BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[frank_ezelle]

Thanks for that post about the time zones.  The Millsaps-Trinity game is a noon start in the Central time zone, weather permitting. 

There's a thread under the national topics that has the link for the regional rankings that just came out.  No SCAC teams have a regional ranking so I think we can safely figure that the SCAC will not get an at-large bid this season.  Keep in mind that anyone looking for an at-large bid after the SCAC Tournament will have two additional in-region losses, hardly something that will move you up in the regional rankings.

[historymajor]

I think what traditionally hurts the south/west region teams is that because of favorable weather/playing conditions, they get their 40 or so games in long before eastern/northern teams do, and therefore compile more losses.  It seems to me that national/regional rankings are based more on fewest losses, than most wins.

[frank_ezelle]

What also hurts is the inability to cherry pick a schedule because of the limited number of D3 schools to play against.  As Rhodes and Millsaps found out last year, there is a thin margin of difference between teams that get an at-large bid and those who are left out.  With the QOWI based on win-loss numbers, a coach would be crazy if he didn't look at ways to bump up his numbers by scheduling weak teams that do well in weak conferences.  In the case of Millsaps, there aren't enough D3 schools within 400 miles to do any cherry picking.  I'm not sure if that would have matter this year, but it would have made a real difference last season.

[Ralph Turner]

I have another take on the ball in the South and the West.

We beat each other up.

The old saying is that you will win a third, lose a third and we're fighting over the other third.  I gave my West Region assessment on another board.  The West is just so competitive that we knock schools out of Pool C.

One other thought for Pool C...

If you lost a game that you should not have lost, then that is too many.  All other games are good results.

For Millsaps, I see that you are 26-16.  I count an in-region record of 24-12, .667 winning percentage.  In the in-region games, let's say that you beat AC 3 games to one instead of splitting, beat Southwestern 3-1 instead of losing the series, and win the Trinity series 3-1.  We have just increased the in-region record to 28-8.  You have made a stronger case for a Pool C bid.  And, split with Piedmont, a regionally ranked team, at home and you are 29-7, .806 winning percentage!  If you go 1-2 in the SCAC championship series, then you are in-region 30-9, .769.  That is a solid Pool C contender.

McMurry is 24-16, but 23-15 in the West.  They have bad losses against ETBU, UT-Dallas and SRSU (2).  Taking 2 of 3 against Chapman on the road, and 2 of 3 against George Fox at home would move them to 29-9!  That is how close McMurry is to a Pool C bid.  (Or, win both in the Season Series versus both Southwestern and Trinity, instead of going 1-1 in each.)

The ASC and the SCAC have too much parity just on the edge of the Regional Rankings to earn a Pool C bid.

[d3allstar]

anyone know how to contact WGRE and let them know the audio through the video feed is not working?

[DPU3619]

anyone know how to contact WGRE and let them know the audio through the video feed is not working?

Seemed to work fine when I loaded it up.  I joined the party a bit later than you, though.

[infielddad]

I'm not very surprised.  Trinity vs Millsaps for the SCAC championship and automatic berth.
The good part is Millsaps needs to beat Trinity twice and that is always tough when these teams play.
What an outing by Brian Oates against DePauw.  10 innings, 5 hits, one run, 13 strikeouts and Trinity wins in the 11th, 3-1.
Sure looked like it was a great, great game.
As usual, Millsaps pounded their way through the day beating Southwestern and then beat DePauw 7-0.
I think Frank had some great pre-tournament analysis talking about the losers/winners today.
DePauw had to be emotionally very down after that 11  inning loss and needing to come back 30 minutes later.  That is a tough situation but when you know there isn't a game tomorrow if you lose, you have to recover quickly.

[frank_ezelle]

Great games by starting pitchers Aaron Williams and Tait Hendrix to get Millsaps to tomorrow's game without having to use up the entire pitching staff.  Tait had 15 K's in the game this evening.  I'm not sure if that's a single game record or not--the SCAC record book just lists K's for the SCAC Tournament and that record is 22 for the entire tournament.  It does appear that there have been no more than 5 other 9 inning shutouts in tournament history, a number that is lower than I would have expected.

