It is that time of the year again: the short period between the end of the regular season and the start of the Shoreline and CIAC State tournaments. Despite many efforts by teams early in the season to prove themselves as the obvious victors, all opponents have proved they’re ready to fight in the postseason. Coginchaug baseball and softball have not been having the perfect seasons, but given the circumstances, many people see the potential this tournament season holds.

The Coginchaug baseball team started the season 4-0 before losing a series of games by only one run to very competitive Shoreline teams. The boys were able to finish out the season with a solid 12-8 record and a 10-7 Shoreline record (all but two decided by one run). All eyes were on the Morgan Huskies as the clear Shoreline Championship winner, as they started the season with an impressive 13-0 resume. Luckily for the rest of the Shoreline Conference, Morgan finished their last seven games 2-5, evening them out to 15-5. This balanced the competition for all the teams who made the tournament, providing much needed motivation that anything can happen. The Devils will enter the tournament at the six seed, defeating all but three opponents, Cromwell, Morgan and Old Saybrook (all where at least one game was decided by just one run). The fact that the Devils are the six seed should not discourage them at all. It was the Devils who were ranked as the number seven seed in 2015 and went on to defeat Old Lyme in the championship. Looking at the bracket below, the boys will first face number three ranked Haddam-Killingworth and will face the winner of East Hampton vs. Old Lyme if victorious (the Devils defeated all three of these teams in the regular season). This tournament run for the Devils may be challenging, but the boys should not be counted out just yet.