By CRAIG ADKINS
For The Reporter
Editor’s note: Reporter sports writer Craig Adkins contacted each of the Sectional 8 baseball coaches to get their thoughts on the competition and intensity of the sectional. Today’s responses are from Hunter Owen of Carmel.
Describe Sectional 8 from your standpoint.
Sectional 8 is a gritty, ultra-competitive format packed with the state’s top talent. It’s an opportunity to prove you not only have the best guys, but the right guys as well.
Why is it so difficult to advance out of Sectional 8?
I think when it comes to sectional time for any sectional, it’s the hottest team clicking together at the right time. Factor in the level of talent Sectional 8 offers, nothing is going to come easy. I think a big factor that plays into the difficulty of the sectional is that most of these guys have played together or against each other for a number of years through travel ball. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and I think that adds to the level of emotion you see come from all the Sectional 8 teams.
No matter what the sectional draw outcome is, what keeps Sectional 8 such a gauntlet and a “meat grinder?”
Regardless of the draw, nothing is going to come easy in Sectional 8. Every game is a dog fight and everything is earned. Many times, it’s not the most talented team that wins it. It’s the grittiest, toughest team that shows up in big moments. Not only do you have to be talented, but you need a bunch of dogs that want it more than the other teams. Thats why I think it’s not just about having the best guys on your team, it’s about having the right guys.
Does hosting Sectional 8 make it that much harder to win it? (Noblesville is the last host to win in 2014)
Good teams find a way to get it done regardless of the obstacles they face. Do I think hosting presents an obstacle? Yes. But that’s not the reason any host school loses the sectional.
How does Sectional 8 prepare you for the rest of the tournament?
If you play well enough to win Sectional 8, I think you have a huge opportunity to win the state. A wise coach much smarter than me once told me, “Not all trips to state are created equal,” and I think that reigns true. Knowing how much talent, toughness, and clutchness it takes to win Sectional 8, I think gives a team confidence that they are battle-tested and able to compete with anyone in the state.