The Swift Current Indians are opening their WMBL playoff run tonight at home. The Tribe get a first round, best of five match-up against the Lethbridge Bulls.
Swift Current won the WMBL Championship in 2010 and were eliminated in the first round last summer.
The Indians swept the season series with the Bulls 4-0, but Indians Head Coach Joe Carnahan knows they still need to be prepared for a tough series.
"They're an outstanding team," Carnahan said. "We were just fortunate a couple of times this year. We were playing our best baseball and caught them on days when they weren't playing their best baseball. They have pitching, they can hit, they play good defence so it is going to be a battle from game 1."
Brian Ranta gets the start for the Indians. He went 4-3 on the season with a 4.20 ERA and 53 strike outs compared to 12 walks.
"He's been doing good for us all season," Carnahan noted. "He had one rough outing so maybe his numbers don't look as good as he's pitched this year."
Ranta will have to face a powerful lineup including league RBI leader Jesse Sawyer and Ridge Gonsoulin who combined for 20 home runs this summer.
"We have to really execute our pitches," Carnahan said. "They have a potent lineup. If you give start giving them free bases as far as walks, errors, that kind of stuff... they can really capitalize on that."
The Indians were one of the hottest teams in the league at the end of the season and went 19-6 in July. Lethbridge finished only one behind Swift Current in the win column.
First pitch 7:05pm tonight at Mitchell Field. Game 2 will be in Swift Current on Wednesday night. Games 3 and 4 are set for Lethbridge on Thursday and Friday. We will broadcast all Indians playoff road games on The Eagle 94.1 FM.
Interview with Joe Carnahan:
Fri, Apr 26, 7:00 PM
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