With a Week Left in the Season, Here's How the CRSCBL Playoff Race Looks

By Jackson Lynch

Records and statistics are through games completed Wednesday, July 15.

One week remains before the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League postseason begins, and the playoff picture remains anything but settled.

The race for the league’s top two seeds is separated by just three games, the battle for the final first-round bye is still up for grabs, and several head-to-head matchups over the next few days could reshape the bracket before the first pitch of the postseason.

The league’s final games will decide which two teams advance directly to the best-of-three League Championship Semifinals, and which teams have to start their postseason in a single elimination game.

The top two overall seeds receive the biggest advantage, bypassing both the play-in and wild card rounds. Seeds Nos. 3 and 4 skip the play-in round but still must win a single-elimination wild card game to reach the semifinals.

The bottom four teams face the longest road. No. 8 visits No. 5 and No. 7 travels to No. 6 in the play-in round on July 23. The victors then face another winner-take-all game against the third and fourth seeds.

A top-two seed needs to win only two best-of-three series to claim the championship. A team seeded fifth through eighth must survive two elimination games before it even reaches the series. That means moving up just one spot in the standings could be the difference between several days of rest and an immediate win-or-go-home matchup.

Playoff seeds are determined by overall record, regardless of division.

Three Teams Chasing Two Semifinal Spots

The Bethesda Big Train, Olney Cropdusters and Southern Maryland Senators now enter the final stretch separated by only three games.

Bethesda holds the top win-loss record in the league at 23-10, one game ahead of Olney and three ahead of Southern Maryland. The Big Train have won eight of their last 10 games, the best recent mark among the three contenders, and have climbed into the strongest position at the right time.

No team has been more complete than Bethesda this season. The Big Train lead the league in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, while ranking second in ERA, behind only Olney. Bethesda also features the league leader in home runs in Zachary Malvasio (UCF) with seven, the ERA leader in Kyzer Smith (FAU) at 0.90 and the strikeout leader in Charlie Hoagland (ECU) with 31.

The team knows what it takes to win at this stage of the season. Under coach Sal Colangelo, the Big Train are pursuing a fourth consecutive league championship.

Even with all of that working in Bethesda’s favor, the race remains tight. The biggest matchup left on the schedule comes Friday when the Big Train travels to face second-place Olney. The matchup brings together the league’s top two teams, with first place and a direct trip to the semifinals hanging in the balance. The two teams will finish a suspended game before playing a full contest afterward, creating a potential two-game swing.

A Bethesda sweep would create separation at the top and give Southern Maryland a chance to close on Olney. A Cropdusters sweep could push them ahead of the Big Train for first.

Olney sits directly in the middle of the race for the double-bye with a 22-11 record, one game behind Bethesda and two ahead of Southern Maryland. The Cropdusters have won six of their last 10 games, and they remain one of the league’s most balanced teams.

Olney leads the league with a 5.10 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP, but its strength is not limited to the mound. The Cropdusters have also scored a league-high 271 runs and lead the league in home runs. 

Ryan Bouma (Frostburg State) and Landon Springmeyer (Undecided) both have five home runs apiece, earning them spots among the league’s top three home run hitters. These two players give Olney the type of power that could swing a close game during the final week and into the postseason.

The Cropdusters enter a crucial stretch this week. A strong finish would protect their semifinal berth, and beating Bethesda on Friday could help them control their destiny for the league’s top seed. A stumble, however, could allow Southern Maryland to move into the top two.

The Senators head into the final week at 20-13, sitting atop the South Division and two games behind Olney for the second double-bye. Southern Maryland has split its last 10 games.

Unlike Bethesda and Olney, the Senators do not have another head-to-head opportunity against either team ahead of them. Southern Maryland must continue winning while hoping one of the top two teams gives ground.

The Senators also face one of the busiest closing schedules in the league. They have two games remaining against D.C., Alexandria and Silver Spring-Takoma, along with one against Metro South County. That schedule offers Southern Maryland more opportunities to build wins, but the compressed workload could also test the team’s depth.

Southern Maryland has the offense to stay in the race. The Senators rank inside the league’s top three in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. They also lead the league in walks, with one of the deepest and most patient lineups in the league.

