Redzone7

I am very impressed with Trey Ganns. Not only is he a quality left handed pitcher but his bat; especially from a power standpoint has developed very nicely over the last year or so. I expect big things from him this season.

Beechwood played poorly. Bad on the base paths, costly errors and lack of hitting. Beechwood needs more production from the rest of the team. Its hard to depend on just a few players. On a side note Cov Cath only had two hits and really only one hard hit ball all day from them.

Both pitchers pitched well. Suchanek went the distance again. He probably has 5 MPH more on his fastball than Cain. BW needs to hit better. No production in the bottom of their order.

How often is Dunn "on" compared to "off"?

That straight steal of home by Jason Suchanek was an exciting play and caught everyone off guard. Bases loaded, two outs, tied game and he timed the pitcher's windup perfectly and stole home. One of the more unusual and exciting finishes to a game. You just don't see that play often.

Are you serious? 6 feet makes a huge difference. As a pitcher you only need the batter to be off just a little to get him to miss or hit the ball weekly. Also, kids in SWOL and I am sure elsewhere switch over to big boy baseball at 14U---Regulation pitching distance, bases and -3 bats.

My list: 1. Josh Cain - proven winner during the state playoffs. Velocity is low - topped out at 82 at a recent showcase, but until someone else pitches as well as he did in big games I will keep him at number 1. 2. Kuebbing - built like a pitcher. Doesn't leave the ball out over the plate. I agree, if Walt thinks he was the Colonels #1 that should go a long way. 3. Maines - a lot of upside, could jump to #1 4. Collins - he's a gamer and a winner. Doesn't throw the hardest but is smart and fields position well. If memory serves me right he was in a very low scoring pitching duel with the top pitcher from the area last year in the districts. 5. Dunn - throws hard but is inconsistent. I would go with Collins over Dunn in big games. 6. Verst - excellent pitcher, just wins, good fastball and off speed pitches 7. Heppler - not a thrower but a pitcher. Doesn't throw hard but has a wicked change up. Kids just don't square the ball up on him. 8. Ward - hard thrower, good upside in his senior season. Due to injury has not really pitch on the varsity level but can throw mid 80s. 9. Ganns - another big upside potential guy, lefty, intimating on the mound. Could move up higher if he can prove he can go deep into games. 10. Hoard - made himself into a good pitcher.

Would Beechwood have won this game without the injuries during the game? I think it would have been a toss up with probably a slight edge to Holmes. BW did have a good early drive with a steady dose of running the ball but I think they would have struggled throwing the ball as evidence by the pick six during the drive right after the touchdown and then another interception soon after. BW did run the ball effectively when Erdman was playing but Holmes had 9 and sometimes 10 players in the box and would have probably been able to eventually control the BW running game and force BW to pass the ball. Even at full strength (minus Nussbaum) BW would have had trouble covering #11. Erdman when he was playing did provide over the top coverage on #11; which would have made a big difference during the game. Holmes has some nice players who are athletic, fast and physical and they deserve a lot of credit for the win. What does BW do from here? Obviously they need to regroup and figure out how to use what players they have available. On offense I would consider going with a more open spread type offense and make quick throws or have the QB run the ball. Lane is effective when he is in the open field and hopefully he can learn to be more decisive when throwing the ball. I would also consider moving up some of the younger players. If LaSalle can play with a Freshmen QB why can't BW put a couple of their stronger kids in position to get experience and to help out the defense etc...? I am not talking about putting younger players on the line but corner or safety help could potentially work or WR on offense. Hopefully BW can get most of their injured players back for a strong run towards the end of the season. BW would also be wise to make sure Nussbaum is as close to 100% as possible. Don't rush him back too early and risk potentially losing him for the season. That would be back breaking for the team and for the player as well. Cov Cath in two weeks is going to be brutal..

Beechwood would be wise to convince Coach Mullins to return to Beechwood. I think with the right coaching leadership they are well positioned for the future considering the younger quality players coming into the program. If for whatever reason Coach Mullins isn't able to return; the BW AD should do an exhaustive search outside of the program to find their next coach and allow that coach to completely name their staff from top to bottom.