Sherrer: Post 11 needs to stick to gameplan in postseason

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on July 8, 2015 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- Through the course of their six-week season, Wayne County Post 11 players developed a camaraderie that resulted in the program's second consecutive Area I East regular-season championship.

But there's still untapped potential -- plenty of it, according to head coach Jason Sherrer.

"A dangerous word," Sherrer said. "If you reach your potential, you didn't raise it high enough. We have some good things we still can do ... the potential is definitely there if we play our ballgame and trust the process.

"I think we have the chance to do something special."

That quest begins tonight.

Top-seeded Wayne County (15-5 overall) entertains fifth-seeded Pitt County Post 39 in semifinal-round play of the Area I East Division playoffs. Game 1 in the best-of-five series is 7 p.m. on the Doyle Whitfield Athletic Complex.

Game 2 is Thursday at Pitt Community College.

It's the fourth consecutive postseason meeting between two storied programs that have combined to win 22 Area I East championships since 1980. Wayne County defeated Pitt County on the way to a fourth-place finish in the N.C. Senior American Legion state tournament.

"We're not the only team in the tournament that has a good ballclub," said Sherrer, whose team swept Post 39 in regular-season play this summer. "It's going to be a tough road, it's going to be a grind. We've got to stick together and trust what we've talked about the whole time."

And avoid slow starts.

Post 11 has managed to escape the early-game doldrums on occasion during its last nine outings. Sherrer's club rallied from middle-game deficits against Kinston and Pitt, but also endured a pair of shutout losses.

The roller-coaster ride can't continue in the postseason.

"(To advance) we have to play hard," Sherrer said. "When we play hard, we play well. If things don't go right early or we really get a slow start to the game, it's mostly because we're not playing with any intensity.

"If we can start out games with intensity, then I know we are playing as hard as we possibly can, and things will work out the way they should. We've got to be able to pitch, we've got to be able to hit to win close ballgames. It's got to be a complete effort from one to 17 on the roster."

Wayne County carries a .331 batting average and 3.37 team earned run average (ERA) into the playoffs. Jacob Naughton leads Post 11 with a .522 average with seven of his 12 total hits leading to extra bases. Coy Barnett is next at .426, followed by Chad Spurgeon (.377) and Ashton McGee (.333). Spurgeon and Barnett have combined for 55 hits and 25 RBI.

Sherrer has employed 13 pitchers this season and just two have thrown more than 20 innings -- Jordan Gurley (26) and Sawyer Smith (20 1/3). In all, just six hurlers have tossed 10 or more innings. The group has combined for 101 strikeouts in 155 innings.

Kevin Williams and Bobby Hampton, who are also position players, have combined for three saves out of the bullpen.

"We're going to try to use them in the scenarios that they were successful in during our first 20 games," Sherrer said. "Hopefully, they'll put their best foot forward and know there's a reason they're on the mound, and take care of business.

"If for some reason they can't get it done, we'll go to somebody else."