Going to make a bold prediction that one of the UMesses wins twice to upset USM in the Championship Game!

Seems as if this goes against everything the NCAA stands for (is supposed to stand for) - character, values, integrity and the importance of fairness for the student-athlete.

Does anybody know how any other conference settles tiebreakers, specifically three-way ties??

The NECC Postseason Tournament starts Friday so don't know how much lawyers will help right now. Probably clinches the NECC tournament for Mitchell College as I don't think any other NECC team has the pitching quality or depth to slow down the regionally-ranked Mariners offense.

Just seems very unfortunate (not to mention unethical/not right) for Coach Kupiec's program, especially his seniors. 

Heard Ted Wells now has a lot of time on his hands.... 

The Newbury Nighthawks were not allowed into the NECC Postseason Tournament despite qualifying for the tournament as the #4 seed. 

In the New England Collegiate Conference seven teams play three game weekend series, two 7-inning games and 1 9-inning game. The top four teams (out of six) make the postseason tournament.

Kraig Kupiec, in his 5th season as Newbury Nighthawks Head Coach, guided the Nighthawks to a 19-21 record, 9-9 in NECC play.  A former assistant coach at UMass Boston, Kupiec inherited a Newbury College Baseball program that had won only 17 games in its first four years in existence.  With no baseball field  , no gym, and closet-sized weight room (sound familiar?  ) Kupiec has, to date, tallied 87 wins in his five years at the helm.

This year the NECC had a three-way tie for the #3 seed with Lesley University, Newbury College and Becker College all finishing at 9-9 in NECC play.  NECC rules, and common sense, state that:

TIE BREAK PROCEDURES
1. Head to Head result (two-way tie).
2. Best record among tied teams (three-way or more ties). Will only examine conference records of tied
teams in contests with each other during this step.
3. Comparison of results against higher ranked teams starting with the highest ranked team and working
down in descending order.
4. Comparison of results against non-conference common opponents.
5. Comparison of winning percentage versus opponents with .500 or better winning percentage.
6. Overall winning percentage.
7. Coin toss.

The three season series went as such:

Lesley University 1 Newbury College 0
Lesley University 3 Newbury College 4
Lesely University 6 Newbury College 8
Lesley University 1 Newbury College 2

Lesley University 3 Becker College 2
Lesley University 10 Becker College 2
Lesley University 17 Becker College 16
Lesley University 3 Becker College 0

Newbury College 2 Becker College 5
Newbury College 3 Becker College 1
Newbury College 5 Becker College 10
Newbury College 1 Becker College 2

Looking at Rule #2, "Best record among tied teams (three-way or more ties). Will only examine conference records of tied teams in contests with each other during this step."  Therefore, Lesley University would be 4-2, Newbury College 3-3, and Becker College 2-4.  Hence, Lesley University and Newbury College should earn the #3 and #4 seed respectively with Becker College missing the tournament.

However, it has been announced that somehow Lesley University and Becker College will make the NECC Postseason Tournament and not Newbury College?!?!

DIII Boards, am I missing something???  Apparently, the same incident happened several years ago in NECC Softball and Bay Path College was left out of the softball postseason tournament?!   

I can only feel for the Newbury Nighthawks seniors and parents who earned the right to extend their baseball careers an extra week.  Imagine reading the rules on the World Wide Web for the last two weeks, knowing that you accomplished your regular season goals, taking time off work, making lodging reservations and preparing for the postseason..... only to be told otherwise in the week leading up to the tournament. 

Newbury College has apparently appealed the decision only to be denied by the NECC Executive Committee.  Interestingly enough, a Becker College representative is the chair of said committee.... 

Am I understanding this correctly?!?  Is this a serious misinterpretation of the rule or a political issue?!?    The rules clearly state the guidelines for defining a three-way tie yet they do not seem to be applied here.

The cost of winning even at the DIII level..... 

DIII Boards, how does everyone else's conference define "Tiebreakers?"  Again, am I missing something? Please help me understand.  I know -- I hope an occurrence like this would never happen in the LEC!!!

First of all a huge congratulations to freshman Kyle Szatrowski on throwing the first no-hitter in Beacons' history!!  To throw a no-hitter in a metal bat, collegiate level baseball game is a great story and an incredible accomplishment.

