in the field. Pitching looks solid. Bats are good. Experienced.
7. Marist. New Coach, mostly new faces on team, including transfer pitcher from Springfield
8. Springfield. Like Marist, mostly new faces. Dont' want to be in a rebuilding year this year, with the top six teams loaded with experience.
9. Marshfield. 0-3 against 4A teams.
There should be a lot of great games between the top six teams. I'm thinking Sheldon and North have the best starters right now. Thurston has the dominant bats and the Colt pitchers are just a little away from being dominant and could break out anytime. South might develop into my favorite fun team to watch this year. I think they are under the radar, but have the talent and weird chemistry to do well. Churchill and Willamette need to be consistent on both O and D to make it to the top third of the MWL. They have the potential, it's just a matter of consistency day in and day out.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Game Recaps Week 1 March 12-17
Friday March 16 (Three games)
South Eugene 2 Sheldon 1 5 innings
Aces Nielsen vs Schindler - 19 total k’s over 5 innings
In the first of many anticipated match-ups among Eugene-Springfield ace pitchers, South’s Joe Schindler used a 5 inning, 7 strike out, three hit performance to outduel Sheldon’s Brett Nielsen.
Schindler got six of his first nine outs by strikeouts. Nielsen got eight of his first nine outs by fanning the Axemen. After three innings of scoreless ball, the two pitchers had racked up 14 k’s and given up just one hit, a hit by Schindler off of Nielsen. The Irish broke through in the top of the fourth. Dylan Lewis led off the inning with a single to left field. After stealing second, he scored on a base hit from Gaje McDaniel to give the Irish a 1-0 lead.
South tied it in the bottom of the inning on an errant pick-off play that sent Axeman Mike Morrison across the plate. With the game tied 1-1 after four, Sheldon had a scoring opportunity in the top of the fifth when lead off batter Ryan Land stole second base. Land died on the base path. But the next batter, Mitch Lewis, ended up on second, keeping the Irish hopes alive. Schindler then got the next to outs to strand Lewis on second.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Axemen loaded the bases without a hit and grabbed the go ahead run when South’s second baseman, soph Jimmy Grossman, took one for the team on a two out, full count pitch. That sent Alex Wectowski across the plate to put South up 2-1. Nielsen then recorded his 12th and final strike out to retire the side.
The game continued into the sixth inning and Sheldon came back. After Dylan Lewis walked and Cam Herr was hit by a pitch, McDaniel blasted a two-run double to left to give the Irish the lead. Mitch Hebert followed with an rbi single, but the umpires deemed it too wet to continue, and with the score reverting back to the fifth inning, giving the Axemen the victory.
Hits were hard to come by for both teams. For Sheldon, McDaniel and Herbert had hits and Ryan Land was 1-2 with three stolen bases for the Irish.
South pitcher, Joe Schindler was 2-2 for all of South's hits in the game to go along with his 7 strike out performance.
SH 000 10 = 1 3 2
SE 000 22 = 2 2 1
SE 000 22 = 2 2 1
Nielsen and McDaniel; Schindler and Giland
RBI SH - McDaniel, SE Grossman
North Salem 1 North Eugene 0
North Eugene loaded the bases in the top of the third, but couldn't score. North Salem starter Andy Bevans went four innings, giving up two hits and striking out four, while walking three.
NE 000 000 0 = 0 3 1
NS 100 000 x = 1 4 0
Silverton 6 Springfield 5
No report
North Salem 1 North Eugene 0
North Eugene loaded the bases in the top of the third, but couldn't score. North Salem starter Andy Bevans went four innings, giving up two hits and striking out four, while walking three.
NE 000 000 0 = 0 3 1
NS 100 000 x = 1 4 0
Silverton 6 Springfield 5
No report
Wednesday March 14 (One game)
North Eugene 3 Corvallis 0
North only garnered two hits (Ryan DeLaney and Wallace) , but took advantage of leadoff walks in the first and third. Both walks were later followed by errors, setting up the Highlander victory. Joe Lindley had a sac fly to score DeLaney in the first.
