Baseball Semifinals
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Bonn Capitals with a broad chest and a clear head
Hero of the semis: Daniel Lamb-Hunt (at bat) hit three homers against Mainz. He should also score against Heidenheim.
Photo: Thomas Schönenborn
Bonn The Bonn Capitals want to dethrone series champion Heidenheim Heideköpfe in the baseball semifinals.
Bonn Capitals against the Heidenheim Heideköpfe. There was something. It’s correct. In the past five years, these two teams have faced each other in the final of the German baseball championship. The team from the Swabian Alb triumphed four times. Only in 2018 did the Capitals take the crown of German baseball.
This year, the reigning runners-up and German champions are already meeting in the playoff semi-final series because Heidenheim surprisingly only finished second in the southern group. The first two games of the best-of-five series begin on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Rheinaue stadium.
The Capitals, the sovereign North champions with only one defeat, expect the recently unbeatable opponent with a broad chest. After a stumble in the first game of the quarterfinals against Mainz Athletics, the team of head coach Max Schmitz was able to win the series against the southern fourth by a clear margin of 3:1 – and gain plenty of self-confidence for the duels against the arch-rivals.
“We played an excellent series against the Athletics and I think we deservedly made it to the semifinals. Now it’s time to keep up the momentum,” says Schmitz. The Bonn head coach relies primarily on one player. Daniel Lamb-Hunt almost single-handedly decided the series against Mainz. After his strong offensive performance last weekend with three home runs in two games, the Baseball Bundesliga named him Player of the Week.
Heidenheim recently lacked the usual sovereignty
Just as confidently as the Capitals, the Heideköpfe had prevailed in their series against Hamburg. However, the experts agree that Bonn had the much more difficult task ahead of them against Mainz. The results of the Heidenheimers against the Stealers with 13:10, 13:1 and 7:2 make it clear that the heather heads only found the first victory difficult. However, it is also clear that the reigning German champions lack the sovereignty of recent years.
In the southern group, Heidenheim crossed the finish line after the normal lap behind Regensburg in second place. There were also much tighter results than in previous seasons when Heidenheim was in a class of its own. Added to this was the sad performance of the Ostwuerttembergers at the Champions Cup in Bonn, where Heidenheim finished last and were relegated as a result, causing the Bundesliga to lose a place in the tournament of the best teams in Europe.
Schmitz: “Have to overcome the mental hurdle”
Nevertheless, the Capitals are aware that the heathen heads around pitcher Mike Bolsenbroek and the power hitters Gary Owens and Shawn Larry should never be underestimated – especially not in the crucial playoffs. In the case of the Capitals, especially in the duels against the master, the question arises as to whether the head will play along this time. Playful duels at eye level are expected.
“Our challenge is to overcome the mental hurdle and approach Heidenheim differently this time,” says Schmitz. With the exception of the championship title for the Capitals in 2018, the series of finals over the past five years were primarily characterized by the mental component. The Capitals know they can beat top pitchers like Bolsenbroek. This also happened in 2021, for example.
“We are ready for the challenge and are extremely motivated. We’re really looking forward to the games,” explains Schmitz. The team is highly motivated in training and concentrates on its own strengths. “The motivation is tangible,” says the Bonn head coach.
