BHS varsity baseball team looks strong for postseason BY JAKE LINGER Sports Editor
The Bowie High School Bulldogs varsity baseball squad looks good - real good. After another successful season in which the Bulldogs (15-2) dealt the rival Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders (16-1) their only loss of the season, Bowie is primed and ready for a deep playoff run that will seemingly pit them against Roosevelt in the season rubber match for the county title and a shot to win the state championship.
But is it truly destined to be a collision course between BHS and Roosevelt?
"It's going to be tough no matter what," said BHS varsity coach and athletics director Bob Estes. "You never know because if High Point ends up (as the fourth seed), they could give Roosevelt a lot of trouble."
Estes noted that there is quality pitching throughout the county this season and if one of those pitchers happens to be on top of his game, anyone is in danger of being surprised in the 4A regionals. Laurel High is one of those teams. BHS recently fell just two runs short against Laurel after putting together a five-run seventh inning, only to lose, 9-7.
Just about two weeks ago, BHS bats seemed to be in sleep mode, only to have awoken in the past few games. Just one week ago, Bowie defeated Roosevelt, 12-2, in just five innings. Bladensburg then fell to Bowie, 25-0. The Bulldogs followed with back-to-back season-ending games against Flowers in which they won, 2-0 and 16-3, respectively. Bowie outscored their final four opponents, 55-5.
"Even the outs are being hit hard," said Estes, who credited coaches Gary Wrenn and John Rappel for working with the batters to improve their performances at the plate. "Those two guys have done a really good job of working with our players, we're getting long line drive baseballs and driving guys in."
One of the bats that has come back to life is that of Adam Scherer. His bat had not fallen asleep as much as it had taken an involuntary vacation. Scherer, who plays mostly shortstop when he is not pitching, badly sprained his ankle during the team's 2-1 walk-off win against High Point. In the regular season home finale against Flowers, Scherer pitched a complete game and gave up no runs.
Estes said that Scherer does still have a little trouble making the quick cuts generally associated with playing the shortstop position, so he will most likely serve as designated hitter on days he is not on the mound. "It is tremendous to have his bat back in the lineup," Estes said.
The Bulldogs are stocked with seniors like Scherer and catcher Kevin Fink. When Bowie was up by a mere one run against Flowers Monday, Fink could be overheard from the BHS dugout trying to fire up his teammates. "We should not be up only, 1-0," Fink shouted through the dugout. "Let's go!"
With nearly half of his regular season roster comprised of seniors, Estes hopes that solid hitting and the leadership of older guys who are hungry for a state title will propel the Bulldogs to their first championship since Estes assumed the reigns of the varsity team following the retirement of Bill Seibert after the 2004 season.
Does the coach feel the late-season momentum prodding his team on through the playoffs? "I hope so," he said, "that's the way we've been cruising."
Bowie will face a still undetermined opponent Monday at 4 p.m. at Bowie High, where the team will play each playoff game until a potential meeting with the No. 1 seed Raiders. For information on seeding and game dates and times, visit www.mpssaa.org.
