Metro Conference (4-A) Update

Metro Conference (4-A) (receiving 2 bids for State)

Top Standings (Overall/Conf Record)

#1North Forsyth (17-3/8-0)
#2East Forsyth (12-7/5-3)

#3NW Guilford (5-4)


North Forsyth once again has the most dominating pitching staff anywhere with guys coming off the bench to relieve who would be a frontline starter for most top teams. Hobson, Larrimore and Bowles are their go-to guys on the mound as expected but North has also hit the ball much better this season and backing the pitching and hitting up with solid defense. If they repeat their early exit from States last year, they will have missed a couple of great opportunities. They play East Forsyth on Saturday(5/10) in a relatively meaningless game for North. They have cruised through their regular season schedule so it will be interesting to see how they handle the tight games they will eventually face if they advance deep into the States.

East Forsyth has been all over the place this season but have come on strong of late. They have looked really good at times but can't seem to put a couple of consecutive quality starting performances on the mound together. Ryan Basham has been their #1 starter all year but is now beginning to be acknowledged as such by the coaches. In his last 15 innings in crucial conference games, Basham has 25K's, 6H, 6BB, 1R with 2 wins and 1 save to show for it. Their other starting pitcher, Adam Tesh, is battling recent injuries as is Chad Dillon, their starting shortstop. Unfortunately for East, Basham will not be able to throw every game from here on out so they will have to get some major quality innings from Tesh, Shelton or Collins. East has not mathematically clinched 2nd place but if they do, they will probably face Durham-Riverside(15-3) and Lee Land in the 1st round of State. As long as East lines up their pitching properly, Basham can throw well enough to beat Riverside or anyone else for that matter but East will have to be able to hit and catch. If they beat Riverside, it could get interesting afterwards with either S.Rowan or West Forsyth the favorites to be there in the 2nd round. East proved they can beat West Forsyth when they split with them during the season, BUT the win came with Basham starting and the loss came with Tesh starting on the mound.

NW Guilford: Don't know as much about NW Guilford other than a great SS in Matt Gaski along with a couple other good players. They just haven't been able to string together many wins. They came from behind the other night to beat East which was a tough loss for the Eagles.

 

Yet another outstanding report ......

 

If I remember correctly, Basham struggled early in the West forsyth game and was replaced by Shelton. The game was tied up when Dillon hit a double , Then the game was won when Tesh hit a tripple to clear the bases. WP = Shelton Yes Basham has come out like a steam roller in his last 2 outings, but his inconsistancy early in the season, kept him from the starting number 1 pitcher role. Tesh has pitched some good games against tough teams, without any run support in a few of those games and errors on balls not hit out of the infield, but that's just baseball. If a pitcher could win a game by himself, then there would be no need for the other 8 players on the field........

 

Yeah, I can see where you get frustrated about defense. That is tough to handle when a pitcher is throwing his heart out and I know Adam gives it all he has.

Ryan definitely had a rough first outing but if you're going to struggle, that's the time to do it. He didn't throw like the #1 starter early. I just think, and this has nothing to do with Adam, who is a great player and competitor in his own right, that Ryan, at just 16, not only has already proven he can be a legitimate pitcher at the next level but has an enormous amount of upside and potential that maybe even he doesn't realize. From everything I've seen and heard, Ryan has improved every game out which is exactly what you like to see as the season progresses.

I also agree Shelton has come in and done his job as the closer more times than not. In the game Basham went 7 with 11 K's in a scoreless game, it is clutch to have someone like Shelton to come in and get the last 3 outs. It is critical to have someone you can count on to get outs in certain situations. Zack will be a big key to East success next season but more immediately, plays a huge role on how far they go in the State play-offs. Like you said, it takes more than 1 or 2 players.