Not all regionals are created equal

I complained about this last winter with basketball sub-states, but here I am again making the same complaint. There has to be a better way than the current regional system that KSHSAA has for its sports because the fact will always remain that not all regionals are created equal.

The biggest offender this year is in 4A baseball between the Wichita Independent regional and the El Dorado regional.

At the Independent regional there are eight teams with a combined record of 99-47. In El Dorado the seven teams have a combined record of 37-86. That is an average record of 5-12 at the El Dorado regional compared to an average record of 12-5 at the Independent regional.

Not a single team in the El Dorado regional had a winning record coming in. Number one seeded Abilene had a record of 9-11 on the year and earned a BYE! Thats right, a bye.

On the other hand, at Independent, Wichita Independent had a stellar record of 19-1 coming in. Instead of a Bye it got Augusta at 6-14. Its prize for beating Augusta will be 13-7 Rose Hill. If the chalk holds on the other side of the bracket 18-2 Clearwater will likely play 14-2 Mulvane in the semifinals.

At least two teams with only three losses will be going home and not making a trip to state from the Independent regional while a team at or below .500 will be allowed to continue to the state tournament out of the El Dorado regional.

There has a to be a better way to do the regional brackets so things like this do not not happen.