BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[frank_ezelle]

One last thing about Millsaps and then hopefully someone else will take the opportunity to talk about their team or the SCAC in general.

It was less than a year ago that I had a post here which seemed to irritate some Millsaps people.  I believe Millsaps had just played a dismal series against Southwestern and I wrote something about the team showing less team spirit than I had ever seen from a Millsaps baseball team.  To their credit, the team turned that around and I believe their renewed unity had a lot to do with the late season run that almost resulted in an SCAC Championship.

What I saw this weekend was the exact opposite of that dismal series.  What I saw at the games and what I see when looking through my photos, is that this bunch of guys really seem to enjoy being teammates.  It reminds me a lot of the 2006 team except maybe more relaxed while being just as intense.  Of course, they have only played 3 games, but I think the team's attitude plus their talent is going to make Millsaps a very tough team this season.

[nvnorthpaw]

I hear Trinity is off to an 0-3 start..

[frank_ezelle]

Trinity is off to an 0-3 start which is bad news for the other SCAC teams hoping to be in the running for an at-large bid.  Since the points one gets for a win/loss are based on the record of your opponent, it helps if your opponents have a better record.  It was the weak SCAC non-conference records in 2007 that killed the chances of Millsaps and Rhodes to get an at-large bid.

Here's an interesting stat:  Piedmont opened up with 2 games at Guiford College this weekend, scored 40 runs, and only gained a split.  They lost on Saturday 19-18 and came back to win on Sunday 22-5. 

With Piedmont averaging 20 runs per game and Millsaps almost 12, I hope DP has a comfortable chair for his broadcast today--it might be a long one.

[donotknowscac]

What was in the water in Jackson Ms this weekend?  Watched most of the games at the Wilson/DiMarini Classic.  After the Rhodes/Millsaps game last night I saw them icing up the scoreboard operator's fingers.  I heard he has tendonitis from posting the runs scored this weekend.  I think, if I added correctly, there were 22 HR's hit in 6 games.
Rhodes really hit the ball well and averaged a little over 14 hits per game.  A real change from last year at this time.  Unfortunately they surrendered 18 walks/HBP to Millsaps last night or they would be undefeated to begin this season.  Of course, the way Millsaps was hitting those 18 free passes may have turned into 18 HR's!  In reviewing the line ups each day of all teams, it is good to note that most teams playing this weekend were very senior laden.  Rhodes, while they have 2 SR's that will be hard to replace next year, had their line up full of sophomores and juniors, with a really good freshman leadoff hitter in the mix.  The season and the future is bright for the Lynx.  They have a tough weekend series with Huntingdon this weekend.  But, this year's schedule is tough every weekend.

[frank_ezelle]

On the HR's in Jackson, there was some wind helping the first two days but not much wind at all on Sunday.  Millsaps plays Huntindon Wednesday in a game that will be webcast.  I believe the first pitch is 3:00.

I'm taking the afternoon off so I'll listen/watch the Millsaps game while working on photos.  Millsaps is going with Ryan Zemke, a freshman from Baton Rouge.  He is listed as a righty on the Millsaps roster, but clearly is a lefty (http://media.2theadvocate.com/images/ryan+zemke_050406.jpg).  Ryan gave up a triple to his first batter, struck out the next, then got a flyout/tagout DP to end the inning when a runner tried to score on a fly to right.

After an inning and a half, Millsaps only has a walk in 7 batters (to Hunter Owen, no surprise).  It might take a while to get the hitting going since they ended the game with Rhodes about 20 hours ago and then had the long bus ride to Georgia.  I'll try to post an update at about the midway point of the game.

[frank_ezelle]

After 3 innings, Millsaps leads 1-0 with an unearned run in the top of the third.

Zemke has done a good job on the mound for Millsaps.  Gave up a triple in the first, double in the second, and had a runner get on with an error and reach third in the third, but he didn't give up a run.

I'll try to post after each inning since it just dawned on me that some of you are working and can't have a webcast up and there's no live stat for the game.

