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2014 State Tournament Teams

PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2014 8:49 am
by BisonEngineer
Anyone out there care to list the reasons that their favorite team or any other team will carry home the ND State Class A championship trophy on Saturday?

Additionally, I must say that the silence from all the Minot fans on this board regarding their team's absence from the state tournament is deafening. Will some astute western observer please elaborate on what happened in the WDA?

Re: 2014 State Tournament Teams

PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2014 9:34 am
by NoDakular_Context
An eastern perspective:
GFRR has pitching depth, defense, and enough offense to get there. FN also shows excellent pitching depth, steady - if not overwhelming - bats, but a tendency to drop the ball in curious moments. WF and Davies are wildcards: WF has a bona fide ace in Strahm, some good secondary pitchers, and plays with quite a bit of confidence. Davies shows inconsistency, but could make things interesting. Biggest question for top 3 east teams is WHEN the coaches decide to play their best pitcher. GFRR (with St. Mary’s draw) is probably the only team that can afford to keep top pitcher(s) for later games.

Re: 2014 State Tournament Teams

PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2014 12:22 pm
by BisonEngineer
Good EDC summary NoDakular, but GF Central (East #3) is going to the state tournament, not Fargo Davies. GF Central is a very good team when Zach Walz is pitching and has the ability to pull off the win versus Century (West #2) in the first round. As it has been all season, Central's weakness is pitching depth beyond Walz. With four talented freshmen starting for them nearly all season, Central should be even better over the next three years.

As for Red River's starting rotation, it is likely they will use the same three pitchers and in the same order that they threw in the EDC tourney: Regimbal, Hennessy, and Richardson. Between the three, they gave up 1 run and each pitched a complete game in the three EDC tourney games. Red River made zero fielding errors in those three games. Can they do the same on Mandan's relatively rough natural grass infield?

From the EDC, Fargo North, West Fargo, and Red River should all be strong contenders for the State title.

Re: 2014 State Tournament Teams

PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2014 1:27 pm
by NoDakular_Context
-Doh! My bad on the Davies/GFC mix... one qualifierI didn't bother to check up on! I agree completely: GFRR is set up really well for a nice run. Although, FN came VERY close to winning that EDC title game.
Everything I see and hear out of WDA says good teams on top, Minot's exodus and Dickinson's struggles not withstanding. Can't wait to see Bismarck and Century play. Mandan Mem Field will be a nice change: Kraft field turns into a cooker on summer days!

Re: 2014 State Tournament Teams

PostPosted: Wed May 28, 2014 2:49 pm
by Shaw1
If Bismarck High and Century get pitching like they did at the WDA Tourney, they will probably meet in the State Championship. I don't expect Dickinson or St Mary's to win their opening round games. Too many holes in their lineups. Regarding the WDA tourney and Minot......they never threw Zafra at all. Which is puzzling. Maybe he was injured, who knows.