BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

[tigerfan_2001]

The TU bats stay hot and Klimesh tosses a complete game gem!!!

[Ron Boerger]

Rhodes run rules Millsaps, 11-1 in seven, and just underway against DPU.  The winner is going to be one tired team come tomorrow.  Looks like Ross is being held for tomorrow, a great gamble if the Tigers can get the W tonight, but you're still in position of having to played one more game by not using him today.   EDIT:  then again, the way Klimesh pitched, maybe it wouldn't have made any difference.  

Andy Manson (5.62, 2-0, 32.0 IP in 16 app [1 start]) gets the start for DPU, Andy Meier (9.0, 0-0, 1.0 IP in 1 app).  Oh, now maybe we know why DPU's keeping Ross in the pen for tomorrow.  

Live stats here:  http://www.sidearmstats.com/rhodes/baseball/index.htm

DPU gets a run in the first, another in the bottom of the second and with two out it's 2-0.  One hit for the Lynx in the first two innings.

Lynx tie it up in the top of the fourth.   Amazingly good pitching for both sides given that both teams are digging around the bottle of the barrel to find arms - nine total hits (4 DPU 5 Lynx).

spoke too soon, DPU puts together a rally in the bottom half of the inning and it's now 5-2.  Will be very surprised if Rhodes can pull this out.  Starting pitchers still in for both sides.

[frank_ezelle]

I didn't stay up for the last game.  As Ron pointed out, both Rhodes and DePauw went with guys who definitely would not be considered aces, yet both pitched great games and there were a combined total of 24 strikeouts during the game.  Do you think the ump might have increased the strike zone just a little with the game starting at 10:15 PM?

One thing about the tournament is that it has played true to form with Trinity and DePauw getting to the finals.  Either should represent the SCAC well, but naturally I'll be pulling for the SCAC West team to take the title.  They seem to have the pieces needed to make a big run in the NCAA.

[JimiBall]

Looks like a nice day in Tennessee for Title Day.  Good luck to the Tigers..... 
Seriously, I hope both teams play well.  I wish I were there, but Derrel Palmer is a great substitute.

Hendrix will be a strong contender next year.  The Warriors were responsible for 3 of the 4 SCAC losses that Trinity suffered this year, including a comeback from 10 runs down in the 7th inning.  Just couldn't put enough of those good games together to make the tournament.

Thanks to all of you posting additional information on the games.  Seems like a lot of coaches earning their keep with good line-up decisions.

[frank_ezelle]

Millsaps should come back strong as well in the 2011 season.  The only seniors on this year's team are catcher Tyler Berry, starting pitcher Shelby Robertson, and reliever Andrew Fleming.

This really was a rebuilding year for Millsaps and I kept hoping that the project would come in ahead of schedule with all of the pieces falling in place in early April.  Half the field positions were manned by new players and a couple of spots were filled by veterans changing positions.  Only three pitchers with significant innings returned from 2009.  This was one of those years where it would take everything falling into place just right in order to repeat the success of 2009, and unfortunately reality set in as it usually does.

This was particular true on the mound where injuries and inexperience took their toll.  There seems to be a lot of pitching talent in this year's Millsaps freshman class, but in my years of following SCAC baseball I haven't seen a lot of pitchers who have come in and dominated right from the start.  Hopefully this group of freshmen will grow into pitching stars of the future.

Good luck to whoever represents the SCAC in the NCAA this year.  At 12 I'll have my eye mostly on the softball tournament where Millsaps is the undefeated team with Southwestern being the team that needs to win two this afternoon. There's still a chance to get one of the Millsaps diamond teams into the NCAA Tournament.

[Ron Boerger]

Should be a good day 4 championship - with Ross up for DPU Trinity has their work cut out for them to keep it from going to a second winner-takes-all game.

[JimiBall]

Frank,
Whoever takes over for Tyler Berry at catcher will have some large shoes to fill. He was a real competitor and an animal at blocking pitches.  Not to mention starting every game for Millsaps.  He took a beating behind the plate in the three games in Conway and still went 3-4, 4 rbi, a home run and double in the last game. 

Made me wonder if Coach Page provided an ice bath seat on the bus.

[frank_ezelle]

Frank,
Whoever takes over for Tyler Berry at catcher will have some large shoes to fill. He was a real competitor and an animal at blocking pitches.  Not to mention starting every game for Millsaps.  He took a beating behind the plate in the three games in Conway and still went 3-4, 4 rbi, a home run and double in the last game. 