[frank_ezelle]

4th inning:

Millsaps:
Will Hawkins starts with a single.
Tyler Berry hits to SS, ball it booted, runners on 1st and 3rd.
Tony Malaschak strikes out
Tyler Berry steals 2nd, runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out
Todd Barnthouse strikes out, 2 outs in the inning.
Billy Murphy grounds out to SS.
NO RUNS--MILLSAPS LEADS 1-0 GOING INTO BOTTOM OF FOURTH

Piedmont (they play good music during the breaks):
1st batter:  infield single
Wild pitch, runner to 2nd.
2nd batter:  lined out to second--1 out in the inning.
Stolen base, runner on 3rd with 1 out.
3rd batter: Sac fly to CF, runner scored from 3rd.
4th batter:  Swinging K
AFTER 4 INNINGS--SCORED TIED 1-1

[frank_ezelle]

5th Inning:

Still pitching for Piedmont is senior LH Matt Burgess.  Burgess was one of the 4 main starters for Piedmont last year, getting 10 starts and going 5-2 with a 5.90 ERA

Josh Ordeneaux--strikeout on call third strike, 1 out.
Jeremy Aliff--lines it into the leftfield corner for easy standup 2B
Russ Boyd--singles up the middle, Aliff scores from 2nd.  Boyd's 2nd RBI of game.
Hunter Owen--Walks (I think this is 7 walks in 3+ games).  Runners on 1st and 2nd.
Will Hawkins--Single to left.  Runners stop at the bases.  Bad throw from left bounces off cutoff man into dugout.  Boyd and Owen both score and Hawkins to 2nd.
Tyler Berry--short fly out to OF, 2 outs.
Tony Malaschak--fly out.
MILLSAPS SCORES 3 IN THE INNING, LEAD 4-1 GOING INTO BOTTOM OF 5TH.

Piedmont, bottom of 5th (Zemke still on mound for Majors):

1st batter:  fly to CF, 1 out
2nd batter:  single to left, Piedmont's 4th hit of game
3rd batter:  grounder to SS, force out at 2nd.  2 outs with runner at first.
Stolen base, runner on 2nd.
4th batter:  grounder up the middle, nice play by Billy Murphy, runner out at first.

END OF 5TH--MILLSAPS LEADS 4-1

[frank_ezelle]

6th Inning:

Junior RH Josh Strickland now pitching for Piedmont.  Josh appeared in 10 games last year, 4-0 record, 2.89 ERA (2nd best in 2008)

Millsaps:
Todd Barnthouse:  Single
Billy Murphy:  Strikeout, 1 out
Josh Ordeneaux:  Fly to CF, 2 outs
Jeremy Aliff:  Ground out.
MILLSAPS 4, PIEDMONT 1 going into bottom of 6th.  Looks like Zemke is still on the mound.

PIEDMONT:
1st batter:  fly out

...just got a call that my mom has a flat tire so that's the end of my ballgame watching. 

[frank_ezelle]

Top of the 9th, just got back to the computer to see Will Hawkins hit one that the RF caught reaching over the fence.  Tyler Berry then hit one to the warning track in center for another out.  Tony Malaschak grounds to SS, throwing error, Malaschak to 2nd.

Millsaps must be leading the game.  No score has been announced.

...ground out to end the inning.  Millsaps leads 6-4 going into the bottom of the 9th.  Drew Maddox is on the mound for the Majors.

[frank_ezelle]

Piedmont has the 2, 3 and 4 hitters this inning.

1st batter:  strikeout on 3 pitches
2nd batter:  triple off RF wall, tieing run will come to the plate with one out.
3rd batter:  single.  Millsaps now lead 6-5.
4th batter:  single.  John Duke goes 4 for 4 and now runners are on 1st and 2nd. 
5th batter:  grounder.  Out at 2nd, looked like DP but ump said foot came off base.  I was typing so I have no opinion.  2 outs runners on 1 and 3.
6th batter:  grounder to 3rd, Ordeneaux long throw, Hawkins good play at 1st.  Millsaps wins.

MILLSAPS WINS 6-5!  Great win team on short rest.  Hopefully they will get a good rest tonight and be 100% rested tomorrow at 2:00 Central.

[frank_ezelle]

Had to take a break from editing photos so I looked up the box score from today's game.  After having his 14 game hitting streak snapped against Rhodes, Hunter Owen went hitless again today.  The big question is how did he ever see enough decent pitches to have a 14 game hitting streak?

After 4 games, Hunter is hitting a lowly .222 on 2 for 9 hitting (a 2B and HR).  However, he leads the Majors with a .619 OB% as he has walked 7 times and been HBP 4 times (shades of Nick Crawford).  For you math majors, it's a .619 instead of .650 because he also has a sac fly to give him 21 at bats.  At some point in the season teams are going to realize that they might need to pitch to Hunter instead of putting him on over half of his at bats for Will Hawkins. 

Hawkins leads the Majors with a .474 average and a .789 SLG% (9 hits, 3 doubles, 1 HR) and he was apparently robbed of a home run today by a play which Coach Page said ranks as one of the best plays he has seen as a coach.  Not bad for a guy who missed the fall season because of football.  Those two guys back-to-back in the Millsaps lineup will make for some tough coaching decisions for Millsaps opponents.

