BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Bob_Lotts]

Pauper:

Good game today...sorry I missed you there. But Flanagan did not hit 90...not even once. It was a chilly, windy day... a tough day to pitch when you really can't feel your hands...he threw a good game, no doubt. But please let's not jump the 'gun' and say he consistently hit 90. He pitched between 84-86 and occasionly rushed it up there at 87-88.  He threw much better today then last week but I' still like Holt...

no matter, nothing should take away from Rhodes and their 20-2 start...awesome!

[historymajor]

Trinity knocked of Hendrix twice more Saturday,,,, 6-0, and 5-4.  Are my eyes deceiving me?  What's up with AC knocking off MC twice?  Is AC that good?

[Ralph Turner]

...
Are my eyes deceiving me?  What's up with AC knocking off MC twice?  Is AC that good?

AC is 6-5 vs ASC teams this year, so they might be that good.

It appears that Mississippi College is a little weak.

AC still has  3 versus UT-D, 2 vs. UT-Tyler and single games vs. HSU and McM.

[Bob_Lotts]

I think he was referring to Millsaps, not  Mississippi. Millsaps scores only 4 runs in 16 innings of play on Saturday?? Wow...welcome to the 4-game weekend where anything can happen. Prediction for Sunday---lots of runs! MC 16 AC 12

[Ralph Turner]

I think he was referring to Millsaps, not  Mississippi. Millsaps scores only 4 runs in 16 innings of play on Saturday?? Wow...welcome to the 4-game weekend where anything can happen. Prediction for Sunday---lots of runs! MC 16 AC 12

I was, too.  I was using the Millsaps-Mississippi College contests as a barometer of relative strengths, and trying to gauge AC by their historical performances.

In doing that, I am wondering exactly where the strength in the South/Southwest lies.

Does AC finish in the Top 2 in the SCAC/West?

[frank_ezelle]

I really didn't see much of the Millsaps vs. Austin series this weekend, only catching most of the Friday game and a couple of middle innings of the 3rd game.  I put something last week on a thread under the National topics about my concerns about Millsaps hitting at this point in the season and they certainly didn't hit much against Austin pitching. 

I don't know how many people were around during the basketball season but it was marked by close games between just about all of the teams.  So far we have had 4 SCAC series and there have been 3 sweeps which doesn't sound like much parity in the baseball.  A closer look at the scores shows that the Rhodes-OU series was fairly tight as was a couple of games in the Trinity-Hendrix series.  I think we will see a lot of good competitive weekends this season and the cross over weekend and the SCAC Tournament might offer some real surprises.

Just a comment on the Holt vs. Flanagan debate.  Baseball is a game of numbers and the numbers that matter most are the ones that relate to the final results.  I don't know a thing about Flanagan except that he had a great season last year and he is having a great year this season.  Based on the results, if Flanagan is overrated then he must be pitching to a bunch of equally overrated hitters and teams.

[historymajor]

Trinity found their old bats (and gloves) this weekend and completed a four game sweep over a much improved young Hendrix squad.  TU really NEEDED the sweep to get back on their winning ways!

[historymajor]

Trinity ran it's win streak to 6 with a convincing 10-0 victory over a rusty Cardinal Stritch (NAIA).  Soph Evan Bronson went the distance fanning 13 and scattering only 5 hits.

[Gus Sinski]

 That was a big sweep for Trinity...seeing as what happened to Millsaps, taking four from Hendrix this weekend could be huge for the Tigers.

But let's talk about Hendrix for a sec: Over the past six years, the Warriors have gone to San Antonio and gotten slapped around like a fresh prom date. We're not talking just losses. We're talking run ruled, morality draining, bug-meets-windshield losses.

But yet an undermanned team made up entirely of freshmen and sophomores showed up this past weekend and did a marvelous imitation of a quality, competitive baseball team. First-year pitchers David Keine and David Hagan were beyond gutsy on the hill, and rubber-armed reliever Wheeler Gnat kept Hendrix going in the late innings. Offensively, the program has a foundation with newcomers Nathan Skeen and Nathan Hill (does every name on this team come in pairs?) joining sophomores Matt Giza and Daniel Ward.

