BB: NCAC: North Coast Athletic Conference

[Dr. Acula]

Might as well post this here as well.  Here is the link to the Mideast Regional website.  Thought I'd save everyone the 8 seconds to look it up.  Congrats to Wooster and best of luck.

http://adrianbulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/09mideastregional.html

[ScotsFan]

Now that my rant is out of the way, I think I will turn my focus onto the Mideast Regional.  Here is the list of competitors:

1.  Heidelberg (36-7)
2.  Wooster (35-8)
3.  Marietta (29-15)
4.  Adrian (31-5)
5.  Concordia (Chicago) (33-13)
6.  RHIT (31-12)

Wooster opens with Concordia at 3:30 on Wednesday afternoon following Heide and RHIT.  On paper, this regional appears to be quite stacked as Marietta is the lone representative shy of 30 wins, yet they are still the #3 seed! 

I really don't know much at all about the 4-6 seeds.  I looked at Concordia's stats page and they appear to be pretty even with Wooster at least statistically speaking.  They have a similar team batting avg. and a similar team ERA as well.  Although when you look at the numbers a little closer, their apparent starters have a batting avg. of .308 compared to Wooster's starters at .338.  As for RHIT and Adrian, I really haven't looked that closely although Adrian is the defending Mideast Regional champs and they might come in with a bit of a chip on their shoulders being seeded below the OAC runner ups...

I think the key for the Scots is to go into this regional with the right mindset.  It seems, far too ofthen that in years past they seem tight and place a lot of pressure on themselves and as a result, their bats go silent.  As old scot touched on earlier, it is going to be key for Wooster to win early with their lack of depth on the mound heading into the regional.  With really only 3 proven arms that the Scots can rely on, it is critical for Wooster to stay out of the losers bracket for as long as possible or it could be yet another quick exit out of the post-season for Wooster baseball!

[old scot]

I guess there is no rhythm or reason when matching rankings with regional seeding. Check out the NE region. The  number 1 team in the country, Southern Maine, is ranked second in that regional. The number 4 team in the country,ECU, is ranked 1 in that region.

Talk about a tough region. 3 of top 6 teams in the country are in this regional. This tourney looks very difficult, possibly better baseball than what would be played in the CWS!

[ScotsFan]

Talk about a tough region. 3 of top 6 teams in the country are in this regional. This tourney looks very difficult, possibly better baseball than what would be played in the CWS!

Yeah.  This definitely could be considered the group or region of death based on national rankings. 

But, conversely one could argure that the gaudy records put up by those 3 teams could be a result of an overall lack of depth in talented teams in the NE region.  I mean, Trinity (CT) only lost 5 games all season, but 2 of those 5 losses were to Denison.  And Denison didn't even make the NCAC Tournament...

Also, if there is another ranking put out before the post season starts, don't expect Southern Maine to be #1 as they lost their last 2 games in their conference tournament. 

Now, I'm not trying to say that Wooster doesn't have an advantage in feasting off of inferior talent in the NCAC East.  But as far as the region as a whole is concerned, I think the Mideast is much deeper in terms of talented teams than the NE.  The reason there aren't more highly ranked teams coming from the Mideast is because they beat each other up during the course of the season.

[WLCALUM83]

Just for comparison, Concordia-Chicago hit a few more HRs than Wooster, but Wooster had the advantage as far as total team batting average and lower ERA. Cougar pitchers will need to be on their game--if they get lit up early, Concordia-Chicago could be on the way to an early exit. Concordia-Chicago's offense kicked into high gear 2 of the 3 wins in their conference tournament.

[DarkSide-D]

Scot Fan and Old Scot,

I agree about the rankings being messed up.  Personally, I think Woo should be ranked higher that Heidelberg.  Yes, Heidelberg has one win more than Woo, but Woo also beat Heidelberg 2 out of 3 times.  Hopefully we have have an opportunity in the regional to see the teams play each other to settle the issue.  And of course, hopefully Woo will come out on top.

Go Scots!

[macdade77]

Wooster defeated every OAC opponent this season except for B-W. Wooster beat H-berg 2/3, Marietta, Wilmington, Muskingum and Mt. Union. Against B-W, the Scots threw all of their youngsters so that loss is irrelevant. It is quite conceivable that Wooster and H-berg could meet in the Regional final... then it comes down to how much pitching each side has left!!! Go Scots!!!

[old scot]

Mcdade,
       You called it. Woo and Berg could meet in the finals but, the Scots are short on pitching from the start. Top pitchers Barnes has not thrown since March due to arm trouble and Trapuzzano is throwing but not really effective due to arm problems.
That leaves them with 3 arms to rely on since no one else has stepped up and meet the challenge. Staying out of the losers bracket as long as possible will tell how far the Scots can go.

[ScotsFan]

The All-NCAC Team was released today.

Congratulations to Sean Karpen on repeating as NCAC POY!  I didn't realize this until today, but Karpen hit safely in all but one game this season for the Scots!!!

And also, congrats to Mark Miller as he was named Pitcher of the Year.  With Miller winning the award, this now makes it 5 years in a row a Wooster pitcher has garnered the award!

All in all, 9 Scots make the All-NCAC team.  Joining Miller and Karpen on the 1st team are Matt Groezinger, John Warren and Justin McDowell.  Anthony Trapuzzano, Matt DeGrand and Stu Beath earned 2nd team honors while Zac Vesco was named honorable mention.

Denison was also well represented with 8 players making all-conference.  And 7 of the 8 will be back next season!!!   The future looks pretty bright in Granville!

And lasly, old scot will be happy to hear that Kenyon's Matt Burdette won Coach of the Year honors!    Congratulations to Coach Burdette on a very deserving honor! 

Here is a link:

2009 All-NCAC Team

[old scot]

ScotFan,
       I am pleased to see ex Scot and current Kenyon head coach Matt Burdette receive COY honors. At least NCAC coaches look at the whole body of work and don't  just vote for the front runner.
Congratulations to all Wooster players receiving all conference honors.

As far as Denison is concerned, I thought this season would be their break out year. They had a very successful season last year and had some big wins. I really expected more from them this season.

[BASH6-4-3]

My congratulations to Wooster for their first round win today at Adrian, MI.
Go Scots.  Continue to represent the NCAC with skill and class.

[BASH6-4-3]

I meant to post this before the NCAA regionals got under way but oh well, better late than never...

Not to take too much spotlight away from Wooster as they battle on in the tourney, I wanted to raise a glass to two Wabash seniors who finished spectacular careers for the Scarlet & White.  First team all NCAC players Matt Dodaro and Jake Thomas were four year starters and now own virtually every single season and career offensive records for Wabash.  I applaud their dedication to raising the bar for Wabash baseball and I hope that more than their records live on.  I hope the underclassmen returning keep up the legacy of competitive play these two gentlemen brought to the program.

[ScotsFan]

As far as Denison is concerned, I thought this season would be their break out year. They had a very successful season last year and had some big wins. I really expected more from them this season.

I see what you mean regarding Denison falling short of expectations this season.  I was just basing my prediction on the fact that 7 of their 8 all-conference honorees will be back next season which should equate to a pretty good Denison squad next season.

[ScotsFan]

Congratulations to Wooster's selections to the D3baseball.com All-America team:

Justin McDowell and Matt Groezinger each made 1st Team AA.

I'm a bit surprised that Sean Karpen didn't make the team somewhere as well as Mark Miller, but there are only so many spots for a ton of worthy athletes.

[countyroad]

I forgot all about Wooster's Matt Johnson.  In listening to today's radio broadcast it was mentioned that Matt needed surgery after "putting his hand throgh a window."  What happened?