BB: ASC: American Southwest Conference

[TexasBB]

BigPoppa,

I agree with your assessment that the ASC is finally beiing looked at with favor by coaches and others outside of the the West Region.  Why that it I don't know. Perhaps it has something to do with teams that play in Abeline like last year when Marrietta came away from the spring trip badley bruised. I am not sure why but am gratefull for the recognition. What the ASC badly needs is to convert the recognition into results by getting a team into the final 4, or better yet, actually winning a national championship.

TexasBB

[baseballfan24]

Texas BB- How's CTX's pitching compare to UTT's? Hard for me to tell about UTT, only seen them against weaker teams.

The State rankings from the ASC website going into this weekend for pitching are as follows (top 5):

All Games                          Conference Only
UTT       3.67                      UTT       3.80     
UMHB    4.66                      TLU       3.87
CTX       5.01                      UMHB    3.91
TLU       5.17                       CTX      4.05
MCM     5.66                       UTD      4.26


Much has been said without support that UTT played a weak shcedule. According to Boyds World UTT has the 21st toughest schedule out of over 250 DIII teams here is how the top 5 ranked schools of the ASC are listed.

http://www.boydsworld.com/baseball/isr/d3_isr.html


UTT    Rank 4      SOS 21
HSU   Rank 24    SOS 24
UMHB Rank 30    SOS 19
TLU    Rank 37    SOS 40
McM   Rank 49    SOS 12

UTT won 6 out of 8 from the other top 4 ranked ASC teams (swept 3 form UMHB swept 2 from HSU and lost 2 out of 3 to McM) The also lost to Concordia at the begining of the season but their record against the West is a respectible 6-3.

I can't understand why Boyd would have UMHB ahead of TLU or McMurry.  That doesn't make much sense to me.  UMHB played the southwest assemblies of god twice this year.  That team is not very talented.  They have a worse record than both TLU and McMurry, and I don't believe they play a tougher schedule.  I don't know how much stock I put into Boyd's World.  Just my opinion.

[BigPoppa]

Texas BB- How's CTX's pitching compare to UTT's? Hard for me to tell about UTT, only seen them against weaker teams.

The State rankings from the ASC website going into this weekend for pitching are as follows (top 5):

All Games                          Conference Only
UTT       3.67                      UTT       3.80     
UMHB    4.66                      TLU       3.87
CTX       5.01                      UMHB    3.91
TLU       5.17                       CTX      4.05
MCM     5.66                       UTD      4.26


Much has been said without support that UTT played a weak shcedule. According to Boyds World UTT has the 21st toughest schedule out of over 250 DIII teams here is how the top 5 ranked schools of the ASC are listed.

http://www.boydsworld.com/baseball/isr/d3_isr.html


UTT    Rank 4      SOS 21
HSU   Rank 24    SOS 24
UMHB Rank 30    SOS 19
TLU    Rank 37    SOS 40
McM   Rank 49    SOS 12

UTT won 6 out of 8 from the other top 4 ranked ASC teams (swept 3 form UMHB swept 2 from HSU and lost 2 out of 3 to McM) The also lost to Concordia at the begining of the season but their record against the West is a respectible 6-3.

I can't understand why Boyd would have UMHB ahead of TLU or McMurry.  That doesn't make much sense to me.  UMHB played the southwest assemblies of god twice this year.  That team is not very talented.  They have a worse record than both TLU and McMurry, and I don't believe they play a tougher schedule.  I don't know how much stock I put into Boyd's World.  Just my opinion.

Would your assessment of Boyd's be different if your team was rated with a very tough schedule. I often find that those who are not happy where their team falls have a tendency to knock Boyd's. I am not saying it is the case in this situation, just a general observation.

[hsusid]

I would like Boyd's more if it was close to accurate as far as results. For D I I agree it is a great system, but for DIII the scores aren't close to right. It has HSU as 18-6 vs DIII which in actuality, the Cowboys are 23-10.

I don't know the reason for the sudden respect of the league. It has been my general feeling that the league is down a little bit this year, especially with so many good players graduating a year ago.

The league is no where close to the early to middle years of the decade. I do think we are scheduling better as a league though so that may help the national recognition.

I would guess McMurry, HSU, TLU, UMHB, CTX and MC are somehwere in the top third of the country as far as talent. The problem is we play way too many games against good teams. No way to pile up the good records of some of those teams in one or two good team leagues. That is what makes UTT record impressive and it gets them some national respect. It is that way most of the time in the ASC with the middle six or seven having very good, but not great teams.

It is time to get a team back to the World Series. Concordia went the one year and TLU was in the regional final two years in a row. We have to prove it on a regional and then national stage. The teams back East will not give you total respect until then, but those teams with the gaudy records would have similar records if they played in this league. It is that balanced.

[Dawgsdad]

HSU has a better record on the road 11-6 than at home 12-8 and against ASC teams HSU is 11-4 on the road. I would call that pretty good on the road.

I am super pumped about the weekend series. It will be two pretty good teams going at it with the winner of the series being the No. 1 seed out of the West.

