BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[lynxbackstop]

Hate to be the bearer of bad news for all SCAC enthusiasts out there hoping to see Trinity beat ND, but I don't see it happening. I was in Phoenix this weekend and watched ND start a guy who lived 92-94 through 6 innings (not exagerating, I was sitting behind a couple guns), then march out three other pitchers topping out over 90. I'm all for arguing the gap between DIII and DI teams is not that wide, but as far as the pitching is concerned...it is. That being said Bronson I know can throw the ball pretty darn well too (I hit off him numerous times - pretty unsucessfully), but its going to take a big effort to beat a team like Notre Dame.

Also interesting, Notre Dame's leadoff hitter is also the school's best wide reciever, Golden Tate. As you can imagine, he runs pretty well. Mike Scoicia's son is the back up catcher for ND as well. The apple kinda fell far from the tree because despite being a pretty big kid, hes got a wet noodle for an arm.   

Good luck to Trinity I hope they can pull it out, but I would recommend ramping up the heat on the old Iron Mike machine for the hitters.

[infielddad]

I would be surprised if Coach Scannell didn't know all of that before he scheduled ND. 
The challenge for TU is to step up and compete.  I know for sure that Evan Jones and Kyle Felix have faced 90-92 when they played in high school in the WCAL.  They have also faced that velocity in Summer leagues as have Hoover and some others.
One of their assistant coaches has seen 101mph more than once and done fine.
Will their hitters be challenged? Absolutely.  But that is the way they are coached and that is how they get better.
Will Bronson pitch?  I don't know but whoever does will be out there competing and having fun.
The issue for TU is whether the team which played Sunday/today continues to get better from here.  They have started to hit. They have upside to get even better with the bats.  If they continue to improve, they are not going to be over matched by ND.  They will be challenged but they will have approaches that will be solid and guys who know they can hit 90-92 and will execute just fine.
Again, winning is great, if it happens.  But, knowing Coach Scannell, this game is about the discipline of staying focused against Millsaps and not looking ahead 6 hours.
It is about competing against ND and using that challenge to get better.
If TU does those two things, the day will be a success. If they split, the day will be a huge success.
It is only if they don't get mentally prepared and compete that they lose.

[frank_ezelle]

From the talk by the Trinity broadcasters on Saturday, the bigger challenge for Trinity hitters is when they face a 73 mph fastball.  

However, in the spirit of full disclosure, I must admit that the Millsaps batters didn't do any better against that same pitcher.

Millsaps won tonight 14-4 in 7 innings against a good NAIA team (Belhaven College, now 14-8 on the season).  Hunter Owen had 2 long home runs and 5 rbi's and Will Hawkins put one over the 400 foot mark in centerfield.

[tiger_fan2000]

Having Solomon go 7 innings against CTX was a big deal for Trinity.  Granted, he gave up some shots where our OF made great plays against the fence and would definitely have been HR at Trinity's field, but none the less.  Trinity desperately needs pitchers to step up who want the ball and will perform when given the ball.  The bats are starting to come around.  The difference between Hendrix run total Sunday and yesterday's game was TU earned their runs yesterday.  Sure CTX made some errors, but TU also hit the ball all over the yard.  On Sunday, TU was the beneficiary of a very bad strike zone, scoring several runs on walks, etc.  As a fan, seeing the box score of yesterday's game made me much more excited about TU baseball than Sunday's game.

On a different note, the series this weekend has been changed to a 2 games series at Southwestern.  That will give TU one 3-game series at home. 

[frank_ezelle]

I've written and erased several long posts.  Here is a summation of what I've wanted to say:

Personally, I respect the Trinity baseball team just as I respect the teams from Austin, Hendrix and Southwestern.  From what has been written here over the last couple of weeks, it sounds like Trinity doesn't have a lot of respect back for Millsaps or the other teams in the SCAC West. 

Am I the only non-Trinity person getting that feeling or is that the way it has come across?

[scacbaseballfan]

Hi all, I am new to the forum, but I have spent much time watching the SCAC, both the west and east, in the last several years. I am in complete agreement with Mr. Ezelle regarding his comment about Trinity's lack of respect for the rest of the conference. Many of the SCAC teams play with a large degree of professionalism and sportsmanship, however these traits have never been so absent in Coach Scannel's program. He really needs to rethink his methods down there in San Antonio, and take note of what coaches like Coach Page at Millsaps and Coach Cleanthes at Rhodes are doing. From what I have seen, Scanell presents himself with a sense of arrogance, and refuses to accept the fact that his squad is at the bottom of the conference. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think their 7-7 record is representative of the major faults in Scannel's program.

[frank_ezelle]

I want to quickly point out that I'm totally referring to the posts made on this board over the last couple of weeks and none were made by Coach Scannel.  From my casual spot as an observer and my close up spot as a photographer, I've never had any problem with the Trinity coaches and players and I don't recall every seeing anything that I thought was out of kilter when they have played at Millsaps.

