Big Train Semifinal Opponent Preview: Southern Maryland Senators

Kide Adetuyi by Mark Thalman

It’s semifinal time.

With four teams remaining in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League playoffs, the Big Train will have a tough task ahead in its search for its 12th Ripken League championship. As the top seed, the team will begin postseason play today in Game 1 of a three-game semifinal series against the No. 4 Southern Maryland Senators. The winner of that matchup advances to the three-game championship series to face the winner of the Alexandria Aces/Olney Cropdusters showdown.

Today’s Big Train/Senators contest takes place at Shirley Povich Field at 7 p.m. Here’s a breakdown of strengths, weaknesses and a player to watch from head coach Scott Middleton’s squad, which just took down the DC Grays in walk-off fashion yesterday.

Note: All stats cited are from the regular season only unless otherwise noted.

No. 4 Southern Maryland Senators (19-16 regular season record)

Matchup Overview: The Big Train holds a 3-1 edge in the season series, with all of its wins coming by six runs or more. In the last completed game between the two teams, things got ugly for Southern Maryland, as it managed just three hits in an 8-0 loss.

Much of the Big Train’s momentum in that game was sustained by ace left-hander Kide Adetuyi (Florida Atlantic), who fired five strong innings of three-hit ball along with two walks and three strikeouts. Adetuyi’s ERA sits at an impressive 0.31, ahead of all innings-eligible Ripken League pitchers by a considerable margin.

The dynamite lefty hasn’t pitched since July 20, so in theory, he should be good to go for Game 1. If Adetuyi does take the bump, the Senators would likely be placed in a tough spot offensively.

Strengths: In Logan Tribble and Jack Gagen, the Senators have a pair of hitters who batted above .355 on the season. Southern Maryland sports four pitchers with 20 or more innings and an ERA of 3.60 or below, giving it a decent amount of starting depth for the playoffs. The Senators also have a quality head coach in Middleton, who’s worked with Big Train head coach Sal Colangelo in the past.

Weaknesses: After a 9-1 start to the season, the Senators sank like a stone, losing 15 of their final 25 regular season games to drop to 19-16 on the year. Overall, Southern Maryland possesses the second-worst ERA in the league at 5.83, the second-fewest runs with 188 and the fewest walks with 186. The Senators have also really struggled to hit against the Big Train. Over four games, Southern Maryland has scored just eight runs against the Big Train, with six of them coming in the teams’ opening matchup on June 23.

Key Player: Tribble batted .380 in the regular season, and he’ll need to get hot in the postseason for the Senators to make a run. He’s done so lately, as he’s currently amid a 14-for-22 stretch over his past seven contests, including a 3-for-4 day against the DC Grays yesterday.