BB: ASC: American Southwest Conference

Dawgsdad · February 27, 2009, 11:41:52 PM

Some quick notes from Seguin today.

It was hot 90+!! TLU won the first game of the series for the first time this year!

Top four of TLU's line up are still producing. 10 runs, 3 HR, 1 3B, and 3 2B between them. Farr (2) Macklin 1, 8 RBI and 3 HR between the 3 and 4 hole alone.

Other bright spots - Cody Miller cranked a 3 run shot with two outs in bottom of 3rd.

MC Hinson really didn't pitch all that bad - Hit hard by TLU's 1, 3, 4 and 5 hitters... MC also keep coming as the score would confirm!

Tomorrow will be a completely different day condition wise. Forecast to be in upper 50's low 60's and winds blowing 25 to 35 mph from the North...! Stay tuned...

dp643 · February 28, 2009, 10:01:43 AM

Its very early, and I am curious to see how today plays out with the windy conditions around the state. I am very surprised at how McMurry took it to Tyler's bullpen. Looks like I may have been wrong there, but then again it is only one game. I still think Tyler has the advantage, and Villade isnt afraid to go to his bullpen early if need be.

Will Booher be in control today will be the big question. If Tyler gets good production out of Booher and Holland, they should be in decent shape, but then again if Cody Curry is on it will be very interesting. If I remember correctly Curry is a ground ball pitcher so that should help.

Very tough to guage where the conference is right now. Ozarks has fallen off, and its hard to tell where UMHB fits into the mix as well. They have played a fairly tough schedule to date and have held on decently. TLU and Hardin Simmons are hard to figure out right now as well. Staggs didnt record an out yesterday in the first before being yanked.

Just_Some_Guy · February 28, 2009, 10:27:33 AM

So let's talk about some random stuff this morning:

Guys off to a great start offensively:
Tom Williams - CUA --> .524 avg, 14 R, 5 2B, 7 HR, 19 RBI
Cody Jones - ETBU --> .564 avg, 15 R, 6 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 10:4 BB/K
Joseph Villegas - UMHB --> .462 avg, 13 R, 2 3B, 9 RBI, 10:4 BB/K, 9-10 SB
Jake Mullin - McM --> .517 avg, 13 R, 3 2B
David Smith - Ozarks --> .450 avg, 19 R, 5 2B, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 10:4 BB/K, 5-6 SB
Javier Arrieta - Sul Ross --> .526 avg, 19 R, 7 2B, 6 HR, 17 RBI, 7-7 SB
Jeremy Harding - UT Tyler --> .565 avg, 12 R, 10 2B, 16 RBI
Chad Daleiden - UT Tyler --> .512 avg, 14 R, 14 RBI
Jared Hood - UT Tyler --> .500 avg, 17 R, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 11:5 BB/K
Kyle Harvey - TLU --> .532 avg, 18 R, 9 2B, 2 3B, 10 RBI, 9-9 SB
Jeremy Macklin - TLU --> .475 avg, 7 2B, 16 RBI

Now, there's certainly some guys that could be added to this list, but for the purpose of time, we'll start here (feel free to contribute others - as I know there will be others mentioned here when it's all said and done.) Obviously, these #'s probably aren't all that sustainable, particularly in terms of average. Ozarks Cory Briggs was the only guy to hit over .440 last year, but I will say, the pitching seems to be getting progressively worse in the ASC the last few years.

I think it's safe to say that Tom Williams, the pre-season offensive player of the year, can swing the stick and he'll be mentioned in this group when it's all said and done. Who else?

No reason to think Villegas won't be in the mix after an incredible year last year (.427, 21 2B, 8 HR, 44 RBI, 12-12 SB).

David Smith his over .400 last year, but this year people are taking notice because of the power surge. That said, I still think he's the second best hitter (behind Cameron) on that Eagle baseball team.

I like Arrieta; I think the kid can swing the stick. Unfortunately he's not surrounded by much. He was the only player on the Lobos who hit over .285 last year, so it will be tough to acquire many runs or RBIs.

So what about this trio of Tyler guys? Hood and Harding had very similar stat lines last year. Daleiden, little more pop, little less average. Harding's lack of BB/HBP suggests that he's a free swinger so anything north of .425 might be a stretch, but he's crushing 2Bs right now. I think they're all the real deal having played solid competition other than the 3-game stat padding session with Castleton. I think Hood's probably the best of the 3, and could definitely win the East POTY.

Macklin hit .409 and slugged .714 last year (17 2B, 6 3B, 6 HR) so I suspect he'll be in the mix in the end, and Harvey could be too. I think he strikes out a little much to flirt with .500, but I could see him settling in a shade over .400, and continuing to rack up extra-base hits and swipe bags.

Cody Jones had a good year last year, and the good BB/K ratio suggests he could swing for high average, but I think he'll settle in on the fringe once conference play starts. ETBU had a very soft schedule early on.

One thing about high averages is that they're usually accompanied by other notable statistics to suggest that player is that caliber of hitter. As a guy who saw 9 ABs last year, I'm thrilled to see Mullin off to a hot start for McM, but I don't think he'll hit .400, again, that's why they play the games though.

Just trying to keep the chatter up. Good luck to all the teams playing today!

JSG

Just_Some_Guy · February 28, 2009, 10:42:17 AM

Quote from: dp643 on February 28, 2009, 10:01:43 AM
Very tough to guage where the conference is right now. Ozarks has fallen off, and its hard to tell where UMHB fits into the mix as well. They have played a fairly tough schedule to date and have held on decently. TLU and Hardin Simmons are hard to figure out right now as well. Staggs didnt record an out yesterday in the first before being yanked.

