Topics

[Clovis vs Clovis WestClovis North vs BuchananClovis East vs CentralCougars and Golden Eagles winner should end up winning the TRAC (without a next week collapse) and gain the #1 seed for the 'yoffsClovis 8-1Clovis West 8-1Clovis North 5-4Central 3-6Buchanan 2-7Clovis East 1-8]

Clovis vs Clovis West
Clovis North vs Buchanan
Clovis East vs Central

Cougars and Golden Eagles winner should end up winning the TRAC (without a next week collapse) and gain the #1 seed for the 'yoffs

Clovis 8-1
Clovis West 8-1
Clovis North 5-4
Central 3-6
Buchanan 2-7
Clovis East 1-8

[Clovis vs Clovis EastClovis West vs BuchananCentral vs Clovis NorthWe find out exactly what CW is this week. I would have them as the favorite in all 3 games when looking at pitching matchups.Clovis 6-0Clovis West 5-1Clovis North 3-3Central 2-4Buchanan 2-4Clovis East 0-6]

Clovis vs Clovis East
Clovis West vs Buchanan
Central vs Clovis North

We find out exactly what CW is this week. I would have them as the favorite in all 3 games when looking at pitching matchups.



Clovis 6-0
Clovis West 5-1
Clovis North 3-3
Central 2-4
Buchanan 2-4
Clovis East 0-6

[Clovis vs Clovis NorthClovis West vs Clovis EastBuchanan vs CentralClovis 3-0Clovis North 3-0Clovis West 2-1Central 1-2Clovis East 0-3Buchanan 0-3Should have a great series between Clovis and CN this week. You'd think whoever wins that series will take the TRAC. CW will be lurking, but dropping a game to Central won't help]

Clovis vs Clovis North
Clovis West vs Clovis East
Buchanan vs Central


Clovis 3-0
Clovis North 3-0
Clovis West 2-1
Central 1-2
Clovis East 0-3
Buchanan 0-3

Should have a great series between Clovis and CN this week. You'd think whoever wins that series will take the TRAC. CW will be lurking, but dropping a game to Central won't help

[Clovis vs BuchananClovis West vs CentralClovis North vs Clovis EastProbably easiest to make a new thread each week and we can post score/have discussion as the results come in]

Clovis vs Buchanan

Clovis West vs Central

Clovis North vs Clovis East

Probably easiest to make a new thread each week and we can post score/have discussion as the results come in

[Central at Clovis North]

Central at Clovis North

[Clovis East at Clovis NorthCentral at Liberty]

Clovis East at Clovis North

Central at Liberty

[Clovis West at Clovis NorthSanger at Clovis EastClovis at LibertyCentral at Frontier]

Clovis West at Clovis North

Sanger at Clovis East

Clovis at Liberty

Central at Frontier

[Thanks to everyone who played along this season! Always makes things fun. Congrats to Lancelot and Eylchamps for being Co-Champs for 2023.I will have all-time records ready to go for next year!Lancelot- 39-6Eylchamps- 39-6Sixtynine- 38-7Cristobol- 38-7Bronco- 37-8Hardhitter23- 36-9A-town Hound- 36-9Mr.GetLoose- 34-8Gtshark1- 35-10Bksflddan- 35-10CWClassof2007- 32-10TeddyKGB- 34-11Coastballcoach- 33-11——————————ThePack 31-8Raw Dawg Sports- 28-9Coach Gutierrez- 23-9Ghost 26-8SpringWaterTakes 15-3Panther Pride 99- 8-3StupidJagoff 16-5TheKid2001 5-1ExCoach- 9-5HookEmHorns: 3-3Outfielder5: 0-3]

Thanks to everyone who played along this season! Always makes things fun. Congrats to Lancelot and Eylchamps for being Co-Champs for 2023.

I will have all-time records ready to go for next year!

