Summer is calling as DIAA, NCAA sports seasons near conclusion

It's coming. It's only days away. Like the finish line ending a grueling marathon, it's calling you to come across.

Hi! I'm Greg Giesen, sports strategist for DelawareOnline.com, and this is the De Game Day newsletter.

The siren call of summer vacation is beautiful and alluring for students. teachers and, yes, some parents. For athletes, summer is a bit of a panacea. This week, DelawareOnline.com high school sports writer Brad Myers looks at how the joy of summer vacation helps remove the pain of season-ending losses – and sometimes career-ending losses. Also, DelawareOnline.com high school sports writer Brandon Holveck looks at the road to the end of the DIAA girls lacrosse season and DelawareOnline college sports writer Kevin Tresolini looks at the CAA baseball tournament.

Summer eases the agony of defeat

Each of the four seasons has its charms, but nothing beats summer.

The appeal of summer is so powerful, it changes the vibe of DIAA’s spring sports tournaments.

After every round of the playoffs in the fall and winter sports, the losing teams are always upset. You would expect nothing less.

Their season just ended. They didn’t win a championship. It’s getting cold or already cold outside. And we still have a few months of school remaining.

But the spring tournaments are different. Sure, a loss still stings. Especially if you’re a senior and you just played the final high school game of your life.

But we’re right in the middle of the busiest three weeks in Delaware high school sports, and in the spring it just feels different after each team is eliminated.

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The weather is nice. The school year is just days from the end, if not already finished. Graduation, travel sports, trips to the beach and family vacations await.

So when losing teams huddle together for that final time, you often hear laughter and celebration instead of frustration.

Because nothing beats summer, and it’s right around the corner.

– Brad Myers

Practice makes perfect for Tatnall girl's lacrosse

With 5:30 to play in their semifinal game against Caesar Rodney, Tatnall girls lacrosse coach Ruth Hiller called timeout.

Three minutes earlier, Paige Hiller scored to give the Hornets a 9-8 lead. But, perhaps, the most thrilling moments of the game were to come. Out of the timeout, as Tatnall's focus shifted to protecting possession and running the clock Caesar Rodney extended their defense and often doubled-team the player with the ball. In the next few minutes, Tatnall mostly elided the pressure, but then the teams traded clean checks and ran the ball to opposite ends of the field.

Tatnall again had possession near the Caesar Rodney goal with about two minutes to play when the Riders attacking defense pressed them back against their own goal. Eventually, the Hornets broke through and a fast break goal from eighth grader Madelyn Farwell with 17 seconds to play sealed the win.

"We practice that a lot," said junior Charlotte Wilkinson, who scored a team-leading four goals. "We don't usually get it in the time, but it's moments like these we can be happy we got the drill done and finished the game off with a win."

For the third straight year, Tatnall will play Cape Henlopen for the state championship. The Vikings outscored Sussex Academy 5-0 in the fourth quarter Tuesday en route to a 20-12 semifinal win. The schools did not play in the regular season.

The championship game will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at Caesar Rodney's Rider Stadium.

– Brandon Holveck

Blue Hens have tough road to NCAA Tournament

The Coastal Athletic Association is a very difficult league in which to excel at baseball. It is always deep, and full of talented teams, many of whom enjoy agreeable spring southern weather. Delaware, a frequent NCAA Baseball Tournament participant in its days in the East Coast and North Atlantic conferences and America East, has qualified just once in its 23 CAA seasons, that being in 2017. It has reached the conference tournament’s championship round three other times.

Delaware didn’t even make the CAA Tournament from 2019 through 2022 (there was no 2020 event due to COVID) but now returns for back-to-back seasons, the Hens’ first under coach Greg Mamula. Delaware (29-24) is the fourth seed in the six-team, double-elimination event and opened play Wednesday with a 7-3 victory over No. 5 William & Mary at UNCW’s Brooks Field.

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The long odds Delaware faces are evident in the the number of Blue Hens selected to the All-CAA teams. Delaware didn't have any first-team selections and and just two second-team picks – right-fielder Aaron Graebher and Milford High grad Bryce Geenly, chosen as a DH though he has often manned center field of late.

Certainly, the Blue Hens have talent, including several players who finished strong. Baseball always has been the most democratic of sports, rewarding polished play and penalizing those who don’t expertly manage its details, no matter what happened before. So the Blue Hens certainly have a shot, and they did win as the No. 4 seed in 2017.

The Blue Hens have always been able to hit, though their .276 team batting average in CAA games ranked just sixth. They also have the league’s best fielding percentage.

But winning numerous games over several days in a compact schedule always requires clutch pitching. Delaware’s 6.03 ERA in league games is worse than all but one of the six tourney qualifiers. The Blue Hens have gotten a boost of late from the return of Dover High grad Dom Velazquez from Tommy John Surgery, which improves their chances.

Getting there is an accomplishment for Delaware. Now the Blue Hens will see what they can make of it.

– Kevin Tresolini

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You can get more sports coverage at Delaware Online or DEGameday on Instagram. You can also follow Brandon, Brad or Kevin on X, formerly known as Twitter. Finally, if you have any questions or suggestions for this newsletter, you can contact me at fgiesen@delawareonline.com.

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