4A North Conference 22 talk

I have promoted this in previous years on this very site!  I believe our high school playoff system should be structured much like the D1 college playoffs.  Too often does a great team get eliminated by a lesser opponent who happens to have one great arm.

Especially now when one considers that for most, 8 teams make the regional, and only four go to the state tournament.

While a best of 3 series may be the best way to determine the best team that moves on, I don't think it is practical given the short time in which VHSL allows to get it completed.  I think a double elimination tournament similar to what the Battlefield district use to do would be more than fair.

 

I really don't like the fact that all teams for this conference qualify for the playoffs and the regular season is only setting the seedings for the playoffs.  Takes away from the meaning of the regular season.  No matter how good or bad the team is, they'll still qualify for post season play.   To me, that's just not right.   I'd prefer taking the top 4 teams and do a double elimination tournament to determine the conference champion.

 

FWIW - my son played at the JuCo level (region X - D2) the past two years.  12 teams in the region and the top 8 go to the playoffs.   The tournament is a double elimination and takes about 4-5 days to complete.  The NJCAA D2 world series is a double elimination tournament as well and takes about a week - 10 teams total.

I am not sure if a single elimination or double elimination or tournament would have a greater value on identifying which one is the best team. Some teams match up better against others, some teams have more arms to pitch with, some teams just play down to lesser opponents and get snake bit, that is baseball.  As long as it is fair but I do like the JUCO D2 concept as that would be fun to watch as a fan.  

The only way you could do a best of 3 would be to start the playoffs at the regional level, using only regular season conference champs, perhaps alternating home/away.   Then, only the regional champs meet for the state title, perhaps on a Friday/Saturday/Sunday basis, neutral site. 

 

All of which would be fine by me.  But I think you'll see the current format continue, because it involves more teams and doesn't leave a few teams with kids playing so much that they flunk all their exams.  (The advantage college teams have is that they are playing their tournaments well after exams have ended.)

Midlo - I agree.  The question how would the conference champ be determined?  By regular season record or a conference playoff?  Time wise I don't think there would be enough time to have a mini playoff at the conference level and then a best of three at the regional level.

 

Now back when I was in HS (eons ago) the playoff format was much simpler - at least for football - I don't recall how baseball was handled.  I played football and basically the district champ (best regular season record) advanced to the regional playoffs.  The school I attended was in the Northern Neck (single A) and at the time I think there were about 8 schools in the district.  Made for some good games during the regular season.  When you played a district opponent you knew the playoffs were on the line - even early in the season.

Up until the realignment our district sent the regular season winner and the tournament winner to the regionals, if the same team won both the runner-up in the tournament went to regionals.

4A North Region final- Millbrook 6 Sherando 5.  Millbrook scores the winning run on a walk off sac fly.