Lancelot- 39-6
Eylchamps- 39-6
Sixtynine- 38-7
Cristobol- 38-7
Bronco- 37-8
Hardhitter23- 36-9
A-town Hound- 36-9
Mr.GetLoose- 34-8
Gtshark1- 35-10
Bksflddan- 35-10
CWClassof2007- 32-10
TeddyKGB- 34-11
Coastballcoach- 33-11

——————————
ThePack 31-8
Raw Dawg Sports- 28-9
Coach Gutierrez- 23-9
Ghost 26-8
SpringWaterTakes 15-3
Panther Pride 99- 8-3
StupidJagoff 16-5
TheKid2001 5-1
ExCoach- 9-5
HookEmHorns: 3-3
Outfielder5: 0-3

[Hanford at Clovis WestSt. Joseph at ClovisGarces at SangerArroyo Grande at CentralI won't be running a records tally for this, but figured I'd start a thread to get all the conversation into one place for D1]

Hanford at Clovis West

St. Joseph at Clovis

Garces at Sanger

Arroyo Grande at Central



I won't be running a records tally for this, but figured I'd start a thread to get all the conversation into one place for D1

[Central at Clovis North (Thursday)Clovis East at BuchananClovis West at Clovis]

Central at Clovis North (Thursday)

Clovis East at Buchanan

Clovis West at Clovis

[Central at Clovis West (Thursday)Buchanan at Clovis NorthClovis vs Clovis East]

Central at Clovis West (Thursday)

Buchanan at Clovis North

Clovis vs Clovis East

[Buchanan at ClovisClovis North at Clovis WestClovis East at Central]

Buchanan at Clovis

Clovis North at Clovis West

Clovis East at Central

[Central at Buchanan (Thursday)Clovis North at ClovisClovis East at Clovis West]

Central at Buchanan (Thursday)

Clovis North at Clovis

Clovis East at Clovis West

[Clovis at CentralBuchanan vs. Clovis WestClovis North at Clovis East]

Clovis at Central

Buchanan vs. Clovis West

Clovis North at Clovis East

[Byes all around.Thanks to everyone participating in the weekly pick em so far. Time to recharge for league play.Sixtynine- 27-3Lancelot- 27-3Cristobol- 26-4Hardhitter23- 26-4Eylchamps- 26-4Bronco- 26-4Mr.GetLoose- 25-5A-town Hound- 25-5Gtshark1- 25-5CWClassof2007- 24-6TeddyKGB- 24-6Bksflddan- 23-7Raw Dawg Sports- 22-6 (No pick for Clovis-Bullard)Coastballcoach- 21-8Coach Gutierrez- 21-8——————————ThePack 19-5Ghost 18-4 (No pick for CE-Kerman)SpringWaterTakes 15-3Panther Pride 99- 8-3StupidJagoff 14-4TheKid2001 5-1ExCoach- 4-2]

Byes all around.

Thanks to everyone participating in the weekly pick em so far. Time to recharge for league play.

Sixtynine- 27-3
Lancelot- 27-3
Cristobol- 26-4
Hardhitter23- 26-4
Eylchamps- 26-4
Bronco- 26-4
Mr.GetLoose- 25-5
A-town Hound- 25-5
Gtshark1- 25-5
CWClassof2007- 24-6
TeddyKGB- 24-6
Bksflddan- 23-7
Raw Dawg Sports- 22-6 (No pick for Clovis-Bullard)
Coastballcoach- 21-8
Coach Gutierrez- 21-8

——————————
ThePack 19-5
Ghost 18-4 (No pick for CE-Kerman)
SpringWaterTakes 15-3
Panther Pride 99- 8-3
StupidJagoff 14-4
TheKid2001 5-1
ExCoach- 4-2

[Memorial at Buchanan (Thursday)JSerra at Clovis NorthClovis West at EdisonClovis East at KermanClovis at BullardCentral at Liberty]

Memorial at Buchanan (Thursday)

