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| Govs ready for state tourney | 2007-05-10 |
| In just over 24 hours, the 2007 Alabama Community College Conference Tournament will get underway in Dothan. The tournament will get underway at noon tomorrow on Northcutt and Pitman Fields. The Wallace Govs will play their first game at 7 p.m. against Jeff State on Northcutt Fields. | |
 And although this is a team from the Northern Division, it is a team the Govs are familiar with. “We beat them 6-4 back in March,� Wallace coach Mackey Sasser said. “So we have a pretty good idea what we’re up against. And like everybody in this tournament, we know they have a very good number one pitcher.� And there is something else that makes this game even more intriguing. The head coach for Jeff State is a Wallace graduate. David Russo played baseball under former Wallace coach Sammy Frichter. “That’s something that makes us part of a special fraternity,� Sasser said. “There are a lot of coaches out there who have come through the Wallace program. We all like to see each other do well.� While that ads a little more excitement to the contest, it doesn’t lessen the competitive juices. Sasser says he has very simple strategy—not just in the first game, but in every game he plays in the tournament. “The most important thing is to score runs early, often and any way possible,� he said. “So you may see me do things offensively I don’t normally do. But we’ve got to get runs across the plate.� “The key for us is handling their pitching,� he continued. “I just hope our bats stay hot. We’ve hit the ball well most of the year and that needs to continue for us to win.� Sasser says he knows who will start against Jeff State. It’s going to be his ace, Dave Mason. But after that, he’s not sure who he will pitch. It could be his closer, Ernesto Gonzales. It could be Mitchell Davidson. It could be Cody Shields. And although Sasser didn’t say it, there is one thing all of them have in common. They are all sophomores. “Right now, its tournament time,� Sasser said. “It’s a new season. It doesn’t matter how you got her or what place you finished in. Everybody here has a chance to win it.� The last couple of years, it’s been Wallace-Hanceville that won it all. Hanceville went on to the Junior College World Series and finished third each time. As for a tournament favorite this year, Sasser and LBW coach Steve Helms both like the same team. “I think Shelton State has the most arms,� Sasser said. “That’s going to be extremely important in this tournament.� The reason it is more important than ever is this is a 12-team tournament. That means the winner may have to play six consecutive days. Fortunately for Wallace and Shelton, they are in the bottom half of the bracket. Which ever team stays in the winner’s bracket in the bottom half will get the tournament’s only bye. “That can be huge,� Sasser said. I don’t know who that will be, but it’s going to be an advantage.� “The best thing we can do is play hard and hope for the best,� Sasser said of his team. “There is going to be a lot of emotion in this tournament. The key is how well you can handle that emotion. Some players will handle it well, others won’t. It’s going to be interesting to see how our freshmen handle it.� | |
| © Wallace Community College |
