Post Oak’s pitching depth may be the key
Manager can count on a lot of good arms for duty on mound
SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — If everything continues to go according to plan for Post Oak at the Little League Baseball World Series, pitching depth and options will be a big factor for the Texas East champions and Southwest Region champions.
Post Oak and Mid-Atlantic Region champion Mid-Island from Staten Island, N.Y., not only won their tournament openers Thursday, each kept all their pitchers within the pitch counts needed to remain eligible to throw again Sunday when they meet in the U.S. winners’ bracket semifinal game.
“This tournament format lines up well for how deep we are,” Post Oak manager David Rook said.
Post Oak used nine of its players as pitchers during the regional tournament, the most of any U.S. team that made it to the World Series. Grandview from Des Moines, Iowa used six pitchers in its Midwest Region and the other five U.S. entries went with five or fewer pitchers.
Parceling out the pitches
Sunday’s winner moves on to Wednesday’s U.S. winners’ bracket final and gets its second twoday rest before starting a championship pursuit in which four games in five days would be needed to finish on top. The loser has to win six straight over eight days to emerge as world champion, increasing the need for multiple pitching options.
Ryan Selvaggi has been the team’s most frequently used pitcher with Carter Pitts getting the most starts and Kaleb Rook likely to be the third option.
“We have three or four of what we consider to be horses,” David Rook said. “We’ve got Ryan who throws really hard, but we’ve got a couple guys behind him that I would say are probably better true pitchers.”
In the long-range planning of trying to win a Little League tournament title, keeping pitchers eligible for future days is often weighed with the hot hand and what is best for that game when making some of the most important managerial decisions.
Pitts was rolling along Thursday in the 3-1 win over New England champion Coventry, R.I., but Selvaggi was available and Rook stuck with his original plan to use both in what turned out to be a combined two-hitter.
“We try to ride one a little longer without burning him for too long, then we close with one or two more and go on from there,” the manager said. “Really, it depends on the number of days’ rest involved.”
If the lead got away Thursday, Post Oak would have been back playing on one day of rest without Pitts as an available pitcher. The win meant two days off and everyone ready.
Post Oak had Selvaggi rested and available to start the doubleelimination championship game of the sectional and state tournaments, but the team made it through those events undefeated and did not have to use him on the final day. The regionals and World Series use a modified doubleelimination format where one team actually arrives at the championship game undefeated.
Selvaggi threw four innings of no-hit ball in the regional final before Pitts finished up.
Off to a sterling start
Pitts showed Thursday he was ready for the assignment of tournament-opening starter, a task he also handled in the first round of the regional. He worked 41⁄3 innings, giving up two hits and an unearned run while showing excellent control.
Of the 50 pitches Pitts delivered, 39 were for strikes, allowing him to fan six without walking a batter.
“This is typical of Carter Pitts,” Rook said. “He brings it. His curveball is filthy and he’s got plus-velocity for his age.”
Selvaggi consistently topped 70 mph with his fastball. He struck out the game’s final two batters. It was a combination that was too much for the Rhode Island team.
“His curveball was working great tonight,” Coventry manager Lou Simon said. “He had my guys off-balance and (Selvaggi) came in and was throwing gas at the end.”
The effort followed up a regional in which Post Oak put together an 0.86 team ERAe while winning four straight.1/
Richie Klosek gave the team a fourth pitcher who worked multiple innings while Andrew Stover, George Kugle, Ethan Goldstein, Parrish Facciponte and Matthew Hedrick also pitched.