A strong closing stretch could send Southern Maryland directly to the semifinals. But if Olney holds its ground, the Senators instead will begin their postseason in a single-elimination wild card game.

The Battle for the Final Play-In Bye

The other crucial cutoff for the playoffs lies between fourth and fifth place.

Metro South County currently holds the No. 4 seed at 17-17, maintaining a 2.5-game advantage over the Gaithersburg Giants and Alexandria Aces. Metro’s Braves have won six of their last 10 games and begin the closing stretch in the driver’s seat.

Metro's biggest advantage may be its remaining schedule. The Braves still will play direct games against both of its closest challengers, one against Alexandria and one against Gaithersburg. 

Every win in those matchups could not only strengthen the Braves’ position, but also hand a costly loss to a team trying to catch them.

The Braves also feature some of the league’s biggest stars. Nadav Machlin (Paris JC) leads the league with a .392 batting average, while Robert Kelly (Monmouth) tops the league with 40 RBIs. Kelly also ranks second in batting average and is tied for second in home runs. 

That star power arms Metro with one of the league's most dangerous middle-of-the-order combinations as the postseason approaches.

Gaithersburg and Alexandria enter the final stretch tied at 14-19, but they have taken different paths to get there.

The Giants have gone 4-6 over their last 10 games and boast the league’s third-best ERA. They also rank second in the league with 95 stolen bases, with the ability to manufacture runs and pressure opposing defenses. 

Their remaining schedule, however, may be the toughest of any contender, with games still remaining against Bethesda, Olney and Metro South County.

Alexandria, meanwhile, has dropped seven of its last 10 games, but the Aces remain very much in the race. They own the league’s second-best team batting average at .278 and feature the league’s stolen base leader in Elijah Grant (Presbyterian) with 24. The Aces also hold the season lead in strikeouts on the mound. 

Their remaining schedule affords them several direct opportunities to gain ground, with two games against Metro and another against Gaithersburg.

The D.C. Grays (11-21) and Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (11-22) remain mathematically alive to move up the standings, but their more immediate battle is for positioning in the play-in round. 

D.C. currently holds a 1.5-game edge over SS-T for the No. 7 seed. Both clubs could still play spoiler, with several remaining games against teams fighting for byes and playoff positioning.

Crucial Games That Could Decide Seeding

Five remaining games stand out as the most critical, with each carrying major implications for one or both playoff cutoff lines.

Bethesda visits Olney on July 17 for a continuation doubleheader in the biggest matchup left on the schedule. As noted above, given the Big Train’s one-game lead over the Cropdusters for the top seed and Olney’s two-game advantage over Southern Maryland for the second and final double-bye, a Bethesda sweep would create separation at the top, while a pair of Olney victories could pull the Cropdusters into first.

Southern Maryland visits Metro South County on July 18 in a matchup that affects both major playoff races. The Senators are chasing Olney for a direct trip to the semifinals, while the Braves are trying to protect the No. 4 seed and avoid the play-in round.

Later that day, Olney travels to Gaithersburg. A Cropdusters victory would strengthen their hold on a semifinal berth but hurt the Giants’ pursuit of the final bye. A Gaithersburg win would tighten the No. 4 race while putting more pressure on Olney.

Metro South County then visits Alexandria on July 19. The Aces are tied with Gaithersburg at 14-19 and sit 2.5 games behind the Braves. 

A win would allow Alexandria to gain ground directly while handing the Braves a loss, potentially setting up a decisive final day.

That final matchup could come July 20, when Gaithersburg visits Metro South County. The Braves currently hold fourth place, while the Giants remain 2.5 games behind. 

Depending on the results leading into it, the game could determine which team earns the last bye into the wild card round.

If the Season Ended Today...

If the regular season ended today, Bethesda and Olney would advance directly to the League Championship Semifinals as the top two seeds.

Southern Maryland would earn the No. 3 seed and host the lower remaining Play-in Round survivor, while Metro South County would claim the No. 4 seed and host the higher remaining survivor in the Wild Card Round.

Silver Spring-Takoma would visit the No. 5 seed, while D.C. would travel to No. 6. The Giants and Aces are tied at 14-18, with the order determined by a tiebreaker.

With one week remaining in the regular season, there is still plenty left to decide. Every game carries added importance, and by the time the postseason begins on July 23, the bracket could look much different than it would today.