BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[frank_ezelle]

Thanks for that clarification.  While OU is currently the #1 seed, it seems like they are the most likely to end up as the #3 seed IF all the games get played this weekend.  We all know how rainouts and an uneven number of games played can become a factor in the final standings.

When it comes to tournament seeding, being #1 doesn't seem to be any better than being #3.  It seems like the more important thing is pitching matchups and it seems like everyone has a good #1 starter to open the tournament. It truly is a tournament where any team can win as proven by Hendrix last year. 

By the way, being the #3 East isn't all bad since the #1 West and #3 East have the best draw when it comes to time slots and the winner of that game getting to play a first round loser for their second game.  Here's a link to the brackets:

http://www.scacsports.com/sports/bsb/2009-10/2010championships/2010_SCAC_Baseball_Bracket.pdf

[Ron Boerger]

That's a tough road (literally) for Millsaps to hoe, Frank, but knowing your coaching staff they will no doubt turn it into a rallying cry for the weekend.

Something else you said got me wondering - why is it that SCAC teams do not seem to schedule anyone after the championship?  The lack of activity between the tourney and the NCAAs, while a blessing in allowing minor injuries to heal, IMO means whomever represents the SCAC ends up a little rusty when they start playing again.

[tigerfan_2001]

That's a tough road (literally) for Millsaps to hoe, Frank, but knowing your coaching staff they will no doubt turn it into a rallying cry for the weekend.

Something else you said got me wondering - why is it that SCAC teams do not seem to schedule anyone after the championship?  The lack of activity between the tourney and the NCAAs, while a blessing in allowing minor injuries to heal, IMO means whomever represents the SCAC ends up a little rusty when they start playing again.

I just wish the SCAC would push back the conf tourney.  It would allow the East division to get in more games, etc. 

[frank_ezelle]

A quick note on the POTW honors this week.  Congratulations to Wes Perkins of Millsaps for winning the pitcher-of-the-week honor.  Jason Riggins of Millsaps looked like a clearcut winner for hitter of the week considering the following:

8 for 18 = .444
2 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs = 26 total bases = 1.444 slugging %
8 runs scored, 12 runs driven in

HOWEVER, sometimes it is all about timing and Evan Jones was also putting up incredible numbers this week.  While I would have really liked having Jason win the honor, it's hard to argue against the numbers Evan put up--it would have been a good week for co-winners.  Here's a cut and paste on Evan's week from the SCAC website:

EVAN JONES OF TRINITY UNIVERSITY, a 6-3, 225-pound senior first baseman from Hillsborough, Calif., has been named the SCAC Offensive Baseball Player-of-the-Week for games played Monday, April 5 through Sunday, April 11.

In three games, Jones hit a blistering 8-for-13 at the plate for a .615 batting average while driving in 15 runs, hitting three homeruns and scoring six runs on the week. He also hit two doubles and one triple during the week.

He also posted a 1.615 slugging percentage to go along with an on base percentage of .625 to tally a 2.240 OPS (on base plus slugging) percentage. Jones homered in all three games during the week and also tallied multi-hit games in each game.

For the week, Jones posted a .625 batting average (5-for-8) against SCAC competition. He also added four runs, nine RBI, and two homeruns in two league games.

[frank_ezelle]

That's a tough road (literally) for Millsaps to hoe, Frank, but knowing your coaching staff they will no doubt turn it into a rallying cry for the weekend.

Something else you said got me wondering - why is it that SCAC teams do not seem to schedule anyone after the championship?  The lack of activity between the tourney and the NCAAs, while a blessing in allowing minor injuries to heal, IMO means whomever represents the SCAC ends up a little rusty when they start playing again.

It's really not practical to play after April since there are no teams close by that are still playing.  Plus, you either have to play when kids are taking exams or keep kids on campus after school has ended.  Having kids play after school has ended it fine if you are in the NCAA Tournament, but that's no guarantee.  If you want to play the full slate of allowed games then just about the only practical way to accomplish that year after year is to schedule all the games prior to the SCAC Tournament.  IMO.

[frank_ezelle]

I received an email this evening from an eagle-eye SCAC fan.  They pointed out that there's an error on the SCAC Baseball Tournament site in that the games listed on the tournament webpage don't match up with the games on the printable bracket.

For example, the tournament webpage shows the noon game on Thursday as 1E vs. 3W.  On the printable bracket the noon game on Thursday is shown as 1W vs. 3E. 

I suspect that the printable bracket is the correct schedule and that the noon game on Thursday is 1W vs. 3E.  I'm guessing this because in 2009 it was the 1E that had the more favorable noon game which gives a team more rest and the possibility of playing a 1st round loser in the second game.  It seems unlikely that the SCAC would give the top-seeded East team this advantage two years in a row.

