BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[Ralph Turner]

McM gets an IF single, scores a run.  11-10 McM going into the top of 9.  Heart of Order up for TU.....2-3-4

Who's ptiching for McM?  Semchenko?

Cory Davis

McM wins 11-10.  Pappas strikes out for the 3rd time in the game, leaving a runner at 2nd.

Wow!  That was midweek pitching by committee!

Thanks for the updates!  +1!

[tigerfan_2001]

TU leads HSU 13-8 in the 7th.....had a big lead but have slowly let it whittle away.  Coach Scannell now brings in Panozzo for the 2nd time today.....hopefully he can put out the fire.

[Bob_Lotts]

The losing streak continues in Atlanta for the Petrels...after starting 10-3 they have now dropped 9 straight with a 3-1 and 5- 4 loss at Greensboro. Injuries continue to mount for this team that is in a deep downward spiral. The boxscores from yesterday do not resemble anything from the first 13 games of the season. The offense is just not able to sustain any rallies or bunch hits together. They have to figure out something quick as DePauw comes calling this weekend.

[wishbone ash]

Yes, we are hurting badly. Backup catcher has now been injured too. With a big series against Depauw coming up and our starters still hurt, it might be tough. But, the pitching is looking better. Just need the bats to start going.

Frank, I have a question. How many teams from each division go to the playoffs this year...AND, is BSU eligible this year?

Frank,

Here is the assestment on OU. Injuries, injuries, injuries and some inconsistent pitching. The injury bug has hit them very hard during the 7-game losing streak. They were 10-3 and they lost a couple of key players and they continue to go down. Pilger #2 hitter and CF is done for the year with a broken hand. Check out his numbers before he got hurt. He was the run producer in that lineup. #6 hitter Manai FR RF went down with a right hand injury and they haven't won since he went down. They have a completly revamped OF including their starting 1B playing LF. This past weekend at Rhodes they lost their starting catcher for 2 of the 3 games, who also is the #5 hitter. Rizzo couldn't play third on Sunday with a dislocated shoulder and their starting SS had a ankle injury.

So, you take out the #2 hitter who was hitting .470 and was leading the SCAC in HR before he got hurt, the #5 hitter who is hitting .340 and has thrown out 31% of bases stealers and take out the #6 hitter who was hitting .355 you are left with a weakened lineup. Throw in some inconsistent pitching, BAM, 7-game skid. For a team just starting to get good, they dont have a ton of depth. I realize injuries are part of the game but when you lose 3 of your top players it is tough on any team. Eventually they will get there but losing one third of your lineup is tough to replace at this level.


Of course this past weekend it didn't help that SS Cornwell went 1 for the series and 3B Rizzo went 1 for the series. Just not enough offense right now to sustain rallys. A trademark of this team early was their ability to score in bunches...I still think this team will make a serious run, some of these guys will get healthy and when they put their healthy players back in that lineup they can beat anyone. They have some solid arms, but they are just young and inexperienced.

[wishbone ash]

I just talked to Jeff Debaldo. Top 3 teams from each division go, with BSU still not eligible this year or next either.

[tigerfan_2001]

Well....after a mid-week split, the Tigers host Hendrix for a 3 game weekend.  Hard to believe what happened last time they played.  Hendrix is 4-8 in conference and one of those wins was an 11 run comback in the final 3 innings to beat TU in Conway.  I wonder what TU team will show up today......

TU needs a sweep to stay in contention for an at-large bid and to keep pace with the Majors for the top spot in conference.  Hard to talk about a sweep though when you have lost 7 of 9 to the team you are playing.  I hope the tigers can come out with a little fire today.

[frank_ezelle]

This is the first really big day of SCAC play.  I believe there are 5 SCAC doubleheaders on the slat.  Millsaps is at Austin, a team that always seems to hit the Millsaps pitching extremely well.  Maybe someone can sneak in the Austin locker room before the game and steal all of those wristbands they wear with the hitting codes.

I'm heading out for a tennis match and then the only two women's lacrosse games that will be played on campus this spring.  Hopefully I'll get back in time to catch a little of the last Millsaps baseball game.

[nvnorthpaw]

Entering the top of the seventh, Hendrix is on top of Trinity 9-1. 

