Class 3 Final Four Preview

Written by Ethan Silverman, Mike Rosenbaum, and JC Madey

The Class 3 Final Four is finally here, with matchups that should showcase some of the top pitchers and hitters in Class 3. On the mound, Savannah's Blake McFadden and Kennett's Andy Lack look to put their teams in the finals against the offensive outputs of Calvin Roebuck from Springfield Catholic and Tate Matheny from Westminster.

We proudly bring to you the Class 3 Final Four preview:

Savannah

 

Savannah enters the Final Four as a team that began the season unranked, and moved steadily up in the ranks every week, finishing the season ranked No. 10 with a 23-2 record. Savannah cruised through the season, behind the stellar pitching of standout junior Blake McFadden (right), and offensive contributions from McFadden, Andrew Stanger and Brett Smith. Savannah came up just short in their bid for a perfect season, with both of their losses coming by 1 one. The Savages defeated Clinton 1 to 0 on a one hit gem by McFadden, advancing to the school’s first trip to the Class 3 Final Four.

“One of the goals at the beginning of the season was to win state.  We knew after last season, we would be one of the top teams in state if we would play more consistently.  We lost two games this year by 2 total runs.  One of those losses was to Liberty.  We had several come from behind victories highlighted by a victory over Benton when we were behind 10-2 going into the 5th inning, we won 11-10 in 7.  We went 5-2 in one run games.  In the 5 games since the start of districts we have given up 3 runs total,” said Coach Eric Bodenshauser on the success of the Savages. “Our message has been very consistent all year long, we play the game hard until the final out whether that is the first game of the season or the last.  We expected to be in this position from day one.”

The Savages are led at the plate by the multi-talented McFadden, who led the team with a .466 batting average and 38 runs scored.  The power production came from the bats of Andrew Stanger and Brett Smith (left). Smith led the team with 40 RBIs and 3 triples, and was second on the team with 3 homeruns and third with a .429 batting avergae. Stanger smashed 6 homeruns and had 30 RBIs, while batting .456.

The pitching staff was led by Blake McFadden. The junior, who has committed to Iowa, went 8-1 with a miniscule 0.62 ERA. McFadden struck out 76 batters in 56.3 innings and gave up only 31 hits and 5 runs all season long. Tyler Wilt, Caleb Bounds, and Drew Kelly complimented McFadden, with a combined 14-0 record and 2 saves. Andrew Stanger picked up 4 saves as the closer.

Savannah is looking to stay hot as the face the Springfield Catholic Fightin’ Irish who score runs in bunches, and could be one of the best offenses they face all season. With McFadden on the mound Friday, Savannah will be confident and ready to play.

Springfield Catholic

Springfield Catholic is right where we expected them to be when the season started. The No. 18 team in our first PBR Top 25 of 2011, the standard was set high for the Fightin’ Irish. While the season was an overall success, it didn’t always come easy. Going into the Final Four with a record of 23-4, the Irish started the season a less than stellar 4-3. Since that start, Catholic went 19-1, with their last loss on April 12^th, and have won sixteen in a row going into the semi finals.

Said head Coach Jason Daugherty, “We have performed above my expectations.  I thought we would be pretty solid offensively, but pitching was a big concern after we posted and ERA over 5.00 the year before.  On top of that, my #1 pitcher, Austin Tribby, tore his meniscus right before the season started.  He missed the first 3 weeks of games which was a huge blow.  What that did, however, was force some other pitchers to step up.  The main guy that has stepped up on the mound for us is Calvin Roebuck.”

“I don’t think I ever realized we were a top class 3 team, and I still don’t.  I know we have had a good year, but I also know that we have a lot of things we can do better.  I just want our team to stay focused on the task at hand.  We can look back and reflect upon the season once it is over,” says Coach Daugherty on getting is team prepared for their run to a potential Class 3 State Championship.

Offensively, Catholic is led by Jack Wolfe, Dylan Love, Scott Chesbro, and Calvin Roebuck.  Roebuck and Chesbro were among the HR leaders in the SWMO area, each with 9 round trippers. Roebuck was also among area leaders with 41 RBIs. Wolfe batted a team leading .432, with 14 stolen bases and 35 runs scored. Love batted .418 with 33 hits and 34 runs scored.

Austin Tribbey returned from his injury, bolstering the pitching staff, going 6-0 with 2 saves and 0.86 ERA. In 40.7 innings, Tribby struck out 80 batters  and help opposing batters to a .119 batting average. Calvin Roebuck stepped up early in the season when Tribby went down, posting  a 5-0 record with 57 strikeouts.

Springfield Catholic will face Savannah in their semi-final game. With the power of Roebuck and Chesbro, the Irish offense will need to put some runs up to counter the top notch pitching Savannah’s Blake Mcfadden.

 

Kennett

 

Kennett rolls into the Class 3A Semifinals with a 24-2 overall record and having outscored the opposition 41-4 in the postseason.  And much like in their dominant ascent through the Class 3A bracket, the Indians have routinely outscored their opponents all season, scoring 10 or more runs in 14 of their games.

The Indians’ high-octane offense has smashed 24 home runs this season thanks to a core of junior and senior bats.  Catcher Adam Grantham has been a consistent run-producer in the heart of the Indians’ order this season, and Logan Dollins, Thomas Stillman, Justin Smith and Alex Bohnert have all hit multiple home runs this season.

For as good as Kennett’s offense has been, their starting pitching has been even better.  Right-hander Andy Lack heads into Friday’s game with a 5-1 record and 0.86 ERA; Cameron Wallace is 5-0 with a 0.45 ERA; and Grantham is 5-0 with a 1.18 ERA.

The pitching staff of Kennett is the backbone of their team, and as good as Westminster’s hitters are, Lack, Wallace, and Grantham provide a trio of starters that don’t give up many runs. With three strong arms, Kennett has an advantage in the championship game if they can get past Westminster.

 

Westminster

 

The Wildcats powered through their opponents all year long, after the class 3A Sectional champions started their season 11-2.  After a tough loss in late April to Ladue, Westminster battled to win their next six games, leaving them 19-3.  After finishing with a regular season record of 20-4, they coasted through the District 5 tournament, beating Principia, Priory, and MICDS to take the crown.  In their Sectional Semifinal game versus Lutheran SC, Westminster plated 14 runs, and later defeated Kirksville 9-5 in their Quarterfinal match-up.  This is Westminster’s first trip to the State tournament in four years, since they finished 3^rd in 2007.

Averaging 9.1 runs per game, this Wildcat offense is loaded with firepower.  Junior centerfielder Tate Matheny (right) leads the potent offense with a .515 batting average, 9 home runs and 51 RBI on the year.   Senior catcher Ryan Allee boasts a .480 batting average and 39 RBI.  Although their success is largely in part of their offense, the pitching staff is not to be overlooked.  Senior Collin Henry and Sophomore Ben Lovell are a combined 17-2 for Westminster this year.  Look for both aces to get the ball this weekend in Springfield.

Westminster has the hitting and pitching to beat anyone, and have been one of the hottest team going into the Final Four.  Their matchup with Kennett has the makings of a great game, with both teams almost mirror images of one another.