Ozarks has indeed fallen off. Prior to the start of the year, I would've still guessed them for 2nd in the East (with Tyler running away with it mind you), but I guess I thought that Cameron and Koch would be serviceable on the mound again and that someone could plug the hole left by Dixon.

Also, their offense went about 7-deep with guys that were really swinging the stick, this year they're looking at 5 max. That makes a difference, and losing guys that are leaders like Finnell and Glenn can be a hit, if new seniors aren't capable of stepping up to assume that role.

UMHB has faced a tough schedule so it will be interesting to see how they settle in during ASC play. I still think the West is a five-headed monster again this year. UMHB has to find a 3rd starter that they can count on (whether that's Henderson or Hawkins). A SR vs. FR, I always liked that dynamic. Also, who's going to help out of the pen aside from VanHoozer, the FR from Salado?

Garza is a solid pitcher, but they have to be careful not to ride him too hard if they want him ready for the ASC tourney. They'll miss Froeschl and I don't envision anyone filling that role, and they'll miss the power provided by Reinlie in the middle. I'm still trying to figure out how Pena hit 10 HRs last year. And maybe they don't get that power back, but guys like Fredrick, Moreau, Praeger and Lynn (or a combination of the 4) will have to swing it well.

I'll save TLU and Hardin-Simmons for another time.

JSG

dp643 · February 28, 2009, 11:04:26 AM

I agree its going to be a very tough west division this year. Concordia definitely has to have the upper hand going into the start of it with Johnson and their offense. McMurry is definitely showing they are still possibly the team to beat as well. Derrick is another name of players you can add to that list. He can flat out hit. Franco has been off to a slow start but you have to assume he will bounce back which still makes that a very good lineup. UMHB, Hardin-Simmons, and TLU are all in the same boat, as we dont have much of an idea on what to expect on a week to week basis.

UMHB has a young team, and have replaced Froeschl and Reinlie with freshman essentially. They have been playing pretty well thus far, against some good competition which is encouraging. Volz has started off slow too, and he should bounce back and that will be big for Villegas. Remember Volz hit .400 last year with 26 doubles, so expect him to bounce back big in the next couple of weeks. With Volz, White, Villegas in the outfield....I think they can matchup defensively with anyone. Garza, Hopper will anchor that staff and that should keep them in good shape. Ethan Henderson pitched VERY well against UT Tyler. If I were a betting man I would say he is the third starter, and Hawkins will come out of the pen.

All that aside, I still think its hard to see where they fit in this mix. I could seriously see them anywhere from first to 5, depending upon the productivity out of some of the younger guys.

Ralph Turner · February 28, 2009, 11:12:54 AM

http://www.wunderground.com/severe.asp

That link changes to meet weather predictions, but right now, there is a high wind advisory for the ASC!

Let's not put too much emphasis on today's scores.

dp643 · February 28, 2009, 11:31:38 AM

Ground Ball pitchers have a big advantage today, thats for sure. Wind will be blowing straight in at UMHB.

Just_Some_Guy · February 28, 2009, 04:05:38 PM

Texas Lutheran 17 - Miss Coll 7

WP: Brad Orosey (3-0) - 7 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 3 SO
LP: Jack Craven (2-1) - 3 IP, 10 H, 12 R, 12 ER, 4 BB, 4 SO

TLU:
Kyle Harvey 2-2, 4 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 3-3 SB
Jeremy Macklin 3-3, 4 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI

( I know Drew Farr also left the yard for the Bulldogs. Stats refreshed for 2nd game before I could pull anymore.)

Miss:
Chase Herrin 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B
Andy Smith 1-2, 2 R, 1 BB
Brannon Walls 2 R, 2 RBI

JSG

yuckmonkey · February 28, 2009, 04:24:15 PM

mcm winds(play on words) 7 inning game, 4-3 no details

dp643 · February 28, 2009, 04:42:43 PM

All I can say is WOW. This is going to be a crazy year in ASC both east and west.

One thing to ponder for a while is that the east #1 hosts the second round of the conference tourney this year. That could be a plus for Tyler

yuckmonkey · February 28, 2009, 05:09:51 PM

Abilene update - bottom of 2nd utt 4 mcm 1 still no details. statman may be at the basketball playoff game

indian4life · February 28, 2009, 06:39:18 PM

Statman is at the bball game today

5-5 top of 7th in abilene. McM I know had a chance in the 6th with runners on first and second with no outs and UTT picked the guy off second. That was the last play i heard but somhow they scraped another run out of the deal. Martin still in for McM and Zigler on the mound for UTT.

mcmguy19 · February 28, 2009, 06:56:21 PM

Top 8 6-5 UTT

Ralph Turner · February 28, 2009, 07:47:06 PM

Quote from: mcmguy19 on February 28, 2009, 06:56:21 PM
Top 8 6-5 UTT

Final UTT 8 McM 5 in the second game.

No box score available.

TexasBB · February 28, 2009, 08:03:05 PM

So McM wins 2 out of 3 all pretty good games. This was the first road trip for UTT and they had to do it against a good openent. Not the results they wanted but something to build on. McM has to be happy with the result. UTT needs to learn from this. As I said in an earlier post although this was interesting it is what happens in May that counts. I expect UTT to win the East and host the conference tournament. Home cooking is always more conducive to winning than staying in a hotel and being on the road. The bus ride home will not be as bad since they salvaged the last game. Congrats to McM they have proven this weekend that they have a quality team and should be considered the team to beat in the West.