Your FC Pilots ran out of runway last night at Spring Park West, falling to a near perfect defensive Jet Hawks team 15-9 and ending their run at the 2020 12U championship title.  And while there were many sad post-game faces, each and every Pilot needs to be proud of the effort and the belief and the execution they gave to themselves and their teammates all season long.

Every baseball season ends too soon.  This baseball season ended way too soon.  And the last game - win or lose - always comes way too fast.  It sneaks up on you like the end of summer and before you know it POOF, you're writing and you're reading the last Pilot game recap ... yeah this Coach is sad.

Pilot Bats:  The FCP picked up right where we left off vs the Spartans, with Ollie smashing the first of his 3 hits on the evening and coming around to score on a signature Jayden poke to LF.  Ollie finished up the season leading the Pilots with a .744 average, 32 hits, and 30 runs scored.  Those are baseball card numbers Ollie!  We saw some great production from the middle of the Pilot's lineup - with Jack R, Ben, Henry, and Kevin smoking hit after hit to open up a 4 run 2nd inning.  We saw Cooper dial up 2 situational walks when we needed baserunners, and needed them badly.  These Pilots were all hit and run and score to bring the Pilots back to within 3 runs after 2 innings.  Heart and grit gentlemen - the Pilot way.  There were many a Pilot who hit the ball on the screws only to see a solid defense send them back to our first base dugout.  Tip of the cap to the Jet Hawks 3B and SS who played their hearts out with sound, fundemental baseball and a fearsome foursome of fireballers on the mound. 

Pilot Arms:  Pitching is hard, right?  Yeah, pitching is hard.  The Pilots struggled early on the bump last night giving up a snowman in the first via 4 walks and a lack of full trust and belief.  Jack T was unable to consistently find an at-times questionable strike zone and the J-Hawks played a solid game of hit-em-where-they-aint.  Ben got us thru 1 2/3rds to keep the FCP close, striking out 2 while battling thru a 44 pitch effort.  Henry put sprinkles on the top of his superb season with 2 innings of 1 hit, 1 run ball.  And Oliver closed out the game with an emotionally charged performance in the final frame to give the Pilots another turn at scoring runs.

Pilot Gloves:  Back to back Jack!  For the second game in a row Jack R gave a clinic on how to wrangle a deep fly ball to LF.  This time Jack R had to range to his left and just like a pro took a glance at the fence before turning a 215 foot drive into a loud out.  We saw some solid defense on the left side of the field - Kevin and Ben at 3B, Henry and Carson at SS - all four taking care of business when the ball was hit their way.

Pilots on the Bases:  It was go-go Pilots around the bags.  Every Pilot who muscled their way aboard was on their horse and on to second.  Oliver led the way with 3 - which included a(nother) sweet steal of home.  This gave Ollie a team leading 28 SBs on the season.  Corte, Kevin, Jayden and Cooper all got their run on with straight steals - with Ben, Henry and Jack R taking extra bases on hit & runs.  And let's mention the hustle down the line to 1st.  From the 3rd base coaching box I saw some giddyup out of the box en route to first.  Corte willed his way aboard via his speed - and Ben, Jack T, and Jack R were within a step of infield singles due to their down the line hustle.  Awesome baserunning lads!

Next Up:  This is where every Pilot gets to decide for themselves what is next up.  What does baseball have in store for me?  Or maybe more accurately, what do I have in store for baseball?  I wish you the best as you and your families navigate the next step in your baseball career, and I hope you take the things you learned on this flight with the Pilots with you.  And I have to ask ... why not you?!

I can't thank you parents and families and coaches enough for such an amazing two months of baseball.  This Pilot season was easily the most normal part of the Covid Summer of 2020.  Once the boys got within those chalked lines on the diamond it was back to living and playing by the same laws of baseball I have always known and loved.    Thank you!

Go Pilots - each one of you - go and be awesome!

Coach Chris  

Your FC Pilots played their hearts out last night, ending their 2020 regular season campaign with a competitive loss to the top seeded Wellington Paddle Heads at Spring Park.  The 17-7 final does little to capture the fight that the FCP has in them as we roll into the playoffs in a few short days and nights looking to prove to the league and ourselves the flat out baseball truth:  we are awesome.

We played 3 1/3 innings of playoff caliber baseball last night.  The Pilots tighten up a few things mid-flight and there is not a team in the league who can ground us.  Your cup-of-coffee final regular season recap ... 

