District Final Preview: Wildcats 'enjoying the ride' as they get set for showdown vs. Valley
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Wednesday, May 16 is circled on the calendar of the No. 3 seeded Whiteoak Wildcats as they will be gunning for a district championship, but standing in their way are the No. 1 seeded Valley Indians from Lucasville with a scheduled start time of 7 p.m. at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.
Whiteoak, who is 16th in the Division IV coaches poll, enters the game with two tournament wins as they have defeated the Manchester Greyhounds and Green Bobcats by scores of 8-1 and 9-3 due in large part to very clutch hitting and even more clutch pitching this 2012 postseason.
Against Manchester, it was the pitching of Gage Carraher (8-1) which kept the Greyhounds at bay as Carraher struck out 14 batters, which set the WHS single-season strikeout mark to 97 in a season, but adding the six tallied by the junior ace on Sunday in a 2 1-3 inning relief appearance, that season total is at 103 strikeouts.
In Sunday's six-run, eight-inning win over Green, WHS used the pitching of Luke Taggert (4-2) to their advantage, as he three-hit the 19-win Bobcats in 5 2-3 innings.
[[In-content Ad]]For the Indians this postseason, they have defeated Western Latham 8-0 and Glouster Trimble 6-0. As reported in the Portsmouth Daily Times, Valley pitching has allowed two or fewer hits in their two tournament games. Valley pitching has also in the postseason struck out 18 batters, with seven walks.
Also pitching at times this season for the Wildcats were Zach Docter (3-1) and Nathan Hauke (3-2), both gaining big wins in league and non-league games.
"There is nothing like good pitching at any time during the season. That's the name of the game ... pitching and defense," WHS head coach Chris Veidt said. "Gage, Luke, Zach and Nate have been lights out for us all year long. They should be proud of their accomplishments."
Though they are 2-0 in the postseason, the Wildcats have been playing in a tournament atmosphere for the second half of the season as they went neck-and-neck with the Fayetteville Rockets for the SHL title, until they lost what was the Division II league championship game at Fayetteville in a 2-1, eight-inning loss.
"Our kids are fighters. They have guts, and a lot of teams would have pushed the panic button Sunday and numerous other times during the season ... not these guys," Veidt said. "They are good with each other. They listen and learn well, and they are good athletes.
"These guys persevere … not once Sunday did I hear a kid say a word about the weather. They want to succeed, and perhaps the most important trait is they expect to and believe they will. They are one tough group, and playing quality competition brings out the best in everyone. We were fortunate enough to have some big league games down the stretch that got us in tournament mode earlier on than most."
The Wildcats who are 20-7 overall this season (one win away from tying the school record for wins in a season) have seen their district final opponent once already in '12, but it came during a scrimmage on March 10 where they defeated Valley 9-4 at VHS. In the scrimmage, WHS pitching combined for 16 strikeouts in eight innings.
At the time of the scrimmage, Valley didn't have their full pitching staff, but Veidt said he felt his pitchers matched up favorably with the batters of Valley.
"Their (Valley) offensive approach is very similar to ours. They stay inside the baseball and hit it where it's pitched," Veidt said. "They bunted quite often on Sunday against Trimble, but that may have been more because of the conditions.
"This time of year, teams, including us, seem to bunt more anyway. You are always seeing front line pitching, and you feel like if you just get your pitchers a couple of runs, it'll be enough to stand up."
Valley is coached by Hall of Famer Dean Schuler, someone Coach Veidt knows and respects.
"Coach Schuler, he's been at it for 30-plus years," Veidt said. "He does a great job with the kids and has helped me tremendously through the years."
As for the district title game, the Wildcats have been hitting the ball relatively well this season, and it has come with using work in practice and carrying it over to game day at the plate.
In their two postseason games, Michael Smith has five hits for the Wildcats, including a 4-for-4 performance against Green. Against Blanchester, Jesse Bradds was 2-for-4, including a 3-run home run (he has four RBIs this postseason), and Docter was also 2-for-2 in that same game with a hit-by-pitch and sacrifice fly.
"We really break the skill of hitting down to its purest form. The kids do such a nice job of giving us quality reps with our hitting progression in practice ... thinking about what they are doing during practice and then just letting it fly during the games," Veidt said. "We work to create good habits so they don't have to think during games … they just react.
"Our mantra the entire postseason has been, 'It's not who you play, it's how you play. In baseball, the best team doesn't always win a one and done format, but it's the team that plays the best."
As the game nears, Veidt wants his team to be like they have all season long … focused, and to enjoy the moment.
"My wish for this team is to just enjoy the ride and to appreciate the little things," the WHS head coach said. "I want them to enjoy the friendships and camaraderie we have built between us the last three months.