JSerra at Clovis North

Clovis West at Edison

Clovis East at Kerman

Clovis at Bullard

Central at Liberty

[Salinas at Clovis (Thursday)Liberty at BuchananBullard at Clovis WestBishop Diego (Santa Barbara) at CentralClovis North at CVCClovis East at Provo (Utah)]

Salinas at Clovis (Thursday)

Liberty at Buchanan

Bullard at Clovis West

Bishop Diego (Santa Barbara) at Central

Clovis North at CVC

Clovis East at Provo (Utah)

[Sanger at Clovis East (Thursday)El Diamante at Clovis NorthBuchanan at RocklinClovis at WhitneyLemoore at Clovis WestTurlock at Central]

Sanger at Clovis East (Thursday)

El Diamante at Clovis North

Buchanan at Rocklin

Clovis at Whitney

Lemoore at Clovis West

Turlock at Central

[Sanger at ClovisEscalon at BuchananClovis West at TurlockClovis North at RedwoodCentral at MemorialClovis East at Arroyo Grande]

Sanger at Clovis

Escalon at Buchanan

Clovis West at Turlock

Clovis North at Redwood

Central at Memorial

Clovis East at Arroyo Grande

[Garces at Clovis (Thursday)Buchanan at St. Pius Matthias Academy (Downey)Clovis West at St. Mary's (Stockton)Memorial at Clovis NorthEdison (Stockton) at CentralFoothill at Clovis East]

Garces at Clovis (Thursday)

Buchanan at St. Pius Matthias Academy (Downey)

Clovis West at St. Mary's (Stockton)

Memorial at Clovis North

Edison (Stockton) at Central

Foothill at Clovis East

[The more I look inside the TRAC this season the more I think that this will be the most competitive/exciting season we've had in years (or decades even?). Last season was a great starting point, but this year could be even crazier in my eyes.For so many years there was always a bonafide favorite at the start of the season. Most years we can look to one team and say, "There's your TRAC champion." I do NOT see that the year. There is much more parody among all teams and each team has something going against them that you could potentially look at to hold them back.Let's look at everyone in alphabetical order:Buchanan - Expected to be tough on both lines with solid/good skill guys surrounding. Nobody knows what to expect at QB and that's a major question mark.Central - They have some good upperclassmen, but I'm also told that some of there best talent comes from their current Soph/Frosh classes. I'm expecting a Central Section Title in 2025, but can that talent help contribute right away this season? I think Biggs is one of the best coaches in the section and I know he'll have them right in the thick of things this year.Clovis - Rose is likely the best QB in the section and will be a highly recruited player. When you have the best QB in every match up you have a chance. Didn't think they were all that athletic last year on D and them giving up 30+ points in five regular season games contributes to my line of thinking. I'll have my eye on that.Clovis East - Probably will be their best team since the end of the Murphy years. One rival coach told me after seeing them multiple times during 7o7 this summer that "This doesn't look like your typical CE team of the last 10 years". There used to be a time that this counted as an automatic win. Not this year.Clovis North - Nowadays in the "spread" era of football, a team that lines up with two tight ends and runs it down your throat is the hardest team to stop in some regards. That will be CN. They will pound teams up front and makes all these TRAC schools play a brand of football that they aren't used to. They were a 7-point loss to CW last year away from being TRAC champions. Broncos should be even better this year.Clovis West - Skill guys galore. Experienced and talented. Best in the section in that department. What do they have up front? The coaching staff puts in major work/time, but the trenches held them back last year. Think they need depth more than anything there, especially if many of those guys are asked to play both ways like last season.All in all, I do not see anybody going undefeated in this league and I truly believe that this season everyone can beat everyone. I see a lot of potential coin flip games when looking at these schools which should make for an awesome season to follow.]

The more I look inside the TRAC this season the more I think that this will be the most competitive/exciting season we've had in years (or decades even?). Last season was a great starting point, but this year could be even crazier in my eyes.

