Border Baseball League 2024 Playoff Preview

An editorial preview of the upcoming best of 5 Quarter-Final series

WEST DIVISION SEMI FINALS
Best of 5 Series

(1) Cartwright vs (4) Baldur

What would a Border League Playoff season be without the arch rival Twins and Regals locking up in a playoff series? A rivalry dating back to 2007 has slanted towards Cartwright in recent years but if the Border League playoffs has taught us anything, it is to not assume anything.  The Twins were the Border League pennant winners this season while the Regals posted a league low 3 wins. Cartwright swept the season series, with a pair of those games being decided by two runs or less. One swing or one bounce alters the result in either of those games and perhaps that is what Baldur will be looking for to get their post season momentum rolling.

Strengths

Cartwright – Care to fill in the blank? Cartwright had 7 pitchers earn a victory on the mound this year, 3 batters who hit over .450 and a team average of .311.  Their line-up boasts the Home run derby Champion of the Provincial Senior AA tournament and they have the experience of advancing to the Championship series in each of the past 2 seasons. Other than that they look vulnerable.
Baldur – Not to be overshadowed, Baldur’s lineup held their own batting over .300 as a group. A trio of Regals had an OBP of over .500 so getting on base is something they have done with consistency across a 17 game regular season.

Keys to Series Victory

Cartwright – ‘Don’t Change’.  A regular season title this season mixed in with a pair of trips to the League Championship series over the last two years and highlighted by a 2022 League and Provincial Championship would indicate what you are doing is working. No second guessing required.
Baldur – There is a reason the Border League has the hardware it does over the last decade.  The league is deep in talent.  The top of the order will be asked to continue getting on base and the Regals will need that clutch swing of the bat at an opportune time that could have changed their fortunes in the regular season series.

(2) Pilot Mound vs (3) Clearwater

So you’re telling me that we’re going to take the two teams that turned a best of 3 series and pushed it to a winner take all 4^th game, and lengthen that out to a 5 games series.  YES PLEASE!  Rewind to 2023 and we have some of the most memorable moments of the post-season delivered by these two squads. The regular season records seem to favour the Pilots, but the head to head season series was a tight 2-1 victory for ‘The Mound’. Clearwater’s league low 67 runs scored this year compared against Pilot Mound’s league low 71 runs against may indicate an advantage, but didn’t we say the same thing last year?

Strengths

Pilot Mound – As mentioned, the Pilots pitching as a staff led the way this year, but two arms carried the load for 83 of the 103 innings pitched this season. Each of Anthony Friesen and James Penner posted 4 wins during the 2024 campaign, 1 off the league leader, and that would indicate no easy at bats for the opposition in this series
Clearwater – Ten different pitchers hit the mound for Clearwater this season with 6 different pitchers taking the mound in 10 innings or more.  That should allow for a comfort level to make a change should things not go well early in the series.

Keys to Series Victory

Pilot Mound – ‘Ride those Horses’.  Knowing you have a pair of pitchers who can get outs and have had success all season makes it easy to go out and play with confidence.  Avoiding the mistake that gives the opposition those extra opportunities would be the final ingredient for success.
Clearwater – ‘Big game hunting’.  When you look at playoff dramatics, Clearwater has hosted its fair share in the last number of years. They have proven to have the ability to make any series a nail-biter, and they’ll be looking to give themselves that same opportunity to play in a potential series clinching game again.

EAST DIVISION SEMI FINALS
Best of 5 Series

(1) Altona Bisons vs (4) Carman Cardinals

If you’re wanting to dream up some storylines, look no further! Neither of these teams have advanced to the second round of playoffs since entering the Border League (Carman in 2018, Altona in 2019). They are coming in with different trajectories as well.  Altona grabbed the top seed in the East with a 12-5 record, but enter the post-season on a 3 game losing skid, including a head to head matchup against their first round opponents and have only played 3 games in the month of July. The Cardinals on the other hand are seemingly the large underdog, going just 4-13 during the regular season campaign, but posted 2 wins in their final 4 games and were among the league’s busiest teams headed into the post season with a total of 8 games played between July 2-18, which seemed to help them find their groove. So which team makes their first appearance in the Division Final in 2024?

Strengths

Altona – The roster features Colin Waldner who led all Border League pitchers with a 0.65 ERA across more than 21 innings. But the Bisons scored the most runs in the Border League this season averaging nearly 8 runs a game. So it would seem that offence will lead the way as 13 Bisons batted .300 or better during the regular season.
Carman – Kevin, Tim and Brent Dunn were the only pitchers to throw more than 10 innings for Carman this season.  When you’re trying to slow down a potent offence, it’s nice to know you have pitchers who can get it ‘Dunn’. (Bet they’ve never heard that pun before).

Keys to Series Victory

Altona – ‘Keep it consistent’.  They’ve hit double digits in run scored 7 times this year.  They’ve also scored 4 or less 5 other times.  Don’t use up all the offence in one game! The reliable pitching will be there to earn that ticket to round 2 with just the right amount of predictable support.
Carman – ‘We’re going streaking’ - The Cardinals enter the playoffs with 3 of their 4 wins on the season coming in the month of July. What better time of year to be playing your best baseball?  A reliable and predictable performance on the mound sprinkled with some timely hitting may be the 2^nd round recipe the Cardinals are looking for.

(2) Morden vs (3) Winkler

We seem to be doing this every year now don’t we?  But wait a second…. Don’t we usually do this in the Division Final? These two squads have ruled the East Division since the divisions have been in use. And one of these two teams has been in the League Final every season since 2011.  Now, someone is done in the first round leaving the other to carry the torch. If you’re counting, Morden leads the head to head series victories 4-2 and they own the 2024 regular season series 2-1.  The 2^nd half of the season has not been kind to the Mud Hens however, posting just 2 wins in games that were played since June 22. Winkler on the other hand has won 5 of their last 6. But does any of this actually mean anything in a playoff series between these two!?

​Strengths

Morden – You could say that the Mud Hens have a Border League MVP candidate on their roster, but you’ve have to decide who is the team MVP first. Branden Hatley has been extremely hard on opponents on the mound while Manny Lantigua was once again a triple crown contender at the plate based on league’s most up to date stats. Take into account the depth and experience lined up behind those two, it isn’t shocking as to why they challenge for top spot most seasons.
Winkler – Since 2012, the Whips are the only team to beat the Morden baseball club in a series that was not for the League Championship, and they have done it twice. They’re easily the most aggressive team on the basepaths, leading the league in stolen bases so they will be putting the pressure on every time they reach base. And let’s not forget, they’re also the defending champions!

Keys to Series Victory

Morden – ‘Making a difference’. Morden played in just 5 games this season that were decided by more than 4 runs, including just one since June 15. Give the difference makers in Morden’s lineup a chance to make that inning count on either side of the ball, and perhaps that’s all you need to put up another series victory.
Winkler – ‘To be the man, you have to beat the man’.  Until someone else says so, Winkler holds the Coulthard Trophy. With a lineup that features many of the same names that tasted victory last season, relying on what they have done to garner past success seems like a strategy worth running back.