| Keystone is happy to be in the second bracket and is key to bringing home some more hardware this year Keystone athletics photo |
All the head coaches agree that experience will be key this week, especially with a changing schedule with rain in the forecast.
"We are excited to be here again and the experience the players got last year are helping them on a day like this where the schedule is changing," said UW-La Crosse head coach Chris Schwarz. "Nobody is freaking out as we had this same experience last year and with the potential for it again."
"We will rely on the experience, of settling in, of knowing the landscape," said Trinity head coach Tim Scannell.
The first bracket is full of experience with everyone coming back from last years field. In the second, nobody made the 2015 World Series. Those teams in Pool A are all ranked in among the top six teams in the Top 25 while Pool B is filled with teams outside the top 10.
"It was not designed to have a strong bracket but it is an unbelievable tough bracket," said Scannell. "It just turns out that the four teams were hear last year."
Everybody won their respective tournament and everyone here is a tough opponent," said Schwarz. "We are welcoming to the competition. The experience in our bracket is most impressive but we welcome the competition that any opponent will bring to us."
"I am sure the other side is pretty good as well," said Scannell. Keystone is one of four teams in the bracket and believes that this gives them an edge.
"If you look at the numbers it works in our favor so we are in a good spot," said Keystone head coach Jame Schevchik. "It is a luck of the draw and we are as confident as anyone that we have a shot, a chance. The four teams in our side are saying lucky us to be on this side."
Another theme being heard from our survey of head coaches is to avoid the pressure.
Cortland head coach Joe Brown is happy to come back with a championship on his resume. "Now that we won a title, we are more relaxed," said Brown. "It has helped us in our fundraising and recruiting. It was a real big thing for our former players."
Scannell reached for his cliques when questioned on this point. "We are going to have to fight and play stead, avoid the highs and lows."
Schevchik agreed. "Our whole coaching staff has played or coached in this situation. In the past we have struggled to keep the kind to play to a level play, where the players are not trying to play over their heads. The team we have here is playing with no pressure. In the regional, it did not matter what the situation was, it felt like they were just playing a game of baseball. We played very loose."
St. John Fisher head coach Brandon Potter summed it up for everyone. "It has been fun, and enjoyable so far. We had a great season up to this point and want it to continue. It will be fun to get out there to see how we compare to the other teams.