Spring Baseball - 2016 - High School

Our playoffs start Saturday. We sort of got hosed a bit. However, the other team we will play in the second round could argue they got hosed more.

Colorado started just this season using an rpi system to seed teams. The formula:

winning % x 1/4 + OPP Win% x 1/2 + OO Win% x 1/4

The rankings under this were crazy for much of the season, but sort of pulled together by the end, with one major exception. We finished the last media polls ranked #4 and ended up as the #4-seed by rpi. However, a team that beat us early in the year 10-5 and finished ranked #2/#3 by the media polls was 13 in the rpi.

Colorado seeds teams 1-32 and then gives the top 8 seeds a home pod they call Districts. So, our home pod includes the #13, #29, and #20 teams. It's single elimination in this round. Bayfield is the #13 seed despite being, in my mind, clearly the second best team in the state and maybe the best. The will have to travel 8 hours over the mountains to play us. They aren't real happy. Neither or we, but at least we get to stay home.

8 hours? Oh, my.   I've driven across Colorado 4  times but still, I didn't realize it was that big.  

Yeah, Bayfield is down in the southwest corner of the state near the New Mexico and Utah borders while we are in the southeast corner near the Oklahoma and Kansas borders. So, in effect, it's almost as if they have to drive from Utah to Kansas.

roothog66 posted:

Yeah, Bayfield is down in the southwest corner of the state near the New Mexico and Utah borders while we are in the southeast corner near the Oklahoma and Kansas borders. So, in effect, it's almost as if they have to drive from Utah to Kansas.

Oh, and it isn't interstate driving, either. None of it.

OK. MapQuest says 6 hours (332 miles). But, they'll be in a bus I imagine. Eight hours makes a more extreme story, so I'll go with 8.

JCG posted:

Final game of the regular season today.  Dang, the time flies. The season has gone very well - clinched league championship already so we have more games to look forward to in both league and section tournaments. 2017 has had a breakout season. OTOH today's opponent will not qualify for postseason play so we'll be seeing their seniors honored in a pre-game Senior Day ceremony and then play their last high school game.  Having known many of them since Little League, that will be very sad.

We are going through that now here with my 2016.  We had senior nights at rival schools the last two nights and another tonight under the lights at a local minor league stadium.  All three teams have players that my 2016 either played against or with over the years in travel ball.  And then we have his senior day tomorrow.  Very said to have this chapter coming to a close - and yes, we had a lot of games this week!  

Great weekend. The kid threw probably the biggest game of his young career to avenge his only loss in the district finals. This team somewhat hammered him when they met in March, but he has added a 12/6 curve to go with the slurve. He had a game plan that simply worked. He conserved energy in the first three innings and only threw the fastball the first time through the lineup. They scattered a few hits and scored an unearned run, but the second trip through the lineup he dominated. He was throwing a consistent 84 through the first three innings, but was humming it in at 88 in the fifth and sixth. We shot a 2-out, 2-run single into right field to take a 3-1 lead and then he struck out the side in the sixth. Followed by this play in the seventh with probably the two best hitters in the state at our classification on deck and in the hole:

https://youtu.be/gf95lja9hYM

because I can't help myself - son was named last night as the Conference Player of the Year. He's the first to receive that honor as a sophomore in our conference since Scott Elarton who had a 12 year mlb career. Maybe that's a good sign? Honestly, I was a little surprised. I thought that, statistically, there were a few players in our conference who had better seasons.

Congratulations to son, Root!  That will make for a nice week or three.

Son's high school team won their state championship!!!  I've been afraid to post anything for fear of jinxing their run.  Incredible end to a truly good season!!!  Son is so very fortunate to be part of this high school program.