For so many years there was always a bonafide favorite at the start of the season. Most years we can look to one team and say, "There's your TRAC champion." I do NOT see that the year. There is much more parody among all teams and each team has something going against them that you could potentially look at to hold them back.

Let's look at everyone in alphabetical order:

Buchanan - Expected to be tough on both lines with solid/good skill guys surrounding. Nobody knows what to expect at QB and that's a major question mark.

Central - They have some good upperclassmen, but I'm also told that some of there best talent comes from their current Soph/Frosh classes. I'm expecting a Central Section Title in 2025, but can that talent help contribute right away this season? I think Biggs is one of the best coaches in the section and I know he'll have them right in the thick of things this year.

Clovis - Rose is likely the best QB in the section and will be a highly recruited player. When you have the best QB in every match up you have a chance. Didn't think they were all that athletic last year on D and them giving up 30+ points in five regular season games contributes to my line of thinking. I'll have my eye on that.

Clovis East - Probably will be their best team since the end of the Murphy years. One rival coach told me after seeing them multiple times during 7o7 this summer that "This doesn't look like your typical CE team of the last 10 years". There used to be a time that this counted as an automatic win. Not this year.

Clovis North - Nowadays in the "spread" era of football, a team that lines up with two tight ends and runs it down your throat is the hardest team to stop in some regards. That will be CN. They will pound teams up front and makes all these TRAC schools play a brand of football that they aren't used to. They were a 7-point loss to CW last year away from being TRAC champions. Broncos should be even better this year.

Clovis West - Skill guys galore. Experienced and talented. Best in the section in that department. What do they have up front? The coaching staff puts in major work/time, but the trenches held them back last year. Think they need depth more than anything there, especially if many of those guys are asked to play both ways like last season.


All in all, I do not see anybody going undefeated in this league and I truly believe that this season everyone can beat everyone. I see a lot of potential coin flip games when looking at these schools which should make for an awesome season to follow.

[Well, good thing there aren't betting lines for HS baseball because last Thursday would have been a disaster. Let's see what Tuesday looks like:Stockdale-Liberty- This might be the year for the Stangs. Lots of talent everywhere and seem to be playing as a team. Every few years Stockdale makes a run and it's set up on a plate for them to take it now. I know Liberty beat them in the regular season, but I like the Stockdale dudes tomorrow. Mustangs 8-3.Frontier-Righetti- Really didn't expect both these teams to be here. If Frontier does their 1927 Yankees imitation again they'll cruise. I've been skeptical of Righetti this whole year so I'll keep that same tune this week. Maybe that's their good luck charm. Titans 4-2.All SWYL title game.]

Well, good thing there aren't betting lines for HS baseball because last Thursday would have been a disaster.

Let's see what Tuesday looks like:

Stockdale-Liberty

- This might be the year for the Stangs. Lots of talent everywhere and seem to be playing as a team. Every few years Stockdale makes a run and it's set up on a plate for them to take it now. I know Liberty beat them in the regular season, but I like the Stockdale dudes tomorrow. Mustangs 8-3.

Frontier-Righetti

- Really didn't expect both these teams to be here. If Frontier does their 1927 Yankees imitation again they'll cruise. I've been skeptical of Righetti this whole year so I'll keep that same tune this week. Maybe that's their good luck charm. Titans 4-2.

All SWYL title game.

