Performance rankings - Halli-SM 2020

Record crowds attended Joensuun Areena to watch JoMa dominate in their 3 games
Photograph from Joensuu Facebook (c) Joensuun Maila 2020

Now that the group stage is over, we take a look in this post at which teams performed best in our performance rankings.

1st Joensuun Maila
JoMa are undoubtedly the team to beat at the moment. Whilst they scored a fair amount of runs in their opening 2 games against SiiPe and Kitee, the more impressive statistic was their defence. JoMa were outstanding in those 2 games and they held their opponents to just 1 run over 16 innings. The final group game was a little more expensive in terms of runs scored against them, with IPV scoring 5 runs over 2 jakso; however JoMa had a massive game and scored 14 runs in total to stamp their authority. 

2nd Kouvolan Pallonlyöjat
KPL had fairly low scoring games against newly promoted Manse PP and Tahko; however they looked the more dominant team in the games. KPL conceded 3 runs across 2 games and looked threatening at the plate and calm under pressure. This group was a tough one to call in hindsight as Manse PP and Tahko both looked capable of winning their games. KPL are one of 2 teams who didn’t tie or concede any jakso in the group stages (the other being Joensuu).

3rd Pattijoen Urheilijat, Raahe
PattU are this year’s outside bet for winning the tournament. After a difficult 2019 and some key signings over the winter, PattU set out to impress. Their first victory against Kempele was perhaps nothing special in of itself, but by analysing the game beyond a superficial level, PattU seem to be filling the gaps that plagued them in 2019 - all of a sudden the ball zipped off the PattU bats and somehow found acres of space. The second game of the round really was the making of PattU’s tournament, as they upset one of the favourites, Sotkamo. PattU showed resilience and determination to beat Sotkamo in a kotiutuskilpailu that lasted for 2 rounds. 

Worst performance - Kempeleen Kiri
Kempele were one of 2 teams that didn’t win a jakso in this years tournament. Whilst they did tie a jakso against Sotkamo, the other team (Tahko) showed better performance overall. Kempele struggles in both games against Sotkamo and PattU. Whilst they are admittedly tough opponents, Kempele didn’t look competitive and will have to make adjustments to avoid a relegation battle in 2020.

Worthy mention - Manse PP, Tampere
2020’s new addition to Superpesis, Manse PP, shocked many when they turned out a strong performance to beat Tahko 2-0. Manse PP showed an exciting style of play and lots of energy in their 2 games - they will be an interesting side to watch in the regular season later in the year.

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