[frank_ezelle]

Trinity (27-7) is playing at Texas Lutheran (24-9) this afternoon in a game that started at 2.  The Trinity video link isn't working but Texas Lutheran is doing a webcast.  That link is:

http://www.stretchinternet.com/flash/player/palliate.php?event=tlu&pass=16650062

The Trinity bats aren't cooling off any.  The first 6 batters have reached base safely and Trinity leads 5-0 with no outs in the top of the 1st and Texas Lutheran going to the bullpen.

[Ron Boerger]

Thanks, Frank.  Live stats for those who can't listen:

http://www.sidearmstats.com/tlu/baseball/index.htm

TU 7, TLU 0 with TLU just coming up in the bottom of the 1st.   Ryan Lucero (3-1, 4.08) on the mound for Trinity so at this point it looks like Panozzo, Klimesh, and Solomon will all be available for the Millsaps series.  

[frank_ezelle]

Thanks for that link, Ron.

Here's an interesting fun fact for the Trinity series.  It's almost a certainty that Aaron Williams will start for Millsaps to open the series and it won't be a surprise if Klimesh starts for Trinity.  Did you know that these two pitchers were teammates this past summer on a team in New York? 

[Ron Boerger]

Funny how small of a world it is sometimes, isn't it?

The TU feed is up now:  http://www.sportsnation360.com/schools/webcast/Trinity-University

Trinity's up 11-0 with TLU coming to bat in the bottom of the fourth.  The TLU live stats aren't all that live today.   

[Ron Boerger]

Final, 12-1.  15 hits for Trinity, 6 for TLU.   Lucero goes six innings and allows no earned runs (the one run came after an error and a balk). 

[frank_ezelle]

A bad day for the SCAC East as the current top three all fell today.  Emory topped OU 8-6, Wabash edged DePauw 8-7, and Millsaps won a home game over Rhodes 10-3 (I think that was the score).

A few quick thoughts on Millsaps tonight:

---Boomer Hudson and John Marshall Pemberton pitched 8 great innings tonight.  Those two are going to be counted on heavily over the next couple of weekends and it seems like they are both peaking at the right time.  Elliot Varney pitched a scoreless 9th as well.  I know the Millsaps coach expect a lot from him in the future.  It would be nice if that future success starts over the rest of this season.

---When All-American Garner Wetzel graduated, sophomore Hunter Owen erased the question marks about that hole in the lineup by putting up the same basic numbers.  Now sophomore Jules Roussel is doing the same as Hunter's replacement. 

Last year Hunter ended up with a .387 BA, 13 HR, 52 rbi, .755 slugging, .531 OB%, and 15 SB.  Coming into tonight's game Jules was at .385, 8 HR, 40 rbi, .701 slugging, .538 OB%, and 11 SB.  Those numbers will go up as Jules went 4 for 5 and had his 9th HR in tonight's game.  Millsaps has really gotten some incredible production from that rightfield spot over the last 6 years.

[frank_ezelle]

Millsaps lost to Belhaven tonight in a game that was meaningless for all practical purposes.  Naturally Coach Page wasn't happy that Millsaps lost 12-0 in a game call after 7 innings and that's understandable.  But, it's hard to get up for an NAIA game that is sandwiched between the Rhodes game and the Trinity series.

Speaking of the Millsaps-Trinity series, it apparently won't be at Trinity.  Maybe at Austin, or Houston, or anywhere that a dry field can be found, but apparently the forecast is for heavy rains and a wet field in San Antonio this weekend.  Coach Page said that the team might get on the bus tomorrow at noon without a known destination. 

[tigerfan_2001]

Millsaps lost to Belhaven tonight in a game that was meaningless for all practical purposes.  Naturally Coach Page wasn't happy that Millsaps lost 12-0 in a game call after 7 innings and that's understandable.  But, it's hard to get up for an NAIA game that is sandwiched between the Rhodes game and the Trinity series.

Speaking of the Millsaps-Trinity series, it apparently won't be at Trinity.  Maybe at Austin, or Houston, or anywhere that a dry field can be found, but apparently the forecast is for heavy rains and a wet field in San Antonio this weekend.  Coach Page said that the team might get on the bus tomorrow at noon without a known destination. 

I wonder if the astros are in town??  That would be fun.

[Ron Boerger]

Def. not Austin - raining as much there as it is in SA.

Dallas might work, low chance of rain here this weekend.  Would be nice if they'd play the games here, I might be able to watch one of them.