BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[richball]

Jones is stopping everybody he faces, team is starting to hit the ball. They make it to the conference tournament, they will win the first game no matter who they play.

[richball]

Season Underdog Centre makes it in taking 2 from BSC...

[frank_ezelle]

OU was 4-4 going into this weekend and they have lost the first two so they are now 4-6.  Centre was 4-5 and based on the post above, I take it that they won 2 of 3 to move to 6-6 and that makes them uncatchable by OU.

That would put Millsaps and Centre as the 7:00 game next Thursday.  While richball may assume that Centre will win that game, I'll give Millsaps at least a fighting chance to come out the winner.  On the other hand, I do believe that every team has the pitching to beat every other team in the first round of a tournament.  Centre had to win 2 of 3 from a very good BSC team and they did that--I won't assume that this game is a guaranteed victory for Millsaps.

[frank_ezelle]

There's one spot remaining and Hendrix has the upper hand.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like:

East #1 -- DePauw*
East #2 -- Rhodes
East #3 -- Centre

West #1 -- Millsaps
West #2 -- Trinity -OR- Hendrix if they beat Southwestern 2 times on Sunday**
West #3 -- Southwestern if they win 2 on Sunday -OR- Hendrix if they win 1 on Sunday -OR- Trinity if Hendrix wins 2 on Sunday.

*While DePauw and Rhodes could still tie at 9-6, I believe DePauw has the head-to-head tiebreaker.
**Two wins by Hendrix would move them to the same 11-9 record held by Trinity and Hendrix won the head-to-head.  Southwestern is currently 8-10 and they can only overtake Hendrix.

[tiger_fan2000]

There's one spot remaining and Hendrix has the upper hand.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like:

East #1 -- DePauw*
East #2 -- Rhodes
East #3 -- Centre

West #1 -- Millsaps
West #2 -- Trinity -OR- Hendrix if they beat Southwestern 2 times on Sunday**
West #3 -- Southwestern if they win 2 on Sunday -OR- Hendrix if they win 1 on Sunday -OR- Trinity if Hendrix wins 2 on Sunday.

*While DePauw and Rhodes could still tie at 9-6, I believe DePauw has the head-to-head tiebreaker.
**Two wins by Hendrix would move them to the same 11-9 record held by Trinity and Hendrix won the head-to-head.  Southwestern is currently 8-10 and they can only overtake Hendrix.

Hendrix wins the first game today, so they are in.  If they sweep, they are the 2 seed.  If SU wins, they are the 3 seed.

[Gus Sinski]

 Hendrix won't sweep.

They emptied the bench in the second game...I think the bus driver is playing first base, and some Southwestern student that opted to take a study break by going to the baseball game pitched the sixth inning for us.

It's 8-0 Southwestern in the bottom of the eighth.

Perfectly fine with going in at No. 3, because it shakes out well if we get through the first game. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if Hendrix wins the first game against DePauw, they'd get the loser of Millsaps-Centre (let's just say Centre.) If they lose, they face the loser of Trinity-Rhodes...and the Warrior lineup has a ton of confidence against Trinity at this point.

Food for thought: Daniel Ward went 0-4 in Saturday night's victory and was a non-factor in Sunday's victory. Jeff Forgerson, too, was not overpowering. Hendrix fans should take this as a positive sign, considering the team managed to beat two very good SCAC starters (Willis, Freeman) without their two big boppers.

In fact, the only pitcher in the conference that seems to give the Warrior hitters the howling fantods is Aaron Williams. Hopefully, Millsaps will pitch him early in the tournament. As for Hendrix, Dave Keine was given only spot duty to stay fresh in the throwaway game, so I would assume he'd be taking the ball Thursday. Keine has been a Sunday starter, but has also been the team's best starter in the second half of the season.

In the interim, any basic knowledge of DePauw would be greatly appreciated. Also, since I'm hoping my boss will let me cash in some vacation time, advice on some of Jackson's better watering holes would be dandy as well.

[Jack Parkman]

Hendrix won't sweep.

They emptied the bench in the second game...I think the bus driver is playing first base, and some Southwestern student that opted to take a study break by going to the baseball game pitched the sixth inning for us.

