Preview: 1A State Championship Series
May 30, 2018
The NCHSAA State Tournament has reached its finale, a best of 3 to decide a State Champion. As we prepare for the State Championships, we will take a look at each matchup and a detailed look at each team still playing.
Game Schedule - Burlington Athletic Stadium, Burlington, NC
Game 1: West Columbus vs. Murphy - June 1: 8pm
Game 2: Murphy vs West Columbus- June 2: 2pm
Game 3 if necessary: West Columbus vs. Murphy - June 2: 8pm
A Look at Murphy
Record: 27-1
Smoky Mountain 1A Conference: 16-0 (1st)
PBR/NCBCA Coaches Poll Rankings:
03.13.18 1st
03.27.18 1st
04.10.18 1st
04.24.18 1st
05.08.18 1st
Path to the State Final
Round 1: Bye
Round 2: Mount Airy (13-0)
Round 3: Pine Lake Prep (11-1)
Round 4: Uwharrie Charter (6-5 in 8inn)
West Regional Final: 2-1 Series Win over Lincoln Charter School (4-1, 0-2, 11-1)
Key Players
Royce Peterson, 3B, 2018 - Emmanual College commit
Nathan Barolet, RHP, 2018 - Gardner Webb commit
Joey Curry, IF/RHP, 2018
Caleb Irwin, C/RHP, 2018
Luke Garrett, IF/RHP, 2018
A Look Inside the Bulldogs
The Murphy Bulldogs are playing in the State Finals for the second straight season. This year they look to win the schools first baseball state title after falling short to Whiteville, and PBR national player of the year, MacKenzie Gore, last season.
Expectations can be a tricky proposition for young players but the Bulldogs have handled every bit of the praise and hype in 2018. They have been great all season dominating most of their competition but also proving it can win the close one when needed. They showed their toughness and determination winning an extra inning game in Round 4 and bouncing back from their first loss of the season in Game 2 of the regionals to blow out Lincoln Charter in Game 3 to head back to the State Finals.
They Bulldogs are solid in all phases of the game hitting .417 as team, and a team ERA of 1.26, while fielding at a .974 clip. One impressive stat is they average almost a home run per game hitting 26 long balls on the season. With its solid pitching and offense that can explode any time it’s going to take 2 solid outings from West Columbus to stop the Bulldogs. If the Bulldogs continue to play well in all phases of the game look for them to celebrate this weekend in Burlington.
A Look at West Columbus
Record: 20-9
Three Rivers 1A/2A: 13-5 (2nd)
PBR/NCBCA Coaches Poll Rankings:
03.13.18 RV
03.27.18 NR
04.10.18 RV
04.24.18 NR
05.08.18 NR
Path to the State Final
Round 1: Bye
Round 2: Northside-Pinetown (2-1 in 10)
Round 3: Perquimans (10-0)
Round 4: Bear Grass Charter (13-0)
East Regional Final: 2-1 series win over Riverside HS (0-5, 13-8, 11-0)
Key Players
Cody Benton, RHP, 2019 - East Carolina commit
Cole Benton, LHP, 2019
Jagger Haynes, LHP, 2020
Inside the Vikings
West Columbus is making its first appearance in the State Finals since 2006 and will look to win the schools second baseball State Championship. The Vikings season is proof that it is not how you start it’s how you finish. They started the season losing 3 or their first 4 and are now playing for a State Title after winning 7 of their last 8.
Playing some of their best baseball of the season West Columbus has shown they can win a pitchers duel or score in a hurry and put you away early. It took them 10 innings to survive Round 2 before blowing out their opponents in Rounds 3 and 4. The Vikings really showed their toughness in the Regional Finals, coming back to win the series after being shut out in game 1. They are a tough matchup for anyone in a 3 game series with their solid 1-2 punch on the mound. They have outscored their opponents 49-9 in the playoffs while throwing 3 shutouts. If they continue to pitch like they have this postseason and can get a few timely hits the Vikings could finish the season as State Champs.