[Some sneaky good games in round 1.Buchanan vs Frontier- Kind of a slept on matchup for a casual fan being a 1v8 matchup. Frontier is OK, but a stud left-handed starter for the Titans could make things interesting. Ultimately I like the Bears because their 1-9 is a whole lot better, but Frontier has had some success the very little times they've played at Buchanan (Win in 2011 vs eventual National Champ team; upset in 2019 playoffs over #1 Buchanan). Even though I expect a close game, I do not see these BHS seniors going out in the first round.Stockdale vs Memorial- A game where Stockdale has the more talented team, but I wonder what SJM may be able to do with their pitchers. I like Padilla and Monterossa a lot and Stockdale has at times been shut down by good pitching. Kind of like the above game, Stockdale should win this one, but I wouldn't be shocked if it was close and low scoring. This is the game where I may be overthinking a bit....because Stockdale is dang good.Bullard vs Liberty- I don't see a repeat of last year, though the little Coffey has come on as of late on the mound. I don't think the Pats have the juice to win this one. I expect Schneider to be on the mound and I like Bullard to win something like 7-3.Clovis West vs Righetti- I'm baffled that Righetti got the 5 seed. How do you lose the final two series' of the year against meh teams, play nobody during the regular season, and end as the 5 in D1? Broken system. CW puts up double digits in this one and cruises.]

Some sneaky good games in round 1.

Buchanan vs Frontier

- Kind of a slept on matchup for a casual fan being a 1v8 matchup. Frontier is OK, but a stud left-handed starter for the Titans could make things interesting. Ultimately I like the Bears because their 1-9 is a whole lot better, but Frontier has had some success the very little times they've played at Buchanan (Win in 2011 vs eventual National Champ team; upset in 2019 playoffs over #1 Buchanan). Even though I expect a close game, I do not see these BHS seniors going out in the first round.

Stockdale vs Memorial

- A game where Stockdale has the more talented team, but I wonder what SJM may be able to do with their pitchers. I like Padilla and Monterossa a lot and Stockdale has at times been shut down by good pitching. Kind of like the above game, Stockdale should win this one, but I wouldn't be shocked if it was close and low scoring. This is the game where I may be overthinking a bit....because Stockdale is dang good.

Bullard vs Liberty

- I don't see a repeat of last year, though the little Coffey has come on as of late on the mound. I don't think the Pats have the juice to win this one. I expect Schneider to be on the mound and I like Bullard to win something like 7-3.

Clovis West vs Righetti

- I'm baffled that Righetti got the 5 seed. How do you lose the final two series' of the year against meh teams, play nobody during the regular season, and end as the 5 in D1? Broken system. CW puts up double digits in this one and cruises.

[Posted this in the football section, but just in case anyone here didn't see it....The Clovis Roundup posted a detailed article about it, which I will link. But here are the big takeaways (directly from the article):Whole article: https://www.clovisroundup.com/central-section-moving-to-year-to-year-division-placement/- Being implemented for this coming fall season- No more predetermined divisions before the season starts- Divisional placement will be determined at the end of the season by computer power rankings. This method will be used for bracketed sports such as football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, water polo and badminton.- The top eight teams in each sport, as determined by its computer power ranking, will be placed in Division-I playoffs. The next 16 teams, or teams ranked nine to 24, will be placed in Division-II, and each following division will be filled with the next best 16 teams.- Strength of schedule, win-loss record and head-to-head schedule will factor into the rankings. Head-to-head results will also be used if two teams are close in rankings.- Basketball will keep the four-team Open Division, followed by an eight-team Division-I and 16-team divisions after that.]

Posted this in the football section, but just in case anyone here didn't see it....

The Clovis Roundup posted a detailed article about it, which I will link. But here are the big takeaways (directly from the article):

Whole article: https://www.clovisroundup.com/central-section-moving-to-year-to-year-division-placement/


- Being implemented for this coming fall season

- No more predetermined divisions before the season starts

- Divisional placement will be determined at the end of the season by computer power rankings. This method will be used for bracketed sports such as football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, water polo and badminton.

- The top eight teams in each sport, as determined by its computer power ranking, will be placed in Division-I playoffs. The next 16 teams, or teams ranked nine to 24, will be placed in Division-II, and each following division will be filled with the next best 16 teams.

- Strength of schedule, win-loss record and head-to-head schedule will factor into the rankings. Head-to-head results will also be used if two teams are close in rankings.

