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American Legion Baseball NC State Tournament

Linkman

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Jun 14, 2009
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With all semi-final series finishing up tonight in Area I, Area II, and Area III we now know six of the eight teams that will be at the State Tournament at Pitt County Community College. They are Pitt County, Garner (Area I), Wilmington, Hope Mill (Area II), Rowan County, Randolph County (Area III).

Of course, we will not know the tournament seeding until all Championship series are completed in all the Areas. The two semi-final series in Area IV (best of 5) just began tonight so it will be a couple of days before we know what Area IV teams will be in the State Tournament.
 
It also appears that the host won't be a pushover either.
Pitt County has a very good team....lots of experience players with a good number of college players including 3 or 4 that played on the Pitt Community College team that went to the Junior College World Series this year.
 
Guys, does the tournament begin next Thursday ? I would like to go if just for a couple of days. I've never been to Greenville and I'd like to try real eastern NC BBQ at Skylight Inn, in Ayden, which is in Pitt County, too. Think it was 2010 when Cherryville went down to Greenville for the tournament. Poster, Wizard of the east told me about this restaurant but I didn't get to make the trip. This time, though, I might be able to get down there for a couple of games. I wish it was closer. Two hundred and seventy five miles, Ouch.
 
With all semi-final series finishing up tonight in Area I, Area II, and Area III we now know six of the eight teams that will be at the State Tournament at Pitt County Community College. They are Pitt County, Garner (Area I), Wilmington, Hope Mill (Area II), Rowan County, Randolph County (Area III).

Of course, we will not know the tournament seeding until all Championship series are completed in all the Areas. The two semi-final series in Area IV (best of 5) just began tonight so it will be a couple of days before we know what Area IV teams will be in the State Tournament.

We should know the tournament seeding for this year and the future as well. A rotating match-up for the first day of each State Tournament is the only way to avoid tampering. I'm not a conspiracy theorist either. Good structure helps avoid bad decisions. Why would we accept anything other than a rotating schedule??
 
The Area IV semi-finals are over and Cherryville and Shelby are the two Area IV teams headed to the State Tournament
 
Cherryville, Shelby, Rowan, and Randolph. There's going to be some awesome, fanbases in Greenville next week!
 
Never would have guessed this Shelby team would make it to the state. I would guess we're the youngest team in the field. They've really gelled in the playoffs and are on a good run.
 
Never would have guessed this Shelby team would make it to the state. I would guess we're the youngest team in the field. They've really gelled in the playoffs and are on a good run.
Congrats to Post 82 for what they have done with a short roster. I didn't expect them to there and to be honest at the beginning of the season I didn't expect Cherryville to be there either. Most fans in this area were convinced that Union County and the Gaston Braves were the most talented and best teams in Area IV.

Just curious, how young is this Post 82 team? Cherryville is pretty young this year as well. The 18 player roster is made of 1 rising sophomore, 2 rising juniors, 5 rising seniors, 8 2017 graduates, and only 2 2016 graduates. Bottom line, 15 of the 18 are eligible to return next year.
 
We should know the tournament seeding for this year and the future as well. A rotating match-up for the first day of each State Tournament is the only way to avoid tampering. I'm not a conspiracy theorist either. Good structure helps avoid bad decisions. Why would we accept anything other than a rotating schedule??
Agree 100%. I just saw that pairings for the state tournament are not expected to be announced until Tuesday. Since we now know that Pitt County is the #1 seed out of Area I, then it's a no brainer that as the host team they will play a #2 team from another area in the last game of the day on Friday. A generic format should have already been announced showing how the areas are matched up on day 1. You don't need the actual names of the teams to do that. It does make one suspicious of why they didn't do that.
 
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Cherryville, Shelby, Rowan, and Randolph. There's going to be some awesome, fanbases in Greenville next week!
I expect those four fan bases to no doubt bring the most fans.That's interesting since they have greater distances to travel than the Area I and Area II teams. I assume that Pitt County will be represented well. I saw where they moved 7 additional sets of bleachers from a local high school to the Pitt County Community college field this weekend. I think they are going to need them.
 
