not sure what to think
Man, a couple local teams have been struggling lately. It's getting late in the season, close to playoff time, and I hope its just a blip on the radar for them, but it makes me wonder.
First off, the Berlin baseball team has lost four in a row. Now, to be honest, at the start of the season I did not expect them to be as good as they seemed when they were 12-0. But by the same token, I would never have guessed they'd lose four in a row. I can't even imagine when the last time Berlin baseball lost four in a row was. They've all been close, and I assume the Redcoats will start playing better again. I'll say this, history shows us that Leo Veleas gets his team ready for the postseason, and playing the best at that time.
I'm most confused by the play of the Southington softball team. Coming into the season, most people figured the Knights would struggle a little bit pitching. Nothing against the pitchers they have, but it is tough to replace somebody like Niki Davenport. But the pitching's been pretty solid, not just Sarah Lempicki, but Brittany Volpe as well.
What's shocking is the way the Knights defense has played, making sloppy mistakes, and costly ones in a couple of losses. Perhaps just as surprising is how the offense, once imagined to be a juggernaut, is failing to score runs, such as in a 2-0 loss to Simsbury on Tuesday. There are simply too many good, experienced hitters for this team to get shut out like that.
Up until now, I was willing to give the Knights the benefit of the doubt. While they had three losses, two of them were to Bristol Eastern, and one was to Rockville, a team they should have beaten, but a very good team. Simsbury is slightly below Rockville based on what I've seen, but still a good team. Yet, these are the kind of losses that great teams don't accumulate.
Maybe this Knights team simply isn't great. There's not much shame in being very good, but this team has the talent to be great and just hasn't lived up to it.
It will be most interesting to see if they wake up before the end of May, or it could be their shortest postseason in a long time.
Meanwhile, a couple other teams just keep winning. And since I'm talking softball, it's time to give the New Britain Hurricanes their due. For several years the 'Canes have beaten up on a soft schedule that coach Mimi Parks wishes they didn't have to play. She knows it gets them nowhere, and just gives a false sense of security, not preparing them for when they play even average opponents. They have posted some good records in the past but have been average against good teams.
Well, this year, they have made the next step. No, I don't consider them a true title contender in Class LL, mostly because of the depth and talent at the top of that class (Masuk, Cheshire, Trumbull, etc.). And they did lose 3-0 to Southington earlier, so they haven't been able to overtake their rivals just yet.
But, the Hurricanes have some solid wins against teams like E.O. Smith, Simsbury, East Hartford and Glastonbury. They also close with a good set of challenges, with G-Bury, Manchester, Simsbury and Southington a second time each.
I'm interested to see how they deal with Manchester, who's pitcher (Leone) shut them down last time around. If they get through that, why not take a good shot at Southington. If Simsbury can beat the Knights, New Britain's got the talent for it.
(But know that the Knights will do whatever they can to prevent that from happening. Despite the lopsided nature of it, this is the rare rivalry that still means something to both teams.)
Then there are the Wethersfield and Newington baseball teams, both with only two losses, and neither of whom I expected to do this well before the season. Both have had their share of good fortune, but both have also played well and had some surprise players step up and be very good. The most telling thing about each team is that it is hard to say who the best player on each team is. There are several candidates but none stand out definitively.
It's gotten to the point where these teams seem blessed. Perhaps it will continue.
First off, the Berlin baseball team has lost four in a row. Now, to be honest, at the start of the season I did not expect them to be as good as they seemed when they were 12-0. But by the same token, I would never have guessed they'd lose four in a row. I can't even imagine when the last time Berlin baseball lost four in a row was. They've all been close, and I assume the Redcoats will start playing better again. I'll say this, history shows us that Leo Veleas gets his team ready for the postseason, and playing the best at that time.
I'm most confused by the play of the Southington softball team. Coming into the season, most people figured the Knights would struggle a little bit pitching. Nothing against the pitchers they have, but it is tough to replace somebody like Niki Davenport. But the pitching's been pretty solid, not just Sarah Lempicki, but Brittany Volpe as well.
What's shocking is the way the Knights defense has played, making sloppy mistakes, and costly ones in a couple of losses. Perhaps just as surprising is how the offense, once imagined to be a juggernaut, is failing to score runs, such as in a 2-0 loss to Simsbury on Tuesday. There are simply too many good, experienced hitters for this team to get shut out like that.
Up until now, I was willing to give the Knights the benefit of the doubt. While they had three losses, two of them were to Bristol Eastern, and one was to Rockville, a team they should have beaten, but a very good team. Simsbury is slightly below Rockville based on what I've seen, but still a good team. Yet, these are the kind of losses that great teams don't accumulate.
