I’m sure many of you and your buddies will be glued to your couches or barstools for the next few weeks, since it’s now officially March Madness time. I’ve got my brackets filled out and plans made, too.
But, really, we’re all going to need to get off the couch at some point and stretch our legs. Take a walk around. Maybe even go outside and get some fresh air. There will definitely be some sure-thing outcomes in the tournament, like Kentucky running the tables in the first few rounds and Gonzaga keeping up its tradition of getting eliminated early, so you can afford to go outside and take a break.
Why not take a break and support local high school sports at the same time?
Baseball and softball are getting close to district tournament time, so the quality of the games is pretty much a lock to go up in the second half of the 2015 season. This week, we’re fortunate enough to get some big-time matchups that could not only shake up the tourney seedings, but also be semifinal or championship sneak peeks.
Durant baseball (10-3; 5-0 district) will travel to nearby Brandon (10-2; 4-1 district) on Tuesday, March 24 at 7 p.m. If you’re not totally in the loop with the prep baseball scene, know that this is basically a clash of the titans. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if these two squads face each other in the district championship game, and the chances of the Eagles trotting out strikeout machine Antonio Velez to pitch are high. If you have gas money, do not miss this matchup.
The softball team will face East Bay (7-4; 4-1 district) on Friday, March 27. The Lady Indians are currently tied with Plant City for the district lead, and it will be Durant’s first home game after a tough, four-game road trip. Can the talented Lady Cougars start a hot streak to close out the last month or so of the season?
Plant City (5-7; 2-3 district) and Strawberry Crest (9-5; 3-2 district) will face each other at Crest on Friday, March 27. The Chargers will have played Brandon (7 p.m. tonight) by then, so anyone that wants to see Mark Moclair in a pitchers’ duel with Ryan Boyd and/or Billy McKay would probably be wise to head out to Dover next Friday night.
Should Crest defeat Brandon tonight, the Chargers’ upcoming game with Durant (March 31, away, 7 p.m.) will come with a ton of hype.
Strawberry Crest softball (6-7; 3-2 district) and Plant City (9-8; 4-1 district) will each have their next big matchup against, well, each other. The Lady Raiders will look to stay atop the district in a tough road environment, while the Lady Chargers are hoping to turn a corner and keep up the success they had in the Sarasota Slam tournament.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