There is no argument that TLU's road record is weak. Frankly, TLU's record on the road could easily be 11-1 versus the 7-5 it is against ASC teams. Four of their five loses were one-run games, which could have gone TLU's way if it wasn't for some untimely miscues – hence why the game is played!

I don't think that anyone will argue that TLU is the best team in the West and I expect that they will prevail in the end this weekend. However, they must take care of business and have the staff to do it. They must execute that's for sure. Several of their early loses occurred while they were trying to find their third weekend starter, which they now have in Macklin.

Macklin hasn't allowed a run to score in conference play and comes in with a conference only ERA of 0.00 allowing only five hits in his last two starts. Overall, he brings in an ERA of 1.77. Expect him to continue to be tough – especially given the importance of this series.

Overall TLU is solid, with many of their players ranked very high nationally. Eight of their nine starter are nationally ranked in at least one category with several ranked in the top twenty-five, some in the top ten! This is a tough squad for sure.

Not to take anything-away form HSU, they have had a good run of late; but I do expect TLU to prevail this weekend – but, given the travel, weather, and field conditions it will make for some good and exciting baseball for sure. Perhaps it will be the best series of the season within the ASC in my opinion; UTT vs MC notwithstanding!   

[dp643]

Like I have said before, the Concordia fans will come out of the woodwork when they win a series.

If you had been paying attention all year baseballfan, you would have noticed that UMHB beat both HSU and McMurry 2 out of 3 earlier in conference play.

Now I know they got swept this past weekend by your beloved CTX team, but that shouldnt take away from what they have accomplished this year. Should they be ranked 30? Probably not. But that doesnt mean that they have played a soft schedule, or shouldnt be given any credit this year.

They have played very well in my opinion for a young team. They have dealt played a majority of the schedule this year with 5 freshman in the starting lineup, hence the inconsistency at times. I would be much more alarmed if they were playing this inconsistent with a team loaded up with Juniors and Seniors like some other teams in this conference that have struggled this year.

This is all just my opinion of course.

[hsusid]

Is it Friday yet?

I have a ton of respect for TLU and their program. They do it the right way and it started with Coach Miller and Coach Burnett has carried it on. They play hard every pitch and don't give in.

It is not like the Cowboys offensive numbers are chopped liver. They are second in the nation in home runs, 11th in runs scored, 12th in hits, and 23rd in slugging.  

And I agree that if you look at HSU's overall numbers on the mound they are not that impressive, but if you look at HSU's ERAs in the eight weekend series against ASC teams (six ASC West and two crossover series) they are just as good as anyone else's. Barton 8-0 with a 4.17, Kriegel 6-1 with a 3.25 and Walker 4-1 with a 4.38.

The team ERA is 5.19 in those games and the record is 19-5. I have seen almost every game this season and it is a much different team on the weekends, especially the mound.

I am sure Macklin is a good arm (and obviously he can hit), no offense to Schreiner and Sul Ross State, BUT he is not playing two of the weaker offensive teams in the league.

Every Cowboy starter is ranked in the national rankings this week in some category as well. They rank 500 players.

HSU has a player in the top 10 in seven different categories, including runs, hits, triples and home runs. I would say that is an OK lineup as well.  

HSU has been solid all year, not spectacular but solid and especially on the weekends, when the last time I checked is when this is being played. Weather will not be an issue as a matter of fact, Saturday is supposed to be beautiful with very little wind (we haven't had many days with little wind from some direction all year).

Just sticking up for my boys - I honestly think it will be a great series as well.

[baseballfan24]

Like I have said before, the Concordia fans will come out of the woodwork when they win a series.

If you had been paying attention all year baseballfan, you would have noticed that UMHB beat both HSU and McMurry 2 out of 3 earlier in conference play.

Now I know they got swept this past weekend by your beloved CTX team, but that shouldnt take away from what they have accomplished this year. Should they be ranked 30? Probably not. But that doesnt mean that they have played a soft schedule, or shouldnt be given any credit this year.

They have played very well in my opinion for a young team. They have dealt played a majority of the schedule this year with 5 freshman in the starting lineup, hence the inconsistency at times. I would be much more alarmed if they were playing this inconsistent with a team loaded up with Juniors and Seniors like some other teams in this conference that have struggled this year.

This is all just my opinion of course.

Like you said before, the Concordia fans will come out after one good weekend.  I could not agree with you more, but I am not one of those fans.  I don't cheer for Concordia, I am just a bystander, and a fan of baseball.  I try to remain completely objective in commenting on teams.

In my opinion, I do not think UMHB is accurately ranked.  They are 19-15.  I made no comment on their players or their experience, only on the fact that their record is not as good as the teams ahead of them. 

Perhaps I wasn't completely clear in my previous post.  I do not think that The Southwest Assemblies of God is a talented team.  Playing them twice is the same as playing Castleton State.  I think UMHB has plenty of talent. And they are a young team.  They can hit and pitch pretty well, and play solid defense at times.  There is nothing wrong with UMHB, and I have no personal bias against them.  I simply do not think that they are accurately ranked according to Boyd.

Sorry for your confusion.  I will certainly be sure to better attention to what I write so that you do not get confused as to who is cheering for who.

