LANCASTER – After already seeing each other four times during the regular season, Fort Mill Post 43 will open the American League Summer Baseball League playoffs with a familiar opponent in Lancaster Post 31.
Fort Mill Post 43 is scheduled to open the best 2-of-3 series against Lancaster Monday evening at 8 p.m. Rain from the Tropical Storm Isaias is expected to dump rain on Lancaster for game one Monday, which would probably push the game to Tuesday.
Either way, both teams have seen their share of each other this season as Fort Mill is 4-0 against Lancaster having outscored Post 31 44-5 in the four games.
“We are going to lean heavily on our older players to set the right mindset,” said Post 43 head coach Tom Skula. “We have guys on this team that made it to the state championship game and the southeast regional. They know what it takes to get back there. We cannot take any team for granted. I don’t care what anyone’s record says. All these teams have great players.”
Post 43 finished the regular season with a 10-2 record overall and a 7-1 record in league play. Fort Mill won their league for the third consecutive year using three different home fields the past three years. Two years ago, Post 43 used their normal home of Fort Mill High winning the league title in 2018. Last year, Fort Mill won the league title using Nation Ford and this year Fort Mill used Harvey Eggleton Field at Lancaster Post 31 as their home field. Fort Mill shared the field with both Post 31 and Rock Hill Post 34 senior teams, as well as two junior teams from Lancaster.
“We have to enter the first round with the same confidence we have had all year,” Skula said. “Having played each other four times there shouldn’t be any surprises come Monday. As a team, we cannot let the bright lights of the playoffs change who we are and what we do.”
Fort Mill’s only two losses have been to Rock Hill in a league game 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh and then in a non-league game against Lexington Post 7, falling bad 13-2.
If Post 43 can get past Lancaster, they will face the winner of Chapin-Newberry and North Augusta. Fort Mill has faced each of those teams once this year, getting a win against Chapin-Newberry 5-0, which saw Magdiel Cotto and Evan VandenBosch combine to throw a no-hitter. Post 43 also beat North Augusta on the road 5-4 in a very close game, which saw Fort Mill hold off a rally.
The second round of playoffs, like the first, are best 2-of-3. Four teams will make the state tournament at Segra Park Aug. 14-16 in Columbia.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