- Basketball will keep the four-team Open Division, followed by an eight-team Division-I and 16-team divisions after that.

[The Clovis Roundup posted a detailed article about it, which I will link. But here are the big takeaways (directly from the article):Whole article: https://www.clovisroundup.com/central-section-moving-to-year-to-year-division-placement/- Being implemented for this coming fall season- No more predetermined divisions before the season starts- Divisional placement will be determined at the end of the season by computer power rankings. This method will be used for bracketed sports such as football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, water polo and badminton.- The top eight teams in each sport, as determined by its computer power ranking, will be placed in Division-I playoffs. The next 16 teams, or teams ranked nine to 24, will be placed in Division-II, and each following division will be filled with the next best 16 teams.- Strength of schedule, win-loss record and head-to-head schedule will factor into the rankings. Head-to-head results will also be used if two teams are close in rankings.- Basketball will keep the four-team Open Division, followed by an eight-team Division-I and 16-team divisions after that.What do we think about this]

The Clovis Roundup posted a detailed article about it, which I will link. But here are the big takeaways (directly from the article):

Whole article: https://www.clovisroundup.com/central-section-moving-to-year-to-year-division-placement/


- Being implemented for this coming fall season

- No more predetermined divisions before the season starts

- Divisional placement will be determined at the end of the season by computer power rankings. This method will be used for bracketed sports such as football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, water polo and badminton.

- The top eight teams in each sport, as determined by its computer power ranking, will be placed in Division-I playoffs. The next 16 teams, or teams ranked nine to 24, will be placed in Division-II, and each following division will be filled with the next best 16 teams.

- Strength of schedule, win-loss record and head-to-head schedule will factor into the rankings. Head-to-head results will also be used if two teams are close in rankings.

- Basketball will keep the four-team Open Division, followed by an eight-team Division-I and 16-team divisions after that.




What do we think about this

[Buchanan 6, Stockdale 4The ball was flying at the park yesterday. Both teams combined for five HRs (Buchanan 2, Stockdale 3). I'll start with Stockdale. This was a very very very talented group of players.... and almost all are coming back next year. Their middle infield was the best I have seen from anyone this season. Not only did they make the routine plays, but they took a couple legitimate hits away as well. Starting pitcher Holden Garcia was good. Nowhere near 90MPH though. Batesole was behind the plate along with a UC Davis coach. Both had him topping at 86 on their guns, but was mostly around 84. However, Garicia threw 65-70% sliders which made him effective. He threw that pitch whenever he wanted to for a strike and it was obvious he had great feel for the strike zone. The Bears started hitting him as the game went on though. Can only throw that stuff so much before teams start seeing it well. He went complete game.As for Buchanan, they were without a doubt the better TEAM....not just a group of highly touted players. Bernal started and went three innings. Then came Watson for two, then O'Toole for one, and then Becerra for one. This was the game that I was most interested in from the start when I saw the brackets come out. I didn't know what their plan would be pitching wise, so they decided to throw them all. As soon as one pitcher went out there the next guy started warming up. I think they beat Liberty on Friday.......and speaking of Liberty. They beat Clovis 5-4 in 8 innings. From conversations I had, Clovis outplayed Liberty. "Clovis was 100% the better team today" was the wording I was told. The Cougs out hit the Pats, but it was walks and errors that eventually killed Clovis. Liberty won the game on a base-loaded walk-off walk on a pitch that was described to me as "even an MLB strike". I have no idea what Liberty has on the mound outside of Cutter Coffey (who has only thrown in relief) so we will see who they trot out there tomorrow. Have to give credit to the Clovis staff for the run they helped their team make through these playoffs.]

