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 Kory Seitz of Hamilton Southeastern.
Describe Sectional 8 from your standpoint.
Sectional 8 from top to bottom is the most competitive sectional in the state in my opinion. I think that’s why every coach in (Sectional) 8 would agree that if you can get out of it, there’s a legit shot to end to up at Victory Field.
Why is it so difficult to advance out of Sectional 8?
We’ve all seen each other at least two times except for Carmel. Knowing your opponent and the fact that there’s great coaches in Sectional 8 that know how to prepare for an opponent adds to the better competition. It’s also no surprise that most of Sectional 8 are in or flirt around with top 10 rankings most of the year. Sectional 8 coaches are the most adamant about there being seeding for a state tourney. If you split every team in Sectional 8 up into different sectionals, I’d guess there would be at least four to five sectional champions every year.
No matter what the sectional draw outcome is, what keeps Sectional 8 such a gauntlet and a “meat grinder?” (Eerily similar to the Hoosier Crossroads Conference)
Part of my answer for this is also part of No. 2 question. The HCC is the best baseball conference in the state, if not the Midwest. Playing 14 conference games against those type of opponents prepares your team for anything in post season. That means no matter what the draw is, we should be prepared to compete against everyone’s best.
Does hosting Sectional 8 make it that much harder to win it? (Noblesville is the last host to win in 2014)
As far as hosting a sectional it’s hard to comment on that since we never have. Honestly, I would never be interested in hosting a sectional for baseball (unless we had a turf field). I wouldn’t be interested in the distraction of hosting responsibilities and field maintenance along with getting your team ready. I’m very much like my father on this thinking as he was never interested in hosting. Back in single class when I played, believe it or not, Sheridan hosted the sectional and I loved it. They had a nice field at the time, but I loved the bus ride there and the celebration bus rides back, especially after a championship. That bus ride home might include a Chinese fire drill ran on their square in Noblesville when our bus rolled through. That would probably be frowned upon now, but that time with your team is unforgettable. You don’t get that if you host.
How does Sectional 8 prepare you for the rest of the tournament?
Because Sectional 8 is the best top to bottom, I think it’s easy to say that if you have to win two or even three games to win it, you’re ready to make a run to Victory Field. With no other part of the tourney being more than a two-game scenario moving forward you’ve been battle tested against the best in high-pressure situations. I also should mention that it draws some of the best crowds in the state so that’s not a factor either. Coaches just need to dig a little more on opponents since we haven’t seen most teams as we move north in the tourney.