 rjonas, Wed, April 9th, 2008 Well for what it's worth, here are my Suburban Council baseball predictions for 2008: Blue Division 1. Colonie Garnet Raiders. There's enough pitching depth to keep them on top of the division, and if the big bats come alive, they should be a serious threat for the Section II, Class AA title 2. Shenendehowa Plainsmen. There's no way that they will miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season, especially since there's no way they will lose eight one-run games again. There's too much talent on this team to have that happen. 3. Shaker Blue Bison. If the defense improves over last season, there's every reason to think they can challenge for the division title. I just happen to think Colonie and Shen are slightly better this year. 4. Saratoga Blue Streaks. They have a veteran lineup, but they're in the wrong division to make a major move this year. Gold Division 1. Columbia Blue Devils. I'm playing a hunch here, since the Blue Devils will have one of the better offenses in the league. If their pitching comes around, they should be very hard to beat. 2. Guilderland Dutchmen. Last year's class AA champions won't go away without a fight, and they have the lineup to fight all the way back to the playoffs. 3. Bethlehem Eagles. Getting back to Sectionals may be difficult for the Eagles, given how hard the pitching staff was hit by graduation. Still, expect them to be in the thick of the hunt with a potent offense. 4. Ballston Spa Scotties. Zack Hartman was Ballston Spa's best pitcher last year, and the Scotties struggled to get wins. Now that Hartman's in college, expect the Scotties to continue their struggles, especially in the hyper-competitive Gold Division. White Division 1. Niskayuna Silver Warriors. They entered the season with a pitching staff that had two career varsity innings, but if their first two wins over Scotia-Glenville (23-2 and 14-0) are any indication, they should be just fine. 2. Mohonasen Mighty Warriors. The only White Division team with a significant amount of veteran starters, the Mighty Warriors should move up in the standings this year. 3. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Spartans. If you have to rely on one pitcher to carry your staff, you can't do too much better in the Suburban Council than senior Dave Fischer. That's what the young Spartans will need, at least in the early going. 4. Averill Park Warriors. Too many players graduating at once from a class A school usually spells trouble in the Suburban Council. That's the situation Averill Park faces this season. As for what league teams have a shot at the class AA Sectional title, I'd rate the odds as follows: Columbia 2-1 Guilderland, Colonie and Shen 3-1 Shaker and Niskayuna 10-1 Bethlehem 15-1 Saratoga 25-1 Ballston Spa 100-1 Coming soon: Suburban Council softball observations. blog comments powered by Disqus  |
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