Buchanan 6, Stockdale 4

The ball was flying at the park yesterday. Both teams combined for five HRs (Buchanan 2, Stockdale 3). I'll start with Stockdale. This was a very very very talented group of players.... and almost all are coming back next year. Their middle infield was the best I have seen from anyone this season. Not only did they make the routine plays, but they took a couple legitimate hits away as well. Starting pitcher Holden Garcia was good. Nowhere near 90MPH though. Batesole was behind the plate along with a UC Davis coach. Both had him topping at 86 on their guns, but was mostly around 84. However, Garicia threw 65-70% sliders which made him effective. He threw that pitch whenever he wanted to for a strike and it was obvious he had great feel for the strike zone. The Bears started hitting him as the game went on though. Can only throw that stuff so much before teams start seeing it well. He went complete game.

As for Buchanan, they were without a doubt the better TEAM....not just a group of highly touted players. Bernal started and went three innings. Then came Watson for two, then O'Toole for one, and then Becerra for one. This was the game that I was most interested in from the start when I saw the brackets come out. I didn't know what their plan would be pitching wise, so they decided to throw them all. As soon as one pitcher went out there the next guy started warming up. I think they beat Liberty on Friday....

...and speaking of Liberty. They beat Clovis 5-4 in 8 innings. From conversations I had, Clovis outplayed Liberty. "Clovis was 100% the better team today" was the wording I was told. The Cougs out hit the Pats, but it was walks and errors that eventually killed Clovis. Liberty won the game on a base-loaded walk-off walk on a pitch that was described to me as "even an MLB strike". I have no idea what Liberty has on the mound outside of Cutter Coffey (who has only thrown in relief) so we will see who they trot out there tomorrow. Have to give credit to the Clovis staff for the run they helped their team make through these playoffs.

[Wow.I've probably never seen a first round like that for as long as I've been around baseball here in the valley. Buchanan avoided disaster, but SJM and Clovis North could not.It's hard for me to speak about the coast schools because I hadn't seen them all year. Maybe they were under seeded, maybe it was just one of those days. But wow. The Buchanan game was weird. Starter OToole had been pretty dominant the last month of the year and then all the sudden gets hit against the 16 seed....in large part because he couldn't throw his off-speed for a strike. Righetti can do the little things right. Their small ball game was excellent and they executed pretty much every time they laid down a bunt. I know there were two bunt base-hits, but there could have been three. At the plate for the Bears was weird. The Bears ended the night with 10 hits, but, I kid you not, had about 5-6 hard line outs throughout...Most of the time with runners on base. Stuff that just makes you think "it's just one of those days" and usually results in a loss. Then the 9 hitter, with zero career HRs, goes walk off bomb to dead centerfield. He had a double and one of the hard line outs earlier, so he was seeing the ball well no doubt...He also had a diving catch in the OF. Maybe it was his day and his moment. But no one would have predicted a HR right there. That would have been the worst loss in Central Section history, but it was avoided.I haven't heard anything about SJM-SLO. Anyone there? What happened? What did you see? We know the score, but I'm looking for how it unfolded.Clovis North was interesting. They had beaten Redwood 20-4 and 8-2 earlier this year. Redwood had some pitching hype coming into the year. I saw them twice early and they didn't look all that special. But teams get better over the course of the season and that was the result of yesterday. I think Redwood-Stockdale could be interesting and I wouldn't automatically chalk that one up to the Mustangs after they struggled to beat Tulare Western in the opening round.Clovis beat Centennial in a game I saw coming from a mile away. Someone very close to me (not my dad) saw Centennial play last week. His first comment after he got back to town was that they were "terrible". Clovis can swing it well enough and I figured they would outscore the Hawks. They scored 10, but only needed 3 to win. I think the Cougs advance to the semis. Maybe I shouldn't doubt the coast teams again, but hard to pick them when I haven't seen em.Bullard-Central was a 3-0 and from what I hear all of Bullard's runs were unearned. "Nino" for Central looked good to me when I saw him throw against Buchanan. Sounds like he pitched a gem on Tuesday, but didn't get any run support. If Central was able to stay healthy all year I still think they would have finished second in the TRAC and made a good playoff run. Injuries happen though and it's unfortunate for the player and team.You never know what can happen on any given day of a high school baseball game. We should have some fun quarterfinal games between Buchanan-CW, Liberty-Bullard, Stockdale-Redwood, Clovis-SLO.Feel free time chime in with anything else you saw at the ballpark. Liberty-CE, CW-Frontier, Stockdale-TW, etc....]