Post 82, I think all 12 are eligible to return. If not all 12, then 11 of 12.

And to speak about the 12 that are playing. Three of them were moved up from the B team because 3 others quit. Also, Shelby is getting a lot of production from kids that didn't see much playing time at their high schools. This could be one of Grayson's best coaching seasons. He's won most years with a lot of talent. This year just looks like a great coaching year. Congrats to the Shelby program.
 
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I'm been very vague about how it was handled in the past out of respect. That is no longer important because we need to focus on where we are going. Most likely structured the way it is because "we have always done it this way". It's time for change on this, and I'll be happy to push the issue. If I encounter resistance, I'll ask for some support from you guys.

Either way, it is not important to this state tournament and hope to hear about a great tournament. Plenty of coaches that have been there and should be some serious gamesmanship among the coaches and crowds.
 
Agree 100%. I just saw that pairings for the state tournament are not expected to be announced until Tuesday. Since we now know that Pitt County is the #1 seed out of Area I, then it's a no brainer that as the host team they will play a #2 team from another area in the last game of the day on Friday. A generic format should have already been announced showing how the areas are matched up on day 1. You don't need the actual names of the teams to do that. It does make one suspicious of why they didn't do that.

I completely agree. The first round should be a generic format, with the same Areas matched up depending upon seedings. It does make one wonder how they set up these tournaments. You do want good match-ups, but, you also want to avoid any intentional game set-ups.
 
I'm been very vague about how it was handled in the past out of respect. That is no longer important because we need to focus on where we are going. Most likely structured the way it is because "we have always done it this way". It's time for change on this, and I'll be happy to push the issue. If I encounter resistance, I'll ask for some support from you guys.

Either way, it is not important to this state tournament and hope to hear about a great tournament. Plenty of coaches that have been there and should be some serious gamesmanship among the coaches and crowds.

I understand that the 8 teams there have accounted for a total of 37 past NC state championships. Four teams account for 32 of them (Wilmington - 10, Rowan County - 9, Cherryville - 7, Shelby - 6)
 
Question: I know Garner had a state championship vacated due to an ineligible player a few years back. Had they won another state title besides that one?
 
State Tournament Schedule

FRI JUL 21

G1- 9:30 am Wilmington(19-3) vs Garner(20-5)
G2- 12:00 pm Cherryville(31-6) vs Rowan Co.(31-3)
G3- 4:00 pm Shelby(22-8) vs Randolph co.(27-7)
G4- 7:30 pm Hope Mills(17-7) vs Pitt Co. (25-4)

SAT JUL 22
G5- G1 LOSER vs G3 LOSER; 9:30am
G6- G2 LOSER vs G4 LOSER; 12:30
G7- G1 WINNER vs G3 WINNER; 4:30
G8- G2 WINNER vs G4 WINNER; 7:30

SUN JUL 23
G9- G6 WINNER vs G7 LOSER; 12:30
G10- G5 WINNER vs G8 LOSER; 4:30
G11- G7 WINNER vs G8 WINNER; 7:30

MON JUL 24
G12- G9 WINNER vs G11 LOSER; 1:00
G13- G10 WINNER vs G11 WINNER; 7:00
(Pairing for G12 & 13 will not match previous opponents against each other unless necessary)

TUE JUL 25
G14- G12 WINNER vs G13 WINNER; 1:00
G15 (if nec)- G14 WINNER vs G14 LOSER; 7:00
(If three teams remain after G13, the winner of G11 draws the bye into G14)
 
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Why Why Why does this tournament make the undefeated team play that unnecessary game? Who cares about rematches? If you won the winner's bracket, you shouldn't be penalized by playing a game that really doesn't matter. Especially with the pitching rules now.
 
