Hamilton Coach on High School Seeding: 'I'm Not a Big Fan'

After at the state tournament, softball coach is sounding off on the disadvanatages of seeding in high school sports.

Hamilton's softball team, ranked No. 9 in the sectional, went up against the No. 1 seeded Chippewa Falls team on Thursday after failing to make it to the state tournament for more than 20 years.

“I think the girls felt the nerves set in before the game,” Lawinger said after losing the state tournament. “The experience factor definitely played a role, and the Chippewa Falls team probably couldn’t have played a more perfect game.”

However, could a seeding disadvantage have played a roll in the Chargers' loss? Lawinger has choached the Hamilton softball team for 35 years, and he told JS Online he thinks seeding in high school sports can cause a big disadvantage to teams without a big reputation.

"I'm not a big fan of seeding teams whether it's football or basketball or any sport," he told JS Online, "because in high school what happens is the good get better, the worst stay bad."

"It's hard enough to (get to state) without seeding, but seeding makes it tougher," he continued. "Once you're poor, it's hard to get out of it."

Lawinger said he and the girls still feel like winners for making it to state, but the Chargers may have lost by a closer margin if the seeding rules were altered. 

Read the full article about Lawinger's gripe with common seeding practices on JS Online.