BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Patriot_Pride]

I'm also ready for the opening pitch this Friday.  Regarding the preview, most of the SCAC West teams are in the West Region so that half of the conference is covered in the preview of the West.

Ah, I see. Good point. I was wondering if it was going to be somewhere else. Thanks for the heads up!

I retract my last statement, my bad JD.

[infielddad]

I will have to admit that in following Trinity, Southwestern, SCAC and ASC baseball over the past 10 years, I have never heard of Houston-Victoria.

According to their website, UHV is currently an upper-division and graduate campus with a total enrollment of around 3500.  It added athletics in 2007 and will enroll its first set of underclassment (~200 freshman/sophomores) this fall.   They are an NAIA independent, offering only softball and baseball as intercollegiate sports - but will add golf and soccer next season.   The baseball team won the 2009 Association of Independent Institutions baseball
championship.

Thanks, Ron.
I was curious as to the quality of their play, not having heard of them.
If they are an NAIA offering scholarships, that, plus being able to recruit from Houston, means they could be pretty darn good even though they are a very new program.

[Patriot_Pride]

2010 NCAA Division III "Players to Watch" from Collegiate Baseball

The SCAC had six players named to the list including:
Brantley Freeman, LHP, Southwestern
Kyle Belski, 1B, Southwestern
Brad Gerlach, RHP, DePauw
Rob McPike, 1B, DePauw
Chris Conkell, C, Rhodes
Brent Lindsey, OF, Rhodes

I was a little surprised Will Hawkins (Millsaps) was not on the list, but of course I'm biased cause he's a Major. The guy was named SCAC Offensive Player of the Year and was an All-American. I guess it's better he fly under the radar and have another breakout year.

[frank_ezelle]

You would also think that Noah Solomon of Trinity, the 2009 Pitcher of the Year, would get a mention as well.  Without checking stats, I presume that the players named are well qualified to be on the list, but the list seems a little incomplete.

[Krakatoa]

Let's add Kyle Felix and Evan Jones, both of Trinity, to the Watch List.  Both are well-deserving and should quickly prove why.

[historymajor]

Here, here Frank and Krak!  There will be more from TU that 'represent'...  stay tuned my friends!

[Krakatoa]

Indeed, HM, indeed!  I look forward to hearing your booming presence on the videocasts!

[frank_ezelle]

The Millsaps opener against U. of the Ozarks has been pushed back to 4 this afternoon due to heavy rain Thursday.  The teams will now play a DH Saturday starting at 12.

All 3 games will be webcast and the link to those webcast is down in my signature section. 

[frank_ezelle]

Millsaps wins the opener 16-2 against the University of the Ozarks.  Aaron Williams started and got the win.  Two or three freshmen pitched well in relief along with a shutout inning from Boomer Hudson. 

Millsaps drew a lot of walks, and to the surprise of no one, they got a bunch of hit by pitches.  It was a game played in cold wet weather and things just went downhill for the Ozarks in the later innings.  The two teams play a DH tomorrow starting at 12.  The webcast will start about 11:50 and the link for that is below in my signature area.

[frank_ezelle]

Box score for Millsaps game and it was two newcomers who pitched in relief with one being Jake Mills who is a junior college transfer.  He looks like he will help both at the plate and on the mound.

Story on Millsaps website:  http://www.gomajors.com/news/2010/2/6/BB_0206101326.aspx

Box score:  http://gomajors.com/custompages/Baseball/10Baseball/stats/mcb10-01.htm

[BBallFanHC]

Defending SCAC Champs....Hendrix College will open up tomorrow at the University of Dallas. They bring a lot of guys back and look out for 1B Jeff Forgeson finally out of Daniel Ward's hefty shadow to carry the lineup. Returing the entire infield, corner outfield, and starting pitching staff I am very excited to see how far they will go this year.
If you guys remember I made the outlandish prediction before the tournament last year that Hendrix would bring home the hardware so I've decided to make another such prediction.....2010 SCAC Pitcher of the Year: Soph. from Hendrix Ted Smoyer...
Look forward to another amazing season
That is all.

[frank_ezelle]

Thanks for the post BBallFanHC and you have made an interesting pick for Pitcher of the Year.  Smoyer would have to leapfrog a lot of talented pitchers who return from 2009--individual stats for 2009 are here:  http://scacsports.com/sports/bsb/2008-09/stats/lgplyrs.htm --but a lot can change from year to year in the SCAC.

You prediction is much farther out on the limb than mine which is:  The SCAC West is going to be extremely competitive this year. 

The only team that fell off the pace last year was Austin and I expect them to bounce back this season.  Austin split with Northwood to open the season and Northwood was 36-19 last season and is ranked #25 in the preseason NAIA poll.  It is going to be a great season of baseball and I hope fans from all the schools will support their team.  The players and coaches deserve that support.

[jekelish]

AC is just about to get a doubleheader against TLU started here in Sherman.  They play the Bulldogs again tomorrow.

[frank_ezelle]

Millsaps wins the first game 11-1 in a game that ended with the 10-run rule.  Jules Roussel is taking over the right field spot which has produced 4 of the last 5 SCAC Offensive POTY winners (Will Hawkins beat out Hunter Owen last year) and Jules hit a bomb in the 7th inning for the first Millsaps HR of the season.  Shelby Robertson got the start and the win.  The teams have completed the first inning of game two and Ozarks has a 3-0 lead.

[frank_ezelle]

A good opening weekend for Millsaps with a 3-0 start.  We've seen in recent years that no one goes into the SCAC Tournament with even a 50-50 chance of winning the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament so keeping an at large possibility alive during the regular season is of vital importance. 

Some key numbers from the 3 games against the University of the Ozarks:

--42 runs scored
--on base percentage of .500 thanks to .350 batting average, 25 walks, and 9 hbp
--16 out of 18 on stolen bases
--12 pitchers combined for an era of 3.60
(link to stats:  http://gomajors.com/custompages/Baseball/10Baseball/stats/teamcume.htm )

Of course, it's only 3 games that were played in miserable weather against a single opponent who might be fairly good or might be in for a long season.  It was however, a weekend that showed promise and it was 3 NCAA wins without a loss.  All in all, a great start for the Majors.