Familiar Faces: OV to Face Beckman in CIF Quarterfinal Rematch

OV Hawks Podcast: Episode 1

The last time the Patriots of Beckman High School walked off the field after facing Ocean View, you could sum up the reaction of the South-County Powerhouse in one word: shocked.

The previously 27-1 Patriots were all but guaranteed to take advantage of a relatively weak bracket and march right on to 2010 OC Varsity Coach of the Year Kevin Lavelle’s first CIF Championship. Ocean View, on the other hand, had some other plans. You can read all about the game here and here.

Last year, though, was last year. The differences between the two ’10 and the ’11 teams are rather trivial though. Let’s start with Beckman- the Patriots lost two of their biggest offensive tools- Reyn Araki in Center-Field, and Brandon Trinkwon at Shortstop. As documented in the past, Ocean View lost the biggest piece to last year’s team Aaron Delgado at Shortstop and Center-Field, but also lost Nick Schulenburg, and Kevin Nance at the corners.

But as I’ve said in the past here, Robert Fogarty and Colton Johnson fixed the holes that Aaron left offensively and defensively.

That being said, expect a very similar game compared to last year’s matchup.

Ocean View has lost games here and there, one to El Dorado after getting 1-Hit, Westminster after getting 3-Hit, and when they’ve faced superior pitching, they have struggled offensively. However, when they aren’t ice cold, OV has the same offensive potential as any team in the division.

Beckman, at the very least, just isn’t undefeated on paper, they lost to CDM in the Newport Elks Tournament after starting the “B Team,” and lost the second game in their double-header against Katella, again, clearing the bench in that night game.

Let’s look into individual unit match-ups after the jump…

2011 OV Baseball Preview Part 5: CIF-SS Division 3 Preview

 

Travis Sparks Jackson and OV look to be back on top this season

 

 

Another season, and five-part preview is in the wings as we look ahead to the 2011 OV baseball season, which will get underway on March 3rd when the Seahawks take on Irvine High School. As we look to 2011, we started with Part 1, a general 2010 review and 2011 preview with a look at the schedule and key notes. And Part 2, which covered Pitchers. Part 3 covered the position players will and Part 4 previewed the Golden West League.

I’m going to get right to it, there is no reason why OV shouldn’t be in the chase for another CIF Title. The competition in league is at a low, the challenges out of league are attainable, but challenges none-the-less, and this roster is the most talented since 2005.

Let’s be cautious though, the last time an Ocean View team had monstrous expectations this happened.

I am saying that expectations are a terrible burden for any team to carry. Considering everything else in High School Sports; family, grades, friends, practices, fatigue, injury, etc., the expectation that you have to win a [CIF] championship is something that is [extremely lofty].

Let’s go over pre-league tournaments first. OV’s first tournament is in a matter of days; the Newport Elk’s tournament boasts a talented “Foothill” Bracket, with the #1 ranked team (Ocean View) and #3 ranked team (Beckman). Here are the remaining brackets.

OV then participates in their annual double-header with El Dorado; I would be very happy to see OV be competitive in that matchup, winning aside.

OV then goes into league play for a little, followed by their early April break where they’ll participate in the OC Nissan Tournament. OV is slated to play Beckman again in the second round of play (if both teams win their first round matchups) and (again win permitting) can play #4 ranked Woodbridge in the Semi-Finals of the tournament. Pretty good field if you ask me.

The real question is how can OV keep the #1 seed. It really has three parts:

1. Preseason
2. League
3. OC Nissan Tournament

I’d be surprised if OV can win their first tournament as Borowski coached teams usually take true shape during League play. But, should they be in a “marquee” matchup (against Beckman or Woodbridge) they need to win it, pretty simple. Another rule of preseason tournaments is no early exits. This shouldn’t be a problem in both tournaments, but not qualifying for the playoff portion of the Newport Elks round-robin, and leaving before the 3rd round of the OC Nissan Tournament would be considered disappointing.

Winning league is also a “must-achieve” task. Not much explanation needed there.

Postseason outlook is a little too blurry as of now, but Bonita should be storming back to the finals with a vengeance this year.

OV Baseball Ranked #1 In Division 3 Preseason Rankings

As expected, the talent loaded Seahawks will be holding the #1 Ranking at the beginning of the season: (via OC Varsity)

1. Ocean View

2. Bonita

3. Woodbridge

4. Beckman

OV is slated to play both Woodbridge and Beckman in out-of-conference tournaments.

