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Big guns for big games
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| Lake City Community College’s Jeff Barfield delivers a pitch during a recent game in Lake City. Barfield and Caleb Strickland will start for the Timberwolves in the first two games of the FCCAA State Baseball Tournament. JASON MATTHEW WALKER/Lake City Reporter |
Strickland, Barfield slated to start at state tournament.
By TIM KIRBY
tkirby@lakecityreporter.com
Both of Lake City
Community College’s 1-2
pitching punch for the state tournament started in the bullpen. The plan is for one to return there.
Lake City plays Pensacola Junior College at 7 p.m., Friday, in the opening round of the FCCAA State Baseball Tournament at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven. Panhandle Conference champion Pensacola (41-6) is the top-ranked team in the nation.
Coach Tom Clark will call on Caleb Strickland and Jeff Barfield to start the first two games, with the order yet to be decided.
I feel good about both of them,” Clark said. “I told them, one has to go 2-0 and the other has to go 1-0 with a save.”
That save would come in the championship game on Tuesday. If there is a third game for Lake City in the double elimination tournament, Michael Gallo will get the ball.
Barfield, who has signed with Florida, was slated to be the closer for the Timberwolves. He appeared in 20 games, starting 10, and has one save to go with his 5-3 record. His 2.68 ERA leads the team, as does his 96 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched.
“It feels pretty good
playing the No. 1 ranked team,” Barfield said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Strickland went 7-2 with an ERA of 3.27. He had one
complete game and struck out 58 in 822⁄3 innings. He was a reliever in the fall and was given a starting shot in the spring.
“I have pretty much been starting since mid-spring,” Strickland said. “It is a different mentality as a starter and I kind of clicked. When we got into conference play, I was a little more comfortable.”
Gallo was 7-3 with a
4.74 ERA. He had 16 starts and Lake City’s other
complete game. He struck
68 in a team-leading
891⁄3 innings.
All three pitchers each won down the stretch when Lake City closed with a three-game winning streak that earned the tournament spot
as Mid-Florida Conference
runner-up.
“I think we have a chance to win state,” Strickland said. “If we pitch, hit and play defense, I don’t think anybody can beat us. Everybody is 0-0 and everybody has to step up and forget about the rest of the year.”
Lake City (32-20) plays the late game on Friday. The other first-round matchups are:
n 10 a.m. — Suncoast Conference champion St. Petersburg College (36-17) vs. Southern Conference runner-up Broward Community College (31-16);
n 1 p.m. — Mid-Florida
champ Seminole Community College (34-17) vs. Panhandle runner-up Chipola Community College (39-12-1);
n 4 p.m. — Southern champion Miami Dade Community College (42-10) vs. Suncoast runner-up Manatee Community College (37-14).
Lake City is in the mini-bracket with Miami Dade, the No. 2-ranked team in Florida, and Manatee. A win by the ’Wolves would bring on a
7 p.m. game on Saturday. A loss would mean a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
“I gave them three days off and the first thing I said when we came back was we are going down there to win,” Clark said. “We are not content to just make the playoffs in the final season of Lake City baseball.”
Community College’s 1-2
pitching punch for the state tournament started in the bullpen. The plan is for one to return there.
Lake City plays Pensacola Junior College at 7 p.m., Friday, in the opening round of the FCCAA State Baseball Tournament at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven. Panhandle Conference champion Pensacola (41-6) is the top-ranked team in the nation.
Coach Tom Clark will call on Caleb Strickland and Jeff Barfield to start the first two games, with the order yet to be decided.
I feel good about both of them,” Clark said. “I told them, one has to go 2-0 and the other has to go 1-0 with a save.”
That save would come in the championship game on Tuesday. If there is a third game for Lake City in the double elimination tournament, Michael Gallo will get the ball.
Barfield, who has signed with Florida, was slated to be the closer for the Timberwolves. He appeared in 20 games, starting 10, and has one save to go with his 5-3 record. His 2.68 ERA leads the team, as does his 96 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched.
“It feels pretty good
playing the No. 1 ranked team,” Barfield said. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Strickland went 7-2 with an ERA of 3.27. He had one
complete game and struck out 58 in 822⁄3 innings. He was a reliever in the fall and was given a starting shot in the spring.
“I have pretty much been starting since mid-spring,” Strickland said. “It is a different mentality as a starter and I kind of clicked. When we got into conference play, I was a little more comfortable.”
Gallo was 7-3 with a
4.74 ERA. He had 16 starts and Lake City’s other
complete game. He struck
68 in a team-leading
891⁄3 innings.
All three pitchers each won down the stretch when Lake City closed with a three-game winning streak that earned the tournament spot
as Mid-Florida Conference
runner-up.
“I think we have a chance to win state,” Strickland said. “If we pitch, hit and play defense, I don’t think anybody can beat us. Everybody is 0-0 and everybody has to step up and forget about the rest of the year.”
Lake City (32-20) plays the late game on Friday. The other first-round matchups are:
n 10 a.m. — Suncoast Conference champion St. Petersburg College (36-17) vs. Southern Conference runner-up Broward Community College (31-16);
n 1 p.m. — Mid-Florida
champ Seminole Community College (34-17) vs. Panhandle runner-up Chipola Community College (39-12-1);
n 4 p.m. — Southern champion Miami Dade Community College (42-10) vs. Suncoast runner-up Manatee Community College (37-14).
Lake City is in the mini-bracket with Miami Dade, the No. 2-ranked team in Florida, and Manatee. A win by the ’Wolves would bring on a
7 p.m. game on Saturday. A loss would mean a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
“I gave them three days off and the first thing I said when we came back was we are going down there to win,” Clark said. “We are not content to just make the playoffs in the final season of Lake City baseball.”
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