BB: ASC: American Southwest Conference

[golden_dome]

A few updates from the tournament. The worst weather should be behind us and we'll try to play tonight if we can. Obviously, an extra day off is a huge break for UT-Tyler in order to rest pitchers. The field had a new drainage system installed two years ago that sucks water out, so the field drains very well, but I haven't been out there to see how much water fell this morning. The plan is to play tonight at 6:00 if we don't get anymore rain.

Jared Hood from UT-Tyler should be mentioned. The kid managed to hit three homeruns yesterday as the DH and looks like Kirk Gibson running the bases. I think I've read here he's playing with an ACL injury, but he's obviously playing with a lot of pain, and playing great. He kept their season alive with 2 homers and 3 RBI's in the 4-3 win last night.

Bo Bell tied the ASC record for RBI's yesterday with his 73rd. The kid has had a great year and had the biggest hit yesterday, a bomb to centerfield that gave MC a 6-4 lead.

TLU's Kyle Harvey set a new stolen base record with is 30th yesterday. MC's Andy Smith still has a shot at him, he's sitting on 27.

[Ralph Turner]

UTT leads 3-0 in the MissColl top of the 3rd.

UTT 8-0 in the bottom of the 3rd.

At this rate, where will game #7 be played and when?

[TexasBB]

I don't know what it can be but certain teams feast on certain pitchers. Tyler Seaman has thrown 2 no hitters this year but was roughed up by UTT 2 weeks ago and it is happening again today. The Patiots have jumped out to a 8-0 lead after 3 all runs were earned. MC likewise has gotten to Blake Booher in both of his starts agaist MC.  The game is early but UTT needed to play with a lead for once.

[TexasBB]

UTT is coasting in the bottom of the 8th with a 16-2 lead to make up for the one sided 15-4 loss yesterday. So a decisive game will be played immediately after this game. Cambell came in and has pitched great keeping the Choctaws off balance and saving the bullpen.

I have no idea who will pitch the decisive game for either team.

[TexasBB]

The final game is now in the top of the 3rd. No score. Hinson has come back to throw for the Choctaws and Sparks is pitching for UTT. Tyler has 3 hits and MC none so far. The audio is out on the MC site so only have live stats to go by.

[Ralph Turner]

Bottom of the 7th, no outs runners on 1st and 2nd. MC's Bo Bell coming to the plate.

Ziegler for Sparks.

Walks Bell on four pitches to load them.  #5 batter Reed Prewitt strikes out on a 1-2 count.  Catcher Jacob Daniel up, 2-2 count, a one out 3-run double to right field, the third run scoring on an error by the right fielder.  3-1 MissColl

Crosswhite, RBI single to score Daniel.  UTT gets out of the inning with a 4-6-3 DP.  MC leads 4-1.

Top of the UTT 8th, Craven relieves the Choctaw starter Hinson.  He will face the 3-4-5 batters for UTT.

UTT goes Harding 4-3, Hodges out swinging on a 0-2 count, Lemire out swinging.  Craven threw 8 strikes out of 9 pitches.

Bodree (#9 batter) opens the bottom of the 8th with a single off Zeiger.  Allen walks on a 3-1 count.  Herrin walks on a 3-1 count to load the bases.  Walls strikes out swinging.  Clean-up batter Bell is up.  He strikes out looking on a 3-2 count.  Prewitt is next who pops to 2b for the 3rd out.  MC leads 4-1 going to the 9th.

UTT 9th.  Hood grounds out 4-3.  Skeen flies to RF. Newell doubles to left center.  Ashley singles to SS & advances on an E-6. Newell scores on the error. Ashley is on 2nd, 4-2 Choctaws. Kendall Fox at bat.  Fox singles home Ashley 4-3 Choctaws.  Daleiden up. Prewitt relieves Craven.  Delaiden homers to RF.  UTT 5-4.  Harding walks on a 3-1 count.  Hodges up.  Hodges singles Harding to third and Hodges advances on the throw.  Harding scores on a wild pitch.  UTT 6-4.  Lemire walks on a 3-2 count.  Runners at the corners with 2 outs.  Hood singles to RF, 2 runs score.  UTT 8-4.  Tucker pinch runs for Hood and steals second.  Skeen is up again in the 9th.  Skeen singles up the middle.  Hood tries to score from second and is thrown out 4-2.  Going to the bottom of the 9th UTT 8-4!   7runs  7 hits 1 error 1 LOB, all after 2 outs.

MC bottom of the 9th... Daniel singled to left center. Warren pinch ran for Daniel. C. Lane singles thru right side. Warren to second.  #8 batter Tim Bruss singles and scores Warren, UTT 8-5.  Brett Holland relieves Ziegler.  Bodree hits into FC.  Runners on 1st and 3rd, one out.  Andy Smith grounds into a 1-6-3 DP.

UTT wins 8-5.  Pool C is safe from this part of the country.

[tloc14]

Amazing game!!

I wish I could have been there.  Congrats to UTT on winning the ASC title for the first time.

UTT scored 7 runs with 2 outs in the 9th to turn a 1-4 deficit into a 8-4 lead.  Ziegler obviously was pitching on fumes tonight and simply ran out of stuff in the bottom half.  Holland came into relieve Ziegler with no outs and runners on first and second in an 8-5 game, and got the next two batters to ground out.  The last play was a double play to end the game and the tournament.