Corvallis 000 000 0 – 0 3 3
North Eugene 201 000 0 – 3 2 1
Ellenson, Markley (4) and Rockey. Woods, Haase (6) and Pancho. WP: Woods. LP: Ellenson
Hits: CHS 3 (Hanson 2, Karpinski). NE 2 (DeLaney, Wallace)
Tuesday March 13 (One game)
North Eugene 6 West Albany 1
Beaver bound Andrew Moore starts off his final campaign with five flawless innings and adds punch at the plate. Kevin Haase tosses the final two innings.
West Albany . . . . . 000 000 1 – 1 2 1
North Eugene . . . . 100 410 x – 6 9 1
Burright, Miller (3), Spangler (4), Nicholsen (6) and Smith. Moore, Haase (6) and Pachano. W: Moore. L: Burright. 2B: WA, Trader. NE, Delaney, Moore.
Opening Day Monday March 12 (One game)
Willamette 19 South Albany 0
Willamette waded through the rain and Rebel pitching to pick up their first victory of the season. The Wolverines took advantage of a young South Albany team and turned 11 hits and 10 walks into 19 runs. Junior Cole Hathaway and senior Dustin Leber each had 3 hits to lead the Wolverine attack. Hathaway scored all 5 times and had a 2-run triple while Leber scored 3 times and junior Jalen Drath chipped in 2 hits. Senior Trent Waggoner had 4 RBIs and junior Scott Kuvaas had 5 RBIs. 
On the mound, Waggoner needed little help as he threw a complete game 4 hitter striking out 9 for the victory.
Willamette 4 3 4 5 3 - 19 11 0
South Albany 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 4 0
Waggoner and Leber, Kvanduch (4)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
2012 MWL Baseball Prediction
Looks like I'll take on at least one more season of baseball. A new league website run by others was to be up and running by now, but it hasn't happened yet. So, with a late start, I'll jump into the 2012 season.
Hybrid Prediction:
I'm not sure that there will be full round of 16 games among all 5A and 6A teams, but it will be close enough for me to crown a champion of the unofficial MWL hybrid league.
1. Thurston. In a cakewalk. If the six Thurston all leaguers return with focus, it's a breeze for the Colts. Rumors are that there may be some arm problems on the staff (lots of similar rumors about players throughout the league), but the Colts are so strong at the plate and deep enough in pitching that they could pitch a player every fifth game and have everyone else soaking their arms in an ice pool. Who are these six returning guys? 1st teamers speedster Joey Urness in the OF and DH Aaron Hoover. 2nd teamers Kyle Watson (P) and Stefan Drake (OF). Honorable Mention went to catcher Jarren Goddad and frosh Aaron Clift.
Thurston once again won't need that over the top ace to win league. Last year they pounded the league into submission, and there is no reason why they won't do the same this year. If Colt arms get healthy and the K to BB ratio improves, its just a bonus.
It's been a while since the MWL saw a team with this much potential. But potential is just that, and the Colts wouldn't be the first team with so much going for them to get derailed by the usual - high school broken hearts, injury, stat chasing, infighting, swollen heads, the list goes on.
2-6. Picking the two through six spots is a lot tougher this year, especially if the rumors about injuries hold true. All teams but Marist and Springfield fielded young to very young teams last year. So, almost all teams should be much better just based on a summer of baseball and getting one year older. Add in a plethora of very good returning pitchers and it should be a much better result come playoff time for the MWL. I'm sure I'll miss someone, but returning upper tier pitchers include; Jake Lessel at Churchill (10.7 k's per league game), Beaver-to-be Andrew Moore (11.3 K's per MWL game), Brett Nielsen (10.4 k's per game), and Joe Schindler (8.5 k's per game). Right behind these guys put Thurston's Kyle Watson and Aaron Clift and Willamette's Trent Waggoner. And in the wings with possible very good years are Malik Evans and Toby Woods.
