The ONSL Postseason Preview
The format, the bracket, the schedule, and previews for every single team
The Old North State League 2023 Playoffs in Pineville, North Carolina, will be underway in just a matter of days. In this edition, I’ll be providing previews for the entire bracket and every individual team.
The Format
The top two teams from each division advanced to the postseason. The division champions were seeded based off of win percentage, along with the division runners-up.
In the Opening Round, which is single-elimination, the 3 seeded Sandhills Bogeys take on the 6 seeded Clayton Clovers for a shot at the number 2, the Hendersonville Honeycrisps. The four seeded Pineville Porcupines and five seeded Sanford Spinners, the wildcard game, decides who will face the top team, the Brunswick Surfin’ Turfs.
Those who win in the single-elimination Semifinals advance to the Championship Series, which is a best-of-three, and will feature the final two teams standing in the ONSL.
The Bracket
4 Pineville Porcupines vs. 5 Sanford Spinners — Opening Round — Winner advances to Semifinals to compete with 1 Brunswick Surfin’ Turfs
3 Sandhills Bogeys vs. 6 Clayton Clovers — Opening Round — Winner advances to Semifinals to compete with 2 Hendersonville Honeycrisps
The Schedule
Opening Round — July 27th
Porcupines vs. Spinners at 2 PM, Bogeys vs. Clovers at 7 PM
Semifinals — July 28th
Honeycrisps vs. TBD at 2 PM, Surfin’ Turfs vs. TBD at 7 PM
Championship Series — July 29th (could continue to July 30th if necessary)
Game One at 3 PM, Game Two at 7 PM
(If necessary, tiebreaking Game Three at 2 PM on July 30th)
1 Seed — Brunswick Surfin’ Turfs — 23 wins, 8 losses — Eastern Division Champions
2022 Results — Last year, the Brunswick Surfin’ Turfs missed the playoffs completely. This year, they’re the dominant one seed, with the best record of all fifteen teams.
Road to the Playoffs — Brunswick absolutely powered through the Eastern Division, ultimately winning it by five games. However, it didn’t seem like they were going to become the number one seed until the very end, when they won 8 out of their last 10 and took advantage of Hendersonville’s freefall.
2 Seed — Hendersonville Honeycrisps — 22 wins, 9 losses — Western Division Champions
2022 Results — In 2022, the Hendersonville Honeycrisps took down the Marion Swamp Foxes in the quarterfinals, before simply overpowering the Lenoir Legends in the semifinals. However, they would be swept in the Championship when they went up against the Bogeys with two extremely close losses.
Road to the Playoffs — The Honeycrisps sailed through the Old North State League. Throughout the year, it seemed that they were the very easy pick to win the pennant. But then, Hendersonville dropped five of their last ten, going from 17-4 to 22-9 in just a few days. They fell to the number two seed, and will have a chip on their shoulder heading into the playoffs.
3 Seed — Sandhills Bogeys — 20 wins, 12 losses — Central Division Champions
2022 Results — 2023 looked a lot like 2022 for the Sandhills Bogeys, which is definitely a good thing. Last year, in the postseason, they doubled their opponent’s run total in the first two rounds, taking down the Oak City Gliders, 6-3, and the Sanford Spinners, 14-6. In the title series, they defeated the Hendersonville Honeycrisps, 10-9, and then 4-2, to claim the ONSL Pennant.
Road to the Playoffs — The Bogeys had a horrific start to the season. It looked like they might not even make the postseason, but they powered back into the playoff race, and somehow jumped ahead of the Sanford Spinners, who had seemingly locked up the Central Division.
4 Seed — Pineville Porcupines — 20 wins, 12 losses — Western Division Wild Card
2022 Results — The name change worked wonders for the Pineville Porcupines. Last year, as the Mecklenburg Muscadines, they didn’t sniff the postseason, but this year, they can erase that history by creating history and winning the pennant.
Road to the Playoffs — Seven elimination games. In a row. And they won every single one of them. They were behind the Lexington Flying Pigs for a while, but were right on their tails. They took down the Flying Pigs, 2-1, to jump ahead, before winning both games of a doubleheader against the Lenoir Legends to advance to the playoffs. It’s been a magic carpet ride for the Porcupines.
5 Seed — Sanford Spinners — 18 wins, 13 losses — Central Division Wild Card
2022 Results — The Sanford Spinners were the best regular season tandem in the ONSL last year. In the playoffs, after defeating the Swepsonville Sweepers, they were taken down by the eventual champions, the Sandhills Bogeys.
Road to the Playoffs — Sanford had control of the Central Division for a very good part of the year. But, at the very end, they fell off, while the Bogeys jumped ahead of them to claim that number one seed.
6 Seed — Clayton Clovers — 18 wins, 13 losses, 1 tie — Eastern Division Wild Card
2022 Results — They treated this as European soccer. Last year, after winning the Carolina Collegiate League, they got bumped up to the ONSL. We’ll see if they can continue their winning ways in the Old North State League.
Road to the Playoffs — The Clovers just barely outdid their fellow new ONSL team, the Kinston Wingmen, to make the postseason. It was neck-and-neck all season long, and at the end, the Clovers were slightly able to pull away to clinch the playoff berth.
On-Deck: In a matter of minutes, you can cast your vote for who you think will win the ONSL pennant! Plus, check out the predictions of Joe “the Voice” Dexter,” “Santa” Eric Smith, and I in the Bracket Battle of the Broadcasters.
I’ll be covering the Wild Card, Semifinals, and Championship Series. Plus, check out my interviews with Coach Chenzo Scanio and General Manager Justin Dill in the upcoming editions of “Extra Bases.”