Northwest Florida vs. Polk State Playoff Baseball Series Preview
The Polk State Eagles will be traveling up to Niceville to take on the Raiders of Northwest Florida is a best-of-3 series on May 5-7 at the Raider Baseball Complex with a trip to Lakeland on the line. The Raiders are coming off a Panhandle Conference Championship after finishing the regular season 30-16-1, 15-9 in conference play. The Eagles, runner-up of the Suncoast Conference, finished the regular season 32-21, 14-10 in conference play.
After starting off the year 4-6-1, Northwest Florida ripped off an 11-game winning streak before the conference play kicked off to get the Raiders playing their best baseball at the right time of the season. In the final week of the regular season, the Raiders swept conference foe Gulf Coast in a four game series to clinch the Panhandle title. The Raiders are led by Oklahoma signee, Scott Mudler behind the dish. His .368 batting average to go along with this 11 doubles and 38 RBIs have propelled the Raiders into the postseason. This year, Mudler has thrown out 33% of the runners on the base paths. Blake Cavill, the two-time first team All-Panhandle player has been electric with his team-leading 13 home runs to go along with 41 RBIs and his .342 batting average. Colby Jones has been a stud for the Raiders on both sides with his .354 batting average and 38 RBIs, including 2 of his biggest RBIs of the year when he ripped a walk-off 2-RBI single in the 11th inning vs. Gulf Coast last Thursday. Jones has been stellar on the defensive side as well, playing at both second and third base.
On the mound, Northwest Florida's pitching staff leads the state in ERA, least amount of hits given up, and 4th in strikeouts. The Raiders have allowed the 11th fewest runs in the country and 21st in fewest hits allowed. The 1-2 punch of Kyson Witherspoon and Ramsey David have carried the Raiders this season with David leading the way with 61.2 innings and 74 strikeouts. Witherspoon, with his team-leading 2.52 ERA, has recorded 60.2 innings this season and 64 strikeouts. Northwest Florida has 6 pitchers under a 4.00 ERA and has a team ERA of 3.97.
The Raiders are 17-7 at home this season.
Much like Northwest Florida, Polk State started off their season 0-5, before going 10-2 over the next 12 games. In their final regular season series, the Eagles went 1-3 vs. State College of Florida For Polk State, the Eagles' offense runs through Nelson Taylor. The Florida State signee is batting .366 this year with 17 doubles and 28 stolen bases. Just behind Taylor is Travis Stapleton with a .344 batting average. Stapleton has 11 doubles and 35 RBIs. Ray Mercer is second on the team in extra-base hits with 9 doubles and 10 triples. The sophomore outfielder has swiped 21 bags on 22 attempts.
Polk State will likely be handing the ball off to Evan Koehler in game 1. The freshman righty is sporting a 3.39 ERA in 69.0 innings and is 6-1 on the year. Koehler has accumulated 85 strikeouts, including a season-high 11 vs. State College of Florida on March 29th. In Game 2, the Eagles will turn to sophomore Jaydon Bishop. The lefty is 1-1 on the year in 33 innings of work. Bishop has a 3.27 ERA and has struck out 41. Ryan Combs has been the Eagles' go-to in the late innings to close the door as the right-handed freshman has collected 10 saves in 29 appearances. Polk State's pitching staff has a 5.93 ERA this year and average a 1.65 WHIP.
The Eagles are 8-13 in road games this year.
For Friday's game, all fans will receive a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich coupon as well as free popcorn. When the Raiders hit their first home run, one lucky fan will receive free Chick-Fil-A for a whole year! Come on out and support the Raiders on their way to Lakeland!
Start Times
Friday - 5:00 PM
Saturday - 2:00 PM
Sunday - 1:00 PM (if necessary)