South Pittsburg High School’s Wes StoneHeaded to stateBaylor (20-11): Because of graduation and a lack of pitching depth, there weren’t many expectations for the Red Raiders. They got a late shot in the arm from slugger John Tipton, who emerged as a standout on the mound. Along the way, the Red Raiders gave coach Gene Etter his 800th career win.Red Bank (19-21): Who would have thought? The Lions entered the postseason on a 14-game losing streak and now have won seven of eight to capture district and region championships and a state berth.South Pittsburg (31-7): The Pirates, strong all year, have played all comers from their own Class A to Class AAA opponents. Led by Jacob Toney and Matt Allen, they have pitching depth, always a state tournament key.Walker Valley (27-11): The Mustangs were out “throwing” ducks Saturday for the Chattanooga Retriever Club trials as a way of celebrating the school’s first state baseball tournament berth. It has become the club’s biggest fundraiser. While pitcher Bobby Towne (9-1) has been a highlight and an anchor, this year’s group has the highest team batting average of any Mustangs team in the last three years.
In earning its spot Friday in this week’s state baseball tournament in Murfreesboro, South Pittsburg returned to 2010-11 form by scoring 12 runs in a shutout victory.
It was an anomaly for 2011-12, perhaps primarily because of new mandated bats. The BBCOR bats that were formally introduced in March performed as expected — fewer home runs and the elimination of bloop singles that had been the norm with BESR bats, the BBCOR predecessor.
Teams generally have put more emphasis on getting one or two runs rather than waiting on long-ball-driven big innings.
“Last year at this point in the year, we were averaging almost 11 runs per game. This year it’s down to about seven,” South Pittsburg coach Wes Stone said.