BNN Weekly Report
This Week in the CBO, BMU, and GBRL
by Nat Wright-Kawolski
1 October 2305
CBO Playoff Association Championship Series Preview
NCA Playoffs - #5 County Crossing Bloodbugs (72-48) vs #2 Nordhagen Beach Party Boys (78-42)
Season Series
Nordhagen Beach 7, County Crossing 5
May 5-7 @NB: NB 2-0, CC 9-3, CC 10-8
May 12-14 @CC: CC 7-5, NB 7-3, NB 10-6
July 28-30 @CC: CC 6-3, NB 7-1, NB 7-0
August 18-20 @NB: NB 10-7, CC 3-0, NB 5-4
Analysis
This matchup will mark the third time that the Nordhagen Beach Party Boys and County Crossing Bloodbugs have met in the playoffs, all in the NCA Championship Series. In 2301, #1 seed Nordhagen Beach swept the #3 Bloodbugs on their way to winning the Sole Survivor series over the Atom Cats, 4 games to 1. Last season, the Bugs got revenge over the Boys, winning the series 4 games to 1 before falling to Roxbury in the Sole Survivor Series,4 games to 1.
This season sees a role reversal from last season when the Bloodbugs claimed their second-straight Brotherhood League title. Now Nordhagen Beach is battling for BL supremacy once again as they controlled the BL from 2298-2302.
The Boys are looking to make it to their fourth Sole Survivor Series. Their first trip was in the pre-CBO era when they made it as the BL's 2nd seed and 6th seed overall but fell to #1 Oberland, 4 games to 2. Nordhagen Beach won it all as mentioned in 2301 when they were the top team in the CBO all season. The Party Boys returned to the Sole Survivor Series one more time in 2302 but fell to University Point in seven games.
County Crossing is making its fifth-consecutive playoff appearance with five appearances overall. Other than a dropoff this season, they had improved every season from 2301 until last season when they made it to their first and only Sole Survivor Series. While they are the fifth-seed this season, know that they are a dangerous team that could definitely win eight more games this season.
Looking at the teams, we would give the Bloodbugs most advantages in the lineups, while we favor Nordhagen Beach's pitching staff. Players to watch for on the Bugs include 1B Zeldolph Violet who hit .372 with four home runs and 12 RBI against Nordhagen Beach and LF Babs Rooth who was .333 with four homers and 12 RBI. Bendy Barman (2-0, 3.38 against the Boys) was the most successful pitcher in the season series but is not expected to start this series.
For the Party Boys, they found a lot of power versus County Crossing in 2305. RF Jonathan Angelou (.271/6/15 versus the Bugs), CF Maxx Murtagh (.432/5/15), 1B Dustin Mart (.319/4/11), and 3B Burtie Cuttooth (.367/3/5) all went off on the Bloodbugs. Ace SP Beachboy Nut was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in his two matchups against them.
Prediction
Last season, all the advantages seemed to be in County Crossing's favor. Because they were better than the Party Boys the past two seasons before this one, we are almost leaning on them to have the advantage. However, for some reason the 2305 Nordhagen Beach team matches up better. We hope this series is fierce and competitive, and that is what we will predict. Nordhagen Beach 4, County Crossing 3.
SCA Playoffs - #4 Egret Ninjas (64-56) vs #2 University Point Deathclaws (84-36)
Season Series
University Point 6, Egret 2
May 16-17 @EGR: UP 8-2, UP 3-1
May 23-24 @UP: UP 4-1, UP 4-3
June 6-7 @UP: UP 8-5, UP 4-3
August 22-23 @EGR: EGR 6-2, EGR 3-2
Analysis
These two teams have different pedigrees in their CBO success, which again would make it seem obvious which team has the bigger advantage. We are not going to assume as much as we did last round, though, and really look at how these teams match up heading into University Point's return to the SCA Championship Series while the Egret Ninjas are making their first appearance.
University Point is making its sixth-straight playoff appearance and sixth appearance overall. This is the fourth time that the Deathclaws have made the SCA Championship Series where they are 1-2 in series. Their one win was in 2302 when the #4 seed Claws took down #2 Jamaica Plain in seven games and ended up upsetting the defending champion Boys in seven games in the Sole Survivor Series.
Egret has never made the CBO playoffs and only made it to the playoffs once in 2296 as the Railroad League's 2nd-place team and #5 overall seed. In that one series, they were dismissed by the #4 seed, Abernathy, three games to two. That season, the Sole Survivor Series was a battle of two Brotherhood League teams when the #7 The Slog Ghouls won the series over the #3 Finch Farm Four Leafs, four games to one. There is only one player--backup RF Jason Foghorn (.295/1/12)--from that 2296 Egret squad still with the team, but they do get to face their ace pitcher from that season, Phlip Wallace, in the SCA Championship Series' first game. The Ninjas' starting CF from that 2296 season, Bill Chaney (.272/12/28), is also with the Claws.
Looking at the lineups, the Deathclaws seem to have every positional advantage over Egret with the one spot in the lineup where the Ninjas seem to have the advantage is the 2nd slot. SS Hopper Hayes (.293/7/37) is slightly better there than University Point's 2B Chris Recore (.257/11/44). Otherwise, the hitting favors the Claws. For pitching, Egret may have a slight advantage with the ace vs ace matchup favoring Egret's Tup Mallory (15-7, 2.99) over Wallace (13-5, 3.05). That could make a difference if this series reaches seven games.
Prediction
If the Ninjas can somehow extend this series, we would give them that advantage. However, we think the Ninjas may steal an early game at best but expect the Deathclaws to dominate otherwise. University Point 4, Egret 1.