This past fall, the Guilford
baseball team held its first annual Intrasquad World Series. Head Coach Gene Baker
graciously provided commentary from the event. The losing side bore the brunt of field
maintenance duties in the spring. Follow the games to see who won and who's carrying
a rake this spring.
Intrasquad World Series Draft
Pointing to a need for strong pitching in a short series, Chad Coward was selected first in the free agent draft for the 1998 Guilford College Baseball Intrasquad World Series. Selected number one by seniors Jason Davis and Bryan Probst, Coward will rely on a three-pitch repertoire of fastball, slider, change up as he will be counted on heavily by his Cardinal teammates as the Series gets underway on Wednesday.
With the second and third picks of the draft, Team Black countered with a selection of moundsmen of their own, tabbing KC Chambers and Joe Dooley with the second pick of round 1 and the first pick of round 2, respectively. Dooley is the first freshman to go as high as the second round in the history of the Cardinal and Black Series, but senior General Managers Jeff Joyce and Andy Reed justified the selection noting Dooley's versatility as a position player and hurler.
Team Cardinal opted for youthful enthusiasm, selecting 9 freshmen and sophomores to their 13-man roster. Psychological analysts believe Probst and Davis are subconsciously trying to gain full control of their personnel. Team Black accumulated experience, drafting four juniors with their first seven picks, to complement the managing senior duo.
In what experienced draft analysts are calling a monumental surprise, Andrew Duffy earned the Santa Claus Award as the last float in the parade - selected last by Team Black. Both management teams cited Duffy's lack of availability for games 1, 4, and 5 due to his training room schedule, as the deciding factor in his draft placement.
Vegas odds makers seem perplexed at calling the odds in the series as Team Cardinal seems to have cornered the market on outfielders, while Team Black is loaded with infielders. The deciding factor in making Team Black a weak 79:78 favorite is a lack of experience at both third base and behind the plate for Team Cardinal. Freshman Justin Bouldin must be an effective backstop and one of three middle infielders (Probst, Davis, or Jeremy Brooks) must shoulder the responsibilities at third for Team Cardinal to make a series of it. On the other hand, Joyce and Reed may have their hands full of clubhouse problems trying to keep harmony while finding playing time for a roster that include two first basemen, second basemen, and catchers, plus listing three third basemen. The key factor will undoubtedly be pitching matchups, with both teams expected to announce their rotations later today.