Made me wonder if Coach Page provided an ice bath seat on the bus.

Amen to that observation.  I believe Tyler caught all but one inning this season.  He came out of an extra inning game when he just couldn't go any longer.  His value to the team would have been tremendous if he had been a .250 hitter with 3 home runs, but he was a leader at the plate as well in several categories. 

Millsaps has had some real stars graduate in recent years.  All were difficult to replace, but because of the position played and the numbers at the plate, replacing Tyler might be the most difficult replacement to find.

[Ron Boerger]

DePauw got a run in the bottom of the first and that's all the scoring through six.  Elliot Ross has only allowed four hits and has thrown five strikeouts after putting down the leadoff batter in the sixth for Trinity.  Ryan Lucero is doing admirably for Trinity, allowing only six hits with five K's.  Neither team has allowed a walk.

[Ron Boerger]

Trinity finally chases Ross after scoring two in the bottom of the eighth to take a 3-1 lead.  Lucero hits the first batter in the ninth and is relieved by Klimesh (! after pitching nine yesterday !).   

[Ron Boerger]

Klimesh retires three straight and Trinity is your SCAC baseball champion!

A great performance Ryan Lucero (3-1) today, providing eight quality innings and scattering nine hits, racking up 7 K's, and allowing only one run and no walks.  Lucero lowers his ERA to somewhere around 2.96 in just his third start of the season (15th appearance - 42.2 IP to date).  Elliot Ross allowed only eight hits in 7 1/3rd, of which Johnathan Hall had two - a solo home run and a single which knocked in the game winning run in the eighth.

[etg]

(El Tea Gray--re: Trinity Tigers 2010 SCAC Baseball Champions)


There were a lot of Trinity fans (including myself) that expected this SCAC Championship result since the Tigers vs. Tiger Alumni Game in 32 degree weather in early, early spring. Now on to the West Regional, and then IMHO to the DIII Championship Tournament.

                                                                               


Question: There are now 23 days until the start of the West Regional; will/should the Tigers try to schedule some additional opponents for games (there were several regular season games rained-out) to avoid "just playing themselves" for 3+ weeks?


                                                                                 

[Ralph Turner]

(El Tea Gray--re: Trinity Tigers 2010 SCAC Baseball Champions)


There were a lot of Trinity fans (including myself) that expected this SCAC Championship result since the Tigers vs. Tiger Alumni Game in 32 degree weather in early, early spring. Now on to the West Regional, and then IMHO to the DIII Championship Tournament.

                                                                             


Question: There are now 23 days until the start of the West Regional; will/should the Tigers try to schedule some additional opponents for games (there were several regular season games rained-out) to avoid "just playing themselves" for 3+ weeks?
                                                                               

Schreiner and Concordia have one date left that they can play to make the 40-game season.  Sul Ross has five dates left.

I think that Trinity has 5 vacant dates.

[Bmo]

It would be cool if TU could line up a game or two with one of the local D2 schools (UIW, St. Mary's, or even St Edwards).  Probably don't want to play a team you might see in Oregon or one that will impact your regional records, SOS, and the like, negatively.

Due to the possibility of a 7 team bracket in the West (if things stay true to form and teams aren't shipped out of region) with Trinity, Chapman, 2 SCIAC schools, 2 NWC, and an ASC team, you want to avoid being seeded either 4th or 5th, or else you will have to play two games on day one (One against the #1 one seed).  Not really fair, but that's how I believe that bracket works.

[infielddad]

Congratulations to both DePauw and Trinity for a terrific tournament.
I read Coach Scannell's comments about Elliott Ross and you can see from his results against one of the best hitting teams anywhere that he knows how to pitch.
TU had guys step up big time.  Without Felix and Panozzo and with Noah Solomon struggling, what a job they did.  From the freshman, Hall, Bentz and Lucero, to the senior, Evan Jones, they did what Coach Scannell teaches: compete.
My sense is TU has to use this time to get healthy, especially Panozzo and Felix.  With those two, the emergence of Lucero, and the dominance of Klimesh, they can provide the depth and quality that is needed in Linfield.
Not sure how he does it, but Coach Scannell gets his guys ready to play and compete during this layoff.  They have been sharp every time they get to the Regional and played/competed pretty darn well.  
Congrats to TU and the Coaches: Scannell, Bunch, Smith, Vera and Fregosi.  Terrific job that began last year when they recruited a group of freshman who played big and made quite a difference.