Incredible job by both MC and UTT in this last game.  The 3rd and final game the teams played in the tourney against each other lived up to what I had expected between these two.  I thought that MC and UTT were pretty evenly matched, but 15-4 and 16-2 scores in the first two games told a different story.

UTT locks up the automatic bid and their first trip to the regional tournament.  I do not know if any other teams from conference will get a bid.  MC and TLU have the best shots at one...I think if anyone gets a pool C bid it will be MC because they might get an invite to the Southern Regional.  It will be tough tho, especially since Millsaps will likely get an at large bid also.

Great end to a very competitive and well played conference season.  Once again congrats to UTT and Coach Vilade for winning the tournament and the conference title.  Vilade finally got that monkey off his back.  Now it is time to evaluate all the injuries UTT has and see if anything is left in the tank for the next round.

[Ralph Turner]

No Pool C bids for the ASC.  They only remote chance was for UTT.  Now my money for a West Region Pool C bid goes to the NWC runner-up.

Congrats to UTT!

[tloc14]

No Pool C bids for the ASC.  They only remote chance was for UTT.  Now my money for a West Region Pool C bid goes to the NWC runner-up.

Congrats to UTT!

I agree with you there....very tough way to end the season for MC.

[golden_dome]

A couple thoughts on the game since we weren't able to supply audio for the final, but it was unusual circumstances with the games being so late.

I won't mention the first game, just total domination from UT-Tyler. The second was the best game I've seen in person. Sparks was great for UT-Tyler and Brett Hinson allowed just one run in seven innings for MC on one day rest from a 3-hit shutout Friday. Neither team could score. He didn't get the win, but what Hinson did on one day rest was awesome.

Sparks finally ran into trouble in the 7th and was pulled for Ziegler with no outs and runners on 1st and 2nd. Sparks had only allowed two hits at that point. Ziegler walked a guy and struck out a batter to set up bases loaded and one out.  Catcher Jacob Daniel laced a double that cleared the bases and gave MC a 3-1 lead. Clay Crosswhite made it 4-1 with a single. Up to that point MC couldn't buy a hit and Ziegler appeared to be throwing gas, but they finally put together a couple of hits.

Jack Craven came in to pitch for MC after throwing eight innings in the win over UT-Tyler Saturday. He worked a perfect eighth and was throwing very well.

In the bottom of the eighth MC loaded the bases with no outs and 3-4-5 up. Ziegler got out of it with no runs and you had the feeing it could come back to bite MC.

With Craven still on the mound MC twice got down to a final strike with nobody on base and a 4-1 lead. On one of the final strike pitches, the UT-Tyler player just barely tipped the ball. Craven was throwing great but we couldn't get a final strike, and we had a few chances to make a play in the field but just couldn't make the final out. Kendall Fox had a great  at bat to bring up Daleiden as the winning run and he came up with the big homerun. I think everyone was in shock after that and UT-Tyler tacked on a couple more.

MC made one last run and knocked Ziegler out in the ninth, and had the tying run at the plate when Holland came in, but he was able to finish it off.

Just a great game all-around.

[d3baseballnut]

No Pool C bids for the ASC.  They only remote chance was for UTT.  Now my money for a West Region Pool C bid goes to the NWC runner-up.

Congrats to UTT!

I agree with you there....very tough way to end the season for MC.

I dunno.....I think the NWC runner up had already locked in a Pool C bid, regardless of what happened last night.....or at least they should have.

I think there are alot of deserving teams in the ASC. I think Mississippi College and Texas Lutheran are both deserving. I certainly don't see how you are going to pick an Illinois Wesleyan, Christopher Newport, or some team like that from even more north with a similar record.

[dp643]

Congrats to UTT for winning the conference. Mississippi College is deserving of a Pool C, but probably won't get one. Our conference is just too competitive, with too many good teams, and we all beat eachother up.

What a crazy night, I wish I could have been there to watch it.

[d3baseballnut]

Congrats to UTT for winning the conference. Mississippi College is deserving of a Pool C, but probably won't get one. Our conference is just too competitive, with too many good teams, and we all beat eachother up.

What a crazy night, I wish I could have been there to watch it.

so does the NJAC in New Jersey, they always get multiple bids despite beating each other up to mediocre records. The NJAC conference also did much worse in non-conference games than the ASC this year....go figure....ASC deserves a Pool C bid

[TexasBB]

I agree that the ASC should get another bid and that team should be the Choctaws who finished 30-16 and Co-champions of the ASC East. They also split thier 6 games with UTT a team that has been ranked in the top 12 of DIV III all season. They are being hurt by a slow 6-7 start prior to March 7. The last month or so they have really turned it on and played outstanding baseball. I think this is a team that could play with any team in the country and desrves a chance to prove it. The ended up overall winning 4 and loosing 2 in the confernce tournament. Their 2 losses were to UTT but they also run rulled UTT in the tournament and beat them 2 out of 3 at UTT to get the #1 seed out of the East. They dominated every other team they played in the tournament.

[TexasBB]

The final records for the conference tournament for the two weekends of baseball:

UTT      6-2
MC       4-2
UTD     3-3
TLU      2-2
McM     1-2
HSU     1-2
UMHB   0-2
Ozarks 0-2

Overall as a conference the east division was weaker than the west but their top 3 teams did better in the tournament. The bottom half of the east division was weaker than the bottom half of the west durinig the regular season.