New Bat - It's A New Game

We have made it down to the final two out of three for the College World Series as Florida will meet the defending champs South Carolina starting Sunday night.  It will be an all Southeastern Conference final.

I Think the facts prove me right that Virginia just did not have enough hitting to win it all  but boy were they close finishing third.  My reasoning about Virginia was they just couldn't score enough runs to win. Maybe with the new bat in college baseball pitching is the way to go these days.

Let's take a look at the NCAA baseball tournament last year with the hot bat  and compare it with the softer compound bat this year and I think you will see that this new Aluminum bat is almost equal to a wood bat.

2010 there were 104 Regional games played with the winning team scoring 1025 runs for an average of 9.85 runs for the winning team.  2011  there were 101 Regional games and the winning teams scored  518 runs or 5.12 per game.

The losing teams in 2010 scored 371 runs or 3.56 per game while in 2011 the losing teams  managed just 184 runs or 1.82 per game.  There is no doubt that the new college bat has brought back the pitcher into baseball where now days a bloop hit off the handle of the bat does not go for a home run.

The Super Regional in 2010 there were 19 games with the winners scoring 193 runs.  That's 10.15 per game while the losing team score 73 times or 3.84 per game.  The Super Regional of 2011 there were 20 games and the winners scored  148 runs or 7.4.  The losing teams  managed to score  but 49 runs or 2.45 per game.

The College World Series of 2010  a total of 16 games produced 102 runs for the winning team which is 6.37 while the losers score only 44 or 2.75.  The 2011 World Series to date has played 12 games with the winning team touching home plate 66 times or 5.5 runs per.  The losers 25 runs for only a 2.08 per runs per game. The 2010 the entire NCAA  tournament eight times the losing team score at least ten runs.  It did not happen once this year.

The SEC is by far the top baseball conference in America.  So far the SEC is 27-5 against every body in the entire tournament.  The SEC has loss more games to each other in the tournament that to other conferences.  The ACC is the second best but head to head with the SEC they are 2-7.  They were 21-9 against everyone else.

Post 58 Back On Track

Last night with the #1 seed in hand Post 58 emptied their bench and gave those that have become the backup players on this team their chance to get playing time because as they say you may be one play away if an injury occurs to be in the starting lineup.

Eight errors and Post 58 suffered a 17-1 lost and in the six years I have been the PA man I can not remember any worse of a licking.  You have to remember all the players in the lineup last night started for a high school in our area this spring.  It is not like we played scrubs. I  also realize that we were less than 24 hours from having clinched the first prize that we were after and that is the #1seed  from our division.  We hold the home field advantage at least in the first two  rounds and probably the first three but that is a long ways off yet. I know emotionally we were not ready to play.

That is a problem for any team when you play what seems like every day.  It is hard to show up for work everyday as pump up as the day before, but that was last night and tonight Post 58 made a trip to the Albemarle Sound  to Edenton and all I can tell you about tonight's game is we won 7-5  Still not all of our starters played but more than last night and Coleman Pitt Post 58 remains undefeated in Division play at 8-0.They finish the regular season Sunday night at Wilson .  Tonight's victory was #14 in 19 tries.

Last night we miss played two fly balls to center field which we should have caught but were lost in the lights.  This is the first time it has happened to any of our players but it has happened several time to visitors  who in some cases have never had any idea where the ball is.  I wonder whether there is a bad location for a light pole behind home plate or maybe a bad back ground that about when full dark comes the center fielder has trouble picking up the ball coming off the bat.  It has happened too many times to be a coincidence.

I watched a thrilling College World Series Game as Virginia and South Carolina played extra innings and Virginia had the bases loaded in the 12th and 13th innings with either no outs or one and hit into two double plays.  You only get so many chances and South Carolina Beats Virginia 3-2 in thirteen innings.  It will be a all Southeastern finals as Florida will meet South Carolina for College baseballs crown.

Take One For The Team

 Hank Jones pulled  seven starters to the bench tonight in order for the bench players to get their opportunity to shine after clinching the Northern division title last night and  not much shining  as Wayne County Post 11 raps out 20 hits and Post 58 commits eight errors losing 17-1 .

Post 58 has two conference games Friday at Edenton and Sunday night at Wilson to close out the regular season.  This drops CP 58 to 13-5.  The last six games for CP 58 have been three conferences games  and three  out of division game in which those out of divisions games  they rested starting pitching and front line players winning four of six.

Hank Jones pulled out another set of uniforms last night in the game against Wilson.  Post 58 came out in their throw back uniforms  and had the look of a baseball team of the 20's.  Instead of white the  uniforms were cream colored with Boston Red Sox looking  socks with three  stripes.  All the players wore their pants just under the knee exposing  all three stripes.  You know now-a-days teams don't wear their uniforms all alike.  Post 58 looked like a team from the 20's and hit last night like the Bronx Bombers and ran like the Gas House Gang.

Once the playoffs start Post 58 will draw New Bern in the first round.  Through Wednesday's games New Bern has clinched 4th in the Southern Division while the other three teams in that division are still in a dog fight for the top spot.  All four spots are now in place in our Northern Division.  Rocky Mount is 7-0 of course first place.  Wilson has secured 2nd as they stand 5-2.  Edenton is third at 2-5 and Ahoskie is 4th at 0-8.

If the season ended today Wilson would matchup with Kinston.  Edenton gets Wayne County and Ahoskie would draw Pitt County.  Since the top three spots are still up for grabs in the Southern Division these seedings may change by Sunday.

Xavier Macklin is having a good first week of pro baseball for the Burlington Vermont team in the New York-Penn rookie league.  He has gotten a hit in every game he has played which now stands at three .  He is ripping a 357 batting average and  includes one double, a triple and three RBI.

As of this writing still no word on the future of Brian Goodwin.  I hear all kinds of rumors and as the 34th pick in the draft has  a chance to a big pay day. We have all seen this NFL off season that when big money is on the table it takes time to get things ironed out.  I hope negotiations are moving forward for Brian.

Carolina is out at the College World Series.  When I saw this headline last week it bothered me.  Carolina over achieved this season.  I don't mind sports writers and goofy bloggers like myself saying stuff like that but to hear it from the players themselves.  I thought Carolina is satisfied with themselves and will never win the Series this year.  They didn't lose to any shabby teams along the way but regardless of what level you are at you must always want more in order to achieve more.  That is one thing that I have always liked about Tiger Woods.  Even when he was dominating the golf tour he was always  looking to get better tinkering with his swing and such.

Let's welcome to the area Nick your last name would be good at a spelling bee Protrowicz.  Nick is the newest member of the Telegram Sports staff.  A recent Ohio University graduate Nick got an ear full Wednesday night as Wes Bradshaw did play by play for TV in the press box as well as listening to me on PA.  He learned a lot in three hours listening to all our bull between pitches.