And now to everyone's favorite time of the year.  The start of spring and Opening Day/week get everyone excited and happy, but this last month of LEC baseball is some of the best/most exciting baseball you can ask for.  While the seeding may not be set in stone, we all know who is going to be in (for the most part).  It no longer matters what you did against WNEC or MIT or who started hot or who is having an off year.  What it comes down to is using these last couple weeks to "figure it out" and make sure you're in gear and ready to go for tourney time!

That being said, look for the Beacons to "get hot at the right time."  Thus far, the Beacons have got a lot of their production from the underclassmen which, I think, only bodes well for the tourney.  The upperclassmen's College World Series experience will undoubtedly show up when it matters most, as they all seem to shine when it matters most. 

The tournament comes down to pitching, defense and timely hitting and the Beacons seem to be peaking at the right time.  The pitching staff has done a pretty good job of throwing outs, but they need the defense to help them "collect outs."  If they do that they have all the intangibles to grab that LEC-bid and make another run.  There will also be minimal pressure on the Beacons as they have already colonized much of the LEC and have a home wherever they go (especially with Coach Eygabroat's mastery of calling the coin flip, maybe the most underrated intangible come tourney time).  Best of luck to the Beacons and their senior class in these last few weeks! 

First and foremost, obviously, a nice "welcome back," or cheers, to JCon from his trip across the pond.  While "The Riff-Raff" may disagree and think you're crazy  , spending St. Patrick's Day in Ireland probably beats that Southie "puh-uade" and am glad you (a) made it back and (b) still alive!

Unfortunately your trip abroad coincided with the Beacons spring trip and the "Flyin' Jconnies"  have seemed to struggle a bit out of the gate  .  However, that "magic fairy, sprinkle dusted" season started out fairly similar.  An average spring trip followed by an LEC opening sweep at the hands of Mansfield's Mashers left many doubting and writing off the Beacons.  What many don't realize is that the senior leadership and nice "surprises" from the underclassmen (see CWS recruiting class) have allowed this team to gel and gain that "it" factor that will [hopefully] show when it matters most (see "catching lighting in a bottle").  While experience means a lot, the upperclassmen who were a part of the CWS team will hopefully use that experience to help lead and carry the "Flyin' JConnies" the rest of the way.  Well, that and tightening up the defense because while the gloves cannot win games, they can not only keep you in them and give you a chance to win them, but save them as well.

I think a lot of the early season analysis seems to be pretty accurate but, don't forget, it's still early and LEC play just started!  While overall record and "strength of schedule" factor into the regional and national rankings, I think we can all agree that in-conference opponents are how we truly measure our teams/programs.  Plus, "getting hot at the right time" and winning the LEC tourney gets you that automatic bid to the World Ser --- oh no, you still have to win the Regional before advancing to the World Series!

With a game every day this week the Beacons -- err, Flying Jconnies, have a great opportunity get on a roll.  They're off to a good start as the bats seemed to come alive yesterday against Westfield State.  But, again, it's a long week capped off with a doubleheader out at Western.  Hopefully tonight's game against Framingham State will better prepare the Beacons for the Huskies next week as their game will also be under the lights at Beacon Stadium next Tuesday.

The Beacon Bandwagon just hit a pothole, but don't worry, it's up and running again!  Thank goodness we lost all that extra weight with everyone jumping off! 

And, back to the here and now.  The Beacons came out the gates swinging and started the season 3-0 for the first time since....well, ever!  The bats took a day off yesterday, which is bound to happen, but it is their defense that is still scuffling and the main concern.  It has been said that good pitching beats good hitting and so on those days when the bats struggle it's the gloves that always need to be there in order to keep it close and avoid games like yesterday.  But the Beacons are still young and, with a lot of new pieces to the puzzle, Eygabroat will continue to shuffle the lineup in an attempt to find a consistent offense before returning to Beaconville, Massachusetts.  With two solid performances by Heefner and Cole to open the season, the pitching staff also seems on track to be able to shoulder some of the burden.

Back at it tomorrow with a double-dip versus Ripon College (oh no, Cheeseheads!!  ) and then Washington College.  Time to get back on track!

I do not want to start (or add to) a "war of words" as I did find humor in KSCfan's post.  I think KSCer has the right idea, however, in that in order to change or turn a program around, the first thing that needs to change is the attitude.  You need to expect to win every game and believe you can win every game if you are going to develop a winning program.  But, thank Goodness the Winning Fairy sprinkled some of her magic dust (a lot of it, too  ) on the Beacons because I don't think they could've done it without her!

