Here's what you need to know about the RI high school baseball playoffs
Two defending baseball champions could see their respective bids to repeat end Friday.
East Providence and Mount Pleasant will take the field with their seasons on the line. That’s the urgency and drama that comes with single elimination in the opening round of the playoffs.
Teams fortunate enough to secure byes will have the luxury of waiting until Tuesday. Their pitchers will rest, their positions players will nurse whatever nagging injuries they might be battling and their home diamonds will be prepared. The Townies and Kilties are among 24 programs who won’t enjoy that comfort.
Bishop Hendricken, Westerly and West Warwick secured top seeds in their respective divisions. The Hawks and Wizards have the chance to finish unbeaten in Division I and Division III. The Bulldogs edged ahead of Barrington thanks to a 1-0 victory in an April 19 showdown.
How did the brackets shake out? Let’s take a look at the 12-team fields in all three divisions:
Division I
There’s a potential finals rematch looming in Pod 2.
La Salle (10-8) needs to take care of Pilgrim (8-10) on Friday to make it happen. Cumberland (13-5) awaits the winner as the No. 3 seed — the Clippers and Rams played a best-of-3 classic last season, and Cumberland captured its first championship in 30 years.
The Clippers have won four straight and six of their last seven entering a bye. Cumberland’s lone defeat in that span was a 12-8 slugfest against Bishop Hendricken (18-0). Michael Bradshaw, Scott Penney and Charlie Tarara were among the key contributors who graduated, but the Clippers have steadily found a new identity with the current group.
More: Here's how Cranston East baseball secured a top 4 seed heading into the playoffs
“I feel like last year we made a statement,” Cumberland outfielder Luke Plumer said. “We basically said, ‘Anyone can do it.’ And if anyone can do it, we can.
“We have the heart. We have the players. We’re just as good, if not better, than we were last year.”
Ben Jahnz, Joaquin Cardoso and Liam Monahan give Cumberland some solid right-handed pitching depth. The Clippers are lined up opposite No. 2 seed South Kingstown (15-3) — they suffered a walkoff 3-2 defeat against the Rebels on May 1, part of a three-game losing streak. Cumberland dropped just two more games the rest of the way.
“The returning guys were coming back to win it again — that's our goal,” Plumer said. “Maybe some guys hadn’t been a part of that yet. They needed that time to adjust, and I feel like they have.”
Cranston East (12-6) earned the second bye in Pod 1 thanks to a 5-4 walkoff win over North Kingstown (12-6) on Wednesday. Kelvin Santos did the honors with a long single as the Thunderbolts completed a season sweep of the Skippers. North Kingstown dropped to the No. 5 seed and will host an elimination matchup with Smithfield (7-11).
Bishop Hendricken will host the winner of Coventry (8-9) and Cranston West (8-10). The Hawks have cruised through the regular season behind a powerful lineup that’s put up double-digit runs 12 times, including in each of its last six games. Griffin Crain is the catalyst at the top and backed by veterans like Jack LaRose, Ryan Thompson and Braeden Campbell.
Division II
The last two champions in this division both landed in Pod 1.
Westerly (15-2-1) earned the No. 1 overall seed and is hunting a second title in three years. East Providence (13-4-1) captured the 2023 crown and faces an immediate Friday test against Chariho (6-12) to remain in the field.
More: Westerly's Michael Poole lives up to his reputation as a big-game pitcher; what he did
The Bulldogs and Townies played a pair of thrillers in May — a walkoff victory for Westerly and a 4-4 tie that saw the potential winning run for East Providence thrown out at the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning. Johnston (10-8) is the No. 4 seed and will look to spoil the headlines.
Barrington (15-3) claimed the No. 2 seed in Pod 2 and earned a bye alongside 2023 runner-up East Greenwich (12-6). The Eagles have won eight straight in league play and allowed just three runs in their last five games. The Avengers are riding a five-game winning streak against league opponents and have lost only twice since April 19.
Division III
West Warwick (18-0) put the finishing touches on a dominant regular season with an 11-0 shutout of Providence Country Day (5-13) on Tuesday. Josh Pedus homered as part of his three-hit night and drove in four. The Wizards have played just three league games decided by two runs or less, and one of those opponents who pushed them could await next.
Classical (10-8) suffered a 5-4 defeat against West Warwick earlier in May and could face the Wizards in Pod 1. The Purple would need to eliminate North Smithfield (10-8) in a Friday matchup before earning a spot in that game. Scituate (12-6) is the No. 4 seed and earned the second bye in that pod.
Pawtucket Co-op (15-3) and Rogers (14-4) are the top two seeds in Pod 2. The Vikings could host the Kilties in their opener at Cardines Field — the Knights travel to Providence for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch on Friday. Rogers captured the 2019 title, one of four different winners over the last four editions of this tournament.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Preview of the RIIL baseball playoffs: How did the brackets shake out?