Guys, does the tournament begin next Thursday ? I would like to go if just for a couple of days. I've never been to Greenville and I'd like to try real eastern NC BBQ at Skylight Inn, in Ayden, which is in Pitt County, too. Think it was 2010 when Cherryville went down to Greenville for the tournament. Poster, Wizard of the east told me about this restaurant but I didn't get to make the trip. This time, though, I might be able to get down there for a couple of games. I wish it was closer. Two hundred and seventy five miles, Ouch.

The first day of games is Friday. Thursday night the tournament kicks off with a banquet for the eight teams. I think the public is invited at a cost of $20 a person. Some very good teams down there. I plan to catch the games on the radio.

For the two Area IV teams all Cherryville and Shelby games will be broadcast locally on WOHS-FM 101.5 (Shelby), WOHS-AM 1390 (Shelby), WCSL-AM 1590 (Cherryville) and WLON-AM 1050 (Lincolnton). You can listen to any of those stations online by going to KTCbroadcasting.com. I'll try to catch the games that don't involve Cherryville and Shelby on Sportstone.net who I understand will broadcast all the games.
 
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Hold the presses on the Day 1 game times. It appears as though there has been a mistake. Randolph at 4:00 pm and Rowan at 12:00 now. I thought baseball guys put the percentages in their favor........MAKE A ROTATING SCHEDULE THAT CAN BE PUBLISHED TODAY FOR THE NEXT FOUR OR FORTY YEARS!!!!! Just a suggestion!!
 
Why Why Why does this tournament make the undefeated team play that unnecessary game? Who cares about rematches? If you won the winner's bracket, you shouldn't be penalized by playing a game that really doesn't matter. Especially with the pitching rules now.

The National Baseball Committee wants a uniform format for post-season tournaments and they do not want a team to have a lay day without playing. That is until ESPN dictated a set schedule and pool play ensued. The state tournament format is strongly suggested and the Regionals are none negotiable. If you have ever listen to a Regional or World Series orientation you would better understand. Examples: "No girls in rooms, including your mom." "If you are seen out of your room after curfew, the team will be eliminated from the tournament." After coaching in some of these tournaments, I'm more in favor of playing Day 4 as the winners bracket champ. Been on both sides of it and still think it provides more positive than negative for the undefeated team. That's just my opinion, and I'm sure there are plenty of other coaches believe the opposite.
 
The National Baseball Committee wants a uniform format for post-season tournaments and they do not want a team to have a lay day without playing. That is until ESPN dictated a set schedule and pool play ensued. The state tournament format is strongly suggested and the Regionals are none negotiable. If you have ever listen to a Regional or World Series orientation you would better understand. Examples: "No girls in rooms, including your mom." "If you are seen out of your room after curfew, the team will be eliminated from the tournament." After coaching in some of these tournaments, I'm more in favor of playing Day 4 as the winners bracket champ. Been on both sides of it and still think it provides more positive than negative for the undefeated team. That's just my opinion, and I'm sure there are plenty of other coaches believe the opposite.

Shelby was on the bad end of that in the regionals (either 2010 or 2011). They were 3-0 and had to play a team with 1 loss in the meaningless game. They lost that game. And Sumter wound up beating them in walk-off fashion in the championship. Sumter should have had to beat them twice. You'll never convince me that the 3-0 team having to play an additional game is worth it. They should have an advantage for winning the first 3 games and be allowed to rest pitching.
 
Shelby was on the bad end of that in the regionals (either 2010 or 2011). They were 3-0 and had to play a team with 1 loss in the meaningless game. They lost that game. And Sumter wound up beating them in walk-off fashion in the championship. Sumter should have had to beat them twice. You'll never convince me that the 3-0 team having to play an additional game is worth it. They should have an advantage for winning the first 3 games and be allowed to rest pitching.
There are pros and cons but as long as all eight teams start the tournament playing in the same format under the same rules I don't have a problem with it. The winner bracket team can still rest their pitching if they choose in game 4 (which most do). As I remember Sumter walked off with that win as the result of errors by Shelby in the last inning not because Shelby ran out of pitching.
 
