Strength of Schedule

The Warriors have won 95% of its games played so far this season.  Much of this success can be attributed to the talent and improvement of many of our players.  A deep pitching staff goes a long way to achieving a high winning percentage.  However, the weaker schedule this season also plays a part.

As discussed during the Parents Meeting, ideally a schedule could be created to stretch the team to the degree that winning 60 to 70% of the games would be an accomplishment.  Playing higher quality opponents accelerates the development of players.  When playing stronger opponents, mistakes are amplified and players tend to make corrections much faster as a result.

So far this season, the good news is that when faced with a higher quality opponent, the Warriors have stepped up and met the challenge.  The team has played in just five games that were decided by 3 runs or less--and won four of the five.  Following is the distribution of wins by run differential this season:

• Wins by 3 runs or less:  4 games (21%)
• Wins by 4 or 5 runs: 2 games (11%)
• Wins by 5 to 10 runs: 5 games (26%)
• Wins by 10 runs or more: 8 games (42%)

After tonight's game in Bellwood, the team will complete its Chicagoland Metro League schedule.  All remaining games will be played as part of tournaments (in which some Metro League teams will be participating) or against full-time travel teams (SSE and Magic).