Wow.

I've probably never seen a first round like that for as long as I've been around baseball here in the valley.

Buchanan avoided disaster, but SJM and Clovis North could not.

It's hard for me to speak about the coast schools because I hadn't seen them all year. Maybe they were under seeded, maybe it was just one of those days. But wow. The Buchanan game was weird. Starter OToole had been pretty dominant the last month of the year and then all the sudden gets hit against the 16 seed....in large part because he couldn't throw his off-speed for a strike. Righetti can do the little things right. Their small ball game was excellent and they executed pretty much every time they laid down a bunt. I know there were two bunt base-hits, but there could have been three. At the plate for the Bears was weird. The Bears ended the night with 10 hits, but, I kid you not, had about 5-6 hard line outs throughout...Most of the time with runners on base. Stuff that just makes you think "it's just one of those days" and usually results in a loss. Then the 9 hitter, with zero career HRs, goes walk off bomb to dead centerfield. He had a double and one of the hard line outs earlier, so he was seeing the ball well no doubt...He also had a diving catch in the OF. Maybe it was his day and his moment. But no one would have predicted a HR right there. That would have been the worst loss in Central Section history, but it was avoided.

I haven't heard anything about SJM-SLO. Anyone there? What happened? What did you see? We know the score, but I'm looking for how it unfolded.

Clovis North was interesting. They had beaten Redwood 20-4 and 8-2 earlier this year. Redwood had some pitching hype coming into the year. I saw them twice early and they didn't look all that special. But teams get better over the course of the season and that was the result of yesterday. I think Redwood-Stockdale could be interesting and I wouldn't automatically chalk that one up to the Mustangs after they struggled to beat Tulare Western in the opening round.

Clovis beat Centennial in a game I saw coming from a mile away. Someone very close to me (not my dad) saw Centennial play last week. His first comment after he got back to town was that they were "terrible". Clovis can swing it well enough and I figured they would outscore the Hawks. They scored 10, but only needed 3 to win. I think the Cougs advance to the semis. Maybe I shouldn't doubt the coast teams again, but hard to pick them when I haven't seen em.

Bullard-Central was a 3-0 and from what I hear all of Bullard's runs were unearned. "Nino" for Central looked good to me when I saw him throw against Buchanan. Sounds like he pitched a gem on Tuesday, but didn't get any run support. If Central was able to stay healthy all year I still think they would have finished second in the TRAC and made a good playoff run. Injuries happen though and it's unfortunate for the player and team.

You never know what can happen on any given day of a high school baseball game. We should have some fun quarterfinal games between Buchanan-CW, Liberty-Bullard, Stockdale-Redwood, Clovis-SLO.


Feel free time chime in with anything else you saw at the ballpark. Liberty-CE, CW-Frontier, Stockdale-TW, etc....

[This series probably deserves it's own thread this week. No doubt the series of the year for 2021. Let's keep this discussion here this week. Anyone making it out to any of the games?]

This series probably deserves it's own thread this week. No doubt the series of the year for 2021. Let's keep this discussion here this week. Anyone making it out to any of the games?

[Last game of the seasonBuchanan vs Clovis EastCentral vs Clovis NorthClovis vs Clovis West]

Last game of the season

Buchanan vs Clovis East

Central vs Clovis North

Clovis vs Clovis West

[Buchanan vs Clovis NorthClovis West at CentralClovis vs Clovis East]

Buchanan vs Clovis North

Clovis West at Central

Clovis vs Clovis East