utbaseballfan

I admit, I thought the top 2 teams would be AC (of course) and CAK or maybe Catholic. But not Loudon. I thought coaching could only do so much, but Coach Thompson surprised us all yet again. Loudon didn't have the talent this year, but still managed to sweep a very talented CAK team and beat out a pretty good Catholic team in the tournament. Good luck to both in the Region.

Well, as expected, Anderson County (12-0) runs away with district 4-AA. The surprise of the year is Catholic, finishing 2nd. The biggest disappointment is CAK. If everyone finishes as expected, this should be the be the tournament seeding: #1 A.C. - talented, well coached, great pitching #2 Catholic - decent talent, got it done when they had to Loudon - played better than expected with minimal talent, well coached Kingston - average as expected CAK - good pitching and very talented but greatly underachieved Stone - new school and weak Scott - weak will probably be A.C. and Catholic, but wouldn't be surprised if Loudon or CAK sneaks in. Loudon because they overachieve and CAK with 2 really good pitchers. Should be a good tournament. Where is the tournament this year?

Catholic blew a huge 10-2 lead, but still hung on to win 10-9. Who will throw tonight and who will win?

Yeah, unless Byrge is off, I don't expect much from the CAK bats. They just haven't met expectations at the plate or in the field this season. Last year, they made very few errors in the field and hit the ball well. The only improvement in this year's team has been the pitching, with the addition of Tarr and an even better Kolinsky. Anderson County, on the other hand, is just as solid in the field as last year, and better on the mound. The bats haven't been 100% yet, but that will come.

Looks like both teams are saving their ace (Kolinsky CAK, Byrge AC) for tonight. If CAK can avoid the errors, which hasn't happened all season, Kolinsky gives them a chance to win.

How did AC do tonight?

Catholic's field is only 4ft. in far leftfield. The rest is at least 8ft, with center going up to 12ft. It's the best looking wall I've seen.

Anderson County plays CAK this week. CAK has the talent to compete and beat Anderson County, but up to this point, they haven't proved it. CAK needs a split with AC and then a sweep of Catholic to finish 2nd. Looks like Catholic and Loudon are battling for 2nd place.

Catholic's field is outstanding. I love the scoreboard incorporated into the wall and the bullpen behind left field, where the pitchers warming up can look over the 4 ft. fence to still see the action. The playing surface is good, and will continue to get better. Coach Sullivan works hard on it.

So the question is, will Byrge hit for himself against the Irish, or will he be DH'd for? Does he usually hit for himself?

AC should handle Catholic with ease.

good point

I don't know about the CAK players, but I do know that team chemistry means more in baseball than most folks think. I heard Catholic players had a similar problem Coach Sullivan's first year. I think it's gotten better. Sometimes it just takes a little time. However, Coach Guinn at Anderson County seemed to create the right atmosphere his first season. Of course, success on the field usually makes everything okay in the dugout and off the field. It's always interesting to see how a team handles the bumps in the road during the season. AC didn't really have any bumps last season, but I think they'll be fine when they do.

What's wrong with CAK right now? I've seen them play before and I know they are talented. I've also seen Loudon and Kingston, and I know they have average talent at best. CAK should not have gone 1-3 against those 2 teams. And although CAK beat Alcoa by 1, Alcoa is really down this year at 3-10. And Catholic seems to be off to a good start, but they really don't have any quality wins yet. We'll see how they do against Anderson County next week. AC is the only team in the district with some quality wins thus far. I still think AC and CAK are the 2 best teams in the district, but CAK just hasn't showed it yet.

CAK has a ton more talent than Loudon, and I believe Catholic is more talented than Loudon. But somehow, Coach Thompson gets the best out of his kids. Hats off to Loudon and Coach Thompson.

This week, I think Catholic and Loudon will split and I think CAK will rebound and sweep Kingston. If they don't, they could be in trouble.

Are you kidding? I wouldn't be bragging about beating Webb this year. They lost 8 out of 9 starters from last year's team. And AJ Kirby isn't going to Tech to pitch, he just pitches for Webb because really they need him. Catholic better not get too overconfident when they play Anderson County, or it will be a short game.

I'm surprised Loudon beat CAK, especially with their ace Kolinsky on the mound. CAK is loaded with talent and Loudon is a little down this year. I'm not sure how CAK's competition was during Spring Break, but they fared pretty well. CAK beat West early in the season which seemed like a good win, but West isn't great this year and CAK caught West in between 2 district games with Halls. Although Loudon lost both games to Anderson County, both games were close. Maybe Coach Thompson still has that magic touch.

Sounds like Anderson County and CAK are both off to fast starts. How's everyone else looking?

CAK should win easily. They have a ton more talent than the Thompsonless (Justin from last year) Redskins. Plus, CAK has been playing very well judging from their scores. CAK's young players got a bunch of experience last year, and it should show this season. I think CAK wins at home today 9-2 and tomorrow @ Loudon 13-1.

how did they do today at the Oak Ridge tournament?

Catholic has a great field. The playing surface is very good, but the wall, which changes height, has the scoreboard built in, and has the LF bullpen that you can look in from, makes the field fantastic. Coach Sullivan has done a great job on the field.

Anybody know about how teams in this district have looked in scrimmages?

Sullivan has done a GREAT job on their field. However, I can't say that I've seen improvements as far as Catholic's on the field play the past 2 years, maybe a little, but we should give him time. I have, however, seen and heard of many times he's whined to the umpires. Kind of a poor sport. I always hate seeing coaches set a bad example for their kids. Unfortunately, he's not the only coach who is a poor sport that's out there these days.

Whether a current coach hit .400 or .200 when he played in college doesn't affect whether he can coach hitting or not. Actually, whether he was talented enough as a player to even play college ball doesn't make him a good coach or a bad coach. Many coaches know the skills, but few can teach them and get the most out of their players.