BB: NCAC: North Coast Athletic Conference

[countyroad]

I found this weeks top 25 to be a little interesting.  The #2-#6 teams just reversed order while #1 (ECSU) and #7 (Woo) stayed the same. 

[mideastfan2]

^^^^ lol...wouldn't say it's the JV team heading to Wooster, at least the offense will be making the trip!!!

Marietta's schedule this week:

Monday - OAC DH vs Capital
Tues - vs Franklin
Wed - at Wooster
Thurs - at OWU
Saturday - OAC DH at Capital

Damn.  That's quite a week for 'Etta!  That weather over the weekend sure did make this week a heck of a lot tougher for the Pios!  I thought Wooster had it rough playing 6 games in 5 days, but 'Etta is going to do us one better by playing 7 games in 6 days...

yeah, it's a tough week, but nice and challenging!!!  I remember back when I played, we always wanted to have those non-conference games against Wooster and OWU, but never got that chance.  This is what competitive baseball in the region is all about!!!!

side note - the OAC DH on Sat is at John Carroll (not Captial).

[old scot]

Good one going on at Wooster. Etta and Woo tied at 10's going into the top of the 11th.
Both teams aces couldn't get the job done. Woo's Miller came in at the top of the 9th with the score at 7's and gave up 2 runs. Etta brings in Merryman in the botton half and he does the same thing. Each give up another run in their half of the 10th.

[countyroad]

Wooster got the win in the bottom of the 11th.  Nice going.  4 Errors though.

[mideastfan2]

very good game...can't wait to see them play again in the regionals!!!! 

I'm proud at the way Marietta's pitchers held their own today, and Wooster had that never say die attitude....two very good clubs!!

[mideastfan2]

OWU and Hedelberg went extra innings as well, with the Berg getting the win in 11.

[old scot]

Scots come back three times to tie the game before getting the W.
Very nice win!

[wooscotsfan]

Scots come back three times to tie the game before getting the W.
Very nice win!

The bottom of the 9th inning was the most amazing comeback, IMO.  Marietta led 9-8 with 2 outs and the bases empty for Wooster. 

After Stu Beath drew a walk, Matt Groezinger faced a 1-2 count with Marietta just one strike away from winning the game.

However, a wild pitch then sent Beath to 2nd base and Groezinger got the clutch hit to drive home Beath with the tying run sending the game into extra innings.

Great win for the Scots!

[countyroad]

Thanks for the details wooscotsfan.  That's some clutch ball there.  I'll have to call my dad and see if he attended.  I told him over the weekend about the game but he wasn't sure he would watch it or not.

[ScotsFan]

I think I'll start to recognize the NCAC players and pitchers of the week like we do over on the hoops page if I can bring myself to remember every week... 

No real surprise for Pitcher of the Week for last week goes to Mark Miller after tossing his no-no in just his 3rd career start.

And Player of the Week goes to Wabash sr. Matt Dodaro who hit 2 homers on the week moving him into a tie for the schools all-time record!  He also batted .545 with 5 rbi.  Other Wabash milestones Dodaro is toppling include total bases.  He is also only 3 hits shy of becoming Wabash's all-time hits leader and needs just 6 doubles to to that list as well.

Since I missed the first 2 week's awards, props to senior rhp Randy Kerns from the EC who threw a complete game 2 hitter in a 3-0 Earlham win and Kenyon senior Jake Calcei hit 11-for-16 (.688) with 10 runs batted in, five runs scored, and two stolen bases in helping Kenyon sweep Hiram. 

And Denison junior Aidan Lucas was 5-5 in save opportunities to gain recognition for week 2 pitching honors.  This included 2 saves over the defending champs, Trinity (CT)!  While Wooster junior shortstop Matthew Johnson had multi hit performances in 6 of 7 games played while batting .538 (14-for-26) with 10 runs, two doubles and four RBI to take home player of the week honors for week 2.

Congrats to all the honorees so far this season!

[old scot]

I hope Wooster doesn't suffer a let down at B-W today after such an emotional win against Marietta.
They owe the Jackets one from last year when they came to Art Murray Field and left with a win.

[old scot]

Let down confirmed. Woo gets thumped by B-W 17-8.
All of B-W's runs earned. Looking at the box score,none of the five pitchers the Scots sent to the mound performed very well., four being freshmen.
Coach P has to be a little disappointed with that. After coming off a nice win, I bet he thought they would go out there with more intensity.
Anyways, the young guys got a little experience and a lesson in being prepared when your number gets called.

[DenisonFan]

Denison takes the first two of the weekend from Wittenberg:

http://www.denison.edu/athletics/mens/baseball/0809/ba_wittenberg09a.html

Wooster wins twice against Hiram:

http://news.hiram.edu/?p=3242


Kenyon beats Oberlin twice:

http://athletics.kenyon.edu/x29985.xml


And OWU beats Marietta, then takes two from Earlham.

[d3ballplayerfan]

I am new to posting, but have lurked on these boards for the past several years.  I am a big fan of D3 baseball and enjoy the quality of the NCAC athletes.  Being a former division I player, I appreciate how much these kids love playing for nothing more than each other and some memories.  Living in Indiana, I have found that NCAC teams are more entertaining than the HCAC teams, and the kids are much better behaved.  Anyway, I probably won't post often but I was just wondering...

Does anyone know what happened to Wabash and Earlham?  Wabash looked like they were primed to make a run this year and EC looked like they finally figured out how to compete last year.  It appears both programs have taken some steps backward this year.  Again, OWU and Dension appear to be the class of the West.

[BASH6-4-3]

Welcome aboard D3playerfan.

As I am the lone regular Wabash baseball poster, I will take your question as to what has happened to the Little Giants thus far this spring.  As you mentioned, Wabash had nearly their entire team coming back this year from last year where they finished one game away from qualifying for the conference playoffs.  They had an all-conference returning pitcher (Leckrone) and two senior all-conference position players (Dodero & Thomas).  If Wabash was to have a break out season this was going to be it.

Well inconsistency has been their major problem in my opinion, especially inconsistency on the mound.  To the team's defense Mother Nature has played a big role in this inconsistency as they have lost something like 12 games to weather so far on the season.  Their spring break trip to Texas was a complete washout after Tuesday.  For most northern programs this is where you work out all the kinks and try to establish yourself as a team and the Little Giants just have not done that.

The talent level I believe is there.  They split their 4 games with OWU which has been the gold standard program in the NCAC West for the last decade.  They split 2 with Witt and stand 3-3 in conference (8-12 overall).  There is still hope but they will need to sweep Earlham and at least split with Denison to have the make up games with Witt mean anything.  But in order to do that their pitching will need to put together more complete efforts in starters 1-4 and Leckrone will have to finish games like he is capable for them to have a shot.  Unless that happens we'll see more flashes of brilliance but a sub .500 record again from Wabash.