 | | | 5/6/2008 12:01:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | High School Hardball: Teams begin quests for state titles
After enduring a long regular season, an even longer road lies ahead of 10 Gwinnett County high school baseball games. At the end of that road lies the ultimate prize - one of five classification's state championships.
However, that road is not only lengthy, but it is also filled with potholes and other obstacles.
Having seen enough postseasons over the last 19 or so years, I've come to realize there are certain keys that a team looking to successfully negotiate the road and each of its five stages (and the best-of-three series at each stage) will likely need to meet.
Among those keys are ...
Consistent hitting
It's been said good pitching usually trumps good hitting.
Perhaps, but simple arithmetic reveals that the more players in your batting order who have consistently hit the ball all season long, the harder it is for even the best opposing pitcher to totally shut you down.
Statistically speaking, the local playoff teams that appear have the most tough outs from top to bottom are Brookwood, North Gwinnett, Providence Christian and Wesleyan all of which have practically their entire lineups hitting over .300.
And then there is a team like Mill Creek, which may not have as impressive team batting average numbers, but is one of the county's best teams at getting the runners it puts on base in with clutch hitting.
Pitching depth
A dominant pitcher can give a team a chance in a short series, but the more mound options a team has, the better those chances get, especially in a series that goes all three games.
The question is, just how much pitching is enough? Two big examples of this may be Brookwood and Norcross. Both the Broncos and Blue Devils appear to be well set with three solid starters and a reliable closer.
However, both also have the bulk of their innings pitched concentrated among just four or five pitchers. So, if either are forced to go to their respective bullpens early in games, they may have to call on some less-tested arms.
Teams like Mill Creek, Parkview and Providence could have the best stocked with pitchers that have several innings under their belts. And then there is a team like Wesleyan, which could be the deepest pitching staff of them all, provided the Wolves are healthy. Grayson Garvin and Ben Tucker have each dealt with minor arm problems lately, and Brooks Colquitt appears to be ready for the first time after sitting out all season with an injury.
If those three aren't healthy, however, it could mean a serious question mark.
Matchups
This is actually a multi-faceted key.
First off, most of these teams haven't seen each other all season, which means it could take a little while to figure out which teams match up better with which opponent.
In addition, the brackets change matchups from year to year, with some teams' roads to the title being more favorable than others.
And it isn't just what opponents lie in the way of a given team, but also what side of the bracket home field is situated in the event of a matchup of like-seeded teams (And I've always felt home field is perhaps more important that baseball than any other sport given the large number of variables with each different ball park).
A brief look at the brackets seems to give Brookwood and Norcross a fairly favorable draw, especially with as many times "H" appears on its side of the bracket.
Meanwhile, the bracket in Class AA did Wesleyan no favors, with the Wolves possibly having to make lengthy road trips to highly-ranked Pierce County and Cook County if they are to win it all.
But perhaps the toughest draws go to Mill Creek and Parkview in Class AAAAA. The Hawks play host to defending state runner-up Kennesaw Mountain, while the Panthers welcome defending champion Walton. The winner of those two series must then meet in the second round, and with Camden County - a semifinalist from last year - also in that side of the draw, getting out of that quadrant of the bracket will be quite a feat.
Luck
Besides the aforementioned luck of the draw, it takes a little luck for any team to hoist the trophy in the end. A funny bounce here, a ball that falls just foul or just fair there or a check swing that finds a hole are just some of the myriad of factors that could affects the outcome of a series over the course of five rounds.
So, whose it going to be? Which local team has the best chance as bringing home a title? We'll find out in about a month.
Reminder to coaches
The Gwinnett Daily Post will attempt to update statistics following each round of the state playoffs.
Coaches are reminded to send their final regular season stats (if they haven't already done so) as early as possible this week, and then shortly after each round they play in the postseason.
Stats can be either e-mailed to david.friedlander@gwinnettdailypost.com or will.hammock@gwinnettdailypost.com or faxed to (770) 339-8081.
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