Maybe this Knights team simply isn't great. There's not much shame in being very good, but this team has the talent to be great and just hasn't lived up to it.
It will be most interesting to see if they wake up before the end of May, or it could be their shortest postseason in a long time.
Meanwhile, a couple other teams just keep winning. And since I'm talking softball, it's time to give the New Britain Hurricanes their due. For several years the 'Canes have beaten up on a soft schedule that coach Mimi Parks wishes they didn't have to play. She knows it gets them nowhere, and just gives a false sense of security, not preparing them for when they play even average opponents. They have posted some good records in the past but have been average against good teams.
Well, this year, they have made the next step. No, I don't consider them a true title contender in Class LL, mostly because of the depth and talent at the top of that class (Masuk, Cheshire, Trumbull, etc.). And they did lose 3-0 to Southington earlier, so they haven't been able to overtake their rivals just yet.
But, the Hurricanes have some solid wins against teams like E.O. Smith, Simsbury, East Hartford and Glastonbury. They also close with a good set of challenges, with G-Bury, Manchester, Simsbury and Southington a second time each.
I'm interested to see how they deal with Manchester, who's pitcher (Leone) shut them down last time around. If they get through that, why not take a good shot at Southington. If Simsbury can beat the Knights, New Britain's got the talent for it.
(But know that the Knights will do whatever they can to prevent that from happening. Despite the lopsided nature of it, this is the rare rivalry that still means something to both teams.)
Then there are the Wethersfield and Newington baseball teams, both with only two losses, and neither of whom I expected to do this well before the season. Both have had their share of good fortune, but both have also played well and had some surprise players step up and be very good. The most telling thing about each team is that it is hard to say who the best player on each team is. There are several candidates but none stand out definitively.
It's gotten to the point where these teams seem blessed. Perhaps it will continue.
posted by Ryan Pipke at
1:50 AM
3 Comments:
What about the Plainville Blue Devil baseball team. They go from beating Berlin, to losing to East Catholic. If they had beaten E.C., they would have the sole possession of 1st in the NWC. Soltis getting kicked out of the game at East probaly hurt the Blue Devils in more than one area. Hopefully they come back and get ready for playoff time!
What has amazed me this year is the poor coaching decision made by Bores at Southington -He personally lost the game for Southington to Eastern by deciding to pitch to Plourde - He surprised everyone at the game that day even Sara Plourde!!
Yesterday with runners at third twice during the game he did not sacrifice to get the runs in, but in the 7th inning he decided to trade runs for outs POOR DECISION!!. In the 7th innings he was chasing 2 runs and he could not afford to exchange potential runs for outs! Yet again poor decision by Bores cost them a lost!
For a School with great talent - I really think you are seeing the mistakes of an inexperience coach more so than a lack of tremendous talent!
Bores needs to learn the game and stop blaming his pitcher like in the Eastern Game and realize he needs to learn the game!!!
I have to respond to the two previous posts, both of which raise interesting points.
First off, regarding Southington. I think it is fair to criticize coach Bores to an extent, but certainly not completely. I was at the Eastern game, and yes, the pitch to Plourde was a mistake. But at the high school level you simply don't intentionally walk anybody. Nobody is that dangerous a hitter, and the last thing you do is put tying or winning runs on base.
As for blaming Lempicki, he did not throw her under the bus. Bores is very protective of his players from criticism, particularly since he knows how demanding the Southington fans are. But he won't sugarcoat it. If a player makes a mistake, they make a mistake. It's not his job to take the blame for it. It is his job to make others realize that their mistake is nothing to be harshly criticized for. We all make mistakes. A large part of what high school sports teaches people is to accept their mistakes for what they are. Bores does a very good job of that with his players.
But I will say that Bores is not used to the relative "struggles" his 14-4 team is going through this year. And at times I think it is clear he expects more from the players. But at the end of the day, he would be the last to berate a player to the media or in general.
And by the way, three errors in the seventh inning lost that game far more than one pitch to Sara Plourde. Bores can't be blamed for that.
As for Plainville losing to East Catholic, I agree it was the kind of game that champion teams win. But, it wasn't exactly the bad loss that losing to St. Paul was. Don't forget to look at East Catholic's resumee before just looking at the jersey. They've been right in the race with Berlin and Plainville all year (14-2, 12-2) and look like they will win the conference. You can't simply say Plainville blew that game. A good team won it.
Thanks for the comments. Keep them coming.
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