I also don't have a problem with the Notre Dame game in itself.  I can see a coach weighing the pros and cons of getting to play in this tournament and choosing to play.  I am a little surprised that anyone would then add two D3 non-conference games to the mid-week, but there may have been good reasons for that.

My problem has been this rationalization that the Notre Dame game is just a way for Coach Scannel to challenge his players to get the best out of them.  I consider it a big challenge when Trinity comes to Jackson for a series, but I guess Millsaps going to San Antonio isn't enough of a challenge for Trinity--at least that's how the explanations here have sounded.

And the fact that Trinity has less home games than anyone else--shoot, that's no big deal--it's only Austin, Hendrix, Millsaps and Southwestern.  Those teams are a good warmup for when we play in the NCAA Tournament and we'll have to play those games on the road.  Again, that's how it has been spun on this board, and that really sounds condescending to the other teams in the league.   

Maybe that's not how it was intended, but that's sure how it came out.

[scacbaseballfan]

I commend Mr. Ezelle for not wanting to alienate the Trinity fans on the forum, but for someone who has seen Scannel's program up close and personal, I have witnessed some serious faults with his style. The bush league actions that many of his players have performed over the past several years are not because of individual players, but the undisciplined system as a whole.

What I am trying to say is that in previous years, when they were the dominant team in the SCAC, they could get away with their cockiness and lack of respect. However, the rest of the league is on their same level and in many cases better. The fact that Hendrix went out and beat them is a testament of this.

As far as the Notre Dame game is concerned, I don't think that such a big deal should be made out of this. I wish more mid-major confernece Division 1's decided to play D3's.

[infielddad]

I've written and erased several long posts.  Here is a summation of what I've wanted to say:

Personally, I respect the Trinity baseball team just as I respect the teams from Austin, Hendrix and Southwestern.  From what has been written here over the last couple of weeks, it sounds like Trinity doesn't have a lot of respect back for Millsaps or the other teams in the SCAC West. 

Am I the only non-Trinity person getting that feeling or is that the way it has come across?

Frank.
Why not go and talk to Jim Page about the respect between Trinity and Millsaps and Coach Page and Coach Scannell and their players?
That is a terribly, terribly wrong post.
A bit of background:
In the SCAC's in 2000, there was an incident.  Neither coach likes to talk about it. Neither is proud of it.
Now, each Coach has the greatest respect for each other. 
Their players compete with each other in a way that can only be described as tenacious.  Maybe even more intense.
On another board, in complimenting Millsaps and Coach Page, I talked about this level of on field competition.  In our experience, there is nothing at any level of college baseball that exceeds the level of intensity.
But, when the final out is made, there is nothing like the level of respect between coaches and players.
Jim Page is  a favorite of our son.
Millsaps now sends Coach McCain to the Stanford Camp because of that TU/Millsaps relationship and what Coach Scannell has done recruiting from that camp.
Before you post like that, have a chat with Coach Page.  Ask him if he thinks Coach Scannell would coach his team has you suggest.
Ask him about the level of respect between the teams/players.
Please come back and post.
Ask former players like Matt Yglesias about what it meant to compete with TU and the level of respect between the players on each team.
After doing that, please come back and post.
scac, my son's name is Jason Armstong.  Tell me one player in the SCAC who will say he was cocky, arrogant or lacked respect for any opponent.  Tell me the name of one player from TU who lacked respect for any opponent/player and was disrespectful.
What a crock!
I look forward to your posts after you talk to players and Coach Page.
You are not going to find two more fiery coaches than Jim Page and Tim Scannell.
You are not going to find two better and more respectul coaches off the field than those two.
Those posts are just really disappointing in facts.  Maybe that might be your impressions on a message board. If so, take it out on the posters.  Don't attribute what we post to those guys and coaches leaving it on the field.
Why not tell us your name scac? I would look forward to discussing your comments.  The last two coaches I talked with in2004 were Jim Page and Jim Mallon.  At Rhodes I talked with Coach Cleathes for a bit.
I doubt any of those coaches would agree with anything you have said.
Fun on a message board I guess.  Disappointing...you bet.
Frank, did you miss the part about Coach Scannell doing this schedule so that his team would focus on Millsaps and not be looking 5 hours ahead.
All of this is teaching.  Players can handle more than one big challenge in one day but they sure need mental discipline to do so.
Do you know that in 2004, Millsaps scheduled a game at TU against a national DIII power from New Jersey...and then played their SCAC game against TU?
Was that "disrespectful" to TU?

[tiger_fan2000]

If my posts came across as TU not respecting the SCAC, that wasnt the case.  To re-iterate what infielddad said, TU and specifically has the upmost resepct for Millsaps.  I know this for a fact as I have had many conversations with Coach Scannell about it.  I was at the unfortunate incident in 2000 and know, personally, that both coaches have moved on and become very good friends.  They talk all the time on the phone.  I doubt that would happen if either felt the slightest bit of disrespect.  I echo infielddad, ask Coach Page. 

