BB: ASC: American Southwest Conference

[Ralph Turner]

McM leads CTX 11-0 going to the bottom of the 4th.    Riggles relieved Johnson in the 3rd after Johnson gave up 7 runs, 3 earned for CTX.  Alvarado relieved Riggles after giving up 4 runs and one out. 

Curry has gone 4 innings of scoreless pitching for McM.

(Great videostream!)

McM 20-0 end of 4 and Leon Rollins, Jr the McMurry announcer called a grand slam HR.

HPU leads HSU 9-5, HSU batting in the bottom of the 4th.

UMHB is up 13-4 on Schreiner after 6; now Final 13-4 UMHB.

HPU is up 11-6 on HSU in the top of the 6th.

[dp643]

Johnson got hosed in the Derrick at bat in the first, and looked to get flustered and could never recover. McMurry should is swinging the bats well.

[Ralph Turner]

Johnson got hosed in the Derrick at bat in the first, and looked to get flustered and could never recover. McMurry should is swinging the bats well.

I appreciate your comment.  That being the case, then a pitcher going to the next level should not be flustered by that at-bat.

McMurry is up 23-0 in the bottom of the 5th.  They have hit 7 HRs and 23 hits.

HPU up 13-9 in the bottom of the 6th at HSU.
The Cowboys have scored 3 and have runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs.

[dp643]

I agree Ralph, I think it just frustration that is being built up. Game three will be for their season, because if they get swept there is very little chance even 6 wins in a row gets them in the conference tourney.

[Ralph Turner]

HPU and HU are tied at 15 going to the bottom of the 7th.

McM final 24-2.  Curry gets the win.  Zach Hewitt pitched the 7th for the McM's.

Schreiner is up 5-2 in the bottom of the 2nd in Belton.  Matt Valley is one the mound for SU.

[Just_Some_Guy]

ETBU has had a serious downward trend in their team since 2005.  That year, i believe they won the east side and hosted the tournament, only to lose the championship to TLU.  I forgot who their coach was then, but he ended up leaving after that season, and the team hasnt been very competitive since.  It is sad to see a program tank like that and it really hurts the ASC east when one of the teams that was competitive just drops out basically. 

If I'm not mistaken, that entire ordeal was a complete circus. The ENTIRE team (I want to say at least 7 of the 9 starters) quit on the coach. The AD in a touch position more or less had to back his coach, and a handful of the players hung around to finish the season when it was all said and done, but by then the damage had been done.

Their nucleus for the following year was gone, they had an awful year and then your recruiting goes to shambles. There's some solid high school baseball played in that region of East Texas, but you have to think that a lot of those guys go to schools like Stephen F. Austin (a relatively new program as well), UT Tyler, etc.

There's a reason that the last 4-5 years you've seen the same teams near the top every year. Once you're not of of those tough teams it's tough to recruit to expensive private schools (and I don't know what the tuition and enrollment factors are at ETBU).

You have to be able to find a couple of diamonds in the rough in the same year, and hope it comes together and you make a push (getting new facilities can help) so that you have momentum to keep getting players. And the bottom line it's tough (and the team ERAs reflect this) to find quality arms in D3 baseball in the ASC these days.

JSG

[TexasBB]

UT Tyler won the east in 2005 but since they were a provisional member could not participate in the conference tourney they were 30-7 that year and had the overall best record in the West Region. ETBU along with MC and UTD were good then. Since UTT could not participate ETBU was the east divsion 1st place seed. In 2007 UTT again won the east this time with a 37-1 record the best record in all of DIV III but once again they were still a provisional member and UTD was given the #1 seed. UTD went on as a Pool A selection to go to the regionals that year. Last year was the first time UTT was NCAA III full member and allowed to participate in post season play. On that 2005 team they had 7 players that went on to play minor league ball (of those 4 were pitchers) and one that was later drafted (Tim Matthews) who transfered to Baylor after an outstanding freshman year with the Patriots. They had 4 quality starters that year and a tough closer. They also had a power packed hitting  team. There one weakness was defense as they made too many errors.