My guess is that Millsaps will go with Jay Hollenbeck tomorrow.  He pitched well against Trinity in the regular season matchup.  With the complete games pitched today, I won't be surprised if Drew Maddox is on tap to get the second start of his career if Millsaps can win the first one.

[frank_ezelle]

Under last year's schedule it would have been DePauw coming back after a 30 minutes rest.  Since Trinity and DePauw were the first game of the day, the DePauw team had several hours to regroup before the game with Millsaps.

Personally, I think that makes the situation a toss-up on who has the advantage.  Sure, DePauw had a tough loss but they have that time to get refocused, knowing that they only needed to win the nightcap to get back into a rematch with Trinity.  I suspect DePauw was ready to play but they just ran into a second great pitching performance.  Tait has made tremendous improvements this year and hopefully Millsaps fans will get to see him pitch again this year. 

[Ralph Turner]

From the SCAC Livestats...

Trinity 6, Millsaps 5, in the bottom of the 9th of Game #7!

[infielddad]

Millsaps and Trinity are DIII programs headed by absolutely terrific coaches.  Coach Page and Coach Scannell are so competitive, so determined, and yet great friends.
Their teams battle so tenaciously and shake hands after just like their coaches.
This one had to be a battle of wills, instilled by coaches who will never quit and never let their kids quit.
To see Brian Oates go 10 innings yesterday and do what seniors do, what he did in 2004 against Rose Hulman is so touching.
To see Stosh Hoover, who Coach Scannell, if I remember right, found at a camp in AZ, succeed and drive in the winning runs with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th is vindication for Coach and especially for Stosh, who didn't even start many games  in high school, because he played at the top school in AZ.
When Millsaps and Trinity play baseball, the games are the best.  In part, it is due to two terrific coaches.
In part, it is due to the fact they recruit terrific players.
In part it is due to the fact they recruit players who are terrific people.
I know one team was on the end of the winning score, but there really are not any losers when Trinity plays Millsaps and that is a true compliment to Coach Page, Coach Scannell and the "never say it's over" they each teach and instill.
To see Trinity score 4 in the bottom of the 9th to win, seems like the norm between these two teams, which is a tribute to each of them.

[Jim Dixon]

Rhodes is trying to get another quality win in region.  They will travel to play Salisbury on May 5.  See release on D3baseball.com

[Lou_Brown]

Interesting? How does Rhodes still have weeks left to play these games? Their schedule shows they started games on Feb 8th...Looks like they will also be playing Greensboro...I'm sure they went through all the complaince garbage...Good luck they'll probably need at least 2 victories to have a shot for an at large bid.

[Ralph Turner]

Interesting? How does Rhodes still have weeks left to play these games? Their schedule shows they started games on Feb 8th...Looks like they will also be playing Greensboro...I'm sure they went through all the complaince garbage...Good luck they'll probably need at least 2 victories to have a shot for an at large bid.

According to the Rhodes' schedule, they had 39 games in the regular season.  IWU and Sewanee were canceled.  They have 3 games to add to make 40 by the end of the regular season, Sunday, May 12th.

[Major_Fan]

There's no secret to what they are trying to do and it has nothing to do with how many regular season games they played.  It's obvious that the Lynx are trying to pick up a few points as far as Opponent's Win Percentage and Opponent's Opponent's Win Percentage are concerned.  Two criteria for a Pool B and C Bid.

Look at who they've added and some interesting facts.
1. #4 Salisbury (Md)... 37-2 overall... .949 Win Percentage
**They were ranked #1 in the South Region for the first Regional Rankings - April 24

2. Greensboro College... 25-14 overall... .641 Win Percentage
**Also an in-region opponent.

*And they are making both trips to Maryland and North Carolina.