Playing small: Hartselle using small ball to achieve playoff success

May 6—HARTSELLE — In baseball, it's not always how big you are, but how small you can play.

That's been particularly true for the Hartselle Tigers.

Hartselle plays at Oxford in the Class 6A quarterfinals today, its first trip to the third round since 2017.

The Tigers have been dominant in the playoffs, going 4-0 with a 22-6 run differential. The primary cause for their success has been their change in offensive philosophy as they switched to the popular "small ball."

Small ball is an offensive strategy that sees teams attempt to "manufacture" runs. Teams accomplish this by emphasizing getting runners on base by any means necessary and then bunting or stealing to get runners in scoring position.

In recent history, the strategy was most famously used by the Kansas City Royals, who small-balled their way to back-to-back World Series appearances in 2014-15.

The style has yielded similar success for the Tigers.

"We just had to trust the process," Hartselle second baseman JoJo Williamson said. "We needed to find other ways to win. So, if we're not hot at the plate we play small ball, and if we are hot, well we'll still play small ball, but we'll also be hitting in deep."

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A needed change

Hartselle knew it needed to change its approach after a rough end to the regular season. The Tigers lost back-to-back shutouts, mustering six total hits, to Cullman in the area championship series.

After the loss, Hartselle coach William Booth, who had advocated for playing small ball for much of the season, knew it was time to make the switch.

"Everyone thinks they can hit it deep all the time but when you face the kind of pitching we do, that's really hard to do," Booth said. "You look at who we've played in the playoffs, they all have played small ball. I think that tells you all you need to know."

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Speed kills

Another reason the Tigers made the switch was to better take advantage of one of their greatest team strengths. Speed.

"We have some guys on this team that can run," Booth said. "Playing small helps us be aggressive on the base paths and use that speed to our advantage."

One of the team's fastest players is Eli Snelson.

Snelson is the team's leadoff hitter, which is a vital component in playing small ball. It's the leadoff hitter's job to get on base by any means necessary, giving the team options to move him into scoring position.

In the opener of Hartselle's second-round playoff series with Homewood, Snelson reached base four straight times, then used his speed to put pressure on the Patriots.

"You're the first person up and if you get on base that really sparks your team," Snelson said. "And I know that if I get on first base, nine times out of ten I'll be on second within a few pitches."

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Bunts are big

Another important aspect to small ball is bunting.

Bunting isn't a baseball player's favorite offensive weapon, but it can be enormously effective. Hartselle proved this when it used bunts to ignite its offense to a 5-3 first-round win over Buckhorn and a 7-2 second-round win over Homewood.

"As much as we hate it, coach Booth always tells us to bunt the ball," said Snelson. "But if it wins us ball games then I'm not going to be complaining."

One of the team's best bunters is sophomore Coleman Mizell. Mizell, who is known as "Bull," moved from seventh in the lineup to second prior to the Homewood series. During the two-game sweep, Mizell displayed perfect bunting on more than one occasion.

"It's a lot easier to win games when you have people consistently getting on base," Mizell said. "Bunting, swinging, stealing, it doesn't really matter what you're doing as long as you're scoring runs."

Like Snelson, Mizell has great speed and he used that speed to beat out the throw on several bunt attempts. He also used his speed as a mental weapon.

"It's a great feeling when you beat out a bunt," Mizell said "Then once I was on base the pitcher kept trying to pick so I felt like I was messing with his mind. The more he focuses on me the less focused he'll be on the batter at the plate."

Hartselle plays at Oxford in the quarterfinals. Today's doubleheader at Choccolocco Park begins at 5:30 p.m. A third game, if necessary, will be Friday.

"This is an exciting time," Williamson said. "It's Hartselle's first quarterfinals trip since 2017, and we have plans to go a lot further."