By the way UTT is on the verge of sweep of LTU they won the front end of the double header 5-1 and are leading the second game in the bottom of the 6th 6-1.

[Ralph Turner]

HSU 16, HPU 15  (9 innings)

HSU-HPU tied at 4 in the 4th inning.

CTX leads McM 8-5 after the 8th.

Final McM 9 CTX 8.

Tre Lips hit a bases loaded double to win the game in a 4-run 9th.

The wheels just came off the CTX wagon.  I can't say anything else.

Schreiner is up 10-7 in the bottom of the 11th.  UMHB has the bases loaded.  Schreiner gets out of the inning with a SAC FLY and a game-ending DP  Final Schreiner 10-8!

TLU swept the DH 8-5, 9-2 over SRSU.

In the bottom of the 8th, Dixon doubles home Roam. HSU wins 5-4.

[TexasBB]

UTT sweeps its series agaist LTU to go to 9-2 in the east and 26-6 overall
MC is on the verge of sweep with ETBU  winning the front end of the double header 15-8 if they win the night cap they will stay just one game back at 8-3 in the east. That would set up a the final weekend series at UTT for the championship if both teams keep winning. A big series for MC as next week as they host Ozarks.
Ozarks swept LC which to me at least was a surpise winining 5-4 and 9-8 in two very close games in Arkansas. They go to 9-6 in the east and take over 3rd. 
UTD had a bye this week and are 4th at 6-6. They finish at home with LTU then close out at ETBU. Thus the schedule favors them to move up.
LC falls back 4-8 and must host UTT next week. So they look to be on the verge of ellimination from the conference tournament they have a bye next week.
LTU is out of the running.

[Ralph Turner]

1.     Texas Lutheran       11-4     22-11        Schreiner, at HSU
2T    Hardin-Simmons       10-5    19-13        at SRSU, TLU
2T     McMurry                10-5    19-12       at HPU , SRSU
4.    Mary Hardin-Baylor    9-6    18-12             at CTX, HPU
5.     Schreiner               7-8     14-16          at TLU, CTX
6T    Howard Payne         5-10    12-18           McM, at UMHB
6T    Concordia               5-10    14-16           UMHB, at SCHR
8.    Sul Ross State         3-12    4-29            HSU, at McM

[d3ballplayerfan]

My brother played for the former ETBU coach (Riggs) when he was a JUCO coach at Tyler, so I want to set the record straight.  What happened at ETBU in 2006 was that one of the 2005 seniors, who was helping out as a volunteer assistant, fired up some of his buddies to mutiny against Coach Riggs, thinking he could get the job.  Most of the key players, except for their All-Region 1B, quit in hopes that the AD would actually listen to them and fire Coach Riggs.  The AD backed his coach, and the Coach resigned after the season.  The players that quit, many of whom still had a year or two left of eligibility, were going to return until Blackmon was hired and apparently told them they were not welcome.  Which I can understand.  The problem is that the AD made a bad hire.  Blackmon might be a decent baseball guy, but if you look at his track record at UD and ETBU both teams have fallen off once the previous coach's impact is no longer felt.   Vilade left him a gold mine at UD and he competed for awhile, but the team went backwards. 

Being a former college player, and having two brothers that were, I know how important coaches are.  I believe that the ASC schools (just like the NCAC schools up here) that win are the schools with the best coaches.  Between recruiting, keeping players focused off the field, and everything else involved, the coach makes or breaks the program.  I think that more young guys should be given a shot from time to time, because I believe that if a coach can't build a winner he should find another job.

[Ralph Turner]

Welcome to the boards, d3ballplayerfan!

[Just_Some_Guy]

What happened at ETBU in 2006 was that one of the 2005 seniors, who was helping out as a volunteer assistant, fired up some of his buddies to mutiny against Coach Riggs, thinking he could get the job.  Most of the key players, except for their All-Region 1B, quit in hopes that the AD would actually listen to them and fire Coach Riggs. 

I suspect you know a lot more about this than I do, but college baseball players playing at the division III level are typically playing because they love the game. I can't fathom a volunteer assistant getting "most of the key players," to mutiny against the coach (and consequently quitting.)