 

We’re Semi-Final Bound, OV upsets Beckman 6-3

Oh boy, what a game, what a game! Ocean View came in 2 run underdogs to Beckman, played their game, and upset one of the most talented teams in Division 3. Quite frankly, I have never been more excited for a team, and at the same time, so depressed about how Beckman bowed out. I’ll get into that a little later.

As for the game, Ocean View did exactly what I expected them to do (if they won), and that is take advantage of mistakes. Beckman allowed 5 errors in that game, enough to put OV runners on, and eventually take the lead in the top of the 7th. The go ahead run got into scoring position on a wild pitch, another error loaded the bases, and after a Sacrifice fly, two walks forced home a third run, putting the game out of reach.

More after the jump…

Hype builds around Beckman – OV game

Could this be the game of the year (so far)? Two of the most electric offensive teams in the county will face off tomorrow, with their seasons, and a championship 0n the line. Since this game is generating so much hype, I think that I should do a little bit more analysis.

First of all, we should get to know the ballpark a little better. As you can see, the ball park is built for righties, with the deep part of right center is basically no mans-land, similar to last week. Happily, the fences aren’t 100 feet tall (see Timmy Robinson to deep left center), and the long ball is part of both offenses. Maybe better for OV, the amount of lefties in the Beckman lineup could give OV an equalizer for that home field advantage; on the other hand, Beckman has gone yard enough times with their own lineup. If you have never been to the field, there is a hill behind home-plate that brings a wind towards the outfield, making it more of a hitters park.

Let’s look into individual unit match-ups after the jump…

Baseball to face Top Seeded Beckman in 3rd Round, Softball Advances

The 2009-10 sport season will go another week for Ocean View. In one of the most exciting games of the season, Ocean View topped Bell Gardens by the score of 9-8.

Freddy Sepulveda, now 1-0 in postseason play, came in relief of Blake Walker, pitching 5 innings for the victory. Senior Aaron Delgado came up big, going 4 for 5, with some key rally starting, or rally maintaing hits to get OV their 8 runs. Fundamental baseball (bunts, errorless baseball, etc.) brought OV to this point in the first place, and will be key come Friday.

The Seahawks will face Beckman (27-1), the top seeded team in Division 3 CIF-SS. This matchup is both interesting and concerning for Ocean View. OV has beaten teams at an equal talent, if not at a greater talent level earlier in the season, but this offensive attack is one that is very, very impressive. Beckman is led by several future college and pro players: Seniors Brandon Trinkwon, and Reyn Araki, as well as Junior Catcher Justin Hazard are on a blazing hot hitting streak, and the Sophomore Ace James Kaprielian will face the mound for the Patriots on Friday.

Can OV wipe the smiles of the Patriots’ faces?

Fortunately, Ocean View will also step into the game with hitting streaks of their own, with Aaron Delgado, Blake Hitchcock, and Timmy Robinson all stepping in to Friday’s matchup on fire. The biggest question mark lies in the bullpen; with Blake Walker and Freddy Sepulveda slightly fatigued, any extra length innings could be a tough situation for the coaching staff. The bullpen should reach to former starter Colton Johnson first, but he is the last “100 % guy”, will they go back to Schulenburg, or Matthews? Or will the coaches take a chance on Travis Sparks-Jackson, or Alex Knowles? It’s really tough to tell, but I can guarantee you that this game won’t be a low scoring one. More analysis after the jump…

OV Baseball Reset: How far can OV go?

Ocean View currently stands at 10-8, a very respectable record so far in the season, with a commanding 6-1 record in Golden West league.

All the excitement around the offensive production from the top half of the Seahawk’s lineup has been legitimate as the top half of the lineup is batting .387 halfway through the season. Blake Walker is still hitting over 400 with a hit in every game this season, but the young power prospect Timmy Robinson has hit a rut lately after his spectacular start. Timmy has 6 home runs, exile the school record is 8 for a single season.

On defense, pitching has been average with a team ERA of 6.16, still respectable in High School, but nothing special, but consistency has come in the form of Nick Schulenburg, Blake Walker, and Colton Johnson.

But the real question everyone wants to know is how far can Ocean View go in CIF playoffs; their offense has been good enough (at times), and their pitching has shown flashes of being good enough (at times). They have topped very talented teams in Santa Margarita and Gilroy, but have struggled against “OK” teams such as Woodbridge and Westminster. It is really tough to tell just how good the Seahawks will be when the chips are down.

