Heidenheim Heidekoepfe (17-7) vs. Bonn Capitals (20-8)
Despite starting the season 5-5 and on the verge of being an afterthought, the Heidekoepfe flipped the script and went on a 12-2 streak to reclaim their usual spot as number two in the south. Although they took second, the word best used to describe the season is ‘Underperformance’. A .262 team batting average (worst since 2003), and a 3.57 ERA (worst since 2007) depict a team that came up well short of high expectations after last years European Cup and Bundesliga success. Despite the lows, the team is still a favorite. If experience is worth its weight in gold, then the Heidenheim ballpark is the German Fort Knox. Catcher and captain Simon Gühring (.366, 2 HR, 21 RBI) and shortstop Andrew Smith (.355, 4 HR, 24 RBI) powered the lineup that saw just 10 guys play the field in five or more games. The team is always a threat for a longball, eight guys went deep this regular season, including Mic Weigl and Robert Gruber twice each. On the mound, Aljoscha Schattmann went 5-2 with a 3.23 ERA as the primary game one pitcher. Dusty Bergman, strong as ever in his third season in Germany, went 8-3 with a 2.83 ERA. In the Bullpen, Martin Almstetter appeared in seven wins, and Peter Dankerl grabbed three wins and three saves in over 30 innings.
In Bonn, the Capitals had a mid-season rally of their own, rallying from sixth place to second with an 11 game winning streak. They played well the rest of the season despite losing five more games, all narrow losses to the top pitchers in the north, and slipped to the third spot in the final rankings. Thirteen players got real action this year, while coach Mirko Heid tried to find the perfect compliment to the core of Jan Jacob, Philipp Spade, Florian Nehring, Brad Roper-Hubbert, and Lennart Weller. Roper-Hubbert nearly went for 30/30 in runs and RBIs, while Nehring, Weller, Spade, and Christian Nsien each went over 20/20. Pitching-wise, the Capitals had two of the top starters in the north, using the combo of Tim Henkenjohann (5-1, 3.38 ERA) and Bryce Schoening (7-3, 2.19 ERA) as the basis for their rotation. The addition of Moritz Sckaer over the winter paid off as well, as he went 2-1 with two saves, and a 2.49 ERA in 25.1 innings. Also strong in his eight appearances was 19-year-old Max Schmitz-Stercken (1.93 ERA, 23.1 IP). The team stood out particularly at home, which will come in handy in the first round of the playoffs. They went 12-2 in the friendly confines, while hitting 50 points better than on the road.
Although Heidenheim is favored in this repeat of last year’s quarterfinal matchup, it’s not likely to end in a sweep like last time. Bonn’s offense appears much stronger, and will be facing the same staff they saw last time, minus Winkler who beat them twice. On the flip side, Heidenheim is a team that thrives on familiarity, and seeing Henkenjohann and Schoening again could lead to higher scores than last year. It will be on Bonn to adjust quick, finding ways to get on base by any means (see their 160 walks during the season). If it comes down to the bullpen, Bonn has a slight advantage with their three decent options. Heidenheim will need to use their bats to get ahead early, and let their pitchers work with a lead, which they did well last year in winning the middle innings and letting the starters go a few extra rounds. Heidenheim rolls to a 3-1 series win and advance to the semis.