Baseball Teams Head to Sectionals Today

Schedule

Briarcliff (13-6) is the No. 4 seed and will host No. 13 Croton-Harmon at 1:30 p.m. in the opening round of the Section 1 Class B tournament. Pleasantville (9-10) is the No. 11 seed and will travel to No. 6 Irvington at 4:30 p.m.

Both games are Thursday, May 26.

The quarterfinals are Friday, May 27 with rain dates being Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29.

The semifinals will be Tuesday, May 31. The finals will be at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 1 at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill.

The stadium is home to the Hudson Valley Renegades, who are the short-season Single A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Last year, Briarcliff came as close as you can to winning a sectional championship without actually winning one.

The Bears, playing in Dutchess Stadium, were one strike away from winning the Class B title, but Kennedy Catholic came up with a hit to tie the game in its last at bat and eventually won it in extra innings, 7-6.

“Obviously the fact that we have a number of the kids that were on the team last year back this year, they understand what it takes, what kind of mental approach it takes,” Briarcliff Coach John Consorti said. “We proved that we could get there, obviously though we didn’t win it. I would think it would be a helpful experience but it doesn’t have any bearing on what will happen this year. What it proves is that we are capable of getting there. We’ll see what happens.”

Briarcliff enters the sectionals red hot, having won 11 of its last 12 regular-season games.

“We are playing pretty well right now,” Consorti said. “At one point we were 2-5 and obviously we’ve gotten on track, playing well with a number of come from behind victories. We feel good about it but we also know it’s the playoffs and we are really going to have to be on top of our game.”

On top of his game at the plate and the field is junior second baseman John Fussell, who leads the Bears with a .508 batting average, 26 RBI and 26 runs scored.

“He, like a number of our guys, got off to a slow start then settled in,” Consorti said. “He’s a big key to our success. His defense has been very good this year. He’s our leader offensively, he’s developed good discipline. If he doesn’t get his pitch, he will take his walk. He’s a key asset for us offensively.”

Heading the Bears pitching wise is Paul Henshaw, who has a 5-1 record and 1.89 earned run average and Josh Miller, who is 3-2 with a 1.88 ERA. Each has struck out 28, walked just seven and completed five games apiece.

As for who will start the first sectional game, Consorti said he was unsure but the Bears probably will stay in rotation and start Miller in the opening sectional contest.

“We are pretty confident in the two of them,” Consorti said. “They have both done well this year. They are a pretty good 1-2 punch. Our No. 3 pitcher is pretty good too, Spencer Kulman. Our pitching has been consistent across the board. It just adds to our level of confidence amongst the team.”

Pleasantville Coach Bob Jordon admits his squad didn’t have the regular season it wanted but nevertheless feels confident about his team’s chances in the upcoming sectional tournament.

“I wouldn’t say we are happy with our 9-10 record but we have accomplished some things that I feel give us the confidence that we can do well in the sectionals,” Jordon said.

One of those things that it accomplished was enjoying a seven-game win streak.

“It proved that if we do the right things, if we do make plays, that we can stay in ballgames,” Jordon said.

Another reason Jordon feels good about his chances is the play of team leaders, senior shortstop Kyle Cohen and junior pitcher Joe Chaisson.

Jordon said that Chaisson will start the Panther’s opening game of the sectionals.

“We’re pretty sound with him on the mound,” Jordon said. “He’s got a 4-2 record. His ERA is under 1.50. He’s a 6-foot-2 lefty, he’s able to keep the ball down. He has a very good two-seam fastball.”

What makes Cohen a threat for the Panthers and someone the opposition has to watch for is the fact that he is a factor both offensively and defensively.

“He’s (Cohen) is versatile,” Jordon said. “He plays the position well, he hits for power, he gets on base and he can run.”

Jordon said the expectations he has for his squad entering the sectionals are the same as they were at the beginning of the season.

“Our expectations were to get to the sectionals and run them but we will see what happens,” he explained. “We still have confidence in our team to get to the semi-finals or finals.”

Pleasantville got to the semifinals last season, where it lost to Briarcliff 9-7.