"This is the fourth squad I've been lucky enough to be with at this level, so it is a very special occasion. I want them to believe in themselves individually and collectively as a team. I want them to slow things down during competition, play your hearts out and have no regrets. After all, that's what has gotten us to this point thus far. I want them to believe."
Whiteoak, who is 16th in the Division IV coaches poll, enters the game with two tournament wins as they have defeated the Manchester Greyhounds and Green Bobcats by scores of 8-1 and 9-3 due in large part to very clutch hitting and even more clutch pitching this 2012 postseason.
Against Manchester, it was the pitching of Gage Carraher (8-1) which kept the Greyhounds at bay as Carraher struck out 14 batters, which set the WHS single-season strikeout mark to 97 in a season, but adding the six tallied by the junior ace on Sunday in a 2 1-3 inning relief appearance, that season total is at 103 strikeouts.
In Sunday's six-run, eight-inning win over Green, WHS used the pitching of Luke Taggert (4-2) to their advantage, as he three-hit the 19-win Bobcats in 5 2-3 innings.
[[In-content Ad]]For the Indians this postseason, they have defeated Western Latham 8-0 and Glouster Trimble 6-0. As reported in the Portsmouth Daily Times, Valley pitching has allowed two or fewer hits in their two tournament games. Valley pitching has also in the postseason struck out 18 batters, with seven walks.
Also pitching at times this season for the Wildcats were Zach Docter (3-1) and Nathan Hauke (3-2), both gaining big wins in league and non-league games.
"There is nothing like good pitching at any time during the season. That's the name of the game ... pitching and defense," WHS head coach Chris Veidt said. "Gage, Luke, Zach and Nate have been lights out for us all year long. They should be proud of their accomplishments."
Though they are 2-0 in the postseason, the Wildcats have been playing in a tournament atmosphere for the second half of the season as they went neck-and-neck with the Fayetteville Rockets for the SHL title, until they lost what was the Division II league championship game at Fayetteville in a 2-1, eight-inning loss.
"Our kids are fighters. They have guts, and a lot of teams would have pushed the panic button Sunday and numerous other times during the season ... not these guys," Veidt said. "They are good with each other. They listen and learn well, and they are good athletes.
"These guys persevere … not once Sunday did I hear a kid say a word about the weather. They want to succeed, and perhaps the most important trait is they expect to and believe they will. They are one tough group, and playing quality competition brings out the best in everyone. We were fortunate enough to have some big league games down the stretch that got us in tournament mode earlier on than most."
The Wildcats who are 20-7 overall this season (one win away from tying the school record for wins in a season) have seen their district final opponent once already in '12, but it came during a scrimmage on March 10 where they defeated Valley 9-4 at VHS. In the scrimmage, WHS pitching combined for 16 strikeouts in eight innings.
At the time of the scrimmage, Valley didn't have their full pitching staff, but Veidt said he felt his pitchers matched up favorably with the batters of Valley.
"Their (Valley) offensive approach is very similar to ours. They stay inside the baseball and hit it where it's pitched," Veidt said. "They bunted quite often on Sunday against Trimble, but that may have been more because of the conditions.
"This time of year, teams, including us, seem to bunt more anyway. You are always seeing front line pitching, and you feel like if you just get your pitchers a couple of runs, it'll be enough to stand up."
Valley is coached by Hall of Famer Dean Schuler, someone Coach Veidt knows and respects.
"Coach Schuler, he's been at it for 30-plus years," Veidt said. "He does a great job with the kids and has helped me tremendously through the years."
As for the district title game, the Wildcats have been hitting the ball relatively well this season, and it has come with using work in practice and carrying it over to game day at the plate.
In their two postseason games, Michael Smith has five hits for the Wildcats, including a 4-for-4 performance against Green. Against Blanchester, Jesse Bradds was 2-for-4, including a 3-run home run (he has four RBIs this postseason), and Docter was also 2-for-2 in that same game with a hit-by-pitch and sacrifice fly.
"We really break the skill of hitting down to its purest form. The kids do such a nice job of giving us quality reps with our hitting progression in practice ... thinking about what they are doing during practice and then just letting it fly during the games," Veidt said. "We work to create good habits so they don't have to think during games … they just react.
"Our mantra the entire postseason has been, 'It's not who you play, it's how you play. In baseball, the best team doesn't always win a one and done format, but it's the team that plays the best."
As the game nears, Veidt wants his team to be like they have all season long … focused, and to enjoy the moment.
"My wish for this team is to just enjoy the ride and to appreciate the little things," the WHS head coach said. "I want them to enjoy the friendships and camaraderie we have built between us the last three months.
"This is the fourth squad I've been lucky enough to be with at this level, so it is a very special occasion. I want them to believe in themselves individually and collectively as a team. I want them to slow things down during competition, play your hearts out and have no regrets. After all, that's what has gotten us to this point thus far. I want them to believe."