That being said, I think the problem that most have with Howe's Hooters Homers is that you not only view and hold your program in higher regard than it should be (which you have every right to think so), but you turn your nose up at other programs and diminish current/recent success by toting your "glory days" of a few successful seasons....regular seasons.  Have you ever heard the phrase, "Don't forget where you came from?"  It was not all that long ago that your program was in the same boat as UMB or PSU, producing sub .500 records while Eastern and Southern dominated.  You have recently had your share of success (in the regular season) and strung a few winning seasons together, but that does not mean you are elite (you still HAVE NOT been to Appleton).

Coach Howe, again, has done a tremendous job with the program and does have 400 career wins under his belt, but I'm sure if you ask him he will be the first to tell you that there were "plenty of losses" during his 25-year tenure.  And, again, not to take anything away from Coach Howe, but 427 wins over 25 years is an average of 17 wins per year (gotta love that UMess Edu-mah-cation!).  The last few seasons have resulted in 20 and even 30-win seasons, so can you imagine the records before that? (UMess Edu-mah-cation apparently not that good!)

Believe me, I understand the pride and joy in knowing that your team or program or Alma mater is a dominant one, let alone a Championship one.  In case you forgot, I experienced the brief euphoria in 2010 watching the Beacons storm through the LEC tournament and then again through the Regionals in reaching the College World Series.  Although I seemed to upset a few of you and many of you deemed Jcon and myself crazy (for lack of choice words) for even predicting or "dreaming" of such a run, in no way did either of us compare our program to the level of ECSU or USM.  We did, however, take great pride in beating such programs en route to the CWS.  In fact, what probably upset most of you was our excitement and gloating and you probably felt like we were "turning our noses up at you" and, all those who were mad, definitely did not forget to remind us "where we came from."

It would obviously be nice, and an honor, to be compared to such a program (and not just in terms of wins and losses, we'll start with a field...still!), but such accolades are earned and not given.  Again, albeit a "brief" trip to Appleton, it was still a hard-earned trip to the CWS and it's something you cannot take away from our program no matter how much you depreciate or belittle it.  And, again, not to take anything away from Coach Howe, but it took Coach Eygabroat FIVE years to get to Wisconsin and without a field, facility or dorms (probably the most basic needs for a program aside from bats and balls).  So, if averaging 17 wins per year without a trip to the Big Dance gets you on the Mt. Rushmore of LEC coaches then chisel Eygabroat's melon right up next to the "Big Three."  (139 wins divided by 7 seasons at the helm = 19.85 wins per year + 1 LEC Title + 1 Regional Title + 1 "brief trip" to Wisconsin -1 home field/facility -1 dorms -1 for being a commuter school = granite profile <---- UMess Edu-mah-cation, again! 

So, congrats to the early successes of Plymouth State.  It takes a special group of guys (coaches and players alike) not just to have a magical season, but to help change the mindset and culture of a program.  Hopefully some day soon you, too, will be able to mention yourselves in the same breath as Howe's Hooters.  Not too soon though, as the Beacons are hoping to get there first and need a couple more World Series runs (and a field!) so that we can join such an elite class.

PS I hope I have yet to offend anyone as it's still early in the season and I am trying to act like we've been there before because, well, we have!    However, KSCfan, I'm astonished that, despite your cherished friendship with JCon, you risked your relationship with beloved Coach Howe to jump (albeit briefly) to the Panthers Posse but refused to join the Beacon Bandwagon in 2010!  If you're going to jump the sinking ship, wouldn't you want to join a program/team that has the experience of having been to the World Series before? 

"God watches over drunks and third basemen."  - Leo Durocher

The Hooters faithful, that's "whooo."  All that slapstick about how good KSC is and how they're better than UMB, psshhh!

By the way, since KSCFan's bold "Big Three" claim and Word's projected College World Series bid(s), the Hooters have not made much noise.  Tick-tock, tick-tock, Cinderella, the Apocalypse is gonna be here before the Hooter's CWS bid!  Again, Coach Howe has done an absolutely tremendous job with that program up in Hooterville, but Coach Eygabroat has done more, with less, and in less time.

