Saw baseball post season assignments released. JCA 2A this year...was that always the plan and expected? They have to be overwhelming favorite there.
JCA 2A?
- Thread starter sporthog9er
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They would have been 2A last year as well. They are not multiplied up in baseball right now. Definitely not an overwhelming favorite. The Hilltoppers are currently 5-6 and struggling a bit.
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I would not say overwhelming. Manteno is 10-0 and very good. Chicago Christian is 8-0 and has a stud pitcher that JCA would need to beat. I believe that is just in the Regional.
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Haven't lost any kids. They really don't have a shut down pitcher this year. And they play basically a top 4A schedule. They are a decent team, just not a top 10-15 team right now.
Normal U-high is the favorite. Currently ranked #3 in the state regardless of class. They have a handful of D1 pitching talent(Iowa, Illinois, ISU, ND commits). Have 7 pitchers that have topped out at 88 or above. Whoever makes it out of JCA's sectional would likely face U-high in the super-sectionals. SHG is another 2A school that is ranked in the top 10 in the state.
All.... The Cyclones defeated U High Tuesday (7-4) and are currently 27-1. They have one non con game with Springfield High today before the postseason. No love lost between these two schools. Should be a fun one.... Ratsy
They are pretty good. Dominant pitcher who also beat Sandburg and Rita this year.
Exactly, if the best player on the field is the other teams pitcher in a High School baseball game, more than likely that team will win. Happens all the time.
All..... Absolutely correct. I don't follow high school baseball much but the Cyclones might get a taste of that today. SHG is ranked #1 in 2A with an overall record now of 30-1. They have a home game against Pana (17-4) this afternoon. The Panthers have stud pitcher Lane Funneman with an era of .034. In his last recent outing against Hillsboro he struck out 19 batters. Hope his arm is tired today. (lol) The Cyclones can score bunches of runs and have hitters in all nine spots. But someone of this kids caliber can shut hitters down. We will see..... Ratsy
Another example today, Plainfield East's Gavin Schmitt already defeated SPC West Champ Oswego last Friday and now has a chance to beat Neuqua today and get to the sectional final (against either Yorkville or Plainfield South).
Plainfield East defeats Neuqua and sets up a matchup with a hot Yorkville team and guaranties at least one SPC Team in the final 8 and a chance of 2 with (Joliet West).
All.... The kid didn't pitch for Pana. The two Cyclone pitchers in the five inning game didn't give up a hit. NorthMac (away) is next. They are 21-1. Ratsy
Saw JCA at the lower levels this year, it looks like they are down across the board. Marist will be the team to beat in the ESCC the next few years for sure.
All.... SHG wins 10-0 in five over North Mac. Brannon Kraft with a two hitter. My God those Litchfield area radio announcers started whining extra early. Complained about the umps not calling balls and strikes the same. And of course why is SHG who plays a 3A-4A schedule not playing in a higher class even though before the game Coach Naumovich from SHG explained to him why the multiplier didn't apply. And of course the "recruit" word came up. Some "chap" named Tim said he was going to get " extra spicy" talking about it Saturday morning on his area sports show. He even bit#$@^ about Immaculate Conception when at 5-4 many years ago dropped into a lower football class and won the state championship.
Shall we bring back the old football enrollment rule and apply it to all sports? For those that don't remember FBE was an Ihsa rule. If I recall correctly in a nine game schedule you throw out the smallest and largest enrollments by a team in your schedule and then average the remaining seven. Not surprising it was aimed at Belleville (Althoff) in their football glory days who played big schools then pounded smaller ones in a lower class in postseason play. (Sounds like a public school I know. lol) The funny thing about FBE was when it started biting some non private schools in the a%$ they wanted to get rid of it and did. Sigh.... Ratsy
Shall we bring back the old football enrollment rule and apply it to all sports? For those that don't remember FBE was an Ihsa rule. If I recall correctly in a nine game schedule you throw out the smallest and largest enrollments by a team in your schedule and then average the remaining seven. Not surprising it was aimed at Belleville (Althoff) in their football glory days who played big schools then pounded smaller ones in a lower class in postseason play. (Sounds like a public school I know. lol) The funny thing about FBE was when it started biting some non private schools in the a%$ they wanted to get rid of it and did. Sigh.... Ratsy
Not an expert on IHSA rules. If SHG wins the 2A title, will they be in 3A next year?
They could end up playing UHigh at some point, but they are not dominating the 2A opposition like SHG. That game was decided in the 1st inning yesterday.
All..... I haven't a clue. The Ihsa rules always for me lead to more confusion and questions. In football the rules say a waiver is granted for a period of two years. I know in that sport SHG this upcoming season will not be multiplied should they make the postseason. Their enrollment puts them as a mid pack 4A team looking at past historical playoff numbers. Not a bad thing considering they have a ton of spots to fill. Do they get a second year in 4A? I guess? I don't believe the completed spring season counts? I assume baseball is the same but couldn't find anything to confirm it. On a separate note 5A in football just got a lot more interesting. The Flyers just picked up three stud football players from the Missouri side.
How SHG beat Normal U in their one and only encounter is a bit of a mystery. The Pioneers have three stud pitchers. And most of the time great pitching beats great hitting. Normal U I think will make the final. They are in a different bracket then SHG. So if the Cyclones make the last game (they have a tough one coming up) it would be a fun one to watch. The game would be at ISU where the Pioneers play home games. Ratsy
Laurence, JCA, Naz et al have kids who play travel baseball together from youth ages. Should be 4A, not competing against small towns. If StL wins a state title in 3A congrats on kicking puppy dogs on the way. They know they damn well should be in that sectional with BR, SR & MC. End of rant.
Believe that SHG is Game 1, with Game 2 being the 3a matchup between Springfield and Charleston. Springfield got by Chatham 13-12 in extra innings and had to use a lot of their pitching. Their coach used one guy three different times in the game. They have one pitcher out for the season and their closer is just coming back from an injury. I think Springfield beat UHigh but lost twice to SHG in the regular season. Watch out for Chatham next year, they had only one senior in their lineup. Unless Charleston has an ace pitcher, I think Springfield has played better competition and will find a way to win.
My observation on SHG is that there are no easy outs in their lineup, they have plenty of speed, and can manufacture runs when needed. They have also got this far without having to use Thompson and Antonacci much on the mound. I would not want to face either of them late in a game.
I would argue that no program has done less with more talent, playing in lower classes than JCA has. All of that talent that’s come through their doors and they haven’t won a title since 2013?
They certainly come to mind when I think of the baseball version of Bolingbrook
All.... Didn't you forget to add they are supposed to take lollipops from the locals babies as well. Ratsy
Puppy dogs? I think Saint Francis and a few others in 3A might take some offense to that…get off your high horse.
All..... Cyclones in a close one (for them) with a 4-1 win over St. Joseph (Ogden). Friday morning they take on Timothy Christian (20-8) from Elmhurst in final four action. Winner plays for the 2A state championship in the evening. Ratsy
All.... I think they are a lock to make the finals and will be the favorite with their pitching staff to win it all. It would be fun to watch two CS8 conference teams go at it for the title. Even more so since SHG and Normal played each other already once in conference play. But of course both have to take care of business first in the early game. Ratsy
Could be that, or falling enrollment numbers and just having a year or two of not as high talented classes they are used to having.
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