Larks will rely on defense
CONOR NICHOLL
Frank Leo will make his 22nd trip as Hays Larks manager to the National Baseball Congress World Series when his club starts play tonight.
Leo's teams have taken second four times, including a runner-up showing last summer. The success yields a simple formula.
"Defense," he said. "Defense and pitching is going to win. Maybe occasionally you are going to have to outslug somebody, but you better play good defense and not make errors at key times."
Hays, the No. 2 seed, will open play against the San Diego Waves at 7:30 p.m. today (KAYS 1400 AM) in the feature game at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita. San Diego defeated the Maxim (Calif.) Yankees 5-2 in a first-round game Monday.
When combined, pitching and defense hold opposing teams to just a few runs -- and produces consistent winning. During the regular season, the Larks won their sixth Jayhawk League title in eight years after they posted a 25-11 conference record and 31-15 overall mark.
They were 22-3 when they allowed the opponent to score three runs or fewer. In last year's six wins at the NBC, the Larks shut out three teams and never allowed more than three runs. Overall, they permitted 1.16 runs per game in the victories.
This season, the Larks allowed 74 unearned runs in 46 games and committed 89 errors. That allowed opponents to score 5.45 runs per nine innings, compared to 39 unearned runs (56 games) and 4.18 runs allowed per nine innings in 2007.
In 2006, a 40-16 season, the club allowed 48 unearned runs and permitted 4.26 runs per nine innings.
"You can live with some errors, two-out errors nobody on base, they got second and third and two outs and you make a mistake, they score some runs, it could snowball," Leo said.
"We have to be very good defensively, and we are getting better in that area."
Ace right-hander Patrick Cooper will start tonight. Patrick Cooper is 6-3 with a 2.71 earned-run average and leads the team in innings pitched (63) and starts (10). He hasn't allowed a homer all season, the only Larks pitcher who has thrown at least 25 innings who hasn't permitted at least one.
Cooper also has limited walks (24), a number that Leo believes is crucial for success. Overall, the 2008 team has averaged 4.84 walks per nine innings, compared to 3.54 in the runner-up finish last year.
"Not walking people," Leo said. "Last year, we had a staff that was very stingy with walks, put the game in play a lot and that makes the defense better. We are going to have to make sure that we don't give free passes and that we play great defense.
"I think the offense will somehow take care of itself, with what we have, but I think that defense and pitching is the big key," he added.
Infielder Mike Brownstein leads Hays in hitting at .423 on the season. Infielder Kevin Hennessey leads in homers (6) and RBIs (40).
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