One of the funniest things I have read on here.

[BATR441]

[quote author=Gus Sinski link=topic=4180.msg1059990#msg1059990 date=1



In the interim, any basic knowledge of DePauw would be greatly appreciated. Also, since I'm hoping my boss will let me cash in some vacation time, advice on some of Jackson's better watering holes would be dandy as well.
[/quote]

I am just assuming but  they went with #1 guy against OU on Sat. and he is good but not great, OU had 9 hits off of him just none when they were needed there #2 guy had just as much velo but FB was falt and straight, OU hit a couple of dinngeres off of him and I think had 7or 8 hits off of him before they wnet to the pen. Defensivley thay are solid and can hit from 1-9, However lacking any consistant power up and down the order and they run, run ,run, Not surprising against OU ( not a good CS record).

Would like to congradulate all the teams that made it in and wish them luck, in particular Centre, wow 9-21 they are the absolute proof that anyone can get in, it all depends on who is playing the hottest baseball at the right time.

[BATR441]

Also just wanted to say good season to the OU squad and coaches, this team will be better prepared next season to get it done in the big games, this year is a good building block.

I know they will be loosing a few guys but I feel confident they have a few guys that are ready to step in and hopefully this seasons record will help some in recruiting.

again good luck to all the teams in the tournament I know no matter who wins it The SCAC will be well represented.

I have see alot of D-1 through D-3 baseball in my life and I will say that as a conference the SCAC has some really good talent on the field.

[frank_ezelle]

With the SCAC Tournament starting on Thursday, it makes sense for Hendrix to rest some guys and also rewards some others with playing time.  Plus it doesn't hurt that the 3rd seed gets an easier second game if they win the first, and I would think there's not a lot of difference between playing Rhodes or DePauw first.  It was mentioned a while back by a Trinity fan that coming in 3rd seemed like a good deal if you couldn't come in first.

As for watering holes, there's a great restuarant named Nick's just a half mile east of the statium.  The food is outstanding and therefore it is a little pricey, but they have a seperate side with a bar and tables.  Drinks (except for wine) are half price from 5 to 7.  It's not a sports bar, but it a good place to catch a drink with friends--I meet with a group of friends there every Wednesday night.  Our group spent about a year going to a different location each month before deciding we were crazy not to go to Nick's each week.

[richball]

Thanks BATR441 for the Congrats on Centre. They really have been playing well in Conference play. I believe the mid-week studies really get to them (and I think the record reflects) considering they have 4 doctors, 7 lawyers, and one future President on the roster.

[frank_ezelle]

All season long I've mentioned the importance of Millsaps winning their non-conference games to keep alive their chances for an at-large berth if they don't win the SCAC Tournament.  I believe they have that locked up with 5 D3 losses that would become 7 losses if Millsaps doesn't win the tournament.

The reason this is so important is because no one is  even close to being a favorite to win this tournament.  If all 6 teams were exactly equal, then you would say that each had a 16-17% chance of winning the tournament since your percentages would have to add up to 100%.  For example, if I want to say that Millsaps has a 50% chance of winning, then I can only assign a total of 50% chance for the other 5 teams.  Considering that Millsaps only won their season series 3-2 over both Trinity and Hendrix, there's just no way to put the Millsaps chances anywhere near 50%.

Keeping in mind that this is about being able to win 4 or 5 games against strong competition over a 4-day period, here's my rough estimate of the chance for each team in the tournament:

Millsaps -- 25%
Hendrix -- 19%
Trinity -- 19%
DePauw -- 16%
Rhodes -- 16%
Centre -- 5%

Okay, for all you Centre fans, I'm not looking past you in the first round.  I simply have doubts that the pitching is there to win 4 games in a row.  If the pitching staff is that deep, then it seems like Centre would have a better record this season.

Hendrix and Trinity are too close to seperate and DePauw and Rhodes are the same in the East.  Based on past history, the SCAC West teams have performed better in the tournament so I've given Hendrix and Trinity the edge.  I started to make it 20% and 15% which really isn't much of a change, but it seemed like too big a gap.

Please feel free to find fault with my estimates, or better yet, give us your numbers. 

