In this world, here’s the way games will be played
Eleanor Bailey / The Almanac
Canon-McMillan softball coach Michele Moeller would be open to a double-elimination tournament to determine champions in the WPIAL.
Observer-Reporter
Carmichaels’ coach Richard Krause, right, would cut down the number of playoff teams and make sure teams play an equal amount of section games.
Do you want to play a game?
Who doesn’t?
The coaches of spring high school sports have been patiently waiting for some good news about the coronavirus pandemic.
This virus is keeping everybody benched and maybe no one feels this effect more than the coaches and players who love the game and, even more, the competition.
So why not try to give them what they want.
In this story, we are going to suspend reality and create our own little world. Miraculously, the virus has been eradicated and the coaches of the baseball and softball teams each have 30 days in which to formulate a way to play enough games for a season and to determine a playoff format.
There are a few caveats to this scenario. The first is, in our world, there are no rainouts. The weather is always warm enough and dry enough to get the game in.
And playing games on Sunday are done only under dire circumstances.
Oh yes, because these coaches control the next 30 days, they have the ability to reduce or expand the normal schedule of games played within their respective sections.
One more thing: a team can play as many games in a week as possible but must adhere to the current rules used by the WPIAL. So that stud pitcher can’t be used five times a week.
Our regular season runs from May 1-31.
Let’s start with baseball and Canon-McMillan head coach Tim Bruzdewicz, who might have the most novel idea for the next 30 days.
“I would say the first 10 days would be for practice, then start the season May 11,” he said. “I would play a five-game schedule, whoever were the first five section teams on the original schedule. That would have to be done in about 10 days. Then I would have an open single-elimination tournament for all district play.”
Bruzdewicz feels at least one doubleheader would be required in the WPIAL playoffs.
“It would be tough,” he said. “But I know it could be done, for sure. By the first week of June, you could start the state playoffs because you would be right where you need to be.”
Bruzdewicz said the short time period to prepare would mean extra caution for the pitching staff. He would put an even greater restriction on pitch counts.
“You aren’t sure what they’re doing or how much they are throwing,” he said. “I would limit it to 40 or 50 pitches per game with the two days off. They couldn’t throw 100 pitches because that wouldn’t be (safe).”
Ken Morgan of South Fayette would attempt a 20-game season with four games per week.
“I would emphasize playing section games early on,” he said. “I would go Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. I would try to keep the section games on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and not go back-to-back (with Saturday). I would go on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday if we were working in nonsection games on Tuesday and Saturday. That would get kids into games when they probably would not be playing in section games.”
Like Bruzdewicz, Morgan might cut down qualifiers to the postseason and restrict further the pitch counts.
Richard Krause, Carmichhaels baseball coach, wants to start at the end.
“I want to shorten the playoffs,” he said. “In Class A, Double-A and Triple-A, we don’t need 16 teams in the playoffs. I’m going to cut it down to eight, the top two teams in each section. You go round of eight, round of four, championship. You can go Tuesday, Thursday then championship on the next Tuesday. Other classes can go Monday, Wednesday, Monday.”
When it comes to the regular season, Krause wants uniformity in the section schedule.
“I don’t want to see something where you play some section teams twice and others just once,” he said. “I think we will run into problems with too many games in too short a time, because we don’t have the pitching for that (in the lower classifications).”
In softball, Canon-McMillan head coach Michele Moeller would make the regular season for section games only but she would be open to alternative ways.
“We have a small section and I would have five section games to play (home and home),” said Moeller. “That would make it 10 games in three weeks. Then I would play a tournament for the WPIAL championship, something like Thursday through Sunday if you can do something like that.”
Moeller said she had an idea if there were time constraints.
“You could put everyone into a double-elimination tournament,” she said. “But since I have a month, I have enough time.
“I would run a state tournament and you can do it the same way as the WPIAL tournament. But if there’s enough time, I would run it the same way. This would start in June and that’s the normal time for that.”
Tricia Alderson, the head coach at Chartiers-Houston, said softball has an advantage over baseball and the scheduling process because there are no limits on the pitch counts or innings.
She would use that to the sport’s advantage if there were only 30 days to play the regular season.
“I would schedule doubleheaders,” she said. “I would do the same for the WPIAL playoffs and I will try to get in as many games as possible.”
Alderson said doubleheaders are pretty typical for summer and fall leagues and most of her players are used to them.
Everyone interviewed said they would be thankful to get in a game or two before the season ended in order to give their seniors an opportunity to play once more before graduating and to hold senior recognition day.
“Seniors just want to put their uniforms on one more time to get some closure,” said Alderson. “We are staying hopeful and we are really thankful the PIAA has not canceled anything yet.
“I’m sure they want the players to participate, because that’s what sports is all about.”
Assistant sports editor Joe Tuscano can be reached at jtuscano@observer-reporter.com