The Mavs' senior-laden roster boasted college-level pitching, solid defense and a powerful lineup that produced as well as any team in the state. Maybe it was high expectations, maybe it was overconfidence or maybe it was a tough draw. But disaster struck in the way of two straight defeats and an early exit in Missoula's quest to win its first state title since 1998.
Despite tying for the division title and losing out on their second straight No. 1 seed by way of a tiebreaker, this year's Mavericks are by no means the chic pick to be playing for the championship as the tourney begins Saturday at Centene Stadium in Great Falls. On paper, the 2008 Mavs don't stack up to last year's squad that finished league play 20-4 and posted a 51-17 mark overall. But they don't play ballgames on paper.
Missoula (49-21) will start its path toward next Wednesday's championship game with a 12:30 p.m. rematch of 2007's first-round defeat against the Billings Royals, the third seed from the East who enter 35-26. Billings won the season's only meeting between the teams, earning a 4-0, seven-inning victory at the Mavericks' Memorial Day tournament. Since then, Missoula has kicked it into high gear and has gone 33-15 for a .688 winning percentage.
Likely to get the start on the mound for the Mavs is team wins leader Cody Burgmeier. The right-hander posted a 12-3 mark with a 4.49 ERA in a team-high 104 1-3 innings. He ranks second on the Mavericks with 57 strikeouts and has walked just 26. Brendan Brown (7-4) and Shawn Griffith (5-2) are the team's other mainstays in the starting rotation. Each have been dominant at times and each have labored to earn wins.
Though not as intimidating as last year, Hathaway likes the way his starting staff has learned how to get the job done, even when not at its best.
“Going into the season we knew we'd be a little short on arms,” he said. “But these guys have adapted their games in order to be successful. We're not going to strong-arm anyone, but they've figured out how to get people out by locating three different pitches and pitching smart.”
The Missoula bullpen is led by Lincoln Mansch (9-0, 3.42 ERA) who has collected all of his wins in relief. Drew Lytle, Jake Schilling, Wes Martens and Matt McMann will also be available out of the pen.
Brown, who's seen time at designated hitter and third base when not on the mound, leads a group of six regulars hitting over .300 with a .403 average. Catcher Sean Dwyer is hitting .388 and has a team-best 75 RBIs in 68 games. Center fielder Ben Roberts totes a .384 average and Taylor King (.373) leads the Mavs with 31 extra-base hits.
“It's all about how you finish,” Hathaway said. “They've gone through the season, they've grown and gotten better and learned to figure things out. For the players' sake I hope they perform well ... If they play like they're capable of and get a couple of breaks along the way, who knows?”
The top two seeds from the East - the Billings Scarlets (46-13) and defending champion Bozeman Bucks (50-18) - are the odds-on favorites. The Scarlets meet the host Great Falls Electrics (20-41) in the 7:30 p.m. game. Bozeman takes on the Kalispell Lakers (33-23) in the 9:30 a.m. opener and the Western AA top-seeded Great Falls Stallions (38-24) face the Helena Senators (30-29) at 4:30 p.m.
Notes: The Scarlets have qualified for state in each of the last 35 years. The second-longest steak is that of the Mavs, who have been to state in each of Hathaway's 16 seasons as manager. ... By virtue of Bozeman hosting the Region 7 tournament, the Bucks have an automatic berth at regionals. If they were to defend their state championship, the runner-up would also advance to regionals. ... Centene Stadium, formerly known as Legion Park, hosted the state tourney in 1973, 1977, 1985, 1994 and 2006. ... Live play-by-play of each tournament game can be found online at mtaalegiontourney.org.
Pairings
State AA American Legion baseball tournament
at Centene Stadium, Great Falls
Aug. 2-6
Saturday
9:30 a.m. - Bozeman Bucks (50-18) vs. Kalispell Lakers (33-23)
12:30 p.m. - Missoula Mavericks (49-21) vs. Billings Royals (35-26)
4:30 p.m. - Great Falls Stallions (38-24) vs. Helena Senators (30-29)
7:30 p.m. - Billings Scarlets (46-13) vs. Great Falls Electrics (20-41)
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