2. Sheldon. One of many very young teams last year. The Irish would be an easier pick for number two, if it weren't for the rumored arm problems with Nielsen. Still, the Irish have one of the better sticks in the league with Cooper Stiles. Nielsen can also drive the ball along with Dylan Lewis. Ryan Land is one of the better defensive center fielders in the state and can be a terror on the bases. Land's outfield play will help the newbie pitchers relax and throw strikes, knowing Land can run down anything. (March 13 Update - I just got an email from Ireland saying Nielsen is looking healthy, so I feel really good about the Irish being number 2. Maybe they can even toss Nielsen against the Colts twice) Note that the Irish and Colts have a 6A counting league game Monday March 19th. I hope to find my way to the posh Mancave atop the Colt dugout for that one.
3. Churchill. I'm going with Churchill for 3rd because North lost some good returnees to various and sundry reasons. Jake Lessel should be one of the premier pitchers in the league. He's got some juice on the ball and has good command. Improving his K to BB ratio just a little will mean a lot to the Lancers. Churchill has other pitchers with experience who should improve this year. Jordan Thompson among them. The Lancers lost some punch at the plate, but might be better off not waiting for the home run swing of graduated Bryson Jones. Chase Kearney, Thompson, Devin Murray and DeZarn all return and should grab a lot of the RBI's.
4. North Eugene. And you ask, "How could you rate the Highlander's #4 with Andrew Moore good for 8 hybridized wins?" For starters, North will be in a bit of a rebuilding mode. They lost four of their top 5 sticks; Boehm, Harpole, DeHaven and Clayton to graduation. Clayton graduated early from North to attend LCC. Add in Eric Long returning to Elmira for his senior year and North's looks almost like a new team. Some of those close first round wins last year might not be wins this year if the Highlander O doesn't find itself.
The Highlander's are hoping pitcher Toby Woods has a lot of good outings early on while the bats develop.
5. South Eugene. I'm going to ride Joe Schindler's arm and bat over Willamette and Marist for 5th. I love watching Schindler pitch. In my mind, I could knock the tar out of him. He just looks so hittable and I keep getting better at the plate as I age. But he walks too few batters and K's far too many batters to be lucky. Schindler will need more support at the plate from his teammates. He might just get it from sophs Jimmy Grossman and Kai Delap. Players usually make pretty big jumps in the year after they've played varsity as frosh. And these two were good last year. Add in Ben Giland, another solid stick, and the Axemen have 'po'.
6. Willamette. The Wolverines are poised to do a lot better than 6th. But, I'll not jinx them. Another of the very young teams last year, the Wolverines just couldn't get their bats going in 2011. Hopefully, last night's 19-0 win says "Things have changed." Juniors Cole Hathaway and Scott Kuvass have started since they were freshmen. They definitely shine in the field and this year they need to shine at the plate. Senior Trent Waggoner looks to be the staff ace this year. He had a nice 2 to 1 ratio in K's to BB's last year. Bump that up to 3:1 or more while keeping the walks minimized and Waggoner can lock in 5 to 7 league wins. Junior Jalen Drath delivered a lot in the clutch last year. Willamette needs even more out of Drath this year.
7. Marist. Basically the Spartans graduated everybody and their coach. Now, that's starting over. I've heard some of the transfer rumors, but I'll wait til I see it on paper. (Oh, by the way, North Eugene did not pick up a stud from back East this year). Bennet Chiongbiong and Austin Baird are the returners for Marist. Hopefully, for me, Baird leaves the infield and goes back to center where he is a natural and belongs with his blazing speed and quickness. As a former pitcher, it was nice knowing that when I threw a gopher ball bound for the far reaches, I knew it was either out or caught, but not a double or triple.
Chiongbiong and Baird both can hit and have speed. But they'll be working with an entire new cast around them and a new coach, former Springfield Miller Scott DeWitt, so who knows?
8. Springfield. The only other team to be clobbered by graduation besides Marist. Soph Taylor Travess and senior Britton Auxier return from last year's roster. Otherwise it's a complete makeover.
