Our thoughts are with the families of both Evan Pullen and Joby Jordan. We will resume blogging at a later date.
–Jeff
May 16, 2008
Tiger, Pirate, Fight! Again!
It feels like February all over again in the Ozarks. We’re waking up to chilly skies and anticipating a Branson-Republic district championship game.
This time it’s baseball, the location is Willard and the favorite is Republic. So how can the Tigers secure their second district title in two years and avenge the boys basketball team’s loss to the Pirates in late February? Find out after the jump Keep reading →
May 15, 2008
Is tonight the night? Um, no.
As you’ve already seen over at the Mother Ship, the Republic-Branson District 11 baseball championship game has been pushed back until tomorrow, high noon. It’s good news for everybody involved.
Why? Find out after the jump…
May 12, 2008
District 11 breakdown
What a crazy, mixed-up world Class 3 District 11 is.
The top seed employs four sophomores regularly and entered the year without its ace. The defending champ is third. The only state-ranked team in the bunch is seeded second and the two most traditional powers in the field? Well, they’re Nos. 5 and 6.
Who are those teams? Find out after the jump. Keep reading →
May 9, 2008
Stopping the rumor mill
Let’s get this cleared up right now before there’s too much hyperventilating going on around Republic:
No. Barry Hinson was not at Republic High School yesterday.
That rumor has been making the rounds in the past couple of days and RHS activities director Greg Garton confirmed Friday afternoon that there’s no truth to it. He will not be coaching the team or cooking lunches or anything like that.
What is true is that the search is progressing and Garton hopes to have a candidate selected by the end of next week. One source – a reliable one at that – has given us the names of two finalists and either one would do a great job for the Tigers, who are looking for a coach after Denny McHenry resigned late last week.
We’re not at liberty to release those names, but we will say they will be familiar to basketball fans in southwest Missouri. Yeah, really narrows it down, doesn’t it?
Enjoy the rest of your Friday, and your weekend. We’ll check in before Monday’s Class 3 District 11 Tournament with our thoughts on that field, where Republic is the top seed. Also coming Monday, State Golf at Rivercut. Can Knierim make all-state two years in a row?
–Jeff
April 23, 2008
Tigers sitting pretty in District 11
There’s a good reason the Republic Tigers were feeling pretty chipper after an 8-0 win over Willard last Tuesday night, and were probably feeling even better after eking out an 8-6 win over Bolivar two days later. As improbable as it may have sounded at the beginning of the year, Republic is well on its way to the top seed in the Class 3 District 11 Baseball Championship.
That group is made up of Aurora, Bolivar, Branson, Cassville, Monett, Reeds Spring, Republic and Willard. Republic has played three of those teams so far and beaten them all. A win over Branson Thursday (weather permitting) would send coach Howard Quigley into the district seeding meeting with quite the hammer.
“I told the kids there’s nothing like going into a district meeting and saying ‘We’ve played everybody here and beaten everybody here,’ then sitting down.”
And the Tigers have beaten those teams in style: A run-rule win over Reeds Spring, a convincing victory over Willard and a come-from-behind triumph at Bolivar. Republic should face Branson, Monett and Aurora in the next five days. Cassville will take part in the Republic Classic May 5-7.
Districts begin the week of May 12, at Willard, so its likely any Republic-Cassville result will not be reflected in the seeding meeting, but a 6-0 record against the field makes them a lock for the top seed. I say it sounded improbable because here, in Republic, is a team that plays four sophomores on a regular basis and didn’t return a regular varsity starting pitcher from a year ago.
So what’s happened? The line-up, from 1 to 9, has been blistering the ball, exceeding the expectations of Quigley. He said that even though players have had their cold spells, there are no easy outs anywhere. The defense has been serviceable – not flawless – and that’s made things easier on the pitchers. Tyler King continues to blossom into a top starter, Josh Stevens has been a great innings-eater, Brock Robbins brings a bulldog mentality to the mound, and even Mitch McHenry has spent some time on the hill – a bonus, considering he wasn’t expected to pitch this season.
This is the least likely of the last three Republic teams to win the District 11 title and here they are in late April, on the verge of securing the top seed. Baseball’s a crazy game, no?
–Jeff
April 1, 2008
Lucky break helps McCrary break out of funk
Sure, it was only the second game of the season, but Sean McCrary was feeling the pressure of an 0-for-6 start.
“I got in trouble for saying some words down the first base line, so I was pressing,” he said. “I was pressing, but I got lucky I guess. I got a good pitch. Hopefully I can start a good hitting streak.”
Wait a minute. Lucky? That raised our eyebrows. What a strange way to describe a two-run home run that put the finishing touches on the Tigers 5-1 win at Hillcrest last Tuesday. McCrary, after all, is a pretty accomplished hitter. He flashed good power to the gaps a year ago, so it wasn’t too surprising to see him go yard down the line. But McCrary has enough baseball saavy to recognize the good fortune that helped him snap an 0-for-6 slump to open the season.
Read more after the jump…
March 27, 2008
Who to keep an eye on at Hammons Field this summer
Baseball season couldn’t have gotten here any sooner.
After an unusually rough winter, things are finally starting to thaw out and Tiger Blog hit the diamond for the first time this week, taking in Republic’s win at Hillcrest Tuesday afternoon. It was glorious.
College baseball is well underway, too, and the professionals – both major and minor – are getting ready to take the field. Some folks in southwest Missouri will have the opportunity to see both this weekend at Hammons Field in Springfield, when the Double-A Springfield Cardinals host the Major League St. Louis Cardinals.
We’ve been geeked about this one for weeks now and dying to see who breaks camp with the S-Birds. So Tiger Blog did the only sensible thing and got in touch with Springfield play-by-play voice Mike Lindskog for the scoop on who to keep an eye on at Hammons Field this summer.
February 22, 2008
Required Reading for 2/22 – Tiger-Pirate fight!
Our District 11 title match preview is up over at The Mothership. Check it out.
More required reading for today comes from the venerable Pat Dailey at the Branson Daily News. He’s got a recap of the Branson Pirates’ win over Reeds Spring, as well as a look at Tate Unruh’s 3-point shooting effort against the Wolves.
More thoughts on this one after the jump…
February 21, 2008
District 11 semifinal thoughts
Some thoughts on the Class 4 District 11 Basketball Tournament as we enjoy a front-row seat for today’s truly bizarre wintry mix:
A frustrating end to the season for the Republic Lady Tigers, as they were upset by Rogersville 68-64 in the semifinals – but not necessarily a surprise.
That take and more after the jump…