I understand the above sounds like any fan of a losing program when it avoids the usual thumping from an established program. But I lay this on history...Hendrix has never been as consistently competitive in San Antonio as it was this weekend. If these players continue to work hard and listen to their coaches and believe that good things will happen, this team has a chance to steal some games here and there.

[Ralph Turner]

Gus, welcome to the board.

We appreciate all fans' contributions.  It is especially hard for fans to post during a losing season, but almost all of the core of contributors are extemely appreciative and respectful of fans from programs that are not winning that season.

In fact, objective criteria from third parties on the board who have shown consistency in their posts often are held in greater esteem when they make an observation.

Please continue to post.  We encourage hyperlinnks, game impressions and other content that you may find interesting.

Thanks! 

[historymajor]

Gus, yes I agree that Hendrix will surprise some people.  The frosh-soph character of this young team will grow into something very nice from Conway.  It HAS to have been very painful for players and parents to travel to Georgetown and SAT in the 'post-Holland' years and get abused by TU and SW.
I see nothing but good things ahead for the Warriors IF they stick with their present course and new Coach R.J. Thomas builds on this nucleus of underclassmen.

[DPU3619]

Over the past six years, the Warriors have gone to San Antonio and gotten slapped around like a fresh prom date. We're not talking just losses. We're talking run ruled, morality draining, bug-meets-windshield losses.

I like this guy already.

Also, dunno if I missed the boat on this earlier, but does anyone have any thoughts on the new format for the conference tourney? 

Gotta say I think it hurts probably 2nd-4th seeds in the East division.  The west is just so darn strong.

[frank_ezelle]

Welcome Gus but I'm afraid that you have already made a critical mistake.  As DPU3619 indicated, you have set an awfully high standard for yourself with your first post and either you are going to be brilliant or you have already peaked!!!

Hendrix is making great strides in pulling up their athletic programs and it looks like baseball is following suit.  OU seems to be on the same course with their baseball team.  As we are seeing in other SCAC sports, it is getting harder and harder to have an off game and come out with a victory which is great for the league in general and it will push the top teams to get even better if they want to stay on top.

[frank_ezelle]

Let me correct myself.  After reading some of the articles Gus has on the Hendrix website, I can see that we have a ringer of a writer on the board.  I enjoyed reading some of your work even though I wasn't familar with the people, places or events.

[Gus Sinski]

 Frank, I appreciate the kind words. Though I won't speculate as to whether or not I've "peaked", I can end the brilliance speculation by mentioning that I once nearly burned my apartment down while trying to make pancakes in college. MENSA seems to have lost my number.

You are, though, off base on who I am. I've not written a sentence on the Hendrix board, nor am I affiliated with the school in any way. Just think of me as a baseball person with too much free time.

Lots can be credited to the Hendrix coaching staff...coaches Thomas and Groat both bring a tremendous amount of energy to the job. At first I was a tad nervous on the whole setup...neither look old enough to drive, and my experiences have been that twentysomething coaches struggle to contain their emotions and trust their players.

But Thomas has so far nailed the process. The players feed off his enthusiasm, yet he maintains a greater-than-expected level of maturity. Plus, both coaches have played for the program, so they have a vested interest in getting this thing right.

That said, there's acres between "having a foundation" and "getting there." The Trinity series showed the team is not there yet, and may not be for another year or so. Any hopes of a breather in the West were pretty much erased by Austin's performance against Millsaps, as it's clear the 'Roos have benefitted from playing in an equally-tough conference.

Hendrix's key to competitiveness will have to be retention. That means not only keeping the likes of Ward, Skeen, Keine, Hill, Gnat and Giza, but also keeping Thomas as well. That means peeling the "interim" tag off his title at season's end. The college will be getting a new field to compliment its new athletic center, but passing up on Thomas will likely mean the program will simply be bumbling about in prettier settings.

Hopefully, the school will recognize Thomas' work and avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Incidentally, I still like Millsaps for taking the whole thing.