THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 9, 1995 TAG: 9506090682
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
Scouting the opposition has become a huge part of high school baseball and becomes that much more important come playoff time.
So it spoke volumes Wednesday night when two of tonight's state Group AAA semifinalists didn't worry about scouting their probable foes in the quarterfinals.
But what more could First Colonial (24-3) and Green Run (24-2) learn from watching each other?
The Beach District's co-regular-season champions have already played each other four times this year, with Green Run winning three times.
The Stallions will try to make it four wins over the Patriots tonight at Old Dominion University at 7 p.m.
``I heard a lot about them, and I've been reading the paper,'' First Colonial coach Norbie Wilson said sarcastically. ``I noticed they didn't have anybody scouting us. . . . Did we scout them? Well, no.''
The Stallions are 6-1 against the Patriots in the last two seasons and 45-5 overall. Earlier this week, Green Run jumped into the No. 24 spot in USA Today's national rankings of high school teams.
First Colonial, meanwhile, has beaten every team it's faced this season, with the exception of Green Run. The Patriots are 43-11 the last two years and are in the state semifinals for the fifth consecutive year. They won the state title in 1993.
``Does that mean that's good, or that I can't win the big one?'' Wilson joked. ``I think it all says a lot for baseball in Virginia Beach.''
While Wilson will be coaching in his fifth consecutive state semifinal, Green Run coach Jeff Ballance is in his first state semifinal in his first season as a head coach.
Ballance, who inherited a talented team when Gary Spedden accepted a similar position at newly opened Ocean Lakes, said that until the Stallions qualified for the state playoffs he felt intense pressure.
``If we hadn't gone at least a step farther than we did last year (losing in regional semifinals), I would have felt that we'd failed,'' Ballance said.
So what does Wilson think of the Stallions?
``They have offensive pop,'' Wilson said. ``It's a known fact that any one of their guys, No. 1 through No. 9, can beat you. They've obviously got great pitching, and they're strong up the middle defensively.''
If there is a weakness, it has been overly aggressive baserunning, which Ballance readily admits.
``They've got a first-year coach at third base,'' Wilson said of Ballance. ``You second-guess yourself enough as it is when you're an old guy like me.''
And Ballance's thoughts on First Colonial?
``I don't see a weakness,'' he said. ``Beach District baseball has come a long ways in the last 10 years, and they are the reason.''
If there is a weakness, it is in First Colonial's youthful infield. Sophomore Steve Tyler is at shortstop, with juniors Nathan Frost at second, Brad Tetlow at first and Ryan Dunbar behind the plate.
GROUP AA BASEBALL: The Nansemond River Warriors believe home-field advantage could be pivotal when they make the school's first state semifinal appearance today at 4 p.m. against Region II champion Courtland.
``Being home makes us feel really good because our field is so beautiful,'' Warriors second baseman Kevin McCormick said. ``Coach (Phil) Braswell's really put a lot of work into it, and that's helped all of us, but especially the infielders.''
Today's game will mark Nansemond River's fourth consecutive game on its own field. Should the Warriors defeat Courtland, they'll also host either Amherst or Brookfield on Tuesday in the state final.
The Warriors (20-5) reached the semifinals by whipping Louisa County, 5-0, behind Grayson Craun's two-hit, 10-strikeout effort. It was Nansemond River's first state quarterfinal victory in three tries.
Courtland (22-2), in the state tournament for the first time, nipped Southampton, 2-1, in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
Braswell scouted the Courtland-Southampton game and said the Indians were hurt by a lack of production from the lower third of their batting order, so he'll be looking for guys like Grayson and Whitney Craun, Jason Taylor and Chip Runyon - Nansemond River's potential 7-8-9 hitters - to come through at the plate.
``But we can't just get it from those guys,'' Braswell quickly added. ``We need the top six guys to deliver, too.''
GROUP AA SOFTBALL: Nansemond River's softball team will be looking to reverse a disappointing trend when it meets York for the fifth time this season in the state semifinals today at 5 p.m. at York.
The Warriors (17-6) are the only team to defeat York this year, but the Falcons (22-1) have won the last three meetings, largely because Nansemond River has been able to put together only six good innings in the seven-inning games.
In the Bay Rivers District final, the Warriors took a 4-3 lead into the fourth inning, only to see the Falcons bat around and score five runs. Two Warrior errors opened the floodgates to an eventual 9-4 York victory.
In the Region I final, a 4-0 York triumph, the Falcons got all four of their runs in the second courtesy of four Nansemond River errors.
Despite the problems against York, the Warriors are still in the midst of their finest season in the school's five-year history. Prior to this year, a Nansemond River team had never advanced beyond the first round of the Bay Rivers District tournament. MEMO: Staff writer Paul White contributed to this report.
by CNB