Monday, May 9, 2016

Spring Brackets

Gryphons play Tuesday 6:30 against NE Guilford
Knights Host Corinth Holders at 7:pm
Hunt at Havelock 7pm
Fike At Southern Lee 7pm


The Big East will only get four teams into the baseball playoffs as both Nash Central and  Southern Nash  did not get an invite.  Rocky Mount 12-8 as the top seed from the Big East will get and eight seed and should they win their opening round game would be high enough to get a second home game.  They will however play a team even though they are a 25 seed have a better over all record than Rocky Mount.  Northeast Guilford 14-8 will be traveling to Rocky Mount in the opening round.

Northern Nash 9-11 now knows how important it is to have swept Hunt twice as winning the tie breaker with Hunt gets a home game and a seeding of 14th and will be hosting Corinth Holders 13-7 a team they played during the regular season is 19th.  Hunt 12-10 as the three seed even though they were tied for first will be seeded 21st and will hit the road to Havelock 14-8 and the 12 seed.  Fike gets in over Nash Central with a better overall record of 11-9 but are listed in the 30th spot which will pit them against number three seed Southern lee 19-3.

Remember all games are scheduled to start Wednesday  but if both teams get together and agree they can start Tuesday.  Why would starting Tuesday make any difference?  It gives you an extra day to get in the first round if weather becomes and issue  and by playing Tuesday gives you the opportunity to move  second round games to Friday to give Saturday as  a rain makeup in case weather is part of your life.  You surely don't want to finish up round two on Monday and turn around and play the 3rd round Tuesday and if still alive a fourth round Friday.

Softball the Big East gets four spots and leading the way is Northern Nash 13-5 who is seeded 6th and will be hosting 27th seed Western Harnett 12-10.  Should the Lady Knights win they will also earn a home second round game.  Hunt  9-6 gets a high enough seed that they get one home game and a 13th seeding and will host Cedar Ridge 20th seed and 14-9.  Southern Nash 8-11 the third team from the Big East is 18th and riding a bus to Oxford to Webb High school 14-8 and 15th seed.  The final BE team in is Fike 11-9 and a 25th seeding is on the road to 8 seed Orange High.  Ist round is suppose to start Wednesday.

  Five of the six teams in the Big East have made the playoffs in the women's soccer.  Fike  10-4-2  draws  the highest seed at number six and will be home and will be hosting Havelock 7-8-4 and the number 27 seed in the state brackets.   Rocky Mount 15-6  gets a home match and will start with the 10th seed and will face 23rd seed Grays Creek 13-7. 

That is it for  teams hosting everyone else will be on the road and they are.  17th seed Hunt 11-6-2 will travel to 16 seed Western Alamance 9-4-2.  The number four from the Big East Northern Nash 13-6 and a 22nd seed  will head down I-85 to Burlington Williams11-4-2 and 11th in the seeding.  Southern Nash sneaks in by the tip of their nose as the last team  in 32nd 13-6 and will take on the top seed Terry Sanford 18-0.  All first round  matches are scheduled for Wednesday but teams may play Tuesday in some cases.

This past Saturday during the Regional singles and doubles a team from Rocky Mount won the Regional and have qualified for the State Championships this weekend in Burlington.  Tyler Brice and George Shannon will be competing Friday in the round of 16.  A win would lead to a second match Friday afternoon.

Brice a sophomore in singles this season was 14-1 and Shannon another sophomore was also 14-1. Together as a doubles team they combined  as a team to be 15-1.  The future looks bright for these two during their high school careers.

Even North Carolina Wesleyan Men's tennis team got bracket news today.  Wesleyan 15-8 will play Washington and Lee 15-8 either the 12 or 13th in the first round of the NCAA  Division III Tennis Tournament in Atlanta.  The winner will meet Emory University the 13th or 14th.  Emory is 20-3.

Selection Monday

Today the North Carolina High School Athletic Association will be releasing the brackets in three spring sports.  Baseball, Softball and Soccer all find out their fates of whether they made the field, get a home game or hit the road and where they go and who do they meet.  Wednesday is the first day of action for all three but whether teams play Tuesday which would be early or Thursday which would be late will have to be agreed upon by each team playing each other.  Round two is schedule for Saturday and if Rocky Mount survives their opening round baseball  game that will be a bad day for the Doughtie Family considering daughter Morgan graduates from Campbell Saturday and about 70 people will be in our back yard Saturday afternoon.

Baseball:  Look for Rocky Mount 12-8  to host and against who will be announced this afternoon.  Northern Nash 9-11 should host.  Hunt 12-12 is the last Big East team guaranteed a spot while Nash Central  10-14 and Fike  11-10 will have to hope for the best and they get an invite to extend their season.  Southern Nash 10-14 and as the sixth seed from the Big East is doubtful but remember the jumble basketball much like baseball got all six teams in the tournament.

Softball:  Northern Nash 14-5 will be hosting and they will find out who this afternoon when the softball brackets are released.  Hunt 9-7 probably will host.   Southern Nash 8-11 and Fike 12-9 will be in a wait and see mode as to their fate.   Nash Central 3-19 and Rocky Mount 1-19 probably have already packed away the equipment for the season.  There just has to be 32 teams in the east with better records than both the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Gryphons.

Soccer:  Fike 16-4-2 the queens of the Big East will be hostings gainst who will be announced today.  Rocky Mount 15-6  and Hunt 11-6-2 will be in wait to see on their bracket position.  Northern Nash 14-6 fourth but only lost conference games should make the show.  Southern Nash 8-13 and Nash Central 5-13-1 can only hope.

Saturday every athlete who did well in the conference track and field will be in Wilson at Fike High School as they will be hosting the East Regional Track and Field championships.  The event starts at 8am.