Several people that I have talked to that know a thing or two about division three ball say that Ocean View will have a shot at getting to the semi-finals, and then, of course, get a shot at the championship game. Unfortunately, depending on their seed, they’ll have to face Beckman. Barring some major upset, Beckman is, by far, the best prediction to win the CIF Championship.

There are some pretty simple things that Ocean View has to do if they want to succeed in the postseason:

• Get Timmy Robinson back to where he used to be

This is so important as Timmy is a vital part of the top of Ocean View’s lineup, and with Blake Walker and Colton Johnson on 80% of the time in the first inning, a simple single could score a run, and a double could get two in the game’s first inning, which is very, very valuable in the long run.

• Stabilize the starting rotation

Whether it is a three man rotation, or a two man rotation, the order, and sanctity of the rotation is very very important for consistency out of the bullpen (as in, what will the batter be geared for, how long can the starter last). I say this because guys like Alex Knowles have some great potential, but either the risk, or the uncertainty of the situation can make the team feel unsure about how the game will go along- a terrible thing for any team. I think that a two man rotation should go Schulenburg, Walker, with Knowles and Matthews available for middle relief, and Johnson and Sparks available for closing the game out. A three man rotation would go Walker Schulenburg, Knowles, with Matthews available for long relief and Johnson for closing the game out.

I’ll give everyone a closer look at a playoff forecast when it gets closer to bracket time.

Beckman vs. GGHS Round 2; Style meets Power

Well here we go folks, Beckman and Garden Grove will square off in about 2 hours so let’s get down to it.

The undefeated Argonauts have had an emotional, but amazingly successful season. With the early season passing of player Kevin Telles, GGHS has dominated all of their opponents following the Westminster game. They have put 60 points up numerous times, and have been nothing short of spectacular; Coach Hay was named NFL coach of the week just a while back, and has brought plenty of success to the Grove.

Beckman is coming off an exciting win at Laguna Beach, and looks to knock off the top seeded Argos. Running backs Brandon Swann and Keith Lawson picked up a physical 200 yards rushing BEFORE halftime last week and will need to step up again tonight to crack through the stout GG line.

Quarterback Sean Young

The wildcat is dangerous, but is lethal when it’s general can throw the ball. Super athlete Sean Young is the catalyst for success, and has yet to be stopped. However, his only weakness is in the backfield; if Beckman can contain and collapse, they should keep Young reasonably quiet.

Quarterback Justin Hazard
Depending on how you look at it, Hazard has done a good job in the postseason. On the other hand, his lack of downfield accuracy limited the big play department for Beckman. Then again, he was never in a rythm, plus, if it ain’t broke… Why fix it? Should the running game prove ineffective, Hazard needs to be spoonfed rythm, Jesse Rassmussen and Austin Archer will be his best friends on rollouts… Which should be “good enough” to move the ball in clutch situations.

Keys to the game:
Offense
Beckman needs to establish the run early, of course that’s what I was going to say! However, Hazard needs to be included in a game that could turn into a shootout. Once GG brings another man into the box, let Hazard out on a rollout to look for Barring on the deep post. If that doesn’t work, just give it to Jesse or Austin; the more balanced, the better tonight.
Defense:
Once Young is stopped, the offense loses it’s sting. It’s a tough task, but If the Pats can do it, Beckman will most likely advance to the next round with something to prove.

Unfortunately, it will be too tough for the 4-4 defense;

13-9′s Prediction:

Garden Grove: 23
Beckman: 13

Of course, there is plenty to point towards the Patriots

Beckman 21-LBHS 21 end of 2nd

Passing LBHS:
9 comp
15 att
156 yards

Running LBHS:

15 att
66 yards
2 TD

Passing BHS:
1 comp
3 att
13 yards

Running BHS
25 att
209
Lawson: 2 TD
Swann: 1 TD

1st half drives:
1. LBHS – RTD
2. BHS – 1 yard RTD (Keith Lawson)
3. LBHS – Stopped 4th down
4. BHS – 4 yard RTD (Brandon Swann)
5. LBHS- 1 yard RTD
6. BHS- 4 yard RTD (Keith Lawson)
7. LBHS- 35 PTD (time expires)

Beckman 7-LBHS 7 (End of 1st)

Passing LBHS:
3 comp
7 ATt
64 yards

Running LBHS:

6 carries
16 yards
1 TD

Passing BHS:

Running BHS
15 carries
128
Lawson:1 TD

1. LBHS – 65 RTD
2. BHS – 80 RTD (Keith Lawson) 6.25 YPC
3. LBHS – Stopped 4th down