BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[ILVBB]

Now that I have figured out how the tournament works; I am surprised that Coach Page and Scannell aren't pushing for the west to handle their round robin the same as the SCAC east. Granted there is one more team; but having to only play each team three times provides far more flexibility to schedule teams with winning records.

This year having to play the west teams 5 times when three of them have losing records only hurts a teams SOS. Either the conference needs to get better or coaches may want to look at changing the formula for in conference play.

[Ralph Turner]

Now that I have figured out how the tournament works; I am surprised that Coach Page and Scannell aren't pushing for the west to handle their round robin the same as the SCAC east. Granted there is one more team; but having to only play each team three times provides far more flexibility to schedule teams with winning records.

This year having to play the west teams 5 times when three of them have losing records only hurts a teams SOS. Either the conference needs to get better or coaches may want to look at changing the formula for in conference play.

In this part of the country, those extra games are against the ASC, which does a very good job of beating itself into a ".500" pulp.

The ASC is into its two crossover and 7 weekend series schedules by first weekend in March/last weekend in February.  Those weekend series may not allow any of the 15 ASC teams to compete against the SCAC on those weekends.  Then where do Trinity, Southwestern and AC go for games?   

[frank_ezelle]

I'm back on the Ferrum vs York watch once again.  Here's the way I see the situation--York had a great week and jumped from 6th in the South to 3rd.  A big jump, but not surprising.  Did they move up 3 place plus give themselves enough cushion that they can go 0-2 this week and still hold on to the 3rd spot?  That would be a little surprising to me.

We know that York lost to Ferrum yesterday.  By the way, what's surprising is that even though he had a rested staff, the York coach went with a pitch by committee:  starter goes 4 innings and then a new pitcher to start each of the next 5 innings.  That's very odd to me unless he knows that York is in regardless of the outcome of these games.

Anyway, today's game is in the bottom of the 6th and Ferrum is up 5-2.  The Ferrum starter has a 2.42 era and a 4-0 record so he might hold on to the lead until passing the ball to a reliever, most likely the guy with the second best era on the team at 3.00.  Will Millsaps move back to 3rd in the South if Ferrum wins this game.  I don't know, but I'd sure like to find out.

Live Stats:  http://livestats.prestosports.com/york/bsb/?e=dbg2oybi9mru9hx9

[frank_ezelle]

Ferrum scores two in the top of the 10th and takes a 7-5 victory over York.  This 0-2 record since the last regional ranking doesn't necessarily mean that Millsaps will move back up to third, but it makes things very interesting.

York is now 28-14 in the region, Millsaps is 23-12.  LaGrange and Methodist are at 5 and 6 in the South and their regular season play has completed.  It seems unlikely that anyone is going to do enough to jump into the rankings all the way to #3, so it seems like the top at-large candidate in the South will be York or Millsaps--and I personally don't think that both will get a bid.

[hangmbangm]

 Frank how soon before the final selection . Is there any other teams that can affect the out come of the south pool C bids ?

[frank_ezelle]

I don't swear by the accuracy of my statements, but here's what I think is correct:

--Salisbury U. of Maryland has a great record and a DH against #1 ranked John Hopkins tomorrow.  If Salisbury wins those two games, they certainly could go to the top of the South Region Pool C hopeful list.  You can see more of this discussion here:

http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=5821.495

--I believe the at-large bids are announced on May 16 with the regionals starting on May 19.  For those on the bubble like Millsaps, that means bringing kids back to campus to practice without knowing if there will be a NCAA bid.  In 2007 the Millsaps team came back to school to practice and then got shutout in the at-large process.  I'm sure it happens at several schools each year.

--For more info on the process, the selection criteria, etc, take at look at the Pool C thread under the national topics.  There's a lot of good information and opinions to be found there.

[hangmbangm]

Salisbury (SOS .534, WP .719)
Millsaps (SOS .532, WP .647)
Methodist (SOS .532, WP .631)
York (SOS .521, WP .667)

Do you think these will be the final #'s

[Ron Boerger]

Millsaps gets left out ... probably on the board when the last pool C was selected.

South Regional

1. Shenandoah (34-8)
2. Salisbury (27-11)
3. Mary Washington (26-12)
4. York (Pa.) (28-14)
5. LaGrange (26-17)
6. Bridgewater (Va.) (23-18-1)

Lots of upsets in conference tourneys meant some teams that were favored to get A's instead ended up getting C's, and that certainly impacted Millsaps.  

