Cheers and Jeers
Sportswriter Steve Tietz will use this blog to try to duly reward the great, praise heartily the hard-working, uncover the unsung, and take to task the spoilsport, the foul-mouth and the crass in the local prep sports scene. He'll try to remember that kids are just kids and that coaches aren't in it for the money. He'll try to gently remind parents that the kids are playing for fun, not for profit and that the officials, though occasionally human and therefore prone to error, are there to ensure fair play and not out to get anyone.
Some WIAA baseball sectionals look lopsided, but don't be surprised if there are upsets
On the surface, the WIAA Germantown baseball sectional scheduled for Friday looks like it could be mailed in, with top-seeded Menomonee Falls (32-10) riding a 12-game winning streak and with by far and away the best record on the docket.
But the Indians will have to be wary of sectional semifinal opponent and Greater Metro rival Brookfield Central (22-22) as the Lancers were the last team to beat the Indians back in late June. Besides, these teams have an intense history with one another that dates back more than a decade with many high-level games deciding state berths and conference titles.
Falls coach Pat Hansen will no doubt remind the Indians of what happened three weeks ago as the senior-laden squad looks to put a state tournament berth and maybe more on top of what already has been a great 2009-10 athletic year for the Indian boys.
"But no doubt he (Lancer coach Jeff Bigler) will be reminding them of all the times we beat them," said Hansen in a cautionary note.
A nice story in that sectional is the return of Germantown pitcher Tyler Thicke to full-time duty. Thicke pitched all seven innings for the first time this season and helped the Warhawks upset third-seeded Sussex Hamilton, 4-3, on Tuesday.
Thicke, a NCAA Division I recruit bound for Indiana, has been on limited duty all summer as he continues to recover from last year's "Tommy John" surgery on his elbow. It is not known if Thicke can come back on short rest for the Friday sectional. Coach Parrish Wagner, himself a former collegiate pitcher, has been very catious and careful in his usage of Thicke this summer.
Wagner's side will take the field in the late semifinal at Germantown's "Dream Field", against Slinger, which pulled another upset special, this time by a 4-1 count against second-seeded Brookfield East. Wagner coached at Slinger before coming over to lead his alma mater after the retirement of Warhawk legend Chuck Ritzenthaler.
That's not the only sectional with a curious aspect to it.
It looks fairly one-sided over at Cedarburg as well, as top-seeded Nicolet (25-11) buried its Friday sectional semifinal opponent Whitefish Bay, 12-2, back on July 5.
But Blue Duke coach Jay Wojcinski will try to conjure up memories of an early season one-run loss to Nicolet, when the youthful Bay squad (only one senior in the line-up) had the Knights on the ropes before Nicolet pulled out a late victory.
Also in Nicolet's favor, however, is that if the seeds hold and the Knights meet North Shore rival Grafton (19-9) in the 4:30 p.m. Friday finale, they will likely not have to face Milwaukee Brewers draft choice Conor Fisk, as Fisk, who had 14 strikeouts in leading the Blackhawks past Port Washington, 6-1, on Tuesday, will likely go against an underrated Brown Deer squad (17-15) in the second semifinal.
And don't look past the Falcons either, as they look like they might be reprising their Rodney Dangerfield "I ain't got no respect act" from two years ago, when they beat Nicolet in the sectional final to earn a state tournament berth. Ironically, that 2008 sectional was also played in Cedarburg.
Brown Deer got an impressive relief performance from senior Joey Mattefs in upsetting third-seeded Cedarburg on Tuesday night.
And one thing is for certain, the Falcons are clearly on Nicolet's radar this time around.
"Boy, that's a dangerous team," Knight coach Dick Sykes said a few weeks ago. "When they get going, they can hit the heck out of the ball." Nicolet will also have to sharpen up its defense as the last few games have been a little sloppy with some people playing out of position due to injuries.
But like the Falls, the Knights are a senior-dominated team and they are getting healthy. First baseman D. J. Peltz served as DH in the 13-4 win over Shorewood Tuesday night and picked up two walks and a sacrifice fly. It was the first action for Peltz in two weeks since being hit in the face by a foul ball two weeks ago in Brookfield.
SECTIONAL BASEBALL PAIRINGS
At Germantown
SEMIFINALS
#1 Menomonee Falls vs. #4 Brookfield Central, 11 a.m.
#6 Germantown vs. #7 Slinger, 1:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP----4:30 p.m.
At Cedarburg
#1 Nicolet vs. #4 Whitefish Bay, 10:30 a.m.
#6 Brown Deer vs. #2 Grafton, 1:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP----4:30 p.m.
STATE TOURNAMENT IS IN STEVENS POINT, JULY 28 AND 29
0 COMMENTS