The 5A playoffs begin this week with excited anticipation from many baseball teams. There are 16 teams that have a chance to win. Realistically, that number is much smaller, and no team goes into the tournament with higher expectations than Alta.
The Hawks are coming off a Region 2 title. They are the classification's highest scoring team, averaging just over 10.5 runs a game, and have been beating opponents by an average of over seven runs a game.
"Alta was a good team last year, and it had almost everyone back," said Skyline coach Steve Marlowe. "They (the Hawks) have three good pitchers, and they play good defense behind them."
According to Alta coach Barry Harrington, his team has been a pleasure to coach: "Our biggest goal of the year was to have fun." It is a goal that having players like Brandon Relf, Dave Johnson, Brett Adams and Scott Crow are helping accomplish.
"Scott has been doing it for us all year. It's fun when you have a guy like that," added Harrington of his team's ace.
Dave Johnson says it is more than just the fun that is helping the team win. "Numbers one through nine can all hit the ball," said Johnson. It is a lineup that will cause problems for any opponent's pitching staff.
The burden going into the tournament as the favorite is not something that concerns Johnson. "I feel if we are on our best game, I don't think we can lose," Johnson said.
Skyline is a team that has all the tools to win a championship. "We have two great pitchers in Mitch Reid and John Langford, and we have an offense that can score some runs," Marlowe said of his team.
The Eagles overcame a two-game deficit to region rival Taylorsville with only three games to play. They watched Taylorsville finish the season on a three-game skid while they went on to win their last five region games, including an extra-inning 13-9 victory over Taylorsville during the last week of the season.
"I always felt that any team can get hot and get on a roll and run the table," said Marlowe. "I feel like we are on a pretty good roll right now.
No team had a bigger turnaround than Region 1 winner Viewmont. Just a season ago, the Vikings finished 3-9 in region play and 5-16 overall. This year they went 11-1 to take the region title, and they finished 15-6 overall.
The Vikings are led by the pitching of Jake Noyes and Blake Thompson, and the offense has had consistent contributions from Cole Miles, Braeden Schlehuber and Matt Madsen. If the team continues playing at its high level, it is one to watch.
Even if the team is coming off a disappointing finish, Taylorsville is still a dangerous opponent. "I never want to underestimate Taylorsville. I have seen them turn it on at tournament time like no one else," added Marlowe.
Riverton won a tournament in Las Vegas earlier this season and knows what it takes to get it done. It has a deep pitching staff with Ben Lail and Brock Nordberg running the ship and will challenge for a state title in baseball for the first time in school history.
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com