When Bridgeport leaves for the panhandle this morning at 11 a.m. Coach Robert Shields won’t be giving any speeches on looking ahead to the state tournament or looking past today’s Class AA, Region II opponent in Frankfort.  The reason for that, he said, is simple.

 

“At this point in a season if the kids are looking past anyone or not doing what we’ve done all season and since we lost the first game in the section – focusing on each game, each inning and each pitch – then the drive home (today) will be a long one,” said Shields.

 

Shields is hoping that’s not the case. Instead, he hopes his 34-3 Indians – ranked No. 1 in Class AA in the final Charleston Daily Mail baseball poll – will see happy players on their return home from Short Gap. However, he knows the Indians will have to beat a scrappy Falcons team in order for a chance to defend their ‘AA’ title against the 12-16 Falcons.

The game is set for 4 p.m.

 

“That record is deceiving because they’ve got a lot of guys returning from when we faced them two years ago. They’ve got some veterans on the squad,” said Shields. “Guys like (seniors) Braiden Popluhar, Johnathan Shaffer, Seth Logsdon and plenty of others can play. We have to be wary of them, but our approach is to be more worried about what we can do and what we plan to do.”

 

For starters, the starting pitcher will be junior southpaw Logan Smith. Smith has faced most of the top teams on the Bridgeport schedule this year and has plenty of big game experience – including pitching in last year’s Class AA state title game.

 

“I’m confident in Logan,” said Shields. “The good news is that we’ve got all of our arms available. Even (Tuesday’s pitchers in the 10-0 semifinal win over Liberty) Sammy (Aloi) and Hunter (Haddix) will have innings if we need them."

 

Ideally, Shields said the team needs to get offense early and get the offense in bunches. He said his team has won when getting six runs or more this year. In fact, Bridgeport is 30-0 when scoring six runs or higher this season.

 

“It’s beginning to sound like a cliché, but the biggest part of what we want to do is just stay focused,” said Shields. “We don’t want to get caught up in the game itself. We need to let the game come to us and if that happens whatever is meant to be will happen.”

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Dante Bonamico, right, getting congratulated by teammate Joe Dodrill after scoring in Tuesday's Region II semifinal, while today's starting pitcher Logan Smith is shown in sectional action. Photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.