If my posts implied any type of arrogance or lack of respect, that wasnt the intention. 

[tiger_fan2000]

I commend Mr. Ezelle for not wanting to alienate the Trinity fans on the forum, but for someone who has seen Scannel's program up close and personal, I have witnessed some serious faults with his style. The bush league actions that many of his players have performed over the past several years are not because of individual players, but the undisciplined system as a whole.

What I am trying to say is that in previous years, when they were the dominant team in the SCAC, they could get away with their cockiness and lack of respect. However, the rest of the league is on their same level and in many cases better. The fact that Hendrix went out and beat them is a testament of this.

As far as the Notre Dame game is concerned, I don't think that such a big deal should be made out of this. I wish more mid-major confernece Division 1's decided to play D3's.

What bush league actions have you witnessed up close and personal?  I would like examples.

On your comment about Notre Dame, I wouldn't exactly call them a mid-major.

[Ralph Turner]

I commend Mr. Ezelle for not wanting to alienate the Trinity fans on the forum, but for someone who has seen Scannel's program up close and personal, I have witnessed some serious faults with his style. The bush league actions that many of his players have performed over the past several years are not because of individual players, but the undisciplined system as a whole.

What I am trying to say is that in previous years, when they were the dominant team in the SCAC, they could get away with their cockiness and lack of respect. However, the rest of the league is on their same level and in many cases better. The fact that Hendrix went out and beat them is a testament of this.

As far as the Notre Dame game is concerned, I don't think that such a big deal should be made out of this. I wish more mid-major confernece Division 1's decided to play D3's.

What bush league actions have you witnessed up close and personal?  I would like examples.

On your comment about Notre Dame, I wouldn't exactly call them a mid-major.

Massey (2008) ranked Notre Dame below TrinityCT, Chapman and Cortland and above Salisbury.

http://www.mratings.com/rate.php?lg=cbase

Since Trinity TX was competitive with Chapman, then that ought to be a fair game.

[frank_ezelle]

Why am I still surprised when a board members totally misreads a post and goes nuts?

My comment wasn't about the Trinity coaches or players--I specifically clarified that I have never seen anything negative from them.  The problem has been with the tone of the posts as they would be read by non-Trinity members of this board.  How do I write this to make it any clearer?

Mr. Armstrong, you wrote: "Those posts are just really disappointing in facts.  Maybe that might be your impressions on a message board. If so, take it out on the posters.  Don't attribute what we post to those guys and coaches leaving it on the field."  

I was talking about the posters on this board--where on earth do you read that I'm attributing this to the players and the coaches?  I also wrote that I didn't think they were intended to sound like condescending comments but that's the way they were sounding.  

Could you go back and read what I said and then criticise me for thinking your posts were coming across the wrong way?  I'll be glad to respond to that, but I don't have any way to respond to criticisms of things I didn't say.  

By the way, I have no idea what happened in 2000 and why do people like to bring that up?  Whatever it was, can't people give it a rest instead of bringing it up every so often on the message board?  It's ancient history that should be allowed to fade away.

And now I'm going to bed but I'll be glad to respond tomorrow morning to anything that relates to what I actually wrote.

[infielddad]

Frank,
this is what you posted:
"From what has been written here over the last couple of weeks, it sounds like Trinity doesn't have a lot of respect back for Millsaps or the other teams in the SCAC West.

Am I the only non-Trinity person getting that feeling or is that the way it has come across?"

I don't see how I misinterpreted this:  Trinity "does not have a lot of respect  for Millsaps or the SCAC West."
Not sure where I went nuts about what you didn't say or what I "misread."  All I read is what you posted..about Trinity. Have a chat with Jim Page and let us know.
So, when Millsaps scheduled the game in 2004 against Montclair St, before they played TU, was that a lack of respect for TU?
Again, talk to Jim Page.  If you post that you talked with him and he confirmed your "getting that feeling" then I am willing to admit my observations and what our son and his teammates told us was plain wrong.

[scacbaseballfan]

Referring to the post that Notre Dame isn't a mid-major, I would like to point out a few things about Northern D1's in general, and say that I expect Trinity to put up a solid effort, and potentially beat them. I may anger a few posters when I say this, but I think the quality of baseball and talent of southern D3 teams (Millsaps, Trnity, Rhodes, Emory, etc) is equal too or potentially better than many northern D1 teams, although there may be several phenomenal northern D1's that are the exception.
If you look at the top 25 Division 1 teams according to Baseball America, the only two Northern teams in the rankings are #17 Kent State and #24 Oregon State. My point is that the D3 teams I previously mentioned could be very competitive with the Northern D1's and regardless of the Trinity-Notre Dame outcome, and I think more of these games should be scheduled early in the Division 1 season.