We’re two days into the year, and most teams are yet to play their first of many contests- however, with a weekend of baseball under our belts, leave it to us to jump to conclusions based on what we saw.
Obviously joking, but let’s go over some that impressed, and some that may have a more interesting road ahead.
WINNERS:
No. 5 Liberty North (3-0)
Well, maybe Tyler was right. The Eagles sure did look solid this weekend at Creekside, handling Park Hill, No. 16 Lafayette and Bentonville (AR). Their offense looks exceptionally polished for a group that lost as many seniors as the Eagles did, but a solid pitching group, and honestly some bats that would start at just about anywhere else, finally got a chance to shine.
Despite trailing against No. 16 Lafayette, the Eagles never seemed to truly be down. Even when a leadoff double was wiped by a risky base-running decision, the Eagles would score 3 with 2 outs to take the lead— which they would never relinquished. Matt Lewis pitched will (from a truly nasty arm slot), and Cole Young slammed the door.
This group may not have the pure talent they had last season, but there is absolutely no championship exhaustion in the program. Expect this group to continue to compete for the title.
No. 13 Parkway South (2-0)
In an early season battle, Parkway South proved superior to No. 9 Ft. Zumwalt East, and utterly demolished Windsor. What makes the first win all the more impressive, is Brady Kehlenbrink threw just 2 innings, and gave up 2 runs, however his game-leading 3 hits, including a double, kept the Patriots in it, until a timely single by Brennan Nickerson walked the game off in the bottom of the 8th.
An interesting showcase of depth turns some heads in the ranking room, as Parkway South seemed ready to show an improved lineup, and steady pitching. The pitching group struck out 11 against FZE, and seemed in control throughout.
All in all, the Patriots could be a dangerous bunch come conference play.
Others that Impressed:
DeSmet, Rock Bridge, Joplin, John Burroughs, Platte County, St. Pius X, Lindbergh
Losers:
No. 8 Blue Springs (1-3)
Not quite the weekend we expected, but it is far from too late for Blue Springs. Cole Gibler showed us why he’s expected to be a Pitcher of the Year candidate early against Bentonville, but a string of fastball misses resulted in some trouble for the ace in the opener. Bentonville was able to time the breaking ball well in the later innings of Gibler’s start, and the Wildcat offense was unable to get the bats going.
A bright spot for the Wildcats was Ronin Vicenti, who had one of the better showings in Missouri on day 1, hurling 6 innings, striking out 8 and getting a win over Kearney, 6-1. However, following the win over Kearney, the Wildcats would drop their next two to No. 16 Lafayette and Liberty, struggling to muster offense and seeming inconsistent on the mound.
This is a group that has talent through the lineup. Both Nick and Cole Gibler are good hurlers, and Ronin Vicenti looks to place himself among KC’s best. However, their hitting depth has plagued the offense early in the season. It is not a talent problem, more so a case of the early season blues.
This team will be just fine, however in a tightly packed conference, momentum is key in the exposition of the season. The Wildcats will need to find a flow soon, if they expect to compete in the regular season.
No. 16 Lafayette (1-3)
It was a rather long weekend for the Lancers out of St. Louis, who made the journey across the state to play at Creekside. Lafayette possesses an average to slightly above average pitching staff, and a plus hitting group, but they seemed to not quite be in the swing of things in their 4 games at Creekside.
On a high note, each of their losses were in close games, showing this group can hang with just about anyone, but minor details seemed to evade the Lancers all weekend. After an upset loss to Platte County, in which they were in position to potentially tie the game in the 7th, the bats came up just short. Immediately after, they seemed to quickly have put it behind them, leading No. 5 Liberty North until the 4th inning, and coming back to tie it in the fifth.
This unit will need to flash a bit more depth on the mound to truly compete in the loaded St. Louis districts. On the bright side, the offense perked up as the weekend went on, and Xander Schmitt seemed to kick into gear after a 3 K performance against Liberty North.
