Two outstanding pitching staffs will be front and center this weekend when Phil Campbell visits Fyffe for a best-of-three quarterfinal showdown in the Class 3A baseball playoffs.
Here's a breakdown of each team heading into the series, which is scheduled to open on Friday with a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.
Phil Campbell Bobcats
Overall record: 34-3
Area record: 6-0 (champions of Area 15)
Runs scored: 450 (12.2 per game)
Runs allowed: 66 (1.8 per game)
First-round results: Swept Susan Moore 22-0 and 30-0
Second-round results: Swept Geraldine 3-2 and 10-0
Current streak: Won 15 straight games and 44 of 47 dating back to last season
Head coach: Jonathan Raper
Team Pitching: 34-3 record, 1.09 ERA, 225 IP, 130 hits, 294 K, 75 BB, 19 HBP
Key Pitchers (with 2021 stats):
Ridge Raper (Senior): 7-1 record, 0.52 ERA, 40 IP, 19 hits, 68 K, 5 BB, 5 CG, 3 SHO
Notes: Head coach Jonathan Raper typically holds back his senior stalwart as a literal ace in the hole for a potential winner-take-all Game 3, so Ridge is yet to throw a pitch in these playoffs. His career numbers at the varsity level are mind-boggling: A 24-3 record, a 1.63 ERA, 246 strikeouts (and only 38 walks) in 171.2 innings, 11 complete games, seven shutouts and three no-hitters. Raper has more wins this season than walks or earned runs allowed.
Mason Swinney (Junior): 8-0, 1.58 ERA, 57.2 IP, 28 hits, 96 K, 29 BB, 4 CG, 2 SHO
Notes: Swinney has reached 150 career strikeouts in just 87.2 innings, an average of 12.0 K's per seven innings. He struck out 10 batters last week in a 3-2 win over Geraldine, the fifth time this season he's reached double-figures.
Luke Barnwell (Senior): 8-1, 1.09 ERA, 51.1 IP, 37 hits, 42 K, 11 BB, 5 CG, 4 SHO
Notes: Barnwell has tossed a pair of Game 2 shutouts already in these playoffs; he's 13-2 in his Phil Campbell career with a 1.35 ERA in 98.2 innings.
Austen Baker (Senior): 3-0, 0.41 ERA, 17 IP, 10 hits, 26 K, 5 BB
Notes: The Bobcats' top reliever, Baker sports a 1.57 career ERA with 74 strikeouts and only 15 walks in 66.2 innings.
Levi Crittenden (Senior): 3-1, 1.35 ERA, 26 IP, 24 hits, 24 K, 6 BB, 2 CG
Notes: Crittenden's final start of the regular season was a complete-game win over Class 6A Decatur.
Cam Habada (Sophomore): 3-0, 1.24 ERA, 17 IP, 9 hits, 23 K, 9 BB, 1 CG
Notes: Habada closed out the regular season with a complete-game shutout of West Point, a Class 5A playoff team.
Brett Saint (Senior): 2-0, 1.40 ERA, 10 IP, 5 hits, 7 K, 7 BB
Notes: Saint is 10-3 in his varsity career with a 2.75 ERA and three complete games, including a pair of shutouts.
Team Batting: 414 hits in 1,089 AB (.380 BA), 25 HR, 11 TR, 96 DB, 185 BB, 57 HBP (.483 OBP)
Projected Lineup:
SS Luke Barnwell (Senior) - .374 BA/.452 OBP/.473 SLG, 1 HR, 1 TR, 8 DB, 33 RBI, 55 R
Notes: Barnwell ranks second on the team this season in runs scored and third in multi-hit games (14). He has 111 career hits and 131 runs scored.
P Mason Swinney (Junior) - .475/.551/.820, 7 HR, 2 TR, 17 DB, 55 RBI, 63 R
Notes: The team leader in multi-hit games with 20, Swinney is only five RBIs shy of 100 for his varsity career. He already has 114 career hits and 120 runs scored.
3B Austen Baker (Senior) - .415/.533/.754, 8 HR, 16 DB, 52 RBI, 51 R
Notes: Baker leads all current Bobcats in career home runs (11), doubles (36) and RBIs (130).
1B John Miller Lawson (Senior) - .410/.519/.562, 2 HR, 1 TR, 8 DB, 32 RBI, 41 R
Notes: One of five .400 hitters in the lineup, Lawson has 13 multi-hit games this season.
2B Ridge Raper (Senior) - .460/.552/.664, 3 HR, 2 TR, 10 DB, 40 RBI, 42 R
Notes: Raper is Phil Campbell's active career leader in hits (164), walks (77) and runs scored (143). He ranks second on the team this season with 17 multi-hit games and will carry an eight-game hit streak into the quarterfinals.
