Providence Favored to Win 4A State Title

Hot bats drive Providence to title

Six of nine starters bat over .300, and nine Panthers have hit home runs - 25 by just three players.

By Langston Wertz Jr.
[email protected]
Posted: Thursday, May. 06, 2010
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  Hignight
  
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  The bats of, from left, Jackson Campana, Brett Austin and Jake Fincher - combined with good pitching - have meant victory for the Providence High baseball team. DIEDRA LAIRD - [email protected]
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More Information

• Tournament Pairings
  Southwestern 4A Baseball
  Today's First Round: East Meck vs. Myers Park at Providence, 7 p.m.; South Meck vs. Butler at Ardrey Kell, 5:30 p.m.; Independence at Ardrey Kell, 7 p.m.; Providence, bye
  Friday's Semifinals at Providence: Ardrey Kell/Independence vs. South Meck/Butler, 5:30 p.m.; Providence vs. East Meck/Myers Park, 7:30 p.m.
  Monday's Championship: Semifinals winners at UNC Charlotte, 7
  NOTE: The MEGA 7 and I-MECK do not have conference baseball tournaments.
  
  

This season, Providence High's baseball team won its fourth Southwestern 4A conference title in six years with the long ball.
The Panthers have hit 33 home runs. Sophomore Jackson Campana and juniors Brett Austin and Jake Fincher have combined for 25 in what is generally considered one of the top two or three conferences in the state.
Providence (16-7) isn't hitting weak pitching every night.
And Providence has good pitching, too.
Senior Kurt Semeniuk is 6-1 with a 2.13 ERA and needs six wins to become the all-time winningest pitcher at a school with one of the richest baseball traditions in North Carolina. Senior Zach McKelvey has a 2.89 ERA, and relief pitchers Kyle Kessler (Marshall) and Ryan McClintock (Catawba) are both college signees.
But make no mistake, this year's Panthers team is about the guys holding the bats.
Six of nine starters bat over .300. Nine Panthers have hit home runs. The team has 140 RBIs. In 2007, Providence hit 43 home runs, the best of coach Danny Hignight's seven-year career.
This year's team, if it continues on pace and advances in the state playoffs, could easily pass that.
"They have a clue about what they're doing," said Hignight, whose team will play in the Southwestern 4A tournament semifinals Friday night at home. The tournament begins today. "They stay relaxed and they put good swings on the ball. And they're talented kids. They grind it out."
Ardrey Kell coach Hal Bagwell said Hignight, a former assistant of his at South Mecklenburg, is being a little modest.
"Higgie is a great hitting coach," Bagwell said. "He does that as well as anybody. He's got a system that works, and they stick with it. On top of that, you've got a group of very talented hitters. Obviously, you put coaching and that ability level together, and this is what you get."
Bagwell said knowing that Providence is capable of a multi-run inning anytime, even after getting two outs, makes you adjust how you prepare for the Panthers.
"I wouldn't say it's intimidating," Bagwell said, "but you're aware of it. As a coach, you have a plan and idea of how to attack each hitter, and you make everybody on staff aware that they have some guys who can get it out of the yard in a hurry. So we can't make mistakes around the plate (with ball location) or they can do some damage."
Semeniuk said knowing he has that kind of offense behind him helps him relax and pitch better.
"Before games, Fincher always gives me some confidence," Semeniuk said. "He says, 'I'll try to get you at least one before you go to the mound.' Between innings, if I give up one, the guys always say they have my back. It's nice to know when we get back to the plate, they'll take care of me."
Providence has 11 seniors on the roster, including the four lead pitchers, but Hignight still refers to his team as "awful young." He starts three sophomores and two juniors.
Hignight knew the team might start slow, but figured it would finish fast. Providence lost one time in April and appears to be hitting its stride as the playoffs approach.
"I always felt like we'd be pretty good come April," Hignight said. "I knew we could hit. Big innings and big hits are a huge part of what we do. We're going to pitch it well. Our pitching keeps us in games, which allows our sticks to do what they do and win games for us."





Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/05/06/1418562/hot-bats-drive-providence-to-title.html#ixzz0nAEa4l5k