Over in the West, Trinity gets the #6 (and last) seed with a 32-7 record.  Losing those two games to freakin' Hendrix really hurt - especially the one where they almost run-ruled them before Hendrix came back.   Their relatively poor SOS condemned them to a six seed even though they have the best winning percentage of any of the teams in the region.  I still can't understand how Pomona Pitzer gets a three seed - while they have a edge on Trinity and Mississippi College from an SOS perspective, they lose out on overall record, record against regionally ranked teams, and in-region record.    

Ironically, even had Trinity played Millsaps and gone 1-2, the bump to SOS might have resulted in a better seed.  Such is the overemphasis the NCAA places on SOS above all else.   Trinity will likely start Klimesh in the game against Chapman and hope to pull off the upset.  


West Region

1. Chapman (30-9)
2. Linfield (30-10)
3. Pomona-Pitzer (29-9)
4. Texas-Tyler (35-10)
5. Mississippi College (36-9)
6. Trinity (Texas) (32-7)

[tigerfan_2001]

Millsaps gets left out ... probably on the board when the last pool C was selected.

South Regional

1. Shenandoah (34-8)
2. Salisbury (27-11)
3. Mary Washington (26-12)
4. York (Pa.) (28-14)
5. LaGrange (26-17)
6. Bridgewater (Va.) (23-18-1)

Lots of upsets in conference tourneys meant some teams that were favored to get A's instead ended up getting C's, and that certainly impacted Millsaps.  

Over in the West, Trinity gets the #6 (and last) seed with a 32-7 record.  Losing those two games to freakin' Hendrix really hurt - especially the one where they almost run-ruled them before Hendrix came back.   Their relatively poor SOS condemned them to a six seed even though they have the best winning percentage of any of the teams in the region.  I still can't understand how Pomona Pitzer gets a three seed - while they have a edge on Trinity and Mississippi College from an SOS perspective, they lose out on overall record, record against regionally ranked teams, and in-region record.    

Ironically, even had Trinity played Millsaps and gone 1-2, the bump to SOS might have resulted in a better seed.  Such is the overemphasis the NCAA places on SOS above all else.   Trinity will likely start Klimesh in the game against Chapman and hope to pull off the upset.  


West Region

1. Chapman (30-9)
2. Linfield (30-10)
3. Pomona-Pitzer (29-9)
4. Texas-Tyler (35-10)
5. Mississippi College (36-9)
6. Trinity (Texas) (32-7)

Ron--I dont think the SOS is calculated that way.  Once you play a team, you get their record, no matter how many times you play them.  If TU would have lost to them, that would have helped Millsaps record, which in turn would have helped SOS.  I like Klimesh against Chapman.  They have some studs on the mound, but Klimesh is as good as anyone at this level.  I just hope the TU bats remain hot....

[Pat Coleman]

That isn't true. You get their record once for each time you play them.

The handbook is poorly written. The fact that our SOS numbers nearly mirror the SOS numbers from the NCAA show that this is the correct interpretation.

[Ron Boerger]

That isn't true. You get their record once for each time you play them.

The handbook is poorly written. The fact that our SOS numbers nearly mirror the SOS numbers from the NCAA show that this is the correct interpretation.

Thanks for the clarification, Pat.  That makes sense, but when you're talkin' about the NCAA, sometimes sense gets thrown out the window.   

[ILVBB]

Common sense; NCAA - now that is an Oxymoron. It is my understanding that the NCAA in all their wisdom booked Trinity to fly out of Austin (real bright when SAT is 5 minutes from campus).  Nothing like getting up at 3AM to drive to school, to get on a bus, drive for an hour, check in for a 6 hour flight, get on a bus, drive an hour and a half to Mcminnville, practice, go to the hotel and then have to play the first game against a very tough Chapman.

Common sense; NCAA - not in our lifetime.

[Ron Boerger]

No doubt the flight from AUS + bus cost less than a flight from SAT.  That's all the NCAA cares about.

[tigerfan_2001]

No doubt the flight from AUS + bus cost less than a flight from SAT.  That's all the NCAA cares about.

lets hope TU shows up with a little chip on their shoulder.....after finding out that the NCAA chartered a flight for UTT and Miss Coll together.....Tyler, Jackson, Portland....nice and easy

[Pat Coleman]

Not like they flew them out of Houston, people. Relax.