Southeastern District Games: April 29-May 4 (Week 7)

GF V OS at Tides Park

IS IR VS DC cancelled?

I think WB takes GB this week!.Who do you got?

WB beating GB would be considered a sizeable upset.  Especially when one considers that two of their best players (if not their best), are likely to be out, due to injury.

I have GB.

GB

connor jones should pitch for gb depending weather though!IR/DC cancelled to wed.

Ball 4:  Why?  Based upon what?

Just a feeling!!!!

It could just be gas.

Actually if you are looking for an upset of GB I think the OS game on Friday might be a better bet although still long odds.  They essentially clinch the district with a win behind Jones against WB and might be looking to the GF game as the only meaningful game left until the Regional.  Being a kind of young team at some point are likely to play a choppy game somewhere so Friday might be the spot.  If OS brings it you could get one of those 7-6 type games where GB suddenly finds itself in a game late and doesn't get it done.

 

Still taking GB in both though.

hahahahhaa

My Gas is gone, good one!

Just trying to get people to talk. Never Know

It's cool man...but the likely hood of those things aren't likely. It may be nice to think that or even see it, but Jones is just killing it and well Harrelson can handle OS.GB is a very solid team.

Well....that would be kind of like what happened last year when OS beat GB and NR back to back! OS fought back in their last at bat against GB losing 7-2 and won 9-7 and then beat NR the next game while leading the entire game.

OS did not "lead the entire game" against NR last year.  They had one big inning, that consisted of a few walks, a couple of errors, and a couple of hits, either in the 5th or 6th.  NR pitcher actually had a no hitter through four.

 

Nonetheless, I do get your point.  However, I personally don't see that happening this year.  I do think Great Bridge is capable of losing a game.  I don't think it will be against OS.

 

Looking at the schedule, it is going to be interesting to the finish for OS and IR.  OS would have to lose every game, I believe, and has a very difficult stretch to finish their schedule, including a head to head against IR.  At the same time, IR would have to win every game, but plays the softest part of their schedule.  Not the most likely outcome, but if one were to bet on an unlikely event, IR sneaking past OS for the final playoff spot is one to watch.

 

Before last week's game against Lakeland I too thought Indian River would be capable of catching and passing Oscar Smith given each team's remaining schedules.  Then they lost to a winless Lakeland team and Nansemond River on Saturday.  Indian River's only wins this year have come against Kings Fork and Lakeland, two teams that have two wins......combined. The likelihood of IR winning out would be somewhere between slim and none given their body of work to date, as well as, WB and OS remaining on their schedule.  I've stopped drinking the IR koolaid and accepted that they aren't who we thought they were at the beginning of the season.

Well put! I was wondering when those few commentators would get off of IR's jock already, they have two wins and some are still talking about them sneaking in! A reasonable person can assume IR is not going to win out when at this point they have the two wins and you referenced...it seems since some predicted they would somehow finish 5th or better in the district they just can't let it go.

No bandwagon here.  Just a logical observation.  IR has more talent in their lineup than the other teams on their remaining schedule, save WB.  WB, however, may be without their D1 middle infield, and their No 1 starter.

OS does not.  How that translates into wins and losses remains to be seen.

Regarding W-Ls.  One thing I know for sure.  Upper tier teams do not throw off against IR.

I've been saying for weeks they were done. 2 wins just don't cut it and they obviously don't have the talent for they wouldn't be where they are. Your record doesn't lie.  

Great Bridge 3, Western Branch 1.

Great Bridge  3   Western Branch  1

 

WB  1R, 2H, 2E

GB 3R, 8H, 3E

 

This was a competitive game that was defined by missed opportunities by both teams.  In the first, WB had a man on third with 2 out but could not get him home. GB had the bases loaded with one out in the first and likewise could not score.  In the second, WB scored an unearned run in the second on a walk, error and single by their 5, 7 and 8 hitters.  GB countered with 3 runs in the third on a solo hr by C.Cody, and singles by T.Lane, K.Mathews and D.Grady and a throwing error.   That was all the scoring.

 

Other opportunities were squandered in the 5th when WB had runners on 2nd and 3rd from a walk and error with no one out.  They then had a runner thrown out at home (third to catcher), a runner picked off third (catcher to third) and a ground out to end the inning.  GB had the bases loaded in the 6th with one out and could not get any runs home.

 

WB:

Selby  6 IP, 8H, 4K  3R, 2 ER

 

#8 1-3 single

#7 1-3 single

 

GB

C.Jones  7 IP, 2H, 7K 1R, 0ER

 

D.Smith 1-3, single, walk

C.Hinkle 1-3, single, walk

C.Cody, 2-4, single, HR

T.Lane 2-4, 2 singles

K.Mathews 1-3, single

D.Grady 1-1, single, catcher's interference, walk

Grassfield 5 Oscar Smith 0

Base running mistakes will kill every team. That team tonight was WB!

It almost came true. I had WB. If they could run the bases they would have won. Sure WB coach had a good talk with his team!!!!! 

