Playoffs approaching fast Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
With the AA baseball playoffs only three weeks away twelve teams will be jockeying for one and two seeds within their respected districts to begin a quest for a state championship. That quest will start on April 19th with best two of three series in both the north and south regions and culminating during the week of May 10th when a new state champion will be crowned.
With the homestretch rapidly approaching some teams are showing signs of hitting their strides while others are still looking for much needed consistency. Within the latest Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten rankings six teams are from the north region but two are struggling and one has yet to find consistency. The top four teams in the rankings are split with two from each region.
So with round one of the 2010 playoffs approaching who is hot and who is not?
Who’s Hot…….
*Brookhaven – The Cougars were sitting at 2-4 back on March 11th following a 10-0 loss to Parklane. Since then Brookhaven has won 9 of 10 including quality wins over Copiah, Centreville, Hillcrest and Canton.
*Marshall – The Patriots have been on a torrid pace in winning 12 of their last 13, they’re only defeat during the stretch came in a 5-1 loss to MHSAA 4A Center Hill on March 12th. Marshall has a firm grip on the top seed from District 1AA.
Who’s Not…....
*Adams Christian – The Rebels have lost 5 of 6 since winning a three game series with WCCA nearly three weeks ago. In early March ACCS had moved close to a top five ranking but have since fallen out of the top ten.
*Kirk – The Raiders were making some noise but have fallen to 7-6 after losing a doubleheader to district foe Indianola. They could quickly fall out of the top ten with a tough stretch upcoming. Another matchup with Indianola followed by Winona and a doubleheader with #2 ranked Marshall awaits Kirk.
With the homestretch rapidly approaching some teams are showing signs of hitting their strides while others are still looking for much needed consistency. Within the latest Southern Sports & Travel Top Ten rankings six teams are from the north region but two are struggling and one has yet to find consistency. The top four teams in the rankings are split with two from each region.
So with round one of the 2010 playoffs approaching who is hot and who is not?
Who’s Hot…….
*Brookhaven – The Cougars were sitting at 2-4 back on March 11th following a 10-0 loss to Parklane. Since then Brookhaven has won 9 of 10 including quality wins over Copiah, Centreville, Hillcrest and Canton.
*Marshall – The Patriots have been on a torrid pace in winning 12 of their last 13, they’re only defeat during the stretch came in a 5-1 loss to MHSAA 4A Center Hill on March 12th. Marshall has a firm grip on the top seed from District 1AA.
Who’s Not…....
*Adams Christian – The Rebels have lost 5 of 6 since winning a three game series with WCCA nearly three weeks ago. In early March ACCS had moved close to a top five ranking but have since fallen out of the top ten.
*Kirk – The Raiders were making some noise but have fallen to 7-6 after losing a doubleheader to district foe Indianola. They could quickly fall out of the top ten with a tough stretch upcoming. Another matchup with Indianola followed by Winona and a doubleheader with #2 ranked Marshall awaits Kirk.
On the radar…..
*Centreville - The Tigers are quietly picking up steam and sit at 12-5 overall and hold down the number six spot in the latest Southern Sports & Travel rankings. Big three game series as Centreville travels to Natchez to take on District 5AA foe Adams Christian today for one game and then the Tigers will host Adams in a doubleheader on Friday.
*Centreville - The Tigers are quietly picking up steam and sit at 12-5 overall and hold down the number six spot in the latest Southern Sports & Travel rankings. Big three game series as Centreville travels to Natchez to take on District 5AA foe Adams Christian today for one game and then the Tigers will host Adams in a doubleheader on Friday.
Time to gel……
*Simpson and Lamar have been all over the radar as of late and playing in the best overall district in AA baseball could spell trouble as playoff time draws near. Which team will put together a strong stretch will determine who stays home and who moves on next month.
Also.......
I would be remiss not to mention Central Private and Hillcrest. The top ranked Rebels have won four of the past five state titles and while dropping three games this month Central Private’s strength of schedule permits them to hang on to that top ranking.
Hillcrest has shown signs of inconsistency early on but with one of the better pitching rotations in MAIS baseball the Cougars proved to be a top five squad with a 13-3 thrashing of Jackson Prep in five innings last week.
Hillcrest has shown signs of inconsistency early on but with one of the better pitching rotations in MAIS baseball the Cougars proved to be a top five squad with a 13-3 thrashing of Jackson Prep in five innings last week.
