For West Virginia State, the road to the postseason has gotten longer, literally, and probably more difficult.
For West Virginia State, the road to the postseason has gotten longer, literally, and probably more difficult.
The Yellow Jackets are assuming their accustomed role in the West Virginia Conference baseball tournament, which they have won 15 times, including eight in the past 11 seasons. But as the tournament begins Friday, the landscape has changed somewhat.
First, the six teams aren't convening in Princeton, as was the case in previous years. They're leaving the state altogether, heading to Johnstown, Pa., a 275-mile haul for the Jackets.
And the competition stands to be as rugged as ever, with four 30-win teams. Consider this: State (32-11) won the South Division, but Concord (35-11) is No. 2 in the NCAA Division II North Atlantic Region rankings, only behind West Chester, Pa. The Yellow Jackets are fifth.
"They've had a heck of a year," State coach Cal Bailey said of the Mountain Lions. "They've got a good in-region record. They're pretty legit."
And then there is the hometown team, Pitt Johnstown. The Mountain Cats are making their first WVC tournament appearance, and they're ranked No. 3 in the region. They own three wins in four games against State.
But while the Cats (35-15-1) enjoy the advantage of sleeping in their own beds, they're new to the modified double-elimination tournament. As WVC associate commissioner Will Prewitt points out, they made it to the NCAA regionals just once as independents, so they're not necessarily well versed in the ways of the postseason.
And after a long season of seven-inning doubleheaders, they must adapt to the nine-inning game - no mercy rules, either. Everybody gets their 27 outs, even if they have to suffer a marathon rain delay or two.
"These may be the most pressure-filled games in the program's history," Prewitt said.
"It's a new season. You don't know what to expect," Bailey said. "You've got to go a little deeper in your pitching depth. The management of the game is a little different. The key is trying to keep ol' 'mo' on your side."
For West Virginia State, the road to the postseason has gotten longer, literally, and probably more difficult.
The Yellow Jackets are assuming their accustomed role in the West Virginia Conference baseball tournament, which they have won 15 times, including eight in the past 11 seasons. But as the tournament begins Friday, the landscape has changed somewhat.
First, the six teams aren't convening in Princeton, as was the case in previous years. They're leaving the state altogether, heading to Johnstown, Pa., a 275-mile haul for the Jackets.
And the competition stands to be as rugged as ever, with four 30-win teams. Consider this: State (32-11) won the South Division, but Concord (35-11) is No. 2 in the NCAA Division II North Atlantic Region rankings, only behind West Chester, Pa. The Yellow Jackets are fifth.
"They've had a heck of a year," State coach Cal Bailey said of the Mountain Lions. "They've got a good in-region record. They're pretty legit."
And then there is the hometown team, Pitt Johnstown. The Mountain Cats are making their first WVC tournament appearance, and they're ranked No. 3 in the region. They own three wins in four games against State.
But while the Cats (35-15-1) enjoy the advantage of sleeping in their own beds, they're new to the modified double-elimination tournament. As WVC associate commissioner Will Prewitt points out, they made it to the NCAA regionals just once as independents, so they're not necessarily well versed in the ways of the postseason.
And after a long season of seven-inning doubleheaders, they must adapt to the nine-inning game - no mercy rules, either. Everybody gets their 27 outs, even if they have to suffer a marathon rain delay or two.
"These may be the most pressure-filled games in the program's history," Prewitt said.
"It's a new season. You don't know what to expect," Bailey said. "You've got to go a little deeper in your pitching depth. The management of the game is a little different. The key is trying to keep ol' 'mo' on your side."
The Jackets, who open the tournament at 9:30 a.m. Friday against Shepherd (28-19), are younger than in most seasons, as they graduated 11 players from last year's team and 10 in 2006. But they've hit their stride, winning 12 in a row and 16 of their last 17. In the 17-game stretch, State has outscored its foes 233-58.
Travis McGrath (7-2, 1.79 ERA) leads a strong pitching staff that that also features Todd McQuistion (7-1, 4.53). Bo Darby (.427, 14 home runs, 61 RBIs) leads the Jackets' trademark legion of ball-mashers, which also includes Eric Workman (.414, eight homers, 39 RBIs), J.D. Broderick (.402, eight homers, 36 RBIs) and Ryne Holstine (.398, seven homers, 37 RBIs). Holstine has gotten hot as of late, hitting five home runs last weekend.
State won its division in part by going 3-1 against Concord, but the Mountain Lions are potent. Their team batting average is .355, just six points lower than State's, and Matt Kuntz is hitting .481 with 16 stolen bases. Greyson Schram has 15 home runs.
UPJ won the North Division, while West Virginia Wesleyan (31-15) took the Central. The Bobcats can be dangerous if they carry a lead late in the game, as Craig Hriblan (2.33 ERA) has 11 saves. The other team is Central runner-up Alderson-Broaddus (26-16-1), which had State down to the last out in a first-round game last year, but committed an error on the potential game-ending grounder. State went on to win that game and breeze to the tournament title.
State begins the tournament at UPJ's field, but most of the action takes place at 82-year-old Point Stadium. The 7,500-seat landmark has undergone a renovation and features Sportexe artificial turf, better to weather the rainy conditions that tend to plague the tournament. It has served as the site for the All American Amateur Baseball Association's tournament for more than 60 years.
Prewitt said Johnstown, which has the tournament through 2010, has welcomed the WVC with open arms.
"The city is doing all sorts of stuff for us," Prewitt said. "The only thing that concerned me was there were no bullpen mounds and batting cages. Next thing you know, they're putting them in. I think it's going to be a pretty nice event. That rug, considering the weather forecast, is starting to look awfully good."
The tournament winner gets an automatic bid in the NCAA North Atlantic Region tournament. Concord, State and UPJ look good for at-large berths, barring upset winners in the WVC and Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference tourneys. The region tournaments expand to eight teams next year.
All six teams are scheduled to play twice Friday, with action continuing Saturday. The single-game final is Sunday.
To contact staff writer Doug Smock, use e-mail or call 348-5130.
