Ray Curren – Elm City News
May 18, 2008 - You never get a second chance to make a first impression, but then again, most of the time first impressions are extremely overrated. Everyone had Guilford pegged as the team to beat not only in the SCC, but Class L, and really anyone else in the state (they started the year No. 1 in the state polls). But they looked very ordinary in their opener, falling in a crazy 15-10 game to Amity, which saw starter and ace Will Jolin chased in the fourth inning.
With the news that Jolin had also been injured, that first impression put big question marks in the Indians’ path (I used the word “yikes” to describe their opener). But without too much fanfare, Guilford slowly picked up the pieces, put themselves back together, and ran off 18 wins in their next 19 games, many of them by lopsided margins.
As we head to the end of May - when things really start to matter - the pitching staff is intact and healthy, the lineup is probably stronger than last year’s, and Guilford will be the top seed (and favorite) in both the SCC and Class L Tournaments. And, for now at least, the Indians are the envy of the other 20 teams in the SCC.
Here’s a quick preview of the upcoming SCC Tournament, with the best news that the weather looks like it will hold up. Keep in mind this was written before Tuesday’s games, so if it turns out to be a Notre Dame-Shelton final by the time you read this? Sorry. Without further ado:
1) Guilford Why they’re here: The Indians entered the season as the most well-rounded team in the SCC, and proved it throughout the campaign, despite a hiccup in their opener and a loss to Xavier at midseason. Will Jolin missed a lot of the season (on the mound at least) with an injury, and he’s not quite as dominant as last year, but he’s still the best pitcher in the league, and he’s backed up by brothers Eric and Craig Schlitter, as well as a lineup that was the best in the SCC this season.
Fun fact: Coach Pete Civitello chose - somewhat controversially- to throw Jolin in the SCC final despite a Class L tournament game just a few days later. Of course, Jolin went on to end Amity’s three-year reign as SCC champs and went on to pitch a no-hitter in the state finals, so he was fine. With a bye into the semifinals this year, Jolin may not pitch the final if he pitches the semifinal, but it will be interesting to see if the strategy Guilford used last season will carry over into this year with other teams.
Outlook: Tough to see anyone stopping the Indians, even if it’s just a one-game elimination.
2) Branford Why they’re here: Pitching, pitching, and pitching. The Hornets allowed three or more runs in only five of their 20 contests this season (two of which were in their final two games, losses to Guilford and Xavier). Branford was helped by an unusually weak Oronoque Division, where its possible Branford will finish with the only winning record and only one other team (East Haven) will go to the state tournament. The Hornets finished 15-5, but only 5-5 out of the division. Still, they have pitching depth, led by aces George Dummar and Rob Neagle and they’ll only have to win two games to take the title.
Fun fact: When the SCC went to the six-team format for its tournament in 2006, it seemed that Branford might be the top beneficiary. After all, under the old format - when only one team from each division made the tournament - Branford was single-handedly kept out of the SCC Tournament by North Haven from 2001-2005. However, in the last three seasons (since the format was changed), Branford would have qualified anyway as the Oronoque Division champion.
Outlook: The Hornets don’t seem to matchup well with Xavier, which may present problems on Thursday night.
3) Xavier Why they’re here: The Falcons got off to a hot start and, despite some minor stumbles, rolled to a Quinnipiac Division title after a couple of trying seasons in Middletown. Because of their location, the Falcons tend to sneak up on people, but this team is very talented. Dan Hickey, Sean Sweeney, and Ben Zupan are all headed to Division I colleges, and other than Guilford, their lineup might be the best in the SCC. They also have a remarkable record in close games.
Fun fact: Xavier posted a perfect 8-0 record in the Quinnipiac Division, a feat that had only been done once in SCC history - in 1996 by Notre Dame. In fact, the Quinnipiac Division has been so competitive over the history of the SCC that 10 out of 14 years, the winner has had at least two losses. But the Falcons made it look easy, outscoring opponents 67-22. Ironically, their closest game came against rebuilding Fairfield Prep, a 5-4 victory last week.
Outlook: They draw Notre Dame, and the fact that the Falcons have beaten them twice handily is scary. But they have the tools and depth to win it all.