The National Baseball Committee wants a uniform format for post-season tournaments and they do not want a team to have a lay day without playing. That is until ESPN dictated a set schedule and pool play ensued. The state tournament format is strongly suggested and the Regionals are none negotiable. If you have ever listen to a Regional or World Series orientation you would better understand. Examples: "No girls in rooms, including your mom." "If you are seen out of your room after curfew, the team will be eliminated from the tournament." After coaching in some of these tournaments, I'm more in favor of playing Day 4 as the winners bracket champ. Been on both sides of it and still think it provides more positive than negative for the undefeated team. That's just my opinion, and I'm sure there are plenty of other coaches believe the opposite.

I think Post 36 has heard all the speeches and rules laid out at every level from local to World Series.
 
Guys, set me straight. What time, Friday, will Rowan and Cherryville play. A little confused about the schedule. Wilmington and Garner plays the morning game with Pitt and Hope Mills in the nightcap. Cherryville and Rowan have eithe the noon game or the late afternoon game.Please advise.
Thanks
 
As of 11:22 am on Wednesday, July 29, 2017, Rowan plays Cherryville at 4:00 pm on Friday.
 
There are pros and cons but as long as all eight teams start the tournament playing in the same format under the same rules I don't have a problem with it. The winner bracket team can still rest their pitching if they choose in game 4 (which most do). As I remember Sumter walked off with that win as the result of errors by Shelby in the last inning not because Shelby ran out of pitching.

You are correct about the errors. However, Sumter should have had to beat Shelby twice, and they came out of the loser's bracket, and used more pitching. They threw their Ace that game (tall left hander, really good). I can't remember who Shelby threw. If there was a second game, Shelby would have had the upper hand, pitching wise. Shelby still should have and could have won that game. I'm just saying I think it's pretty dumb. I see no pros, and a lot of cons.
 
As of 11:22 am on Wednesday, July 29, 2017, Rowan plays Cherryville at 4:00 pm on Friday.
Well, I've tried to update the schedule on this thread to be accurate. But I give up on accuracy when things change every day. Maybe I'll just wait and see what the schedule is Friday morning. How many finalized brackets does it take to actually finalize a bracket. Ridiculous.
 
As far as I know, and what I was told, the bracket that is out today is the final one. There was some confusion because in the bracket, the times were correct, but the placement of the teams was not. That's why they initially wanted to flip flop the two games. They had the 4:00 game listed in spot of the 12:00 game, but the times didn't match the bracket.
 
Westro has a valid approach with time stamping the current schedule. I've been told by one of the coaches that the times changed back to the original schedule and the game numbers have changed so that Game 3 will be played before Game 2. So...just to be evil, Game 2 will be the third game and Game 3 will be second. Game 1 and Game 4 will be delivered as labelled. All the ingredients for a country song, and we are not dressed up and ready to go yet.

"Who's on first??" "What's on second??" And where is everyone going to stay?? No clue where the problem arose, but the rooms for the teams where botched and now the players\coaches, umpires and Legion officials have all been relocated to new hotels.....sorry, poor word choice....different hotels or motels or barracks or stables. When someone says, "he's a star," it's positive, when you motel has a star rating, like only 1 star, well....good luck with that.

Just for the record, as long as I have been in Legion.....you have to laugh to keep from crying!
 
As far as I know, and what I was told, the bracket that is out today is the final one. There was some confusion because in the bracket, the times were correct, but the placement of the teams was not. That's why they initially wanted to flip flop the two games. They had the 4:00 game listed in spot of the 12:00 game, but the times didn't match the bracket.
Yeah, I noticed the confusion in the initial brackets Monday night. I guess it took them a while to figure out simple stuff like who plays who on the first two days and at what time. I'm not surprised that Pitt County is matched up against the Area II opponent. There was no way they were going to match up them up against the Area III or Area IV opponent on Friday. I just hope the folks running the tournament don't continue to create unnecessary confusion.
 
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