by Michael Swisher (@michaelswisher)5/10/2018 8:29:43 AM
posted in: Articles | 2,522 views
Ben Johnson and Michael Swisher are back at it again as they've put together their predictions for this weekend's large-school state baseball tournaments, which begin Thursday.
For the record, Swisher picked Leedey to win Class B and Roff to win Class A last week. You can't find it anywhere on the internet machine that he didn't...so just try to disprove that statement.
Here are the picks. Take Swisher's to the bank. Take Ben's for what they're worth:
2A
Ben
Latta - The Panthers lost lost to Silo, 4-3, on April 16. It’ll be different come state tournament time.
Swish
Silo - I hate to pick the No. 1 team, but I think I’m going to do it for the first couple of classes. Silo hasn’t lost to another Class 2A team this year and should repeat as the state champ.
3A
Ben
Jones - Longhorns have had few issues of dispatching of every 3A opponent they’ve faced all year, save for a loss to Chandler, who is not around in the state tournament field. I’ll take Jones to claim its first baseball crown.
Swish
Oktaha - The Tigers won the Class A fall championship, which I consider one of the toughest brackets regardless of sport year after year. They’re also undefeated against ranked foes. That includes an 11-game stretch in April in which they beat Hartshorne (twice), Vian, Adair, Silo, Kiowa, Beggs, Dale and Red Oak.
4A
Ben
Blanchard - The Heritage Hall-Verdigris winner in the opening round will likely advance to the state finals, but waiting will be Blanchard for the crown. Along the way, Blanchard will avenge a loss to Tuttle earlier in the season and cap a 35-3 season and its fourth gold in baseball.
Swish
Verdigris - Good news here is, I’m not picking the No. 1 team. The obvious retort: There are no 4A rankings. But I’m going with Verdigris, which all but owned 3A before moving up. The Cardinals probably have the best pitching staff in the field, although Heritage Hall is a potential landmine in the opener. The Chargers will test the Cardinals’ bats, but I think Verdigris will have enough to get by and then complete the run to the title.
5A
Ben
Collinsville - I should probably go with Carl Albert, but I’ll go against the grain here. The Cardinals were so dominant during regional play that it’s hard to pick against that hot steak right now. So ignore Swisher when he says Duncan will finish on top. He’s spreading propaganda.
Swish
Duncan - Can’t wait to see Bishop Kelley and Dallas Keuchel square off against Carl Albert and J.T. Realmuto in the finals. Since that can’t happen, I’m going with darkhorse Duncan. Yes, the Demons have lost to four other teams in this bracket, but they have two of the state’s best all-around players in Derek Bridges and Tyler Polk. If memory serves, they didn’t start (on the mound) in any of those losses. This will be Duncan’s first baseball title when it happens. And it will happen.
6A
Ben
Westmoore - I actually want to go with Owasso with what happened to the Rams in last year’s state tournament. But the Rams labored just to get to the state tournament, so I’ll opt to side with Swisher here. And I’ll probably regret it.
Swish
Westmoore - Whoever wins the Owasso-Westmoore semifinal. I’m going with Westmoore. The Jags have been close to their first title a couple of times recently. Time for them to get over the hump. That’s just a big (potential) semifinal hump. Owasso has won a couple of titles in its day and knows how to get it done. Still, I say the 6A title stays on the West side (insert Tupac emoji here). Sorry, Ben.