9. Marshfield. The Pirates have a lot of potential returnees. Senior catcher/pitcher Raymond Jones. Juniors Doug Molzahn and Tyler Johnson among those with quite a bit of experience.
I'll update my predictions after I see actual rosters and see a few non league games.
Housekeeping:
You can text scores to me at 541-337-1311. I'm a smart phone dummy, but I'll try and Tweet out the scores as I get them.
You can email me photos at mwlnow@yahoo.com.
I have a Facebook page here
And Remember:
When your kid looks at the third strike, don't ask him about it. Everybody at the game saw it and he already doesn't feel good about it.
When your kid balks in a run, don't ask him about it. Everybody at the game saw it and he already doesn't feel good about it.
Etc. Everybody at the game saw it and he already doesn't feel good about it. Parents get to buy their kids Goof Up Slurpees. Just say 'Want a Slurpee?' Coaches get to fix things. (They didn't have Slurpees when I was a kid, I got cherry Kool Aid.... Lot's of it.)
Good Luck to Everyone in 2012!
Hybrid Prediction:
I'm not sure that there will be full round of 16 games among all 5A and 6A teams, but it will be close enough for me to crown a champion of the unofficial MWL hybrid league.
1. Thurston. In a cakewalk. If the six Thurston all leaguers return with focus, it's a breeze for the Colts. Rumors are that there may be some arm problems on the staff (lots of similar rumors about players throughout the league), but the Colts are so strong at the plate and deep enough in pitching that they could pitch a player every fifth game and have everyone else soaking their arms in an ice pool. Who are these six returning guys? 1st teamers speedster Joey Urness in the OF and DH Aaron Hoover. 2nd teamers Kyle Watson (P) and Stefan Drake (OF). Honorable Mention went to catcher Jarren Goddad and frosh Aaron Clift.
Thurston once again won't need that over the top ace to win league. Last year they pounded the league into submission, and there is no reason why they won't do the same this year. If Colt arms get healthy and the K to BB ratio improves, its just a bonus.
It's been a while since the MWL saw a team with this much potential. But potential is just that, and the Colts wouldn't be the first team with so much going for them to get derailed by the usual - high school broken hearts, injury, stat chasing, infighting, swollen heads, the list goes on.
2-6. Picking the two through six spots is a lot tougher this year, especially if the rumors about injuries hold true. All teams but Marist and Springfield fielded young to very young teams last year. So, almost all teams should be much better just based on a summer of baseball and getting one year older. Add in a plethora of very good returning pitchers and it should be a much better result come playoff time for the MWL. I'm sure I'll miss someone, but returning upper tier pitchers include; Jake Lessel at Churchill (10.7 k's per league game), Beaver-to-be Andrew Moore (11.3 K's per MWL game), Brett Nielsen (10.4 k's per game), and Joe Schindler (8.5 k's per game). Right behind these guys put Thurston's Kyle Watson and Aaron Clift and Willamette's Trent Waggoner. And in the wings with possible very good years are Malik Evans and Toby Woods.
2. Sheldon. One of many very young teams last year. The Irish would be an easier pick for number two, if it weren't for the rumored arm problems with Nielsen. Still, the Irish have one of the better sticks in the league with Cooper Stiles. Nielsen can also drive the ball along with Dylan Lewis. Ryan Land is one of the better defensive center fielders in the state and can be a terror on the bases. Land's outfield play will help the newbie pitchers relax and throw strikes, knowing Land can run down anything. (March 13 Update - I just got an email from Ireland saying Nielsen is looking healthy, so I feel really good about the Irish being number 2. Maybe they can even toss Nielsen against the Colts twice) Note that the Irish and Colts have a 6A counting league game Monday March 19th. I hope to find my way to the posh Mancave atop the Colt dugout for that one.
3. Churchill. I'm going with Churchill for 3rd because North lost some good returnees to various and sundry reasons. Jake Lessel should be one of the premier pitchers in the league. He's got some juice on the ball and has good command. Improving his K to BB ratio just a little will mean a lot to the Lancers. Churchill has other pitchers with experience who should improve this year. Jordan Thompson among them. The Lancers lost some punch at the plate, but might be better off not waiting for the home run swing of graduated Bryson Jones. Chase Kearney, Thompson, Devin Murray and DeZarn all return and should grab a lot of the RBI's.