Call it lightning in a bottle, call it luck, call it what you want, but they did WIN the Regional (in pretty convincing fashion) and they did make an appearance in Wisconsin.  And now look at their roster, the numbers go up to 45!  Say, I don't know, a handful or so years ago, there were teams of 15 or 16 players...and they still competed with, and beat, the "Big -- ", whoever in the Little East Conference.  But when it came to tourney time, the Beacons were just outnumbered.  Speaking of glory days, do you remember those "dominant" Hooter's days?  I wonder the size of those hoot -- errr -- rosters.

I know it's "unreasonable" to fathom the Beacons as a top LEC program, let alone better than KSC, but since those bold Hooter's predictions the CWS Scoreboard reads UMass Boston 1 - Keene State Hooters 0... gotta love when you can put that UMess Boston degree to use (Critical Thinking/Reasoning classes + JCon's Prophecy Program = UMB degree... Mans007 must have been a transfer)!

And, of course, best of luck to the boys down in Beaconville, Florida!

Speaking of hibernation, there's an old saying that it's best to let sleeping Beacons lie.  Since I'm awake I thought I'd stir it up a bit.  All this talk about KSC being a part of the "Big Three" is nonsense.  You continue to rip and bash on JCon for denouncing your "great program" but, again, you HAVE NOT been to a College World Series.  The Beacons have.  Bottom line.  Period.  You have come close...oh, so close, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

The UMass Boston Beacons, however, have won an LEC title, won a regional and been to a CWS!  Not to mention, they have done so without a baseball field, without dorms and Coach Eygabroat did it in his fourth year as Head Coach!  I agree that Coach Howe is a damn good coach, and view him as arguably the best in the LEC, but what Baseball Coach has done (could have done/can do) what Eygabroat has done at UMB?  Although they now have an improved practice facility, at an indoor facility in the neighborhood, he is still without a home field (at least one on/near campus).  While there have been many rumors and blueprints over the years, there finally seems to be a legitimate plan in place to build a baseball field/facility on campus for the 2013 season (assuming we make it through the Apocalypse).  Having heard such rumors and promises for the better part of the last decade, it is hard to believe, but if this finally happens - if UMass Boston and Coach Eygabroat finally get a baseball field, can you imagine?!?!  There will not even be a discussion about who the "Big Three" are... and Jcon will continue his prophecies! 

Quote from: wordsmith on January 27, 2009, 10:53:36 AM

Quote from: mans007 on January 27, 2009, 10:04:40 AM
KSCfan... I should not be suprised, you are a KSC fan, but... Be careful of the words you say..."time is the ultimate test of man" and three years does not a program make. I guess I will speak for the USM and ECSU fans when I say, it is absurd that you even make a comparison of KSU to the two other programs.  In Keene they talk about winning conference titles. At ECSU and USM they talk national titles. With six National Championships between these two teams it is a major disservice to even mention KSC in the same breath. I would go as far to say that UMassDartmouth has a better history then KSC (more regional appearences). So that being said, KSCfan i know your excited and you should be. But please, please, please don't compare the three programs. And just as a side note... I've been watching the LEC for as long as the LEC has had a baseball conference.

In the immortal words of Doc Holliday from the movie Tombstone (only the very best western of all time).

"I beg to differ. We started a game we never got to finish, play for blood, remember?" 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGpajGj07BU&feature=related

KSC has built a program over the past 6-8 years that has seen steady growth and improvement. Coaches have been made full-time, player recruitment has been emphasized, and the school, a recent Jostens winner (didn't see that on either TEE or USMuskies resume) http://www.keene.edu/kst/2005Fall/btw.cfm?I=11 has become a serious contender for talent throughout central and southern New England. I will also tell you that player and coaches alike from both TEE and the Muskies do not look forward to a trip to the Swamp. A split is often considered a successful trip and the emotional level it takes to play the Swampees is on par with a TEE-Muskie game. Over the past 4-5 years the three programs are quite even. IMHO

HOFEddy did not build his rep or success overnight, nor did Coach HolyWater. Coach Howe and Testosterone are well on their way to a WS bid in the next 2-3 years.

Word

It's 2012, what happened last year?!?  I must have blacked out after the 2010 New England Regional Championship and don't remember anything after that!

The hibernating slumber has done me well and would like to wish a belated adieu to the 2011 UMB Senior Class who lead by example and are the most talented class/group to have hallowed King Field (and others) in Beaconville.  But time moves on and it's time for another long awaited spring!

