CULLMAN, Ala. – With round one of this year’s state baseball playoffs in the books, we have three local teams remaining in the field with round two coming up later this week. After sweeping past Hazel Green in the opening round, Cullman will be back home at Bill Shelton Field to host Pell City on Friday. Vinemont took a three-game series over Randolph County at home in round one and will head to Phil Campbell on Friday for round two. Addison dominated its first round series with Skyline and now the Bulldogs will travel to Pickens Academy on Friday with a chance to advance to round three.
All three teams are spending this week preparing for their round two matchups and all three coaches shared some of what they’re focusing on as they get ready.
Cullman v. Pell City (6A)
Game One – Friday at 5 p.m.
Game Two – Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Game Three – Saturday at 2 p.m. (If Necessary)
Cullman Head Coach Brent Patterson
On the Bearcats’ dominant performance in round one,
“One of the most impressive things about this team all year has been their ability to separate yesterday from today. They’ve showed up to work every day regardless of how yesterday went. To be completely honest, it’s been the most impressive thing about this bunch the entire year,” Patterson said. “We’ve had a whole lot of disappointing games and stretches where we didn’t perform up to our capabilities. However, they’d show up with great energy and focus the next day. No matter what, they’ve been very consistent in their approach, whether we were playing well or struggling. It’s a testament to the leadership in the locker room and their desire to play well for each other.”
On Pell City’s strengths,
“As of right now, we don’t know a lot about Pell City. Overwhelmingly the biggest thing I hear about them is how competitive they are. They seem to have a good thing going and really understand what type of team they are,” Patterson said. “They’ve been extremely solid on the mound and defensively and they have some threats in the lineup. It’s a program that’s not unfamiliar with the playoffs so they’ll be ready for us, no doubt. They’re always well coached and prepared.”
On what the ‘Cats will need to improve on to advance,
“We just need to build on the momentum of the last few games and use that in our favor…all the while balancing that out with the understanding that each week and each series has a life of its own. Ultimately, we just need to worry about the things we can control,” Patterson said. “We feel good about our chances if we pitch it and defend it. Offense is unpredictable. You may show up and hit balls right at them or just find it hard to score for one reason or another. But you can always pitch and defend. That’s pretty much the main thing we remind our guys all the time. It’s awfully fun when you show up and bang it around, but good teams win on days when runs are hard to come by.”
Addison at Pickens Academy (1A)
Game One – Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Game Two – Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Game Three – Saturday at 1 p.m. (If Necessary)
Addison Head Coach Lee Williams
On how his team is playing coming into the postseason,
“Our team is doing all the small things right. Little to no errors, no walks, hitting the ball and not leaving runners stranded,” Willaims said. “They are playing with confidence and making the routines be routine and not playing above the game. Playing within the game and enjoying themselves. They are having fun.”
On what Pickens Academy brings to the table,
“I had the opportunity to go watch them play Spring Garden last week. The challenge first of all is more about is our team and us playing at the level we feel we can,” Williams said. “Pickens Academy does a real good job of putting the ball in playing and making you play defense. So, making sure we play error free ball is the most important aspect. They have some good pitching so we as a team need to make sure we are putting the ball in play and scoring runs to keep our pitchers out of having to pitch perfect games.”
On what the Bulldogs will need to do to advance,
“We are going to have to make sure we come out playing loose but not flat. We will be having to travel for a couple hours to get there, so having them prepared is important,” Williams said. “We are going to have to make sure we aren’t leaving guys on base and when we do get on base make sure we are smart on the base path. We have to be patient at the plate and not chase balls out of the zone and make sure we stay away from strikeouts looking. Our pitchers are going to have to continue to throw strikes and let our defense play behind them. Most of all just be focused on the fact that it’s the second round and if you want to advance you must play great baseball.”
Vinemont at Phil Campbell (3A)
Game One – Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Game Two – Friday at 7 p.m.
Game Three – Saturday at 1 p.m. (If Necessary)
Vinemont Head Coach Hunter Cornelius
On rallying to win the series over Randolph County and advance,
“Our guys did a great job of responding when their backs were against the wall after game one. We were in a similar situation earlier this season after dropping the first area game to Pennington. We had to go on the road and win two straight, and our boys stepped up and did just that against a really good baseball team,” Cornelius said. “After Thursday’s loss, I told them we couldn’t hang our heads or feel sorry for ourselves, we had to respond the right way and be ready to compete. They showed a lot of maturity, and it was a complete team effort to come back and win those next two games.”
On Phil Campbell’s strengths,
“I’ve had a chance to check out some stats and talk with a few coaches, and it’s clear they’re a well-coached team. They execute, they play hard, and they don’t beat themselves,” Cornelius said. “The biggest challenge in facing them is that it’s going to be a grind from the first pitch. You can’t take an inning, or even a pitch, off. They’ve got guys who can make plays on both sides of the ball, so we’ve got to stay disciplined, stick to our game plan, and compete for all seven innings.”
On his team’s focus going into round two,
“For us, it’s really about playing consistent, clean baseball. We’ve got to be ready to go the moment we step off the bus. The mentality in practice this past week has been where it needs to be. The boys are locked in, focused, and I feel like they’re in a great place mentally,” Cornelius said. “Now it’s just about going out, executing, and doing the little things right. It all comes down to intentionality. Every rep and every moment matters. We’ve got to take care of the little things like situational hitting, staying aggressive on the bases, and not giving away extra outs. If we stay connected and play for the guy next to us, we’ll give ourselves a chance to move on.”
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