2006 Region VII Tournament Notes

Chattanooga St.     Cleveland St.    Columbia St.    Dyersburg St    Hiwassee    Jackson St.

Motlow State    Roane State     Southwest TN     Volunteer State    Walters State

5 Questions (with the coaches) Round 1     Round 2
Chattanooga State        BAvg  .352  FAvg  .964  ERA  4.47   RPG
Top Hitters : AJ Renfrow(.422)... Andy Simunic (.431)... AJ Morris(.376)... Nate Rochester(.390)

Top Pitchers : Cole McKellar (8-2, 3.41)... Mickey Campeanu (7-5, 3.71)... Cody Gossett (6-4, 4.81)

Tiger Notes :The Tigers had a breakout season in '06, being ranked as high as #4 in the nation. Greg Dennis' squad struggled a bit down the stretch but are greatly improved defensively. The Tigers will scratch and claw and play fundamentally sound baseball.

Cleveland State             BAvg .284    FAvg  .942    ERA  4.86     RPG 5.82
Top Hitters : David Miller (.394/4/39)... Dustin Black (.353/12/48)... Cody Crowell (.315/3/29)

Top Pitchers : Dustin Plumlee (10-3/4.44)... Brad Robinson (6-3/3.99)... Brandon Langston (5-4/4.91)

Cougar Tracks : The Cougars bat .328 vs lefties... .314 w/ runners on base... and a whopping .574 w/ runner on 3rd and less than two outs.

Columbia State              BAvg  .308   FAvg   .957  ERA  7.36
Top Hitters : Tyler Farrar(.376)... Andrew Gannon(.375)... Miles Hartsfield(.362)

Top Pitchers : Aaron Stewart (3-3,5.22)... Alan Barnett (3-2,6.74)... David Taylor (1-4,6.82)

Charger Notes : Simply put, the Chargers pitching staff has disappeared. CSCC's hot 6-3 conference start cooled off quickly as the Chargers finished 9-21... winning only 3 of the last 21 games in conference play as the pitching staff couldn't get enough outs and the hitters couldn't score enough runs.
Dyersburg State            BAvg   .374 1st  FAvg  .949  ERA  4.69
Top Hitters : Cody Willoughby (.461/6/29)... Tyler Newman (.441/6/56)... Josh Dorris (.439/2/39)

Top Pitchers : Tyler Newman (4-4, 2.30)... Joe Morgan (9-2, 3.04)... Casey Norris (4-2, 4.42)

Eagle Notes : JT Taylor extended his hitting streak to 32 games over the weekend, but Cody Willoughby's season ending shoulder surgery will hamper the Eagles chances... Willoughby was the league's top hitter for average and a big weapon in Robert White's arsenal... Tyler Newman is a two way threat as he has drove in 56 runs while hitting .441 and is 4-4,2.40 on the hill...

Hiwassee                        BAvg   .286   FAvg  .938   ERA 5.48   RPG 5.25
Top Hitters : Leony Henriquez(.338)... Marty Parks(.322)... Kyle Smith(.331)

Top Pitchers :Raymond Ruggles (9-4,3.48)... Miguel Beltran (4-4,4.94)... Chase Ponder (4-2,3.29)

Tiger Tracks : Smoke and mirrors... the Tigers offense is timely and Raymond Ruggles willed this team to win during the regular season as he went 9-4...
Jackson State                BAvg   .315  FAvg  .941  ERA  6.36
Top Hitters : Lance Miller(.402)... Ben White(.352)... Luis Martinez(.358)

Top Pitchers : Calen Sutton (3-3,2.85)... Zack Wilbanks (5-7,4.64)

Gerneral Notes : after an early season conference series win over Chattanooga, the Generals were swept by Hiwassee the next week and never recovered... Jackson didn't win another series til week 8 (Vol)... only 3 series wins all year, all 2-1...

Motlow State                  BAvg  .318    FAvg  .968 1st     ERA 3.62     RPG  7.14
Top Hitters :Jay Howard (.423)... Matt Gray (.393/8/32)... Bobby Bratton (.373/11/42)

Top Pitchers : Bryan Morris (9-1/0.91)... Kevin Spain (6-4/3.64)... Brandion Tuten (4-3,2/4.11)

Buck Shot : After a slow start, Bobby Bratton has come on strong to lead the team in HR (11). Bryan Morris is a two way threat. He leads the conference in ERA (.091) and is hitting .364 with 7 HR. Evan Webb leads the team with 10 HR and 51 rbi. Motlow has won 5 of their last 7 games entering the tourney...
Roane State                    BAvg  .231  FAvg  .931  ERA  9.34
Top Hitters :Tewayne Willis(.329)

Top Pitchers :

Roane Ramblings : Roane St won only one conference game (vs Jackson in Week 11) this year after a nice year in '05.

Southwest TN                 BAvg   .312  FAvg  .947  ERA  5.57  RPG 6.8
Top Hitters : Elvis Sosa(.409)... Preston Burleson(.387)... Jon Thurston(.354)

Top Pitchers :Chris Crenshaw (5-2,2.94)...Darren Wills (5-5,4.68)... Ivan Nails (6-4,4.90)

Saluqi Soundoff :Lack of a dominate pitcher hurt the Saluqis as they couldn't find a stopper in '06. Elvis Sosa tore up the league at the plate...

