After 24 regular season games the postseason in Austria will start on Saturday with the half finales. Number one seed after compiling a 20-4 record Superfund Wanderers will face Union Kufstein Vikings (12-12). Runner-up and 2006 champion Vienna Metrostars (19-5) hosts Mosquito Athletics Attnang-Puchheim (15-9). They will play best-of-five-series over the next two weekends.
Superfund Wanderers vs. Union Kufstein Vikings
After breaking up the Diving Ducks before the season, six players changed their Jerseys and helped Superfund to the regular season title. They are riding a five-game-winning-streak heading into the postseason. Pitcher Clemens CICHOCKI won ten games. He, Hiro SAKANASHI (.494), Head Coach Nick DE FOREST, Emilio PRODEKA and Florian GABLER are the leading the Offense with a plus .300 batting average. They have won all four match ups against Kufstein this season.
The Vikings lost their last five games in a row and finished the season with a .500 record in fourth place. They advanced to the finals last year and lost. This season they are only an outsider. They were pretty inconsistent the whole season and are only an outsider before the playoffs begin. Werner HARRASSER (ERA 1.67) is their most important starting pitcher. He pitched for team Austria in Barcelona last week. Koichi HIDA, Alex NEULINGER, HARRASSER and Frank GRUBER are placed in the top 20 of the main batting statistics.
Prediction: The Wanderers will sweep the series.
Vienna Metrostars vs. Mosquito Athletics Attnang-Puchheim
The Metrostars won the title in Austria 2005 and 2006. Their goal is the three-peat. They are currently on a four-game-winning-streak. Starting Pitcher and Head Coach Tim PATRICK (ERA 1.17) got the award for the best pitcher two weeks ago. Andi KRISZAN and Scott MAC DONALD are slated right behind him in the rotation. Lutz RAUCH (.481) finished third in the batting title race. He will get help from Peter FERAK JR. and Dominik LOEFFLER.
The Athletics head into the semis with Vienna with also four wins in a row. They reached the playoffs for the third time in four years and lost three of four against the Metrostars this season. Walter STRASSER finished fourth in the ERA-Ranking and is the second best Austrian Pitcher at the moment. Wolfgang STRINI and youngster Philipp DRESSLER will also be on the mound for Attnang-Puchheim. Arian QUIRANTES and Martin RUBENGRUBER will lead the Offense.
Prediction: Both teams finished the season on a high note and Vienna will need five games to clinch the berth for the finals.
Schedule:
Saturday September 22:
13:00 Union Kufstein Vikings – Superfund Wanderers 16:00 Union Kufstein Vikings – Superfund Wanderers 13:30 Mosquito Athletics Attnang-Puchheim – Vienna Metrostars 13:30 Mosquito Athletics Attnang-Puchheim – Vienna Metrostars
Saturday September 29:
13:00 Superfund Wanderers – Union Kufstein Vikings 15:30 Superfund Wanderers – Union Kufstein Vikings* 19:00 Vienna Metrostars – Mosquito Athletics Attnang-Puchheim
Sunday September 30:
10:00 Superfund Wanderers – Union Kufstein Vikings* 13:00 Vienna Metrostars – Mosquito Athletics Attnang-Puchheim* 15:30 Vienna Metrostars – Mosquito Athletics Attnang-Puchheim*
*If necessary