CF Bryant Hyde (Sophomore) - .321/.384/.420, 1 HR, 3 TR, 4 DB, 33 RBI, 47 R
Notes: A .360 hitter in his Bobcat career, Hyde has hit safely in six straight games.
DH Trey Leindecker (Senior) - .284/.359/.367, 1 TR, 7 DB, 23 RBI, 37 R
Notes: Leindecker's 19 career extra-base hits include a pair of home runs.
RF Levi Crittenden (Senior) - .233/.412/.333, 1 HR, 6 DB, 23 RBI, 27 R
Notes: Crittenden has been hit by a pitch 12 times this season, second-most on the team.
C Bryant Anthony (Sophomore) - .431/.546/.647, 2 HR, 3 TR, 10 DB, 39 RBI, 11 R
Notes: Anthony has been a force in the nine-spot, tying for third on the team in extra-base hits (15) and tying for fourth with 13 multi-hit games.
Fyffe Red Devils
Overall record: 24-1
Area record: 4-0 (champions of Area 14)
Runs scored: 189 (7.6 per game)
Runs allowed: 50 (2.0 per game)
First-round results: Swept Lauderdale County 8-5 and 6-2
Second-round results: Swept Ohatchee 4-2 and 6-4
Current streak: Won five straight games
Head coach: Brad Thomas
Team Pitching: 24-1 record, 1.19 ERA, 165 IP, 106 hits, 284 K, 60 BB, 19 HBP
Key Pitchers:
Tanner Cowart (Senior): 9-1, 1.12 ERA, 62.2 IP, 36 hits, 112 K, 15 BB
Notes: Cowart has posted four games with double-digit strikeouts and averages an impressive 12.5 K's per seven innings.
Ike Rowell (Senior): 8-0, 1.62 ERA, 52 IP, 38 hits, 89 K, 27 BB
Notes: Rowell struck out 15 batters last week in a Game 2 win over Ohatchee, his fourth game this season with at least 10 K's.
Brody Dalton (Senior): 2-0, 0.82 ERA, 17 IP, 9 hits, 22 K, 2 BB
Notes: Dalton has the same number of wins this season (two) as earned runs allowed.
Koby Harris (Senior): 1-0, 0.44 ERA, 16 IP, 11 hits, 23 K, 10 BB, 2 SV
Notes: Harris earned the save in last week's series clincher against Ohatchee.
Parker Godwin (Senior): 4-0, 1.34 ERA, 15.2 IP, 12 hits, 32 K, 7 BB
Notes: Godwin averages 14.3 strikeouts per seven innings, tops on the team.
Team Batting: 197 hits in 659 AB (.299 BA), 4 HR, 8 TR, 48 DB, 97 BB, 39 HBP (.413 OBP)
Projected Lineup:
CF/2B Koby Harris (Senior) - .378 BA/.485 OBP/.512 SLG, 1 TR, 9 DB, 11 RBI, 35 R
Notes: Harris leads the team in hits (31), runs scored (35) and multi-hit games (11).
RF Ty Bell (Senior) - .217/.375/.319, 2 TR, 3 DB, 13 RBI, 27 R
Notes: Bell leads the team in walks (16) and sacrifice bunts (six), but he's in the midst of an 0-for-22 slump heading into the quarterfinals.
P/CF Ike Rowell (Senior) - .436/.508/.818, 3 HR, 3 TR, 6 DB, 26 RBI, 24 R
Notes: Fyffe's most dangerous hitter, Rowell has four extra-base hits and six RBIs in four playoff games thus far.
3B/P Tanner Cowart (Senior) - .353/.500/.500, 10 DB, 20 RBI, 22 R
Notes: Cowart has hit safely in 19 of the Red Devils' 25 games this season.
SS Parker Godwin (Senior) - .344/.467/.443, 1 TR, 4 DB, 16 RBI, 18 R
Notes: Godwin has been on fire of late, collecting eight hits in 14 postseason ABs.
1B Brody Dalton (Senior) - .300/.400/.367, 1 TR, 2 DB, 12 RBI, 12 R
Notes: One of six .300 hitters in the Red Devil lineup, Dalton went 2-for-3 in the series clincher against Ohatchee to record his sixth multi-hit game of the season.
C Will Stephens (Junior) - .333/.446/.449, 1 HR, 5 DB, 23 RBI, 13 R
Notes: Stephens broke a 3-3 tie with a clutch three-run homer in last week's series-clinching win over Ohatchee.
2B Riley West (Senior) - .250/.308/.294, 3 DB, 14 RBI, 12 R
Notes: West can handle the bat, as evidenced by his three sac bunts over the last five games.
DH Jake Wooden (Sophomore) - .250/.368/.281, 1 DB, 5 RBI, 5 R
Notes: Wooden typically splits the DH duties with fellow sophomore Yahir Balcazar (.200/.259/.220).
