The state playoffs can often be a melting pot of different styles with squads from different leagues and different backgrounds coming together to test their mettle.
Thursday’s quarterfinal in Emporia featuring the sixth-seeded Iola Mustangs and the third-seeded Nickerson Panthers is just that.
Nickerson has scored 181 runs this season — more than double the Mustangs’ 88. The Panthers win by an average score of 8.2 to 3.7, while Iola has been squeaking out nail-biters all season with an average final of 4.4 to 2.1.
Despite their different styles, both teams have had great seasons. Iola stands at 16-4 and Nickerson is 19-3 to win the Central Kansas League.
Iola fans are well aware of what makes the Mustangs as successful as they have been, but here are the major storylines going into Thursday for Nickerson which could provide the reasons Iola advances to Friday afternoon or could cause their stay in Emporia to be abbreviated.
POWERFUL 3-5
The Panthers don’t put up over eight runs a game by accident. Their middle of the lineup is as scary as there is in the state.
Center fielder Josh Salazar has moved into their three spot this season and has been spectacular, hitting .386 and getting on base in over half of his at bats.
“He is a left-handed batter and does a really good job getting on base,” Nickerson coach Brad Kelly said.
Behind Salazar is the most intimidating Panther. Junior Kolbi Schrag is hitting .419 his season and has three of the team’s four homer runs.
“He is a big stout kid who is well put together,” Kelly said. “He is the one guy in our lineup who has noticeable pop and bat speed with he swings. When he squares it up, even if he doesn’t hit it out, he hits it hard. He is the one guy that does have consistent power.”
In the five spot is the team’s senior leader Braden Stewart. The shortstop is hitting .486 this season despite being limited in the power department.
“Braden can drag-bunt, he can beat out slow choppers, he is just good all-around athlete,” Kelly said. “That is why his batting average is so high. He bunts for base hits and does all the little things.”
RUNNING GAME
While the lineup takes a hit after Stewart, Kelly has been pleased with his team’s ability to create havoc on the bases this year and use their speed to their advantage.
“We have some team speed, so if we can find our way to first base, we feel that we can do some things offensively,” Kelly said. “We like to move guys around and score them.
“There are always a few different ways to win games. Sometimes, we rely on more of the small-ball mentality where we are drag bunting and doing those things, which a lot of our guys can do. Fortunately for us, if one thing isn’t working, we can do different things at the plate to get ourselves going.”
Lead-off hitter Tanner Schrag, Kolbi’s younger brother, plays a very different style from his brother and leads the 14 stolen bases. Kelly says his speed is key because he has been is a slump lately at the plate.
“Through our first 10 games, he was hitting about .480,” Kelly said of the .385 hitter. “He went through a slump as we played some better teams. He has been making a comeback as of late.”
Stewart has 13 stolen bases and left fielder Kaleb Jackson has 11.
“Jackson is a smaller kid,” Kelly said. “He is really good with the bat. The reason we put him at No. 2 in the order is to lay down bunts and sacrifice. He is smaller so he hits the ball the other way for the most part.”
YOUNG ARMS
The Panthers will go into the playoffs with their top two pitchers being sophomores, but they haven’t pitched like sophomores this season.
Carson Cornelius is the team’s ace with an impressive 1.49 ERA this season with just nine walks to go with 44 strikeouts. Kelly indicated that the right-handed pitcher will get the ball on Thursday.
“We don’t have anybody who is going to get 15 strikeouts a game,” Kelly said. “Our pitchers do a good job of keeping the ball down and throwing strikes. We pitch to contact.”
Should Cornelius struggle, Tanner Schrag is the team’s No. 2 pitcher. The righty is another control pitcher who has a 1.76 ERA this year.
“We have five or six guys that we feel can come in and do a pretty good job for us,” Kelly said.
The Panthers also have a left-handed specialist with Cam Crandall and if Calvin Delich or Coleson Wiggin come up in a big spot, it is possible that Kelly turns to Crandell. The senior doesn’t have the same control as their other arms with 15 walks in under 18 innings.
“He is a 6’4” left hander that come in and does a good job,” Kelly said.
Stewart has the third most innings pitched on the team this season, but the senior has struggled overall with a 3.59 ERA and more walks that strikeouts.
