By DAN HOEHNE
daniel.hoehne@newssun.com
Heading to Tarpon Springs Thursday for the Regional Quarterfinals of the Class 6A State Baseball Playoffs, Sebring will be taking on a formidable Sponger squad.
The hosts compiled a 23-4 overall record under head coach Richard Hart, and went 7-1 in District 10-6A play, claiming the tournament championship with a 7-1 win over Land O'Lakes last Thursday.
Of those four season losses, two were 1-0 losses to both Seminole-Osceola and Land O'Lakes, as well as a 3-2 loss to Countryside and a 4-1 decision to Osceola.
Take those numbers away from their season totals, and Tarpon Springs outscored their opponents by a combined 177-42 behind a number of big bats.
The team batting average was .315, with senior Anthony Bariso leading the way with a .421 average and team-high three home runs.
Cole Miklavcic hit .396, Brendan Overton sported a .391 average, Hunter Bonner batted .382, Tommy Grill checked in at .361 and Caleb Koulianos at .322.
Kulianos lead the team with 23 RBI, though Grill was right behind with 21 and Bariso and Overton tied with 17 each.
The Spongers also have some weapons when they get on the bases, with Miklavcic going 18-for-19 in the stolen base department, Bonner 10-for-13 and Grill 10-for-16.
And if the Blue Streak pitching staff is able to hold this fearsome line-up in check, the Sebring bats will have to do some damage against one of a trio of Tarpon Springs top hurlers.
Bariso lead the team with a 0.73 ERA, with Michael Dunnigan right behind at 0.75 and Koulianos at 1.12.
Dunnigan was the staff leader with eight wins in 65 innings pitched, giving up just 36 hits and seven earned runs, while striking out 98 and walking just seven.
"They're a big 6A school and it's going to be a tough task," Sebring head coach Buck Rapp said.
This isn't at all to suggest that the Streaks are in over their heads, just facing as strong a competition as they have this season.
For some of Sebring's numbers match up well with the Spongers.
The team batting average for the season was a strong .283, and while Tarpon Springs scored five more runs, they played two more games.
Seth Abeln lead the Streaks at a .360 clip and added 17 RBI and a team-high 28 runs scored.
Wyatt Johnson batted .317, Cullen Lovett .309 and Nate Greene .289, while also leading the squad with 21 runs batted in.
Sebring was also just as swift on the base paths, totaling 60 stolen bases, to the Spongers 63.
Perhaps the big difference is seen on the mound.
Not necessarily in pitching ability, in that opponents batting averages aren't all that different against each staff.
Aaron Hart held opposing batters to a .215 average, Jordan Baker to a .185 average and Greene to .250.
Both staffs surrendered three home runs on the season, and the Streaks actually had fewer wild pitches than Tarpon Springs.
But where the numbers start to separate, are in matters of control.
From the strong batting average against numbers, the Spongers held their opponents down in the on base percentages - meaning fewer walks allowed, fewer hit-batsmen.
From Dunigan's .157 for batting average, the on-base percentage only rises to .189, due to those seven walks and two hit batters.
"With a pitcher like that, you know he's going to be around the plate," Rapp said. "We should be able to put the ball in play and hopefully we can go in, execute and scratch for some runs."
From Hart, Baker and Greene's respective averages against, the on-base percentages jump to .304, .331 and .344, respectively, due to an overall addition of 62 walks and 20 hit batters between the trio.
"We've had eight months of practice for this," Rapp said. "We just have to go in relaxed and play like we have nothing to lose. We just have to be seven innings better, really, just one inning better, if Aaron can keep us close."
Most other areas being relatively equal, it might just be about keeping those extra Spongers off base.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - www.newssun.com/WED-5-2-12-SebBB