This year's Beacons are going to be an exciting group.  Don't let the seeming lack of experience fool you.  The underclassmen from the 2010 College World Series team are now upperclassmen.  And the recruiting class from that historic CWS run is now upon us!  We could be in for another spring of Beacon Fever!

Mark McCormack leads a very tight knit, hard working group of seniors.  While Walsh was a tremendous athlete who turned himself into a monster of a hitter and Conway was, well, God's Gift to UMB, McCormack may be the best all-around baseball player to have graced Beaconville.  It is not a coincidence that the Beacons' started shattering offensive records in 2009, McCormack's freshman year.  He is the spark/catalyst of the offense, patrols centerfield with grace and has a knack for the clutch.  The rest of the lineup will fall into place and follow suit with a talented group of hitters, but ultimately it is going to be their defense that is going to carry them back to the top.  Usually a strength of the Beacons, the gloves faltered a bit last year and even their explosive offense couldn't catch up.

Many of you have said that the Beacons' pitching staff is deep, but too young and inexperienced.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there's an old saying that you "can never have too much pitching."  The staff is anchored by Dan Heefner and Tom Cole, both of whom played major roles in anchoring the Beacons 2010 CWS bullpen.  This "problem" of Coach Eygabroat's seems to be a pretty good one to have, especially in that first week down in Florida.  Obviously most would rather have quality than quantity, but the ability to mix and match to "collect outs" will be there.  Coach E will also have a better idea of the quality of that quantity upon the Beacons return to Beantown.

And a belated Congratulations to Coach Eygabroat and UMB28 on the newest members of their respective families (and Beaconville)!  Be careful New England, the Beacons have not only colonized much of New England but are now reproducing!!

I guess I just don't get it.  It's ok for someone to enter a topic of conversation that he was/is not a part of and make a statement like that??  Really??  That is disgusting and to call Jcon out for defending, not only his team, but his friends is ridiculous.  We both get "warnings" or "bad karma" or whatever it is you call it for endlessly supporting our team and friends and you allow that kinda crap on your site?  Please re-post both of their statements and let everyone see them and let the fellow bloggers judge for themselves.

That was absolutely WRONG and should not be tolerated.  That's like supporting Don Imus' remarks about Rutgers' woman's basketball team or Rush Limbaugh's sports-related remarks and criticizing people for reacting/responding to such outlandish comments.  Please, dude, get off your high horse.

"Long overdue" is an understatement!  It's amazing that the Globe is located across the street from campus and finally caught wind of Beacon Fever after four months, two post-season tourney sweeps and, the day they leave for the World Series, finally publish an article!  It is beyond me how UMass Boston does not have a field for its baseball team with all the resources, amenities, and attractions from the city of Boston and the UMass community.  The athletic facilities provided for every athletic team at UMB are incredible (largest gym in the state, a hockey rink and softball field all that annually host HS state tournaments as well as NCAA tournaments) including the Olympic sized pool for....wait, there is no swim team!    Gotta love Beaconville!

Yeah there's a chip, not only on mine, but the Beacons' shoulders as well.  And there absolutely should be.

The Beacons just steamrolled both post-season tournaments with a few teams giving us a quick scare, but it turned out to be more of a wake up call.  They've heard, read, and played through all the BS thrown their way about how they weren't good enough or too fat or too short or too slow or too......old? 

That was beyond me.  Just because it got deleted does not mean that I, or others, did not see it.  The post by Fastball-Changeup, or whatever your name is, was the most degenerate thing I have ever seen.  The comments and statements made about the Beacons and their fans being "classless" is comical.  The trash is really starting to pile up and show itself.  We've never been there before, so I guess that's what happens when you get beat at your own game???  How does it feel.....clown??

You "stirred the soup" and look what happened - 8 in a row including an LEC and a Regional Championship.  Keep it coming boys because we see right through it.  The only thing that matters right now are the guys in that dugout and what they need to do to get their next win.

The Beacons have a chip on their shoulder a mile wide right now and with every right.  This isn't the "feel good story of the year" and they're no "Cinderella" because the Beacons KNOW they're not done yet.  The Beacons are just as good, if not better, than every team in this World Series and they know it.  How many kids actually play in the World Series annually?  Experience means nothing.  These kids know they are 4 wins away from a National Championship and nothing has/will stop them.  Keep hatin' on the Beacons, we'll see you on the Beacon Bandwagon at the end of the year....I guess that's what happens when you're on top.