Volunteer State             BAvg   .334   FAvg  .930   ERA  5.19  RPG 6.48
Top Hitters : Blake Bratcher(.413)... Garrett Harp(.408)... Matt Stanley(.371)... Danny Pulley(.390)

Top Pitchers :Kevin Whittaker (6-4,3.51)... Jason Brock (3-2,3.66)... Austin Tice 5-2,5.74)

Pioneer Trails : The Pioneers have failed to get any consistency all year. Every phase of the game as had its up's and downs and the pitching staff never really settled into a rhythm. Defensive woes killed the Pioneers all year as the VSCC nine ended up last in fielding average at .930.
Walters State                 BAvg  .358  FAvg  .951  ERA  3.46  1st   RPG 8.9
Top Hitters : JB Paxson (.433/11/33)... Justin Pickett (.430/16/54)... Michael Wheeler(.414/14/62)

Top Pitchers : Jack Tilghman (9-0,2.12)... Lance McClain (7-0,3.49)... Bobby Thompson (9-0,4.21)

Senate Bills : Walters power numbers have been phenomenal. The top 5 HR hitters in the conference all wear the red, white and blue Senator uni... leading the way is Stephen Shults with 17. Justin Pickett has 16, Chad Maddox (15), Zac Bowman (14), and Michael Wheeler (14) all reside in the top 5, while JB Paxson has 11 to put him in the top 10... Zane Stone (5-2, 3.14) provides the Senators one of the top relief men in the conference.
 
 
 

5 Questions... ROUND 1
We sat down with the coaches and asked them 5 questions about baseball and other things.... here is what they had to say...

Thanks to all the coaches who participated and gave us some insight as to how they approach the game...
Greg Dennis/Chattanooga State
1. Do you go with the match-up or throw no. 1 irregardless, in the first game of the tourney? My opinion is you throw #1 regardless as you always want to win that first game and it allows him the most possible rest for future games (if there are any).
2. Do you tend to play same style or become more conscious of getting runs on the board in the tourney? I can't imagine NOT playing the same style.  As Darryl Royal said you "dance with the one that brung you" and I think that sums it up.  If it was good enough to get you there you keep playing that way.  No sense trying to do things different after 50-odd games.
3. What's more important, offense or defense? In tournament play I think it is solid pitching and defense and opportunistic hitting.  Pitching depth is huge and finding a way to get some innings from a guy or guys that hasn't helped can be enormous also.
4. Quick hook or same as regular season (pitchers)?I think it depends on the situation and pitcher.  Elimination game is played a little differently than winner's bracket game in my opinion.
5. 3 run HR or get'em on, get'em over, get'em in? Our philosophy is more of the second one.  We are built around lead-off success and then movement on the bases.  We want selfless players that  think of ways to help the overall cause.  Tough to find but successful when you find them.
Mike Crossland/Volunteer State
1. Do you go with the match-up or throw no. 1 irregardless, in the first game of the tourney? We have to go for the win.  We lose Friday and it doesn't matter who is ready to throw on Saturday.
2. Do you tend to play same style or become more conscious of getting runs on the board in the tourney? I hope we do not play the same style because if we do we will not be there very long.  We have not pitched and played defense well enough to beat anybody. Hopefully we can have a better showing this week.
3. What's more important, offense or defense? Both. You have to make routine plays and not let the big inning happen.  You have to scrap for every run and no lead is safe.
4. Quick hook or same as regular season (pitchers)? Whatever it takes to win.  What gives you the best chance and how are you swinging it on that day.
5. 3 run HR or get'em on, get'em over, get'em in? I'll take a 3 run homer anytime but that is not our strong point. It really depends again on the situation.  Up, Down, Early, Late.
Ken Campbell/Walters State
1. Do you go with the match-up or throw no. 1 irregardless, in the first game of the tourney? I think you go with go with your number one pitcher regardless of the matchup. The most important game is the one your playing that day, not the one you may play tomorrow.
2. Do you tend to play same style or become more conscious of getting runs on the board in the tourney? I believe you play everything the same and keep the same approach for the tournament as you had during the regular season. 50+ games into the season is no time to be changing philosophies.
3. What's more important, offense or defense? Pitching & Defense are most important during the tournament. You have got to be good in these areas if you are going to have a chance. Any letdown in these can put you right into the losers bracket.
4. Quick hook or same as regular season (pitchers)? Again, I think you keep the same approach as the regular season.
5. 3 run HR or get'em on, get'em over, get'em in? I think this all depends on your team and personnel. Throughout the season, we have been more of a 3-run homer team. But it all depends on the situation. You have to be able to do either one depending on the situation of the game.
Steve Cornelison/Jackson State
1. Do you go with the match-up or throw no. 1 irregardless, in the first game of the tourney? I think you always throw your best guy in the 1st game.
2. Do you tend to play same style or become more conscious of getting runs on the board in the tourney? We play the same all the time. Sometimes that's not good.
3. What's more important, offense or defense? Defense when championships.
4. Quick hook or same as regular season (pitchers)? Same- we've been a pitch late all year.
5. 3 run HR or get'em on, get'em over, get'em in? Score the runs any way you can.
Mike Policastro/Cleveland State
1. Do you go with the match-up or throw no. 1 irregardless, in the first game of the tourney?  I would hate to go home without your number 1 throwing. If you have a game to spare you can try to match it up.
2. Do you tend to play same style or become more conscious of getting runs on the board in the tourney? You play the same style that you have all year. The team is used to it, also you put more pressure on your team if you try to change for the tournament.
3. What's more important, offense or defense? Both. in tournaments you have to be able to throw strikes, make routine plays and be able to score runs and be able to come back if your team gets behind.  It all starts on the mound if your guy is in command everything else seems to fall into place.
4. Quick hook or same as regular season (pitchers)? Depends on the game and how your hitters are handling the opposing pitcher. If you are trading runs then you might stay with him a bit longer. If not you might have to stop the bleeding.
5. 3 run HR or get'em on, get'em over, get'em in? I will always take a 3 run home run. We just do not get enough of them.
 