4. North Eugene. And you ask, "How could you rate the Highlander's #4 with Andrew Moore good for 8 hybridized wins?" For starters, North will be in a bit of a rebuilding mode. They lost four of their top 5 sticks; Boehm, Harpole, DeHaven and Clayton to graduation. Clayton graduated early from North to attend LCC. Add in Eric Long returning to Elmira for his senior year and North's looks almost like a new team. Some of those close first round wins last year might not be wins this year if the Highlander O doesn't find itself.
The Highlander's are hoping pitcher Toby Woods has a lot of good outings early on while the bats develop.
5. South Eugene. I'm going to ride Joe Schindler's arm and bat over Willamette and Marist for 5th. I love watching Schindler pitch. In my mind, I could knock the tar out of him. He just looks so hittable and I keep getting better at the plate as I age. But he walks too few batters and K's far too many batters to be lucky. Schindler will need more support at the plate from his teammates. He might just get it from sophs Jimmy Grossman and Kai Delap. Players usually make pretty big jumps in the year after they've played varsity as frosh. And these two were good last year. Add in Ben Giland, another solid stick, and the Axemen have 'po'.
6. Willamette. The Wolverines are poised to do a lot better than 6th. But, I'll not jinx them. Another of the very young teams last year, the Wolverines just couldn't get their bats going in 2011. Hopefully, last night's 19-0 win says "Things have changed." Juniors Cole Hathaway and Scott Kuvass have started since they were freshmen. They definitely shine in the field and this year they need to shine at the plate. Senior Trent Waggoner looks to be the staff ace this year. He had a nice 2 to 1 ratio in K's to BB's last year. Bump that up to 3:1 or more while keeping the walks minimized and Waggoner can lock in 5 to 7 league wins. Junior Jalen Drath delivered a lot in the clutch last year. Willamette needs even more out of Drath this year.
7. Marist. Basically the Spartans graduated everybody and their coach. Now, that's starting over. I've heard some of the transfer rumors, but I'll wait til I see it on paper. (Oh, by the way, North Eugene did not pick up a stud from back East this year). Bennet Chiongbiong and Austin Baird are the returners for Marist. Hopefully, for me, Baird leaves the infield and goes back to center where he is a natural and belongs with his blazing speed and quickness. As a former pitcher, it was nice knowing that when I threw a gopher ball bound for the far reaches, I knew it was either out or caught, but not a double or triple.
Chiongbiong and Baird both can hit and have speed. But they'll be working with an entire new cast around them and a new coach, former Springfield Miller Scott DeWitt, so who knows?
8. Springfield. The only other team to be clobbered by graduation besides Marist. Soph Taylor Travess and senior Britton Auxier return from last year's roster. Otherwise it's a complete makeover.
9. Marshfield. The Pirates have a lot of potential returnees. Senior catcher/pitcher Raymond Jones. Juniors Doug Molzahn and Tyler Johnson among those with quite a bit of experience.
I'll update my predictions after I see actual rosters and see a few non league games.
Housekeeping:
You can text scores to me at 541-337-1311. I'm a smart phone dummy, but I'll try and Tweet out the scores as I get them.
You can email me photos at mwlnow@yahoo.com.
I have a Facebook page here
And Remember:
When your kid looks at the third strike, don't ask him about it. Everybody at the game saw it and he already doesn't feel good about it.
When your kid balks in a run, don't ask him about it. Everybody at the game saw it and he already doesn't feel good about it.
Etc. Everybody at the game saw it and he already doesn't feel good about it. Parents get to buy their kids Goof Up Slurpees. Just say 'Want a Slurpee?' Coaches get to fix things. (They didn't have Slurpees when I was a kid, I got cherry Kool Aid.... Lot's of it.)
Good Luck to Everyone in 2012!
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