By JASON KING
Leader sportswriter
Jay Fitch is looking for the first round of the 7A state baseball tournament to be a milestone event for his Cabot Panthers.
And for the coach himself.
The Panthers are 10-12 overall and 5-7 in the 7A-Central Conference, with a home doubleheader against Van Buren slated for Friday night to wrap up regular season play. As it stands, either a sweep or split would most likely make the Panthers a No. 4 seed for the tournament, whereas two losses would most likely bump them back to a No. 5 or a No. 6 depending on what happens elsewhere during the league’s closing weekend.
Two victories against Van Buren would also put the Panthers at .500 and could set the stage for another highlight in Fitch’s career.
Now at 197 career victories, Fitch doesn’t want to wait until 2012 to get that magical 200th.
“I was kidding with them the other day,” Fitch said.
“I told them, ‘Not to put any pressure on you, but if you could win those last two, that would give me 199 wins in my coaching career.’
“It would be pretty cool if we could win those and then go into the state tournament with one to go. I hope that happens.”
Fitch has good reason to feel confident about his first-round tournament chances with senior ace Cole Nicholson waiting to take the mound.
Nicholson has shut down opponents most of the season, and is the only player on the roster with state tournament experience from his sophomore season.
“He’s been rock solid,” Fitch said. “But everybody in 7A has a really good No. 1, so you never know.”
Regardless of final seeding, the Panthers have had the peace of mind of knowing they are in regardless.
There were several questions entering the final weekend, from how it would be settled among top seeds Bryant, Conway and Catholic to how the Panthers would fall in with second-tier contenders North Little Rock and Central.
It has been far more comforting for Fitch and his Panthers this year after suffering late-season heartbreak a year ago.
The 7A-Central race in 2010 was one of the closest in the history of high-school baseball in the state. Six teams entered the final week with a shot at the championship, and all eight teams were still vying for tournament berths.
The Panthers took top-ranked Bryant, which went on to win the state championship, 14 innings before a hit batter with the bases loaded drove in a run and lifted the Hornets to victory.
The Panthers had one last shot to qualify against Van Buren last season before the Pointers hit a game-ending home run in the ninth inning, dropping Cabot to seventh and keeping them out of the tournament.
“It’s tight this year,” Fitch said.
“It’s probably not as tight as it was last year, but it’s tight. Last year, anybody could have been first or not made it, and that’s what happened to us.”
Nicholson’s experience has been invaluable to Cabot this year, and with the progression of underclassmen pitchers Dustin Morris and Ryan Logan, the Panthers could have the necessary depth in their bullpen to make a legitimate run in the state tournament.
Morris threw a complete game in a close loss to North Little Rock while Logan did the same in close games against Bryant and Conway.
With good defense and an expanding pitching roster, Fitch said there is still no accounting for baseball’s ultimate intangible — batting.
“Offense is so funny at times,” Fitch said.
“We’ve had games where we didn’t hit that well and scored four or five runs. Then, we’ve had games where we had quality hits, and hit it hard, but always to somebody.
“With pitching and defense, you pretty much know what you’re going to get. But offense is always going to be kind of that wildcard in baseball.”
