Missouri high school baseball state preview
Staley and Smithville will play in the Missouri high school baseball state semifinals. Smithville’s semifinal is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday and Staley will play at 4:30 p.m. Friday. The tournament concludes on Saturday. West Platte lost in a Class 2 semifinal on Wednesday and its third-place game was cancelled. The state tournament is being played at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon, Mo.
CLASS 5
WHO: Staley (26-4) vs. Eureka (24-4)
WHEN: 4:30 p.m. Friday
THINGS TO KNOW: Staley has relied on an old-fashioned baseball formula to maneuver its way through the postseason: Pitching and defense.
The Falcons scored only 12 runs during their four postseason victories, but they posted three shutouts over that same stretch. Hunter Swift took a no-hitter into the bottom of the seventh of the team’s 3-0 win Sunday against Lee’s Summit West in the quarterfinals. Ace Jacob Miller is 11-0 with a 1.47 earned run average.
Staley previously qualified for the state semifinals in 2013 for the first time in program history, but it dropped back-to-back games and finished fourth.
UP NEXT: The winner will meet the winner of Kickapoo and Christian Brothers College for the Class 5 state championship at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
CLASS 4
WHO: Smithville (21-7) vs. Notre Dame Cape Girardeau (26-5)
WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Friday
THINGS TO KNOW: Smithville has allowed only five runs in its four postseason games. As a result, the Warriors are two wins from winning their first state championship since 1979.
Shutting down the Notre Dame offense, however, could prove more challenging. It has scored 46 runs in four games.
Smithville pitcher Quintan Reed has served as the ace of the staff this season, and he’s responded with a 7-1 record and a 1.11 earned run average.
Kaleb Reid leads Smithville with a .430 average, and Evan Coder has driven in a team-best 29 runs.
UP NEXT: The original schedule had the tournament being played on Thursday and Friday, but rain moved things back a day. The semifinal winner will meet the winner of St. Charles vs. Sullivan for the Class 4 state championship. The third-place and championship games are now scheduled for Saturday, but times have yet to be determined.
This story was originally published June 4, 2015 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Missouri high school baseball state preview."