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Teams Keeping Open Mind About New Region Format

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By ADAM ADKINS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 9, 2008

Brandon and Cambridge Christian's baseball teams will deal with a curveball today as both eye trips to the state baseball tournament in Sarasota.

It won't be coming from opposing pitchers, however. This one comes courtesy of the FHSAA.

The Eagles and Lancers open play today in a best-of-three region final series, a two-year test format initiated by the state's athletic organization that moves away from the traditional one game. All teams across the state's six classifications competing in a region final are scheduled for a doubleheader today. A third game is scheduled for Saturday, if necessary.

The new wrinkle is putting the two teams - and many across the state, for that matter - in a peculiar position. Neither has previous experience with such a format. So the road Brandon coach Matt Stallbaumer has chosen to take? Leave it alone, and tell his team to play like it's still one win and you're moving on.

"The last thing you want kids to do is not play well thinking that they're going to have an opportunity to go out and play another one," Stallbaumer said. "So we've really tried to stay away from it."

That doesn't mean Stallbaumer hasn't thought about it. The same applies for Cambridge Christian's Rick Shears. Both said they've had conversations with their respective staffs regarding potential strategies - most of which, obviously, have centered on the use of their pitching staffs. But there are some other underlying concerns as well, such as the amount of games in such a short period of time and how the players will respond mentally in those situations.

"Our big thing is competing for seven, and then 14, and then, potentially, 21 innings in a matter of less than 24 hours. I think that's going to be the true test for everybody in the state of Florida," Stallbaumer said. "How are these kids going to hold up? What's the mentality if they lose a Game 1 and then get ready for a Game 2, or even if they win and get ready for a Game 2?"

Shears expressed similar sentiments.

"It's a big deal," Shears said. "It is different, and it's a learning process because a lot of teams haven't gone through it. There are a lot of concerns that we do have as a staff. It makes a big difference that you have to go right back out there 30 minutes later after Game 1 ends and if you lose you might not be in the right frame of mind."

The good news? Both coaches believe their teams are set up well for a three-game series.

Brandon (23-6) has the success of its Saladino Tournament run to lean on. The Eagles, who have won 14 straight, stretched their pitching staff to the limit and put together a lot of big wins in a short amount of time in that run to the tournament title. And the Eagles continued to roll while seemingly doing so with a different hero every game.

Meanwhile, Cambridge Christian, winners of 15 of its last 16, has two starting pitchers - Michael Miller and Matt Fishman - who have proved capable all season of producing quality starts, and because of that, the Lancers (23-2) also have a wealth of rested arms in the bullpen to rely on as well.

And, of course, both teams are playing in the friendly confines of their home stadium, where the two teams are a combined 32-4 this season.

"The format, whether I like it or not, I couldn't tell you. I don't know," Stallbaumer said. "But it's going to be interesting."

Reporter Adam Adkins can be reached at (813) 657-4533 or aadkins@tampatrib.com.

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