Our ridiculous Tourney preview rocks on with another first round matchup...
1st Round
#12 Jiminy Kick-It (3-9, 29 RF, 68 RA) vs. #5 5 O'Clockers (9-3, 99 RF, 26 RA)
Although the least experienced team in the league (
no player on their roster had any adult kickball experience before this season), Jiminy Kick-It certainly held their own. Sure, they took their lumps, as any rookie team would, but they showed promise in actually winning 3 of their games, including a big win over the Moose Knuckles on April 20th. Captains
Brandon and Crissy Accordino have learned well under the preseason tutelage of Chicken Tetrazzini. They bunt well, have a couple of dangerous kickers in the lineup, and have the defensive strategies and concepts down, although they are very inconsistent and prone to giving up runs in bunches. (
Sidenote: JKI's Kandice Dabney is prone to sending out tweets in bunches. Please feel free to follow her at www.twitter.com/rottenkandee if you don't believe me.)
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Jason Kidd and the Clockers have
touched home plate more than any
other team in the league this season. |
Whiiiich might be an issue in their round 1 matchup. The 5 O'Clockers lead the league by scoring 99 runs this season in 12 games. To put their impressive offensive performance into perspective, the Spring 2011 5 O'Clockers 8.25 runs per game is the 3rd highest in VA Peninsula history (
9 seasons). The Clockers offense is not one that necessarily follows the conventional wisdom of bunt, bunt, bunt, kick away. Head Coach
Britney Travis has a tendancy to mix it up, and will test opponents outfields. They have the legs, the speed, and the base running experience to make it work.
Josh Waldrop,
Jeff Lee,
Paul Phan, and
Allen Walker all have exceptional offensive abilities and can keep the pressure on the defense. You can't even sleep on their girls, especially
Ashley Phan and rookie
Courtney Travis. Both of them have shown that they can be effective getting on base, and aggressive and smart while running... From top to bottom, this is a lineup that doesn't have many holes, which is little wonder why they were so successful in scoring runs this season.
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| Briters is coming for YOU, JKI! |
On defense, there were concerns about the Clockers pitching once standout veteran
Corey Carlyle was lost 3/4 of the way through the season due to his duty station being changed (Carlyle is an active duty member of the coast guard). The slack was picked up by
Jeff Pauley and
Jeff "The Smooth Operator" White, who assumed the pitching responsibilities for the team and did a good job. The Clockers are 4-0 since losing Carlyle in late May. There are unconfirmed reports that Carlyle will be in town and available for the Clockers to use in the tournament. If that turns out to be true, than it not only gives them an elite pitcher, but it will allow Pauley to move over into his more familiar charger spot... Also worth noting, catcher
Adam Flowers has had a resurgent season behind the plate and has been key for the Clockers in their bunt defense
(The 5OC defense allowed 2.17 runs per game, 5th in the league).
This is a rematch from just 2 weeks ago, when the 5 O'Clockers defeated JKI 10-1. Jiminy will have to find a way to contain the powerful offense while putting up some runs if they want a shot at pulling off an upset... The Clockers also defeated then top ranked VD the same night and have been riding high on a wave of momentum. If they come in over confident though, this game could have the potential to be a close one.
The Clockers are a proud franchise though, who have raised the Wentworth Trophy in the past. After a below standard season in the fall, they've rebuilt well and definitely strong contenders for the title once again.
The winner of this game will play the winner of the Just For Kicks vs. Foul Balls game in the quarter finals.
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