Hempfield baseball team well prepared for playoffs
It’s uncertain how far Hempfield will advance in the WPIAL Class AAAA playoffs, but one thing is for sure – The competition won’t be any better than what the Spartans have already seen.
Hempfield entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed, this after going 15-5 in the regular season and grabbing a second-place finish in Section 2 with a 9-3 record. The Spartans play today against Franklin Regional in a first-round game at Gateway.
The Spartans are as battle tested as they come, and that likely played a big part in them earning such a high seed despite not finishing as section champions. In all, the Spartans played 10 games against teams who qualified for the Class AAAA playoffs.
They played two games apiece against section foes Norwin – the No. 1 seed – and Penn-Trafford. The non-section schedule included games against No. 2 Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, Shaler, Central Catholic, North Allegheny and Gateway. In addition, the Spartans played Class AAA playoff participant Greensburg Salem.
“We tried to load up the non-section games against good teams,” Hempfield coach Tim Buzzard said. “One, the kids got to play the best competition. They got to get a look at some of those teams and gain some respect. Plus, we hoped to gain a good seed because of it, and we did.”
Hempfield entered the postseason as the No. 4 seed, this after going 15-5 in the regular season and grabbing a second-place finish in Section 2 with a 9-3 record. The Spartans play today against Franklin Regional in a first-round game at Gateway.
The Spartans are as battle tested as they come, and that likely played a big part in them earning such a high seed despite not finishing as section champions. In all, the Spartans played 10 games against teams who qualified for the Class AAAA playoffs.
They played two games apiece against section foes Norwin – the No. 1 seed – and Penn-Trafford. The non-section schedule included games against No. 2 Bethel Park, Upper St. Clair, Shaler, Central Catholic, North Allegheny and Gateway. In addition, the Spartans played Class AAA playoff participant Greensburg Salem.
“We tried to load up the non-section games against good teams,” Hempfield coach Tim Buzzard said. “One, the kids got to play the best competition. They got to get a look at some of those teams and gain some respect. Plus, we hoped to gain a good seed because of it, and we did.”
baseball