 | | | 5/30/2008 12:01:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Broncos face defending champs in title series
By David Friedlander
Staff Writer
SNELLVILLE - Ultimately, Brookwood coach Rick Howard and his top-ranked Broncos (32-3) know their Class AAAAA state baseball championship series against Walton will come down to what happens on the field in the here and now.
However, the intangibles in the best-of-three series - which gets under way with a doubleheader today at 5 p.m. at the Dave Hunter Complex - are so plentiful, they are hard to ignore.
The one meeting between the two teams this season - a 9-2 Brookwood victory back on March 17 - is an easy one to look at.
However, as Howard points out about Walton, "They're a much different ball club than one we saw in March."
Perhaps the bigger intangible is the fact the Raiders (27-9) come in looking to defend last year's state championship with many of the key players from that team, including all three starting pitchers.
That experience - which includes a 20-5 record in the postseason over the last two years - has served them well.
Walton needed a win on the last day of the regular season just to make the playoffs, and then had to win four straight series on the road against one of the toughest draws in the bracket, including state-ranked teams in Parkview, Mill Creek, Camden County and Valdosta.
"Give Walton credit," Howard said. "They went on the road and won to get here. And they've been in this (championship) atmosphere before. They know what it takes (to win) and they've done it. They've faced good competition and a lot of adversity. They're very tested, and they're going to fight. So, it should be a great series."
An especially good matchup might be Brookwood's lineup - which carries a .356 team batting average and a school-record 48 home runs - against a Walton pitching staff led by Georgia Tech signee Mark Pope (9-1, 0.69 ERA, 94 K), Kyle Putkonen (8-1, 1.70, 64 K) and T.J. Kerins (5-1, 2.35, 60 K).
"Pope's a stud," said Brookwood right fielder Jonathan Robinson, who is hitting .354 with three homers and 27 RBIs after a huge semifinal series against North Cobb. "And they're experienced. They've been there and know what it takes. But our lineup one through nine - I don't think they've seen anything like us.
"If we swing early in the count and don't fall behind, we've got a chance to put the ball in play. But it's going to be tough. If we don't come out and play our best game, we won't win."
Of course, the Broncos' pitching rotation of Chase Hawkins (13-1, 0.73, 96 K), Alex Beebe (9-1, 1.89, 54 K) and Matt Adams (7-0, 1.31, 58 K) is pretty formidable, too.
And while Walton's offense may not be as potent as last year's title team, several Raiders remain very dangerous hitters, like table-setter Billy Burns (.342, 1 HR, 13 RBIs, 14 SB, 41 R) and powerhouses like Spencer Kieboom (.413, 4 HR, 50 RBIs), Daniel Ficarrotta (.385, 5 HR, 28 RBIs), Alex Sherrod (.396, 5 HR, 31 RBIs) and Pope (.228, 6 HR, 26 RBIs).
"The thing with (Brookwood's pitchers) is, they all have different styles," Walton coach Shane Amos said. "So, it's not like if you've seen one, you've seen them all. Maybe it will help us. Who knows?"
But perhaps the biggest intangible may be Walton needing three games to beat Valdosta in the semifinals.
The two-day turnaround between that third game and today's doubleheader means Amos likely will not have the luxury of options as to whether Putkonen - who pitched in Valdosta on Tuesday - or Kerins gets the start in Game 2 today.
"It's probably safe to say (Putkonen won't pitch until a potential Game 3 on Saturday), because you can't do that to a kid (on just two days rest)," Amos said. "So, we are at a little disadvantage there. And we had to play the extra day. But that's all part of the game."
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Saturday, August 02, 2008 
