Five things to watch at Kansas baseball and softball state tournaments
Kansas baseball and softball state tournaments start Thursday at various sites. Ten baseball teams and nine softball teams from the Kansas City area will compete for state titles. Here are five things to watch as both sports conclude their seasons.
1. Elite pitching matchup
Pitcher Riley Pint, a likely top-five pick in June’s Major League Baseball draft, is seeing his high school career come to a close with St. Thomas Aquinas. He has led Aquinas to an 18-4 record and a No. 4 seed in the 5A state tournament. The Saints will play Topeka-Seaman, 18-4, in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Depending on the teams’ rotations, if Pint pitches, it could be against Seaman’s own standout right-hander, Ryan Zeferjahn. Zeferjahn is a Kansas commit, but is also ranked as a top 100 prospect by MLB.com.
2. SM East wants return trip to state semifinals
If this is the year of one of the best Kansas City MLB draft classes in history, Shawnee Mission East left-hander Joey Wentz is part of the conversation. He started the season throwing 23 innings without allowing a hit, and he hasn’t slowed down much. His team is 18-4 this year and will head into the 6A tournament Thursday as the No. 3 seed. The Lancers lost in last year’s state semifinals, and are looking to top that finish this year.
3. New champ in 4A-DI baseball
Last year’s state 4A-DI winner, Hayden, is already out of this year’s state tournament, so a new champion is guaranteed. Two area schools could be ready to fill the void. Eudora, 18-4, is the tournament’s No. 1 seed. Paola isn’t far behind, at 17-5.
4. Hot competition in 6A softball
Five of the eight teams left in the 6A softball bracket have all lost two games or fewer, so there’s no clear-cut favorite. Defending champion Olathe South is back as the No. 5 seed, at 20-2. The tournament’s top seed — Olathe Northwest, which lost in the title game last year — is 21-1. Most of the teams in this bracket are not used to losing: There’s also Washburn Rural, Garden City and Derby, all of which come into the tournament at 20-2.
5. A dynasty continued?
Bishop Carroll has won the last five 5A softball titles, and looks to be well on its way to a sixth. At 22-0, Carroll is the obvious top seed in this year’s tournament. And few of its wins this season have even been close: Bishop Carroll has won most of its games this season by double digits, including one in April by 36 runs. If Carroll falters in the state tournament, it would be a major upset. Blue Valley Southwest, 18-4, might be the only local school that could give Carroll some competition.
This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 8:20 PM with the headline "Five things to watch at Kansas baseball and softball state tournaments."