BB: ASC: American Southwest Conference

[Patriotfan87]

UTT takes game one in Pineville vs. La. College to win the ASC East!! 8-7 in 11 innings.

[TexasBB]

Way to go UTT - 8th East Division Title since 2005.

[TexasBB]

UTT had a let down today after clinching the East Division Championship yesterday dropping both games of the double header. They finish the regular season 30-10. La College secured the # 2 East position and a home field in the first round of the best of 3 playoffs next week.

[Just_Some_Guy]

Round 1 of ASC Conference Tournament (bolded team hosts):
#1 UT Tyler vs. #4 Hardin-Simmons
#1 Texas Lutheran vs. #4 East Texas Baptist
#2 Louisiana College vs. #3 Mary-Hardin Baylor
#2 Concordia vs. #3 UT-Dallas

The winners from the four, best-of-three series will advance to the championship round, a double-elimination format to be held May 5-7 at the site of the top remaining East Division seed.

According the to the ASC website: "The West Division has produced the ASC champion 13 times. The only East teams to prevail were Mississippi College in 2003 and Texas-Tyler in 2009-10."

JSG

[TexasBB]

Ok, time for speculation. Despite the history of overall West Div dominance, I am picking 3 teams out of the East to advance to the double ellimination round.

1. UTT over Hardin-Simmons
2. Texas Lutheran over East Texas Babtist
3. Louisiana College over Mary Hardin Baylor
4 minor upset UT Dallas over Concordia

TexasBB

[Just_Some_Guy]

I think anything can happen. My predictions probably mirror yours, but I think that only La College over UMHB feels like a sure thing.

JSG

[CrashDavisD3]

Big upset prediction...Concordia wins it all and gets to play and host....

[TexasBB]

Big upset prediction...Concordia wins it all and gets to play and host....

Now that is going out on a limb!! This is fun!

[Just_Some_Guy]

Big upset prediction...Concordia wins it all and gets to play and host....

Now that is going out on a limb!! This is fun!

This is what I said pretty early on in the year re: Concordia:

Concordia - They've struggled to replace some guys from the top of their rotation last year, seem to be a bit weaker at the plate, have already matched their loss total from last year, lost all 4 in the Desert classic and got swept by UTD. I still wouldn't be surprised if they won the ASC tournament.

I think their series with UTD is going to be compelling, especially since UTD swept them earlier this season. I'm more reluctant to pick CTX now because I just don't think they have the propensity to slug their way to a win should a guy like Weinschenk have a rough outing. I think those top 3-4 arms are pretty solid, but so are UTD's. Campbell emerged midway through the season as a great addition to their weekend rotation and Dallas is tough, though I'm wondering if he's suffering from a bit of fatigue as the 2nd half of his season wasn't nearly as stellar as the first.

Should be an evenly matched series.

JSG

[TexasBB]

With the league shrinking to 11 teams, I would not be surprised if the # of teams invited to play in the conference tournament shrinks as well.  I can see a 6 team tournament with the top seeds in each division getting a Bye in the first round with the #2 and #3 teams from each division playing a best of 3.  Then winners of those games would join the two #1 seeds in the double ellimination round the following week. So the general format would stay the same but with 2 fewer teams involved.

TexasBB

[Ralph Turner]

With the league shrinking to 11 teams, I would not be surprised if the # of teams invited to play in the conference tournament shrinks as well.  I can see a 6 team tournament with the top seeds in each division getting a Bye in the first round with the #2 and #3 teams from each division playing a best of 3.  Then winners of those games would join the two #1 seeds in the double ellimination round the following week. So the general format would stay the same but with 2 fewer teams involved.

TexasBB

If you are the #1 and #2 seeds, do you really want 12 days off at the end of the regular season before your first tourney game? 

I think that I would rather have #1 vs #8 (and #2 vs #7), a very winnable game that allows you to increase the winning percentage by going 2-0. You also get the playoff butterflies out of the way with "post-season tourney wins".  You may even get some PT for some younger players if you have a blowout.

I think that I might like to have a 6-team double elimination tourney.  Having the missed class time over 4-days instead of three might be a problem, but it would simulate the Regional and favor the stronger pitching staffs.

It would also allow the regular season to extend deeper into the semester, (unless that interfered with final exams.)

[Teddy_Ballgame]

I'm bringing this over from the west region board to get some clarification regarding the ASC tournament format-

For the double elimination round in the ASC tournament seeding is determined by the highest remaining seeds that won in the first round. So if both #1 seeds advance they will play the lower seed. In this case if UTT and Tex Lu both win the first round UTT would play the lowest seeded remaining team since it is the host school.

Got it. So UTT would be the quasi top overall seed.

And I know this is relatively minor, but say both #2 seeds make it along with both #1's. I imagine UTT would play CTX. But there are a few possible reasons I can come up with to support that. First, to maintain a cross-division 1 vs 2, as opposed to playing a same-division Louisiana team. Or second because CTX had a worse conference record and thus would be the "lower seed." Or third, that since the East is hosting, all east teams are seeded higher than their west counterparts. Any of these the real reason, or am I wrong entirely?

Also, if UTT were to lose and both TLU and Louisiana win- Louisiana would host. But would they also get to play the lowest remaining seed (in this case it would be Hardin Simmons), or would TLU get to?

This conference tournament is a lot to try and wrap my head around... thanks in advance for your patience!

OH and for the heck of it, my completely uneducated, unsolicited predictions:
UTT over Hardin Simmons in 2
TLU over East Texas Baptist in 2
Louisiana over Mary Hardin Baylor in 2
Concordia over UT Dallas in 3

And Louisiana is my dark horse to win it all...

[TexasBB]

Here is the link to the brackets as published by the ASC

http://www.ascsports.org/documents/2013/4/21/ASCbaseballchamp13_bracket.pdf

The pairings are already set for the second round who plays who is determined by the firts round winners. Assumptions that the top 2 seeds was factored into that initial pairing.

[Teddy_Ballgame]

Here is the link to the brackets as published by the ASC

http://www.ascsports.org/documents/2013/4/21/ASCbaseballchamp13_bracket.pdf

The pairings are already set for the second round who plays who is determined by the firts round winners. Assumptions that the top 2 seeds was factored into that initial pairing.

I see! Well that takes the fun out of it! Much appreciated, though, and if I had Karma to give I certainly would throw it your way.

[Just_Some_Guy]

Texas Lutheran just won the 1st game of the ASC tournament against ETBU 3-0.

Jeff Spillane throws a complete game, 4 hits, 10 K's.

The other ASC games kick off tonight at 6:00pm.

JSG