4) Amity Why they’re here: Despite its usual pitching reserve, Amity was able to do enough to win the Housatonic Division and compile a very impressive 14-4 record (with two games still left at press time). For the Spartans, that’s an off year, but the middle of their lineup is devastating with Brian Kownacki, Jason Esposito, and Chris Migani providing the offense. The pitching has also been pretty good most of the time, allowing three runs or less 12 times in 18 games this season, despite some injuries.
Fun fact: Amity has been the top seed in the SCC Tournament five times in the last seven years, and this will be the eighth straight appearance, a remarkable run. The Spartans have also been in the finals five straight seasons, winning in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and losing in 2007 (to Guilford) and 2003 (to West Haven). They were a No. 4 seed in 2002, when they fell to West Haven 1-0 in the semifinals.
Outlook: Amity has a tough road, not only because they’ll meet division rival Shelton Tuesday, but because they also had to play Monday and Wednesday in regular season games against Fairfield Prep and Law, respectively. So we’ll se what strategy Amity uses with its pitching staff.
5) Shelton Why they’re here: The Gaels overcame obstacles that no team should have to endure on their way to a solid season. Shelton started the season with Ed Marocco as the coach, but the long-time coach and educator died after a heart attack last month. Assistant Scott Gura took over, but Shelton had to deal with another tragedy when school housemaster Thomas Gersz died at age 43. The Gaels are just 6-5 in their last 11 games, but with everything that has happened to them, that’s not a bad mark.
Fun fact: Shelton probably wants to forget the last time it qualified for the SCC Tournament. In 2006, the Gaels posted an impressive 16-4 regular season record and were the No. 2 seed in the SCCs. But they were pounded by sixth-seeded Xavier 12-4 in the semifinals. Shelton then entered the Class LL Tournament as the seventh-seeded, but were beat up again, this time at home, by No. 23 Manchester, 8-5, to end their season with two less-than-impressive defeats.
Outlook: Like Amity, the schedule looks like its working against them. Shelton also has to play two regular season games this week, Monday against Hand and Wednesday against Hamden. With pitching at a premium, the winner of Tuesday’s game may be a sitting duck for Guilford on Thursday afternoon.
6) Notre Dame Why they’re here: The Green Knights were able to shake off a sleepy start and the fact that they didn’t have a home field all season to win seven of their last nine games and qualify. The big turnaround came on the mound, ironically after Notre Dame found a semi-permanent home at Noyes Field in West Haven, abandoned as a varsity facility because the dimensions made it too easy to hit home runs. In fact, Notre Dame went 6-1 at Noyes Field this season, losing only its first game there, a 10-4 decision to Branford. In their six wins, the Knights allowed a total of seven runs.
Fun fact: It seems like a long time ago, but Notre Dame used to dominate this thing, winning the first three titles in 1995, 1996, and 1997. They also appeared at Yale Field from 1999-2001, taking home a co-championship when the final was called due to rain in 2001. But other than a semifinal loss in 2005, they haven’t been back since.
Outlook: The fact that they haven’t beaten Xavier in two tries this season may actually work in their favor, as they can use the underdog role to their advantage. They have decent pitching depth, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Knights make some kind of run.
REVENGE OF THE TECH SCHOOLS: It was a somewhat historic week for the vocational schools in the area, as they decided not to play the role of guaranteed victory that is usually the case when you try to put one on your schedule.
Last Thursday, Platt Tech - which has had a remarkable season in its conference - scored twice in the seventh inning to tie the game at West Haven, only to see the Blue Devils thwart what would have been a massive upset. Sure, the Panthers won 14 straight games at one point this season, but West Haven defeated them 14-1 in the season opener in Milford and Career beat them 9-2 the day before.
Of course, that game pales in comparison to what happened to Derby last Wednesday against Wilcox Tech. Having already beaten the Indians handily earlier in the season, all the Red Raiders had to do was defeat them and Hillhouse last week to qualify for the Class S Tournament after just missing out last season.
But Wilcox Tech had other plans, stopping Derby 6-3, and making things extremely difficult on them. Derby did defeat Hillhouse on Saturday, but needed to get past red-hot Cheshire on Monday to get back to the state tournament (where in Class S, they could make a pretty good run). It just goes to show that especially in a sport like baseball, anything can happen in a single-elimination scenario.