WB shows some mettle and gives GB one of it's better tests so far.

 

Recap indicates GB had the better of it and left far more on the table than WB did.  Looks like only one real baserunning mistake was the pick off at 3rd.  The runner getting thrown out at the plate sounds like he would have been trapped off anyway.  GB usually plays 3rd even with the bag so on a bouncer to 3rd the runner would almost always have no way back unless it was in the 5.5 hole.  Plus with Jones on the hill you have to make them make a play because he can come up with K's to get himself out of jams.  In a 3-1 game in that spot any kind of mishandle and a bunt and you have a tie ball game.

 

 

once again connor shows why he is a d 1 commit at major college or next level, great job connor

The VA Pilot reports that Jones is (7-0) and has pitched 38 innings without allowing an earned run all year. I'm not questioning the record, but I thought the innings would have been more. Does anyone in GB have a different number of innings thrown. He (Jones) is off the radar. He should have a huge payday here in a few months. Yesterday was the first time I've had a chance to see him throw in person this season and his appoarch to the game is way ahead of any other pitcher I've seen.

well i think they have taken conner jones out a couple times like the deep creek game they were beating deep creek by alot!

I think he has started 8 or 9 games.  There are probably 5 of those he went 5 or less because the game dicated he did not need to do more.  Outside of 3 or 4 games they have been blowing teams out.  I don't think they have given up much more than 20 runs in district this season.

 

Traditionally GB also does not grind on its pitchers since it really doesn't need to.  Wiley really didn't like the 3rd time through very much either.  I am sure Sean has his own philosophy but there is a long established "way" there. 

My understanding is Connor has started 7 games and won them all.  He most likely will have 1 more start (Grassfield) so it would be 8 starts out of the 20 games.  Some starts were lost due to weather, 3 game weeks, etc...  I think Connor has 3 complete 7-inning games and the rest a handful of 3-5 innings efforts based upon the score/coaching/competition etc...  L.Harrelson has also pitched well with about 7 starts and Glendon B. about 3 starts (counting South Carolina).

 

Luv, not sure what the 3rd time through means...3rd time through the line-up or facing a team for the 3rd time (such as in the dist. tourn?)   Either way, the "long established" ways have changed significantly at GB.  Neither of those ideas are relevant today.   My guess is it has been 2-3 years since you saw any/many GB games.

i am sure he meant 3rd time through the line up in this case w/ connor it did not matter cause great bridge was normally winning big come 5th inning

3rd time through meant the lineup.  While two more different people than Wiley and Sean probably don't exist having had kids that played for both the basic tenents were the same.

 

I dare say that Sean's style is superior for HS kids and there won't be any timeouts where he stomps down a baseline to snatch a bat from a hitter to show him how to bunt or to run across the infield to see if the runner at first is injured becasue he didn't dive back to the bag and help him understand to get f'n dirty or any of the other comedy bits that went on with Wiley.

 

Wiley played more small ball but both play agressive styles and do not extend pitchers into 100+ pitch counts.  Usually GB has 4th and 5th pitchers that would be 1's and 2's at most schools so they don't need to do that.  For example Conner Jones would have been a 4 year starter at almost every school on the South Side and he spent most of his Freshman year pitching for Sean on the JV.  Even in his Sophmore year he spent most of the season as the #2 to Andrew Flaherty.

 

If the talent coming in as rich in the next 10 years as it has been the last 10 and Sean stays in the job he will be an outstanding coach with an incredeible record by 2025.  I think he'll win 15+ games in almost every season.  He won't have Connor Jones and Charlie Cody which gives him the two best players on the field against almost any team in America but he'll have plenty to work with and he'll get the most from it.

Luv,

While the historical perspective is accurate, I'm just saying that the current coaching regime is very different from the prior regime and what you are familiar with from 3 years ago.  Having a son play for a JV coach under someone else is very different from how it is today.  The entire program has changed...people, players, philosophy, attitude, tenents, in-game strategy, etc....  It is a different program today.

 

In terms of players, there are some very good players on this GB team.  I think there are only 3 seniors on an undefeated team.  To me that says a lot about the coaching and the talent of all the players on this team.

 

About Connor and Charlie - both played Varsity all 4 years.  Charlie started at 3rd from day one and Connor pitched as the 3rd pitcher behind Flaherty and RV his freshman year (Stokes was hurt most of this year). 

As a former assistant coach at GB, I can say that the former Head Coach and current Head Coach have different styles of coaching, however the "long established way" is teaching players skills that allows the team to win, and that the players can use in life, And both Coaches do this well.  I am proud of those Wildcats.  As we used to say, "Keep going, don't look behind you, Keep going".  Go get our 6th and our 3rd.  

This is correct.  Connor has been 'unlucky' this spring in that many of his starts have been affected by weather and 3 game weeks.

 

Valid point, he is a Jr., so therefore has only started 3 years, but it's safe to infer he'll start his Sr. year.  I'll amend my statement to read "both either have started or will start on Varsity all 4 years".

just pulling your quad charlie could have started as a 8thgrader