[wishbone ash]

Opening day for the Stormy Petrels tomorrow at Lagrange. I can't wait. Will be our first game and I am freakin pumped! I know that OU is no powerhouse, but we really have improved (I think) and we'll be better than in years past. I know Lagrange can hit as I watched the Milsaps game. Hope we can hit, play D, and get some decent pitching. My son said the team is excited too. Anyways, I know I'm geeked!

......now back to the D3boards Milsaps updates...lol

[frank_ezelle]

I thought I had everyone else blocked from posting--I'll have to check my software code!

There was a recent season, I can't remember if it was 2008 or 2007, when OU got off to a fairly good start and then they ran into a losing streak that stretched about 20 games.  It seems like there were a bunch of games in that stretch where they almost won--including an opening 4-game series with Rhodes that OU came very close to splitting. 

My guess is that there were injuries involved, maybe a lost of team unity because they had so many young guys competing against one another for playing time, and maybe a sense of deja vu set in--those are just my guesses.  In cases where a team has had very little success for a while, it often takes a group that will compete hard every inning of every game regardless of the score and regardless of the season record.  That kind of group lays a foundation and I hope OU has that group this year.  The SCAC needs more strong teams in the East.

[frank_ezelle]

I'll try to keep the posts down by modifying instead of new posts each inning. 

1st inning--Millsaps 0, Piedmont 0
2nd inning--Millsaps 0, Piedmont 1
3rd inning--Millsaps 0, Piedmont 1
4th inning--Millsaps 0, Piedmont 3

(At this point it has been all Piedmont and Millsaps is fortunate to be within close range.  Still a lot of time to go, but the bats need to come alive for the Majors.)

5th inning--Millsaps 3, Piedmont 3
6th inning--Millsaps 3, Piedmont 3
7th inning--Millsaps 4, Piedmont 3  (solo HR by Jeremy Aliff for Majors)
8th inning--Millsaps 7, Piedmont 3  (Boomer Hudson completes his 4th inning--no hits, I think)
Final--Millsaps 11, Piedmont 7

Millsaps moves to 5-0.  Boomer Hudson gets his 2nd win of the season.

Notes: 
--Hendrix should have a game in the books with Harding by now but the live stats show the previous Harding game.  Maybe a rain delay or rainout?
--Starters and batting order for Millsaps:  Jeremy Aliff(cf), Russ Boyd(c), Hunter Owen(rf), Will Hawkins(3b), Tyler Berry(dh), Bryant Palmerton(1b), Billy Murphy(ss), Todd Barnthouse(2b), Hayes Brian(lf) with Aaron Williams pitching.
--John Marshall Pemberton pitched the 3rd for Millsaps.  Aaron Williams was on a pitch count of about 35-40.
--After 4 innings, Millsaps has just 2 infield hits and 6 strikeouts (plus 2 HBP, once again Hunter has been hit along with Tyler Berry).
--Top of the 5th, Hayes Brian draws 2 out walk; goes from 1st to 3rd on WP; scores on Aliff's single; Aliff steals 2nd; scores on Russ Boyd's single; Hunter Owen doubles to score Boyd; Piedmont makes pitching change--freshman Alex BeeBe was great up to this point, he looks like a good one; Hawkins grounds out to end the inning.
--Bottom of the 5th, Boomer Hudson comes in to pitch for Millsaps.  Piedmont PA guys still playing good music between innings (spoke too soon--song between 5th and 6th wasn't too good, but they had extra time and redeemed themselves with the Allman Brothers).
--Forgot to mention a defensive change for Millsaps in the 6th.  Josh Ordeneaux came in to play 3rd and Will Hawkins moved to 1st.
--Top of 8th for Millsaps:  Hawkins ground out; Tyler Berry walked; Josh Ordeneaux singles moving runner to 2nd; Todd Barnthouse singles, drives in Berry, Ordeneaux takes 3rd, Barnthouse takes 2nd on throw; pitching change; Billy Murphy singles in Ordeneaux, runners at 1st and 3rd; Hayes Brian with SF to bring in run; Jeremy Aliff HBP, runners on 1st and 2nd; Russ Boyd HBP, bases loaded; Hunter Owen grounds out to end inning.
--Top of 9th:  Hawkins walks; Tyler Berry strikes out; Josh Ordeneaux singles, runners at 1st and 2nd; Todd Barnthouse deep flyout to left; Billy Murphy walks, bases loaded; Hayes Brian gets hit up the middle drives in 2, runners on 2nd and 3rd; Jeremy Aliff safe on throwing error to 1st, both runners score; Russ Boyd grounds out.