Quick Shots: How mega-conferences could help the little guy, the hallowed cup, and the MLB Draft

NCAA realignment could be beneficial for small schools

Colorado is heading to the Pac 10, and Nebraska seems to be joining the Big Ten, as the dominoes begin to fall in the Big XII. Much of the southern half of the conference appears to be headed for what will become the Pac 16, the first mega-conference. Rumors connect Texas and Texas A&M to the SEC’s expansion attempts as well, but it appears the grand-ol’ conference will have to settle for expanding into already-secured eastern markets, perhaps raiding the ACC. That is, if the SEC desires to become a mega-conference in the first place (but if it makes money, it makes sense).

As this story has developed, I’ve been thinking about the impact mega-conferences will have on the smaller “mid-major” conferences, and the scenario doesn’t seen near as apocalyptic as prognosticated. Conference re-alignment really only matters to one sport – football. Basketball and baseball still have plenty of playoff spots to spread around. The BCS currently has to grant automatic bids to the champions of six conferences. If the Big XII, Big East and/or ACC crumble as a result of the Pac 10, Big Ten, and SEC forming mega-conferences, the BCS will either offer automatic bids to lesser conferences, or, more likely, remove some of the automatic bids and increase the number of at-large bids. This can do nothing but help the smaller schools’ chances of reaching the BCS bowls.

 

MHSAA Baseball Championships: News, Notes, and the All-Championship Teams

Some final interesting tidbits from the championship week:

- All six champions were from the South, including two from the coast and three from the Pine Belt.

- All six champions clinched while occupying the first base (visitors) dugout. We knew Petal had defeated Madison Central when they lost the coin toss to see who would be the Game 3 home team.

- Undefeated pitchers did not fare well at the championships. Undefeated starting pitchers who had at least six wins on the season went 3-5 at Trustmark Park. Those with 10+ wins and an undefeated record went 1-3 (W- Jackson Posey, SUM; L- Will Cox, AMY; Brayden Jones, MC; Nick Johnson, RGL).

 

MHSAA Baseball Championships: Class 6A

6A: Petal Panthers (30-4, 8-2) def. Madison Central Jaguars (31-4, 7-2)

Note: This is a continuation of my reports on the MHSAA Baseball Championships, played May 25-29 at Trustmark Park in Pearl. I broadcasted all 14 games, and the storylines were far too good to not share beyond the airwaves. Below you will find a writeup on the series, quick box scores, and links to PDF files of my scoresheets used during the broadcasts.

The biggest schools, the biggest crowds, and the most exciting series. A rematch of the then-5A championship of 2009, Petal survived a potentially devastating Game 2 collapse to deny Madison Central a second consecutive state championship.

Game 1, the finale of Day 2 at Trustmark Park, drew over 2,000 fans who witnessed a pitcher’s duel under the lights. Taylor Byrd, the senior southpaw for Petal, tossed one of the best games of the championships – a 2-hit, 1-run, 10-strikeout complete game win against a prolific MC offense that had belted 9 home runs in six playoff games entering the series. They would not leave spacious Trustmark Park a single time over three games against the Panthers. A pair of 10^th-graders led young Petal to victory. Catcher Tyler Graves’ 5^th-inning RBI single brought in fellow sophomore star Anthony Alford to score the eventual game-winning run. With the tying run at first base, Byrd struck out Jaguar pinch-hitter Spencer Turnbull to preserve the 2-1 win.

 

MHSAA Baseball Championships: Class 5A

5A: Long Beach Bearcats (23-11, 8-1) def. Ridgeland Titans (29-5, 6-2) 

Note: This is a continuation of my reports on the MHSAA Baseball Championships, played May 25-29 at Trustmark Park in Pearl. I broadcasted all 14 games, and the storylines were far too good to not share beyond the airwaves. Below you will find a writeup on the series, quick box scores, and links to PDF files of my scoresheets used during the broadcasts.

The Titans, winners of 26 consecutive games coming into the series, had seen their offense sputter throughout the postseason, and it cost them a 5A title here. The top three in the Titan lineup, future collegiate players Jarrett Jenkins, Tate Ratcliff, and Hunter Twitty, combined for just two hits in the series. Further, Ridgeland stranded 15 men on base, including back-to-back bases loaded opportunities late in Game 1. The duo of Nick Johnson and Stephen Joe were arguably the best one-two rotation coming into the championships, and they performed as advertised. However, they were blindsided by a Long Beach ace, and another Bearcat who came out of nowhere to pitch the game of his life.

 

MHSAA Baseball Championships: Class 4A

4A: St. Stanislaus Rock-a-Chaws (26-3, 8-1) def. Amory Panthers (27-7, 6-4)

What a school year 2009-2010 was for St. Stanislaus. State runner-up in boys basketball, state champions in football, soccer, and now, baseball. The sharpest uniforms and coolest nickname in the state faced off against the Panthers from Amory, a team that played a pair of tough 3-game series just to get to Trustmark Park.

Game 1 of this series was also the first game of the championship week, and it set the tone for the games to come. It was quick, just an hour and a half to complete, and it was close, decided by a late-game run. The pitching matchup was forecast to be the best of the entire week. Boomer Scarborough (11-1, 0.52) for the Rock-a-Chaws against Amory’s Will Cox (14-0, 0.46). However, both pitchers got knocked around far more than their microscopic ERAs would suggest. Scarborough got rocked in the 3^rd, giving up three runs on three base hits, as the Panthers took advantage of an error in the field by Scarborough. In the 4^th, one more for Amory. With two outs, back-to-back base hits by Zach Randolph and Justin Rone plated Tanner Poole to make it 4-0 Panthers. In the bottom half, St. Stan would finally get to Cox in a big way, pounding out six hits and scoring four runs to storm back and tie the ballgame.