Pilot Bats:  There have only been a handful of true blue touch-em-all round trippers across the 10 teams in our 12U league.  The Pilots own hard hitting Jayden has 2 of them, rocking a 5th inning fast ball 230+ feet to dead center field and earning a leisurely stroll around the bases.  Boom-stick-baby what a shot.  The sound of Jayden's bat obliterating that ball really needs to be a ring-tone.  Jayden ended the day with a beauty for a line - 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs and 3 runs scored.  Jack T came a few feet from slapping an opposite field homer of his own, hitting the fence in right en route to a run scoring double.  Jack R and Corte continued their hot hitting chipping in singles along with Carson, Ben and Oliver.  And Henry and Cooper earned their way aboard with full count walks and came around to score to contribute to the Pilots 7 runs.   

Pilot Arms:  4 Pilot pitchers combined to toss 5 full innings of competitive ball.  Ben - Henry - Jack T - Corte all pitched well enough to keep the Pilots positioned to win.  Ben got the start and once again showed why he leads this Pilots staff in just about every pitching category.  33 pitches - 22 strikes - no walks.  That is Roger Clemens circa 1986 efficiency.  Henry and Jack T did their jobs on the bump - and Corte turned out the lights and closed up the shop with a strong inning of relief in the 5th.  Bottom line:  the Pilots continue to pitch like they did last night and they win.

Pilot Gloves:  For 3 and 1/3 innings the FCP looked like a team hungry for another upset.  We saw tight defense across the diamond with plays made by every single infield position.  Henry and Carson at SS - Kevin and Ben at 3B - Jayden and Jack R at 1B - they converted outs.  Carson hoovered up back 2 back hot shot grounders at SS - with an unassisted force at 2B and a perfect toss to Jayden at 1B.  In the OF Jack T anchored the green space with 3 catches, tossing in one acrobatic backwards diving catch for the fans watching at home and ensuring that the Pilots were within striking distance of the fearsome Paddle Heads.  Your Pilots converted 10 outs, keeping the good guys  within 1 run and once again proved to themselves, their fans, and this league that they can compete with the biggest dogs at the bowl.   An errant throw from 3B, a missed grounder at SS, a few lost opportunities at 2B - the lads were staring at an 8 run deficit that proved to be just too deflating to overcome.

Pilot Backstop:  Tip of the cap to Oliver behind the dish ... again ... for a full game of rock 'em sock 'em all-star catching.  Ollie recorded the first out of inning #2 by gunning out a runner attempting to steal third.  Ollie's arm - Kevin's glove - runner nailed.  And for the 3rd game in a row Ollie was called on to catch every pitch.  Last night that equated to 122 game pitches.  Toss in the warm ups - the throw downs - the foul balls - the wild pitches.  What an effort.  To be fair Oliver might sleep in his catchers gear.  He has tan lines from his catcher's mask.  And as a baseball family we're witnessing that really cool intersection of hard work and passion - and seeing some awesome baseball as a result.  Thank you Ollie!

Pilots on the Bases:  An all around solid effort of baserunning by the Pilots.  We saw Ben, Carson, Ollie, and Corte all giddyup to 1B - running thru the bag and earning every single foot of honest singles.  Remember - at this stage of the season and your baseball career - U MUST RUN THRU 1st BASE.  No exceptions.  Like learning the capital of North Dakota to get thru 5th grade - it is required in the baseball curriculum.  Overall we stole bases - we solicited errant pick off attempts - we hustled - and most importantly we paid attention.  Our baserunning has become an asset to our game.  And it's Bismarck by the way.

Next Up:  There is nothing quite like playoff baseball - and the Pilots are ready for playoff baseball.  While the schedule has not been nailed down the FCP will be playing game #15 of the 2020 season this Sunday the 2nd of August - most likely looking at a first pitch of 1pm.  I'll keep you posted via email the moment I get the definitive schedule based on where we seeded in the standings.  We will have our final Friday Nite Practice at Ridgeview - 5:30 to 7:00 - so please join us for some infield/outfield reps.  

The playoffs are winner takes all - single elimination - baseball at its greatest and most nail biting where games are decided on overthrows and extra bases and lads making plays they only see on the XBox.  Looking at our schedule it is flat out awesome that 4 of our 2020 season wins were against the top teams in the league.  Our boys have the collective skill set to beat any team we face.  We can hit and run on any pitcher, and we can turn hard rocks into gems on the field.  My hope is each and every Pilot comes into Sunday with confidence in themselves and their ability to make a positive impact on the field.  That includes fielding ground balls and making throws - running up on fly balls - working an at bat pitch by pitch - being alert on the basepaths - and cheering on your fellow Pilots from warm ups to the post game circle.  Why not you Pilots?!

Thank you for a great regular season Pilot Moms and Dads and Grandparents and brothers and sisters and families and fans.  14 games sure flew by.  This has been awesome.  I'm fired up to put an exclamation point on your 2020 Pilots on Sunday!

Go Pilots!

Coach Chris