BB: ASC: American Southwest Conference

[fungoman]

Been really busy at work lately and haven't had a chance to post. You are right Ralph....Let, and Dallas are nothing to brag about although the pitching for Tyler has been outstanding. Those margins no matter who you are playing are impressive.

Have the Concordia folk gone into hiding again? Computers must have broken down again!!! Hate it when that happens!!

Some interesting mathups this weekend on both sides of the division. Top 4 teams will duke it out in the east, while in the west the Concordia/UMHB series and the Mcmurry/HPU series will have huge playoff implications.

What are everyone's predictions for this weekend?

[Ralph Turner]

McMurry needs a sweep over HPU.

McMurry needs CTX to fight for their "playoff lives" and win at least 2 of three.

UOz and UT-Tyler win 2 of 3 in their series.

[CUAfan]

My picks for this weekend. Last week I went 15-6, which over the last 3 weekends puts me at 49-14.

Texas-Tyler sweeps Louisiana College
McMurry sweeps Howard Payne
Texas-Dallas takes 2 from LeTourneau
Texas Lutheran takes 2 from Schreiner
Ozarks takes 2 from Mississippi College
Mary Hardin-Baylor takes 2 from Concordia-Texas
Hardin-Simmons sweeps Sul Ross State

[doctor K]

I posted some of this on the national page but thought I should put it here too.

TexasBB-   I understand your questions on why the entire ASC is ranked below 20 is one simple thing.  The ABCA's #1 criteria is reputation.  I might be wrong here but the only TX school to ever made it to the World Series is Concordia in 2003 (not positive about the year, just a guess).  Every single year Trinity is always ranked high and they flame out in the regional.  Same with TLU.  I am not bashing the ASC at all because I know there is a lot of great baseball being played out there, but until those teams can make it to the World Series the rest of the coaches around the country will put them lower in the rankings.

All that being said.......I think this is the year Chapman gets knocked off the top of the Western Region mountain.  I am sure people will think I am crazy for this but I will explain.  I think it all comes down to one simple thing:  Chapman's pitching is not as good and deep as it has been in the past.  In 25 games, 22 of them have been started by the same three pitchers.  Chapman often has the luxury of matching up their top guys with everyone elses #4-5, but thats a whole different post.  Sigman and Clear have done a pretty good job of beating teams and Kitchens seems to be back in top form.  After those three you only have 2 guys that have thrown more than 10 innings and one fo them is the closer who has 33 innings.  I will stop rambling on now but you have to win 4 games to win a 6 team regional.  I just don't see Chapman having the arms to do it.

Now with all that said there is one factor that you seem to forget and that is the offense! This year Chapmans offense has improved due to the addition of Coach Koosed, he has done things with this offense that in the past couple of years the Panthers have had the misfortune of lacking, that is run support. If you give a pitcher run support he can be more aggressive on the hill, not only does your defense play better but your pitcher has more confidence when he goes on the mound after every half inning, with his offense scoring 1,2,3,4 runs for you. Last year they had great pitching from Kitchens and Drag and held teams to 1,2,3 or 4 runs per game, if there were more runs than that scored they seemed to rise to the occasion and score just enough runs to win. But this year it is different and yes you have your big dogs in Kitchens and Yacko which you know that you can count on, but also remember that Kitchens pitched in 1 inning the first game of the season and was out for the next month, he has only 3 wins this year compared to Clear with 6 I believe and Sigman with 7 and some guy named Yacko with 4, so out of all the wins in 25 games they have won with pretty much the same couple of guys, Sigman and Clear, and Yacko.They also had the advantage of run support, which in my humble opinion is one of just a few reason's for Chapman's success this year.
           With all that said the GREAT thing about baseball is that until the last out is recorded, it doesn't matter what the critics say or what the stats say or how many blogs are posted on bulletin boards, there will always variables such as the game still has to be played!! And anything can happen on any given day.

[TexasBB]

Ralph I could have added that durring UTTs 7 game wininging steak they also beat HSU 17-6 but I only went back 4 games.  The point is that they continue to pitch well and their bats have really woken up. Granted the HSU game was a mid week afair when each team was throwing thier #4 starters but still 17 runs is smaking the ball against a team that is still in the hunt in the west. UD was 18-10 before this last game so they are not chump change although I will admit that they are not a quality progam and most of their wins have came against relatively weak competition. Still you have to score runs and pitch have way decent to win 18. So loosing to UTT 15-0 says something.  I guess I am still fuming that ABACA has them ranked 23rd.

