Huskies set to clash with Baker in first round
The Huskies are in the midst of their 12th consecutive postseason run and are making their third straight trip to the state playoffs after a convincing play-in victory over Cottage Grove. Next, North Marion turns its focus to No. 6 Baker, the opponent for Wednesday's first round OSAA State Playoff game.
NORTH MARION: PICKING UP STEAM AFTER NON-CONFERENCE STRUGGLES
After losing their top two batters and one of their starting pitchers to graduation, the Huskies got off to a slow start versus a loaded non-conference schedule. North Marion posted a 4-8 record in non-conference play, but 7 of their 12 contests came against larger schools. The highlight of the Huskies preseason schedule was a sizeable defeat of now-No. 3 Gladstone.
The Huskies made their inaugural foray into the Oregon West Conference schedule, winning their first three before encountering a rocky stretch where they lost three of four, including a loss to bottom-dwelling Stayton. Since that rough stretch, however, North Marion is 7-2 including five victories by four or more runs.
NORTH MARION'S POSTSEASON HISTORY
The Huskies have one of the better all-time postseason resumes in the state, advancing to the state playoffs for the 28th time this season. Behind Newport, Klamath Union, and Henley, the Huskies are fourth amongst 4A schools in playoff appearances. In 2014, the Huskies advanced to the semifinal round for the tenth time in school history, falling to the runner-up in Sisters. In first round state playoff games, North Marion is 15-12 all-time.
BAKER: IN-STATE SUCCESS, OUT-OF-STATE PROBLEMS
No. 6 Baker finished with a pedestrian 15-10 overall record but hit their stride once conference play began, finishing 9-3 in Greater Oregon play. The Bulldogs swept four games versus McLoughlin, took three of four from Ontario, and took three of five from La Grande, including the league championship tiebreaker game.
Given that Baker High School is a mere 40 miles from Oregon's border with Idaho, the Bulldogs head out-of-state for a fair amount of their non-conference schedule. Baker finished 4-6 in out-of-state contests, making their in-state record 11-4. The Bulldogs are 8-2 in their last ten games.
BAKER'S POSTSEASON HISTORY
Baker makes its 20th postseason appearance in school history, tied for ninth among current 4A schools. In 2014, the No. 3-seeded Bulldogs were upset by No. 6 Ridgeview in the quarterfinal round of the state playoffs. The Bulldogs are making their second straight state playoff appearance after missing the cut in 2013 with a woeful 7-14 record. In first round state playoff games, Baker is 8-12 all-time.
COMMON OPPONENTS: CLEAN SLATE
As could be expected with two schools that sit over five hours apart, North Marion and Baker have not faced a common opponent this season. The closest connection you could make is this: La Grande, the team who fought for the league title vs. Baker, lost to Cascade 10-1 in the play-in round, a team North Marion took two of three games from.
BOTH TEAMS: BY THE NUMBERS
Both teams turn in run-scoring numbers that are slightly better than the average in 4A Baseball. Baker scores 6.64 runs per game (19th) while the Huskies average 6.26 (23rd). The Bulldogs allow 4.4 runs per game (8th) while North Marion allows 5.3 (13th). That equates to an average margin of victory of 2.24 runs for Baker (13th) and 0.96 for North Marion (21st).
WHEN THEY WIN, THEY WIN BIG
North Marion's last three postseason victories have all come by at least six runs, dating back to a 2014 first round win vs. Hidden Valley (11-5), a quarterfinal win vs. La Grande (12-3), and last week's play-in win over Cottage Grove (12-5). It is the first such streak in program history.
FIRST ROUND ROAD TRIP
The North Marion baseball program has not traveled for a first round state playoff game since 2008, a game which the Huskies lost at Phoenix 2-1.
HOT HUSKIES
Jordan Kendall comes into Wednesday's ball game riding a seven-game hitting streak, his career best and the longest on the team in 2015. Over the seven-game hitting streak, Kendall has notched an impressive nine doubles. The senior has had multi-double games in three of the last six contests after recording just one multi-double game in his career prior to this stretch. Josiah Ramon and Dylan Doubrava are also coming in hot, each with six-game hitting streaks. As a team, North Marion has scored at least six runs in each of the last six games.
SHUTTING 'EM DOWN
While the Huskies offense is heating up entering the playoffs, Baker's pitching staff is heating up also. The Bulldogs have limited opponents to one run or less in six of the last seven games. Bulldogs starting pitcher Taylor Gulick threw a complete game on May 22 and struck out nine and allowed just three hits in five innings of work on May 23.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE GAME
Be there: Directions to Baker High School
Twitter: @nmbaseball
Website: A live, pitch-by-pitch stats feed will be available on our team site free of charge. Check back for updates.