Prep Baseball Report

NC Insider: Conference Play Decisions



By Brandon Hall
Director of Scouting, PBR NC

Follow us on Twitter: @PrepBaseballNC

In the upcoming weeks, as part of the spring preview, Prep Baseball Report of NC, will look into rules, policies, and possible advancements for High School baseball across North Carolina.  As part of this process, PBR would love to hear feedback, thoughts, and plans from players, parents, coaches, and fans. 

Previous NC Insider Articles:
     + NC Insider: Pitch Counts and HS Baseball in 2017

 

Different strokes for different folks… There are a lot of ways to skin a cat… When you get to the fork in the road, take it… Bottom line is there are a lot of ways for everyone to accomplish their goals.  The ultimate prize in high school baseball in North Carolina is awarded in June.  The question that every high school is asking themselves right now is “How do we get to the state playoffs, to the regional finals, and to the state championship series?”.  The simple answer is to win each game that is next on the schedule. 

As coaches are putting together their schedules, they are working to develop players, depth, and a sense of team.  Some coaches may challenge their guys every week.  Other coaches may work to build confidence with an easier road to early victories.  As teams get into conference play, all of the planning goes away, as everyone across the state is in a similar situation; working to win a conference championship and setup their road to a state championship.  However, there are some big differences in the way different conferences prepare their teams for the ultimate run in June.

 

All is Not Equal

Across North Carolina there are several variations to conference play that have a direct effect on conference champions and state playoff seedings.  In shortened seasons, such as conference play, the ability to match an ace up each week with a strong competitor, or to guarantee a win, can allow an average team to climb higher in the conference standings. 

Lets look at a couple of different ways conference schedules can be built beginning with a round robin.  In a round robin format, School A will play all the schools in its conference, in no particular order, home and away, throughout the season.  The random nature of the scheduling can allow for competition but as you look deeper into the scheduling there could be competitive advantages that arise.  For instance, School A is a contender for the conference title with School B and School C.  Each time School A plays B and C, it is during the same week.  However, Schools B and C do not play each other that same week.  More than likely, Schools B and C would throw their #1 arm at School A.  School A would counter by throwing their #1 against B, and having to rely on their #2 vs. School C.  School C has gained a slight advantage due to scheduling. 

This same issue can pop up when conferences schedule with a travel partner.  Think of this scheduling format, much like the Pac-12 basketball season.  Arizona and Arizona St will always travel together.  They will both go to Los Angeles to play UCLA and USC.  They just alternate the days in which they play.  For baseball this can present an issue if School A is grouped with School G.  School A will see everyone’s ace each week.  Forward to School B and School C being grouped together… As conference contenders, the teams they play each week may have to decide which school sees their #1, giving them an advantage, over time, when compared to School A.

There is a silver lining to the difficulty that School A is facing… Should they run the gauntlet, with either scheduling issue, they will be battle tested and ready to go in the state playoffs.

Other conferences, across NC, have gone to series as part of their scheduling format.  Whether it is a two game series, or a three game series, School A is seeing the same school for all of their games during that week.  This means that School A will need to beat the other school’s ace at some point, but will see their other pitchers as well.  This format still leaves decisions for the coaching staff as they decide when their ace throws and how to match up their plans with their opponent’s plan.  An issue with this format can be mismatches… it can create a very long week when School A is clearly the better team in all phases, each day.

 

What is Best

The goal of conference play should be:

1. Get the best teams into the conference tournament
2. Create competition throughout the year
3. Prepare teams to make a run in the state tournament

What is best can be different throughout the state.  Travel time should be taken into account.  The size of the schools in the conference should be taken into account.  The historical depth of the conference should be taken into account. 

One conference that has really helped themselves with a recent adjustment is the Southern Carolinas 3A.  This conference contains schools in a baseball hotbed of North Carolina, just outside of the Charlotte area, in a growing Union County.  Within the conference Marvin Ridge (2015, 2016), Piedmont ( 2013 – 2A), and Weddington (2012, 2013) have won state championships in recent years.  Cuthbertson has made some runs in state tournaments and has the consistent depth on its roster to be considered a threat most years.  The Southern Carolinas 3A Conference plays 3 game series during its regular season schedule.  Three games scheduled between most Tuesdays and Fridays throughout the year allow each team a chance to develop depth on their roster and the ability to win games in a multitude of ways.  With your ace going you may be able to win 1-0, but by game three, pitching may be running low and teams will have to find a way to win with their bats or their defense.  The complete roster can come into effect in a three game series as well. 

The three games series the Southern Carolina 3A has implemented has created teams that can make runs in the state playoffs.  In the 2016 Bracket Cuthbertson went 1-1, Weddington went 3-1, losing to Marvin Ridge in the regional semi-final. Piedmont went 2-1, losing to Weddington in the regional quarter-final, and of course Marvin Ridge won the 3A state title.  With Marvin Ridge’s 8-2 record in the playoffs, the conference posted a 14-5 record, losing 2 of the games to its own conference rivals.  When you look at the scores, the teams found different ways to win and Marvin showed depth going three games in the regional final and state championship to claim the trophy.

Baseball is a different animal than other sports AD's and conference officials may schedule during the year.  One game does effect the options and availability in the next game.  Especially with the introduction of a pitch count.  At the big league level, 162 games is needed to decide division champions, and it seems yearly, at least one division needs every one of those games.  At the Division I level, major conferences play three game series, over ten weekends, for a thirty game schedule.  Most races come down to the final out on the final weekend.  Baseball presents a unique challenge to competitive balance.  The coaches across NC seem to have a grasp on just how tough it is and they should have say on their schedules to help their teams prepare for May and June.

Each conference and its coaches should decide what is best for their area and schools.  Baseball is different that football, basketball, and soccer and the scheduling should be handled as such.  The man with the ball in his hand, on the bump, controls a lot of the outcome in one game scenarios.  This influence can be negated, to bring competitive balance back to conference schedules when the conferences are willing to adjust the scheduling to what is best for its teams within this sport.

 

If you have any thoughts on this article or on the Conference Scheduling and how they will affect High School Baseball in North Carolina, you can leave a comment HERE…  The staff at PBR will look through the comments and add selected comments to this article.  You can also tag PBR on Twitter , @PrepBaseballNC.  PBR welcomes feedback on making the game of baseball better across the state of North Carolina.

Next week, NC Insider will look at the Season Start Date… Practice and Competition.  If you have any thoughts on areas we should dig into you can email us or hit us up on Twitter at @PrepBaseballNC.