[Ralph Turner]

Ralph I could have added that during UTTs 7 game winning steak they also beat HSU 17-6 but I only went back 4 games.  The point is that they continue to pitch well and their bats have really woken up. Granted the HSU game was a mid week affair when each team was throwing thier #4 starters but still 17 runs is smacking the ball against a team that is still in the hunt in the west. UD was 18-10 before this last game so they are not chump change although I will admit that they are not a quality program and most of their wins have came against relatively weak competition. Still you have to score runs and pitch have way decent to win 18. So loosing to UTT 15-0 says something.  I guess I am still fuming that ABCA has them ranked 23rd.

Texas BB, I think that you are modifying your comments appropriately.  I am not downplaying UTT.  I think that they deserve their #8 ranking.

For comparison, the UTT win over HSU 17-6 in mid-week tells me that UTT has more depth than HSU.

UDallas' 18-10 is a bit misleading.  Here is UDallas' season.

Hendrix 3-0 ... not as strong as UDallas would like. (Hendrix is 13-23 with 9 wins coming vs weak opposition.)
HPU  2-0    ... good wins
ETBU 0-1   ... !!!
Castleton ST Vermont 3-0 ... snow bird on spring training trip.
Wabash 1-1...........................ditto
LeTU  1-2       !!!

Florida Trip (Everyone else is using this as a spring training trip.  UDallas has played 14 games by now.)
--St Norbert Iowa 0-2
--Framingham State MA 1-0
--Carthage IL  0-2
--St Norbert Iowa  0-1

Robert Morris -- Springfield IL (USCAA) 4-0

HPU 1-1  (Mid-week DH)
U Chicago 2-0  (only the 7th and 8th games of the year for UC
UTT 0-1

I agree that #23 is too low.  So we just have to watch how they do. 

[Ralph Turner]

A "baseball guy" whom I greatly respect makes several points (in an email discussion with me) in reviewing the UT-Tyler season.

Here is a record to throw out there as well.  The Patriots are only 8-5 against Division III teams with a winning record.  (Corrections appreciated.)

2-1 against Ozarks
2-1 against Concordia
2-1 against UT-Dallas
1-1 against HSU
1-0 against Dallas 
0-1 against McMurry

And, 19 of their wins are against teams that are five or more games under .500.

If the ASC-West is a knock-down drag-out conference of good quality, then we are seeing that.  Otherwise, that is not a good resume for getting into the post-season without a Pool A, i.e., trying to get a Pool C bid.

(I find that UDallas' is 18-11 on the season, but the West Region record is only 10-10.)

[TexasBB]

Ralph those are interesting facts I  do note that two of the UTT losses (McMurry and HSU) happened in the Abeline early season tournament and UTT did not do well there. They had blown leads and there pitching then was not good. They had to come from behind to beat ETTA (I assume your baseball guy is Spence). What they are doing more recently though is impressive and they may be peaking at the right time. 

Having said that this UTT team has chinks in the armor as I have pointed out before and they have had the good luck of playing in a much weaker Eastern Division.  I looked at UMHB from the same vantage point as your baseball expert and find they are 11-5 against teams with a winning record although they did loose 2 out of 3 to Ozarks. They also played some weak non conference games against teams like SAGU and Texas College but did sweep 3 from Trinity who on paper anyway has a 24-10 record but is playing in a much weaker conference.

The West ASC is no doubt a stronger division and having to play tough teams every weekend (with the exc ;)eption of SR and Shreiner) should help all of the qualifiyers to the Confernce Tournament. 

[Jack Parkman]

Here is a question someone on here might be able to answer.  Why in the world did Concordia change from CUA to CTX?

[mcm_sid]

Because they are relocating to Round Rock, and there are at least two more DIII Concordia Universities - so it will help further distinguish them.

[CUAfan]

Actually, I think the move is to Cedar Park, but that's really just splitting hairs.

[Ralph Turner]

CUA 8, UMHB 2

Clutch win by the Tornadoes!

I predict that 2 CTX wins in this series will make this the series that ultimately clinches a playoff spot.

[Ralph Turner]

UMHB sweeps a DH from Trinity on Tuesday night!

This is a great series for the Cru in trying to move up in the regional rankings.

[Ralph Turner]

Update -- McM 3, HPU 3, going to the bottom of the seventh.  Loving has a solo HR off Johnston in the 5th; Leftwich has a solo HR in the 7th.

Tied at 3; going to the 10th.

McM-- Wood in relief for starting pitcher Clint Johnston.

[PeytonLow]

Friday's Final
UT Tyler........7
La. College...3