AROUND THE HORN: North Haven was officially eliminated from the state tournament early last week, finishing off a woeful stretch that saw them lose 10 of their last 11 games. In their final six games, the Indians scored a total of two runs and were shut out four consecutive times, despite playing at a field that is known to be conducive to offense. The schedule should get easier next season, but under the new formula the SCC uses to compile its opponents, it’s not assured …
It might be time to start calling Cheshire the new Sheehan as the Rams‘ hot streak led them to four straight victories - and they‘ve scored 10 runs or more in each - and a berth in the Class LL Tournament. A win over Derby might even see the Rams avoid a play down game as Class LL doesn‘t look as deep as it has in the past …
If Fairfield Prep fell to Amity Monday, the Jesuits finished up a 2-18 season. Hard to figure there are too many seasons like that in the annals of Prep …
Career just missed out on the final SCC Tournament berth, but could win 14 games, not too shabby …
You‘ll get good odds again that an SCC team will finish a couple of weeks from now as the Class L champion: if the season ended today, you‘d have Guilford as the favorite and top seed, Branford as No. 5, Hand as No. 16, East Haven as No. 17, Law as No. 18, and Sheehan as No. 19. Lyman Hall could join them as the No. 20 or No. 21 seed with one more win in its final two contests.
GAME OF THE WEEK SCC final, Saturday, Noon, at Yale Field - I‘m predicting a Guilford-Xavier final, and that should be a solid game if its comes off. Guilford looks for its second consecutive title, despite the fact it has been a decade before that since they had been in the SCC Tournament. Xavier has been in the SCC Tournament plenty, but hasn‘t won the crown in a decade and would like to change that on Saturday.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Eric Ostroski, Cheshire - Ostroski led the offensive charge as the Rams pounded their way into the Class LL Tournament with four straight runs. Ostroski had three hits, including a double and home run in a 10-6 win over West Haven, and also homered against Shelton earlier in the week. The Rams have scored 48 runs in their last four games heading into this week.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS 4
Number of teams officially eliminated from state tournament contention heading into the season‘s final week (actually a make-up week). We know the SCC wants as many teams as possible in the state tournament, but baseball might be one of those sports where we need to go back to the .500 mark to qualify.
POWER RANKINGS
1) Guilford (18-2; Last Week 1) – Should be nice and rested for the SCC Tournament unlike some others.
2) Xavier (16-4; LW 4) – That record is really impressive, looking at who they played and expectations.
3) Amity (14-4; LW 2) – Will be interesting to see how Coppola handles pitching with states looming.
4) Branford (15-5; LW 3) – Didn‘t exactly do anything to quiet the doubters with the last two results.
5) Notre Dame (13-7; LW 5) – Lost to Branford, Amity, and Xavier twice each. And to North Haven?
6) Shelton (12-6; LW 7) – Played four straight days and still have a ridiculous schedule this week.
7) Career (13-6; LW 6) – Played four straight days last week and managed to escape with three wins.
8) Cheshire (8-11; LW 16) – And here come the Rams on the outside. Could be a sleeper in Class LL.
9) Lyman Hall (7-11; LW 18) – Not quite as hot as Cheshire, but pretty hot as they head to Class L.
10) Foran (11-8; LW 11) – On a little bit of a roll, much different feeling than last year at his time.
11) Hand (10-9; LW 8) – Stopped the bleeding with win over Cross, but will be near .500 one more time.
12) Sheehan (9-10; LW 9) – Maybe the Titans are just setting themselves up for the postseason run.
13) Jonathan Law (9-10; LW 10) – Like Sheehan, probably much better than the final record will indicate.
14) West Haven (12-8; LW 12) – We tried to warn them Platt Tech, Panthers nearly ruined Senior Night.
15) East Haven (9-9; LW 13) – Engine sputtering at Yellowjacket Express starts to reach the finish line.
16) Hamden (6-12; LW 14) – Needed to beat Sheehan and Shelton in the final week to make the states.
17) North Haven (5-15; LW 15) – Back to the drawing board for the Indians, pretty big drawing board.
18) Derby (7-12; LW 17) – Might be tough to swallow if the season ends with a loss to Wilcox Tech.
19) Wilbur Cross (4-15; LW 19) – Going back to the same drawing board as North Haven, I guess.
20) Fairfield Prep (2-17; LW 20) – Their drawing board might be bigger than anyone else‘s.
21) Hillhouse (2-18; LW 21) – At least they‘ll have the Cross win to look back on this season.
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