~ The Eagles seek their eighth trip to the final four, while the Cruaders' new program seeks trip No. 1.
The upstart versus the old hand.
Saxony Lutheran and Oran reside on opposite spectrums in terms of baseball playoff experience heading into today's 4 p.m. Class 1 quarterfinal at Perryville City Park.
Fitting in with the immense success the Crusaders' infant athletics program has experienced over the past three years, the two-year-old baseball team won its first district title and first sectional game this season.
Oran, meanwhile, won its 15th district title and will attempt to qualify for its eighth final four, although the Eagles have yet to win a baseball state title.
"You shouldn't need any pumping up for a game like this," Saxony Lutheran assistant coach Lance Limbaugh said.
The Crusaders' appearance in the quarterfinal round has likely come as a surprise to many around the state. Thayer, Saxony Lutheran's sectional opponent, finished third in Class 1 last year. Saxony Lutheran dispatched of Thayer with relative ease, though, cruising to a 14-6 win.
Now its time for the Crusaders (14-6) to prove they belong with the Class 1 elite in baseball. Saxony Lutheran won its second straight Class 1 cross country state title in the fall, and just last weekend brought home a second-place trophy in Class 1 track and field.
"As a baseball team we've proven we can win a sectional, but we don't have the respect of the other sports yet," senior Casey Petzoldt said. "Friday will go a long way to proving a lot."
Added Limbaugh: "They almost feel like they're playing second fiddle to the other teams. They want to bring back something for themselves. They got district, but they want to bring back something more. They want to add to that trophy case."
Oran (24-4), which made it to three straight state final fours from 2002 to 2004, beat Saxony Lutheran earlier this season 9-4. The Crusaders feel they have come a long way since that loss, winning 14 of 17 games since an 0-3 start.
Undoubtedly the underdogs today, Saxony Lutheran knows something about falling short as a favorite. The Crusaders beat Oak Ridge twice previous to the district tournament last year, but fell to the Blue Jays in the semifinals of the district tournament as the top seed.
"That was pretty disappointing," Limbaugh said. "So you just never know. That's the way we're taking it into the game. It looks good for them on paper."
On paper it looks more than good for the Eagles. Oran routed Cooter 14-4 in five innings in the sectional round and has not lost a quarterfinal game in its last five tries. There are still quite a few key pieces to the 2004 runner-up squad on this year's team.
"We've been there before. We shouldn't be shaken," Oran coach Mitch Wood said.
Oran averages more than 10 runs a game and is hitting better than .360 as a team. The Eagles have three hitters batting over .400 and have crushed the ball in recent games. Chase Seyer, Caleb Seyer and Joey Williams homered in Wednesday's sectional win.
On the mound, the Eagles could likely turn to junior Chase Seyer for the start. Seyer pitched a complete game in Oran's district championship win. Wednesday's starter, Austin Dumey, pitched only 2 2/3 innings in the win and would also be available.
Despite the relative ease of Oran's sectional win, Wood felt his team did not play its best ball.
"They didn't play very well and they know that," Wood said. "Hopefully they'll be ready Friday."
Caleb Seyer, among a group of five sophomore starters, saw the Eagles lose in the district tournament last year, snapping the run of final four appearances..
"We want to get back there I know that," Caleb Seyer said.
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