Plaza to start as Harper hosts sectional
The Harper College baseball program is hoping the new sectional format in use this postseason works to its advantage.
NJCAA Region IV has been split into two, three-team double-elemination sectionals.
The top two seeds in the Region earned the right to host sectionals.
Top overall seed Joliet Junior College will host one sectional featuring Rock Valley Community College and Waubonsee Community College.
Harper earned the No. 2 seed and will host a group with Milwaukee Area Technical College and College of DuPage.
The winner of each sectional advances to the regional championship series May 10-12 hosted by the highest remaining seed.
“I like the setup,” said Harper coach Cliff Brown. “It’s not going to come down to the seventh guy in the bullpen.”
College of DuPage and Milwaukee get the action started with a 9 a.m. game today. Harper’s first game is at noon today against Milwaukee, followed by a 3 p.m. game against COD.
The Hawks won both games against Milwaukee in the regular season.
“It was our goal to be the number 1 or 2 seed,” Brown said. “It’s nice that we’re hosting — we have to take advantage of it.”
Sophmore Scott Plaza (Prospect) will get the start in Game 1.
“Plaza has been our most consistent (pitcher) all year; he’s done a heck of a job,” Brown said.
The pitching staff has been a team strength for Harper, and it enters the postseason fully rested.
Freshman Josh Daniels (Elk Grove) will get his first collegiate postseason start against COD. The Hawks took two of three from the Chaparrals in the regular season.
COD’s strength is generating offense. As Brown put it, the Chaparrals have “a couple of guys who can swing it.” How that matches up with Harper’s pitching strength will be key.
Harper has had solid offensive contributions for an assortment of players this season, among them Oakton transfer Dan Duran and Connor McHugh (Schaumburg), who Brown said has been his most consistent hitter. Duran is hitting .344 with 14 doubles, while McHugh leads the team with a .352 average along with 36 RBI.
Brown cited Nick Spagnola (.323, 33 RBI) and freshman catcher Kevin Robinson (Conant, 28 RBI, 17 runs) as positives in the lineup.
The wild card for Harper may be freshman outfielder Andrew Skinner, who is coming off a groin issue that saw him miss a month. Skinner tried to play through the injury early in the year but, according to Brown, “It just wasn’t getting any better.” Skinner is hitting .372 in limited action.
If Harper has one bugaboo this season it has been frequent strikeouts.
“At times we have struck out too much,” said Brown of the team’s 322 strikeouts. “A lot of it is not having a consistent aproach at the plate. I want them to swing the bat. I bark at them more when they don’t swing the bat.”