[UP AND IN]

Like I have said before, the Concordia fans will come out of the woodwork when they win a series.

If you had been paying attention all year baseballfan, you would have noticed that UMHB beat both HSU and McMurry 2 out of 3 earlier in conference play.

Now I know they got swept this past weekend by your beloved CTX team, but that shouldnt take away from what they have accomplished this year. Should they be ranked 30? Probably not. But that doesnt mean that they have played a soft schedule, or shouldnt be given any credit this year.

They have played very well in my opinion for a young team. They have dealt played a majority of the schedule this year with 5 freshman in the starting lineup, hence the inconsistency at times. I would be much more alarmed if they were playing this inconsistent with a team loaded up with Juniors and Seniors like some other teams in this conference that have struggled this year.

This is all just my opinion of course.

man must be a hard luck UMHB fan... but sorry to burst your bubble about coming out of the woodwork. I said nothing about the games or anything involved with them, but rather only commented that even with their lack of wins in confernece this year, things could pan out where they still make the playoffs. That's all. Nothing about either team or anything associated with the series. Sorry your so angry still...

[Just_Some_Guy]

man must be a hard luck UMHB fan... but sorry to burst your bubble about coming out of the woodwork. I said nothing about the games or anything involved with them, but rather only commented that even with their lack of wins in confernece this year, things could pan out where they still make the playoffs. That's all. Nothing about either team or anything associated with the series. Sorry your so angry still...

Brian,

What's the story, are you coming off of an injury? You were an integral part of the offense last year, but don't have that many ABs this year. Best of luck to your Tornadoes and all the ASC schools this weekend.

JSG

[dp643]

Like I have said before, the Concordia fans will come out of the woodwork when they win a series.

If you had been paying attention all year baseballfan, you would have noticed that UMHB beat both HSU and McMurry 2 out of 3 earlier in conference play.

Now I know they got swept this past weekend by your beloved CTX team, but that shouldnt take away from what they have accomplished this year. Should they be ranked 30? Probably not. But that doesnt mean that they have played a soft schedule, or shouldnt be given any credit this year.

They have played very well in my opinion for a young team. They have dealt played a majority of the schedule this year with 5 freshman in the starting lineup, hence the inconsistency at times. I would be much more alarmed if they were playing this inconsistent with a team loaded up with Juniors and Seniors like some other teams in this conference that have struggled this year.

This is all just my opinion of course.

Like you said before, the Concordia fans will come out after one good weekend.  I could not agree with you more, but I am not one of those fans.  I don't cheer for Concordia, I am just a bystander, and a fan of baseball.  I try to remain completely objective in commenting on teams.

In my opinion, I do not think UMHB is accurately ranked.  They are 19-15.  I made no comment on their players or their experience, only on the fact that their record is not as good as the teams ahead of them. 

Perhaps I wasn't completely clear in my previous post.  I do not think that The Southwest Assemblies of God is a talented team.  Playing them twice is the same as playing Castleton State.  I think UMHB has plenty of talent. And they are a young team.  They can hit and pitch pretty well, and play solid defense at times.  There is nothing wrong with UMHB, and I have no personal bias against them.  I simply do not think that they are accurately ranked according to Boyd.

Sorry for your confusion.  I will certainly be sure to better attention to what I write so that you do not get confused as to who is cheering for who.

Can we stop speaking out of our rear end? I completely agree with you that they shouldnt be ranked 30th in the country. But basing their whole strength of schedule with ONE game against SWAG (yes they only played once, and you would know that if you actually just looked at the schedule) is a little bit silly. Have they played the hardest schedule in the ASC? Probably not, but they have played a respectable one.

I get real aggravated with people who cast judgement on anyone who does an across the board rankings in D-3. It is impossible to judge all the teams when you barely see any of them play.

And Wernecke, you have come out of the woodwork. Your team sure does miss you in the lineup this year.

[dp643]

And on a side note, it is good to finally see some action on this board. Good luck to everyone this weekend.

[Ralph Turner]

My comment on the UMHB SWAG game is that it was originally scheduled as a mid-week game in early February.  Who else are you likely to find to play that game?  I expect this board to recognize the complexities that we face in scheduling games in this part of the country with respect to class time, budget teams available, etc.  The UMHB coach probably saw the chance to work on things in that 2.5% of the season that would help the team later on in the season.

[dp643]

Ralph,

I was not commenting on your remarks about UMHB and SWAGU.

Scheduling is complicated because you are so limited on who is available to play. You can't schedule Southwestern and Trinity for every game. In the same token, not every program has the luxury of traveling to California. I think UMHB does as good as they can with what is between their means in scheduling.

[Ralph Turner]

Ralph,

I was not commenting on your remarks about UMHB and SWAGU.

Scheduling is complicated because you are so limited on who is available to play. You can't schedule Southwestern and Trinity for every game. In the same token, not every program has the luxury of traveling to California. I think UMHB does as good as they can with what is between their means in scheduling.

dp643, I was actually thinking about baseball fan's comment.

As for UMHB's schedule, they may made the effort to play Methodist U. in Abilene.