[frank_ezelle]

Millsaps was up 6-0 on Austin after 6 and a half innings and Austin scored 7 in the bottom of the 7th to win 7-6.  To be honest, I'm glad I was at Millsaps for tennis, lacrosse and a couple of other things so I didn't actually see/hear the comeback. 

I believe the last 4 runs by Austin were unearned.  Giving teams extra outs has been a real problem for Millsaps all year and this is another game where an error came back to haunt them.

[Ron Boerger]

Entering the top of the seventh, Hendrix is on top of Trinity 9-1. 

Hendrix wins the first, 9-2; Trinity (behind 8 innings by Klimesh) takes the second 7-5.

[frank_ezelle]

Jules Roussel hits his 3rd HR of the game in the top of the 10th to give Millsaps a 18-16 lead, Millsaps commits errors 6 and 7 in the bottom of the 10th to give Austin a 19-18 win.

At this point, Millsaps has two clear goals for the next month.  One, hold on and make the SCAC Tournament.  That's not a given, especially if Austin completes the sweep tomorrow.  And number two, continue to develop these young pitchers over the next month and hopefully shore up the defense because those two things will have to be done for Millsaps to have any realistic chance of winning the SCAC Tournament.

[frank_ezelle]

Jules Roussel hits his 3rd HR of the game in the top of the 10th to give Millsaps a 18-16 lead, Millsaps commits errors 6 and 7 in the bottom of the 10th to give Austin a 19-18 win.

At this point, Millsaps has two clear goals for the next month.  One, hold on and make the SCAC Tournament.  That's not a given, especially if Austin completes the sweep tomorrow.  And number two, continue to develop these young pitchers over the next month and hopefully shore up the defense because those two things will have to be done for Millsaps to have any realistic chance of winning the SCAC Tournament.

I'd like to clarify my post from yesterday which was quickly made while editing tennis photos.

Teams like Millsaps, Trinity, Rhodes, etc, have in past years put up records that are worthy of consideration for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.  The 2006 team which was ranked #1 in the South and the 2009 team which was ranked #1 in the nation at one point were teams that went to the NCAA Tournament on an at-large bid.

With the two losses yesterday, plus the two losses that would come for anyone not winning the SCAC Tournament, it is almost a certainty that Millsaps will not get an at-large bid this season.  That's bad news, but it does have the silver lining that the next 4 weeks can be totally about preparing for the SCAC Tournament and not worrying about keeping alive hopes of an at-large bid.  

Clearly, fielding is a problem.  Millsaps was last in the SCAC in fielding prior to yesterday's games and I believed they added 9 errors yesterday with unearned runs being the game winners.  It makes me wonder if Ryan Zemke starting in left yesterday evening was really about Josh Ordeneaux returning to the infield in the future.  

Clearly, pitching depth is a problem.  This freshman class looks loaded with pitchers and the future looks bright.  Millsaps just needs that bright future to arrive in late April and not in 2011.  Outside of needing to win one or two more SCAC games, Millsaps really doesn't have any must win games on the schedule until the SCAC Tournament.  It might make things easier for developing the newcomers and not overworking the veterans.

So, my post yesterday was really about the closing of the at-large opportunity which makes the SCAC AQ the only path Millsaps has to the NCAA Tournament.  The next four weeks are now about getting qualified for the SCAC Tournament and then improving the things that are going to be needed to win a 6-team tournament.

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity run-rules Hendrix, 12-2, in eight behind seven strong innings (4 hits allowed, 1 BB, 2 ER) by Michael Panozzo.

[wishbone ash]

Oglethorpe takes two of three from Depauw this weekend. It could have easily been 3-3 too. Lost that game 8-7 but led for most of it. Getting some players back has really helped. The team seems to have refound their identity and are getting some nice pitching performances while the bats are heating up at the same time. This Eastern division is going to be interesting the rest of the way.

[tigerfan_2001]

SCAC West shaping up to be interesting.....

With AC sweeping Millsaps this weekend and TU taking 2 of 3 from Hendrix, the top 3 teams are within 1 game of eachother.  Both the majors and tigers have 9 wins and AC has 8.  Hendrix has only 5 and Southwestern with 4.  A huge 3 game series coming up for the 'Roos this weekend as they travel to Hendrix.  By my math, if Ausitn college beat Hendrix once, they can do no worse than tie with Hendrix and will have the tie-breaker since they would have won the season series.  Here is to a good weekend of baseball....