[donotknowscac]

Hendrix won't sweep.

They emptied the bench in the second game...I think the bus driver is playing first base, and some Southwestern student that opted to take a study break by going to the baseball game pitched the sixth inning for us.

It's 8-0 Southwestern in the bottom of the eighth.

Perfectly fine with going in at No. 3, because it shakes out well if we get through the first game. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if Hendrix wins the first game against DePauw, they'd get the loser of Millsaps-Centre (let's just say Centre.) If they lose, they face the loser of Trinity-Rhodes...and the Warrior lineup has a ton of confidence against Trinity at this point.

Food for thought: Daniel Ward went 0-4 in Saturday night's victory and was a non-factor in Sunday's victory. Jeff Forgerson, too, was not overpowering. Hendrix fans should take this as a positive sign, considering the team managed to beat two very good SCAC starters (Willis, Freeman) without their two big boppers.

In fact, the only pitcher in the conference that seems to give the Warrior hitters the howling fantods is Aaron Williams. Hopefully, Millsaps will pitch him early in the tournament. As for Hendrix, Dave Keine was given only spot duty to stay fresh in the throwaway game, so I would assume he'd be taking the ball Thursday. Keine has been a Sunday starter, but has also been the team's best starter in the second half of the season.

In the interim, any basic knowledge of DePauw would be greatly appreciated. Also, since I'm hoping my boss will let me cash in some vacation time, advice on some of Jackson's better watering holes would be dandy as well.

Hey Gus,  You're gonna face Gerlach.  A really good pitcher, he's gonna hit his spots, he's gonna pitch deep into the game and he leads the SCAC in ERA in conference games.  He is a really fine pitcher.  Very composed.  If he leaves they bring in a freshman (usually) and if blue is giving the outside edge, he'll throw it there over and over.

They are well coached and when they get guys on, they start moving runners around.  Hopefully you can keep Weiner off the base paths.

Rhodes got through Sewannee this weekend, with a great pitching match up in the first game, Holt got another complete game victory.  The second game, Rhodes got good relief pitching and the bats came around late for a win, and then Sewannee just had nothing left for the blow out win yesterday.  Their #1 pitcher, Bartleski, has had a tough year, but has great stats.  He gets my hard luck for the year award.  He has lost a bunch of close games.

As with most tournaments, we now get to see how deep everyone's pitching is!!

Playing on that rug ought to be interesting.

[frank_ezelle]

On Thursday everyone is going to have to play against good pitching.  On Friday everyone should be playing against good pitching.  Come Saturday and Sunday, it will be a chance for the hitters to take over as the pitching wears thin.  It's a fairly big park and I'm not sure that there will be a lot of home runs, but I expect a lot of doubles.

As far as weather goes, it should be beautiful throughout with no real sign of rain in the 10-day forecast for Jackson.  The temps are expected to get into the mid-80's and I suspect it will feel hotter than that on the field.  That's another factor to consider as the extra heat is going to make it tougher on the pitchers.  Here's that 10-day forecast:

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USMS0175?from=sixten_topnav

[tiger_fan2000]

This is probably the most open tournament that I can remember in a while in the SCAC.  Millsaps, while being the #1 team in the country, doesn't scare me so to speak.  Owen and Hawkins scare me, and the rest are just role players that know exactly what to do to make them successful.  I would go as far as to say that this is the least talented Millsaps team in a long while.  That isnt meant as an insult by any means, because they play like champions and find ways to win games, which is all that matters.  For some reason, I just dont have them winning the tournament. 

I hope I dont come across as biased, but depending on which TU team shows up, could win it all or lose their first 2 games and be back in Texas before Saturday.  Talent-wise, I think TU  matches up well against anyone.  Whether they can play with the desire and energy needed is an entirely different questions.  Personally, I am hoping they decide to play a little and make a run in the tournament.

Hendrix is the big question mark.  They play the game hard and dont every quit.  I wonder how they will react to being in this position.  This is new territory for the guys on this team. 

As far as the east teams, I know Rhodes will pitch well, play good defense, and run wild on the bases.  Depaw and Centre, I dont know much about. 

Here is to a great weekend of SCAC baseball.