2008 IndependentAdvice.com
CLAXTON SHIELD FINALS PREVIEW
Perth HEAT v NSW Patriots
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Perth HEAT Roster & Stats
NSW Patriots Roster & Stats
After six weeks of heart-stopping action, the 2008 IndependentAdvice.com Claxton Shield Finals have arrived – with the Perth HEAT set to take on the NSW Patriots in a ‘best-of-three’ finals series at Blacktown Olympic Park this weekend - February 8, 9 and 10.
Both teams have enjoyed remarkable seasons – the Patriots who survived a nail-biting finish to the preliminary round, just barely edging out their northern rivals the Queensland Rams, and the HEAT who after four consecutive series wins over Victoria and South Australia are now on the verge of completing an inspirational ‘worst to first’ comeback season in 2008.
The two sides are virtually inseparable on paper and combine to boast a remarkable 22 current or former US professionals, to go along with nearly 20 members of Australia’s targeted Olympic Shadow squad.
Perth enters the finals series with arguably the most balanced line-up, as a trio of key sluggers combine with two near-perfect starting pitchers and a ‘dynamite’ relief corps to create a formidable 1-2-3 punch for any opposing team.
The Claxton Shield’s leading hitter Clint Balgera (.450 batting average), teams up with infielder Mitch Graham and 2007 Australian World Cup hero Luke Hughes to lead the offensive charge for Perth – with all three targeted to make huge contributions for the HEAT.
Perth’s rookie sensation Liam Hendriks is odds on favourite to be handed the starting pitcher duties for the important game one clash just two days before his 19th birthday; with the teenager, who has been virtually untouchable this year, hoping he can hand his side a 1-0 series lead when team-mate Mark Kelly takes control on the mound in game two.
Combine Hendriks and Kelly’s dominance with specialist relief pitcher Brendan Wise and many pundits may have the HEAT as a lock for this year’s title - but a raucous Sydney crowd, the inescapable tyranny of distance and the streaking home-town Patriots are sure to have a lot to say about that.
NSW pitchers lead all Claxton Shield teams in earned run average, and their line-up boasts an auspicious blend of youth and experience on offence that enabled them to prevail in a perilous playoff race down the season’s final stretch.
Left hand duo Tim Cox and Matt Bennett have mesmerised opposition hitters and both figured prominently in the league’s top ten ranked pitchers, as the pair have combined to allow just 10 runs in over 40 innings of baseball this season.
Meanwhile, 2004 Silver Medallists Gavin Fingleson and Brendan Kingman are on hand to lead a bevy of prodigious Patriot sluggers into the fray– with their steadying influence vital to the performance of emerging professional stars like Mitch Dening (Boston Red Sox) and Patrick Maat (New York Mets).
The Games will be broadcast live via the internet on Baseball Radio with all the action set to start this Friday at 7:30pm AEDT at Sydney’s Blacktown Olympic Park, with Game Two set for 7:30pm the following night and Game Three (if necessary) booked for 1:00pm Sunday afternoon.
More 2008 Claxton Shield Information…
CLAXTON SHIELD HOME PAGE
2008 SEASON RESULTS AND STANDINGS
2008 OVERALL SEASON STATS
