BB: WIAC: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Brewers20]

I guess it's all about how you want to spin it....  Below you will find the number of Regular Season WIAC Championships (ties included) over the past six years.

Whitewater-5
Oshkosh-2
Stevens Point-1

Now obviously this doesn't include the WIAC Tournament, which Point has absolutely dominated as of late.  I guess I just put a little bit more weight in the regular season, because it shows what team was the best over the long haul, and not who was the best over one weekend.  As you can see, both Oshkosh and Point have quite a bit of work to do to get to the same level as Whitewater.

I understand why you put more weight on the regular season, and a lot of people will do the same thing.  But I also have to disagree with saying the team that has the better regular season is the best team overall.  Some teams just play better when there isn't as much pressure on them like the regular season, and some teams play better when the season is on the line.  It all depends on what type of players make up your squad. 

Playing for Point from '05-'08, and winning every WIAC Tournament while I was there, I firmly believe that we were the best team in years '06 & '07 (World Series appearances, Jordan Zimmermann and a line up that 1-9 could hurt you with the long ball).  '05 Whitewater was a tad better (rhinehardt) as it proved to be in the Regional and going on to win the World Series, which I believe we could've won IF we had gotten passed Whitewater, but that's IF.  In '08 Whitewater may have been a tad better than us, but it's a tough call seeing how we beat them twice in the WIAC tournament.  In all my years I know we were better than Oshkosh.  Bold statement,  I know, but I believe that we were the better team, and we proved it time and time again in the WIAC tournament and in the Regional in 07. 

[pickleshiner]

I would like to add a few things to what Brewers20 stated.  Josh Blaha(Perkins) came back a year too late as that may have put Point over the edge against Whitewater.  One could also argue Point may have won the title the year Doug Coe got injured down in Florida.  On the other hand I will never forget the comeback Point had against Ripon at Witter a few years ago allowing them to stay alive and make it to Appleton. 

[Dagger]

whitewater caught a break with playing stout on the tail end of the their 6 games in 3 days stretch!  Platteville on the other hand is in a real tough situation, having to play to two top teams 6 games in a row over three days!  with an already thin pitching staff, I don't like their chances of coming out of this little stretch above 2-4...even with their high powered (for now) offense.  Whitewater could have been in a tough situation had point or oshkosh...or any other wiac team but stout, been on the tailend of their 6 straight games.  That's assuming that Stout is as bad as they have been in recent years, which I quite honestly have no clue if they are or not...

As for our discussion of who's better and why...regular season in the WIAC is crazy with the way the schedules are crammed into two months, and a lot of external factors can influence the outcome of the regular season.  One year at point we played 19 of 24 conference games at home!  The regular season may indicate who's more consistent, but by almost anyone's standards, the team that walks off the field last come the end of the year is the better team!  catching a couple breaks during the regular season will not show up until it's all on the line, and that's when your true colors as a team shine...and that's where recently both point and whitewater have shined.  Oshkosh is slipping into obscurity, in my opinion.  I know some will disagree, but young players in this state no longer look at UWO as they once did, and as much as I respect the man and his accomplishments, it's in large part due to the coach and his ways of treating individuals.  There's too many first person accounts from too many people to even argue that fact!  They still compete, and sometimes very well, but they simply can  not win a big game in the past 6 years or so to save their lives.

[szlongball]

Thanks Brewer20 and Dagger.

[badgerwarhawk]

I understand why you put more weight on the regular season, and a lot of people will do the same thing.  But I also have to disagree with saying the team that has the better regular season is the best team overall.  Some teams just play better when there isn't as much pressure on them like the regular season, and some teams play better when the season is on the line.  It all depends on what type of players make up your squad.

So the team that wins the battle is better than the team that wins the war?

[biggio34]

I understand why you put more weight on the regular season, and a lot of people will do the same thing.  But I also have to disagree with saying the team that has the better regular season is the best team overall.  Some teams just play better when there isn't as much pressure on them like the regular season, and some teams play better when the season is on the line.  It all depends on what type of players make up your squad.

So the team that wins the battle is better than the team that wins the war?

It is a kind of backwards scenario in sports I suppose.  The war of the season gets you ready for the battle at the end.  But the best teams are the ones who win the battles when everything is on the line and the losers are sent home to think about next year.  If it were the other way around, the postseason tournaments would be rather anti-climactic.