I think there's more to the story, and I think Riggs had to be doing some things that were obviously driving a wedge between himself and the team.

I mean, for a player or two maybe, but nearly an entire starting roster? Someone doesn't stand up and stay, look your our boy, but you're out of our mind. We're going to either A.) All go talk to the coach and tell him his approach isn't resonating with us (very doubtful) or B.) Bitch about him in the lockerroom, but endure and keep playing the game (Has to be the case 95%+ of the time.)

I personally think you're putting a little too much emphasis on the coaching. Who would be more successful, a great coach in Sul Ross or a really good one at UT Tyler? The difference in location, admission standards, tuition costs, etc. All of these things play a factor as well.

Great coaches can find ways to win games, and poor coaches can lose games, but typically coaches can't put on cleats and toe the rubber.

JSG

[d3ballplayerfan]

Actually, I believe a good coach would win ASC titles at Sul Ross.  They have all of west Texas to recruit alone.  They could have a lineup full of guys like Arietta.  Actually, they did.  In 1999 they led the nation in hitting and won the ASC.  Sul Ross has serious advantages that a good coach would take advantage of, they just are guilty of terrible hires as well.  Vilade would have just as good of a team at Sul Ross as he does at Tyler, and that is true.  Actually, when it comes to conference titles in the last 15 years, Sul Ross 2, UTT none, though to be fair they are just getting started.

[TexasBB]

Vilade is a good coach but his real skill is in recruiting. He has great interpersonal skills and can communicate with parents as well as the players. Alot of people dismiss UTT success because it is a public univesity with less expensive tuition and somewhat lighter admission standards than some private schools. But they forget that he had great teams bulit from scratch at UD which is private, expensive and very exlusive. He built both teams from scratch littarly they had no baseball field on either campus at the start and in the case of UTT were on NCAA probation and could not compete in post season for 3 years. Despite that he recruited great players and they won the ASC east in 2005 with a 30-7 record in only their second year of existence. My son was one of those and a top level pitcher for Vilade that went on to a brief pro carreer. He had turned down UTD to go to UTT even though he and I knew the lack of field and lack of post season play. Why did he go because of James and the knoweldge that James could get him to the next level if he was willing to work for it. He placed his players in very good summer progarms on the east coast, the Texas league and the CICL. They got to compete and in my sons case made the all-star teams in those leagues both years Vilade placed him. That made him a better pitcher - facing DI and DII talent and getting them out. And insofar as the school is concerned my son went back after his brief pro carreer to UTT to get his MBA. That is an advantage as most of the liberal arts colleges do not have post grad programs. Stan Phelps who pitched with my son on the 2004 and 2005 also has a masters from UTT.  (I bristle when I hear disparaging remarks about the university. They are going through a massive building campaign and have expanded their business school and School of engineering just to name a couple. - by the way how many engineers are graduating from the other non-public universities - UTD and UTT are the only ones I know have such programs.)

Vilade thus worked tirelessly. So it makes a huge difference in who is running the program. Time will tell now that Diggers is gone what that means to McMurry.

Vilade left UD because they told him one thing then pulled the rug out and said he would not get his stadium and they were going to leave the ASC and go independent. He did not see the commitment from the school to advance the program. He has that commitment at UTT and he is making it pay. So you need a great recruiter that knows how to coach not a great coach who is just a so so recruiter. The coach has to have great interpesonal skills to not only recruit but make the administration understand what he is trying to accomplish and he must have a plan. The admin of the school must be on board and support him. This is not easy at a small private institution that does not have the same vision insofar as importance of intercollegiate sports in the university's budget scheme. UD had different priorities and thus Vilade and the admin parted ways. After he left the new coach had less support from the university and program eventually driffted to mediocre. I don't know the facts at ETBU but the coach they hired from UD was not a Vilade.

Could Vilade win at SUL Ros, yes but only if the University supported him. He can't recruit withhout their support. Alot of the players he recruits may need financial aid - will the university suport that effort? Will they upgrade facilities including practice fields, locker rooms, wheight training. Will they be willing to pay for the team to travel to play good opponents. So many issues that make a good program.

Texas BB