5 Questions Round 2
Greg Dennis/Chattanooga State
1. Defense up by 1 run, bottom of the ninth, Bases loaded, 2 outs, 3-2 count - you wanna be the hitter or the pitcher? I was a shortstop as a player so I would LOVE to be the hitter in that situation. Was fortunate enough to have done it some and enjoyed some success.  I guess as long as it wasn't against Bryan Morris or Jack Tilghman!!
2. Underdog or Topdog? I would much rather be the underdog as that motivates you more and keeps you hungry for wins.
3. Pizza or Steak? Not really much for either as I am getting too old to have to deal with the AFTER affect!!  How about Chinese or Lasagna?
4. If you weren't a baseball coach, what would you be doing? I think my dream job would be a talk show radio guy.  Love listening to them and would LOVE to be on there working people over. 
5. Favorite current MLB player and why? Of course, I like the "dirt-bags" types of players.  Eckstein with
St. Louis, Michael Young at Texas or Jeter.  Love those guys that do whatever it takes to win.
 
Steve Cornelison/Jackson State
1. Defense up by 1 run, bottom of the ninth, Bases loaded, 2 outs, 3-2 count - you wanna be the hitter or the pitcher? I'd want to be the pitcher. If the guy can hit, you've got a 70% chance of being successful- I'll take those odds.
2. Underdog or Topdog? Well I'd rather be the top dog- that means you've done well and I don't like to lose.
3. Pizza or Steak? I like steak.
4. If you weren't a baseball coach, what would you be doing? If I didn't coach I'd want to be an airline pilot.
5. Favorite current MLB player and why? Greg Maddox. Doesn't have great stuff but he can pitch.
Johnny Ray/Southwest
1. Defense up by 1 run, bottom of the ninth, Bases loaded, 2 outs, 3-2 count - you wanna be the hitter or the pitcher? I want to be the pitcher.  I want the ball in my hands with the game on the line.
2. Underdog or Topdog? I have always been the underdog, but have had a lot of success being in that role.  I have always had to prove myself everywhere I  went both playing or coaching.
3. Pizza or Steak? Steak, but pizza runs a close second                                                                       4. If you weren't a baseball coach, what would you be doing? Let's just say I am glad I am a baseball coach.                                                                                                                                                                           5. Favorite current MLB player and why? Even though I am a pitching guy, Albert Pujols is my favorite.  I appreciate the route he has taken to the major leagues and admire the work ethic and professionalism that he displays day in and day out.  Former player and favorite of all time is Will "The Thrill" Clark
 
Ken Campbell/Walters
1. Defense up by 1 run, bottom of the ninth, Bases loaded, 2 outs, 3-2 count - you wanna be the hitter or the pitcher? Pitcher
2. Underdog or Topdog? Topdog
3. Pizza or Steak? Pizza                                                                                                            4. If you weren't a baseball coach, what would you be doing? making a lot more money                              5. Favorite current MLB player and why? Albert Pujols. Best player in the game and plays it the right way.
Mike Crossland/Volunteer State
1. Defense up by 1 run, bottom of the ninth, Bases loaded, 2 outs, 3-2 count - you wanna be the hitter or the pitcher? Hitter
2. Underdog or Topdog? Topdog
3. Pizza or Steak? Both                                                                                                             4. If you weren't a baseball coach, what would you be doing? No Idea                                                          5. Favorite current MLB player and why? Albert Pujols. Best player in the game and outworks everyone.
Lance Knight/Hiwassee
1. Defense up by 1 run, bottom of the ninth, Bases loaded, 2 outs, 3-2 count - you wanna be the hitter or the pitcher? Hitter
2. Underdog or Topdog? Underdog
3. Pizza or Steak? Steak                                                                                                             4. If you weren't a baseball coach, what would you be doing? Member of a training staff.                           5. Favorite current MLB player and why? Albert Pujols - has all of the talent in the world, but unlike most with the talent, he has the heart and determination to lead his team.