[MIACLUV]

Conferences do have the right to choose how they crown their champion that gets the bid to the tournament (Reg. season champ or conf tourn). The coaches in the league have made the decision that a conference tournament is the best way to determine who represents the conference. And for Point's sake that's a good decision.

[Dagger]

I understand why you put more weight on the regular season, and a lot of people will do the same thing.  But I also have to disagree with saying the team that has the better regular season is the best team overall.  Some teams just play better when there isn't as much pressure on them like the regular season, and some teams play better when the season is on the line.  It all depends on what type of players make up your squad.

So the team that wins the battle is better than the team that wins the war?

By winning the last battle, the one that dictates the rest of your summer (playing or watching), you win the war!  You can win all the little skirmishes along the way and feel good about yourselves in doing so, but until that decisive battle is won and you are victorious your past "victories" are pretty much worthless....

...remember as I'm saying this that I'm not taking sides here, as I stated yesterday, both ww and point have had successes in postseason play over the past couple of years!  I just think the regular season gets your ready to play in the postseason.  I'm not taking away the feat of winning regular season crowns, because we all know that's no easy task in the WIAC, but I personally put more weight on the postseason tournament myself...and that was true before I ever joined the WIAC and college ball

[cubs]

In all my years I know we were better than Oshkosh.  Bold statement,  I know, but I believe that we were the better team, and we proved it time and time again in the WIAC tournament and in the Regional in 07. 

Yet if you look at the scores, Oshkosh won the season series against you in 2008?  Hmm....

[badgerwarhawk]

Conferences do have the right to choose how they crown their champion that gets the bid to the tournament (Reg. season champ or conf tourn). The coaches in the league have made the decision that a conference tournament is the best way to determine who represents the conference. And for Point's sake that's a good decision.

The main reason the coaches vote for it has nothing to do with wining the final battle or feeling that it's the best way to determine who represents the conference and everything to do with not having a regular season championship guaranteed and the desire to get a second chance. 

[Dagger]

well it's not like the WIAC is different from any other conference at any level.  Competitive sports across all levels and all different types, use playoffs to determine the "best" team.  Based on that format, those that find ways to win in the postseason are the best team, period.  Maybe not necessarily the most talented team, because it's no secret that the most talented teams don't always win, but the best TEAM.

[Dagger]

WW scored on a ground ball to the P?  how the H does that happen with a guy on third? haha...1-0 hawks after 2 1/2

[Brewers20]

In all my years I know we were better than Oshkosh.  Bold statement,  I know, but I believe that we were the better team, and we proved it time and time again in the WIAC tournament and in the Regional in 07. 

Yet if you look at the scores, Oshkosh won the season series against you in 2008?  Hmm....

Then we sh** on them the first game of the WIAC tourney 10-0 in 8 innings in 2008...hmm

[Dagger]

WW came alive after a relatively slow start, to put up 15 runs on 13 (to this point) in game one.  Top of the 7th right now...

[badgerwarhawk]

The WARHAWKS take game one from Platteville 15-2.  Riley Tincher (6-0) gets the win no hitting the Pioneers for 5.2 innings before surrendering a pair of hits and being relieved by Eric Schmitz.  Jordan Stine (2x4, 4 RS), Ben Kuhlmann (2x5, 2 RS, 2 RBI), Rob Coe (3x4, 2 RS, 3 RBI) and Mike Kenseth (2x4, 2 RBI) all had multiple hits in the 13 hit WARHAWK offense.  Platteville helps out with 5 errors.

Trailing 4-0 Platteville scored three in the 4th, two in the 5th and a single run in the 6th to go up 6-4.  However the WARHAWKS rallied for three runs in the ninth on four hits, a pair of wild pitches and a passed ball to retake the lead 7-6 and after Platteville put runners at first and third in the bottom of the inning with two outs struck out Aaron Hobson to preserve the win.  Aaron Lietner started and went 4.2 innings.  Kyle Lee (3-0) got the win with 3.1 innings in relief and Ben Versnick (2) earned a save by finishing the final inning.  Kuhlmann (2x5, 1 RBI) and Ryan Leavit (2x5, 1 RBI) had multiple hits and Putnam had an RBI.  Platteville's defense was better this game committing only a single error however four Pioneer pitchers threw five wild pitches, hit a batter and committed a balk.