BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference

[EttaFan1]

Marietta pounds out 22 hits and defeats Otterbein 13-8.  Otterbein did score five runs in the bottom of the ninth as Stover struggled a little and didn't get a lot of great defensive help.  Marietta had 10 different batters in the game and all 10 had at least one hit.  Crowl threw pretty well through 5 2/3. 

It will be interesting to try and follow the JCU BW game.  The way the stats have been working for Otterbein is sketchy. 

The forecast for Saturday looks a bit sketchy so tomorrows games could get pushed to SUnday.  That and the fact that this morning's game started 30 minutes late and then ran long on top of that, may make it difficult to get the losers bracket championship done tonight which could screw things up even more.

[EttaFan1]

Congratulations to Mark Zimmerman for being named OAC player of the year.  This is a well deserved honor.  He is a tremendous position player and an outstanding pitcher.  There weren't any others who were more deserving in the OAC this year, IMO. 

Also congratulations to Christian Herstine for being named the pitcher of the year.  He had a very good year, and was also well deserving of this recognition.  I have personally met Christian and his parents.  This is a classy young man who comes from a great family.  An honor well deserved for certain.  The only other pitcher I thought to be as deserving was Zimmerman, but Herstine's numbers were a little bit better.

Congrats to the other players recognized for their all conference recognition as well.  There are some quality ball players in the OAC.

[Dr. Acula]

Zimmerman had to get one of the two awards.  He's clearly the best all around player this year when you account for his pitching and middle IF play.  If he isn't the Tekulve winner then Herstine was the obvious choice there.  If they would have named Zimmerman the Tekulve winner instead then I would say that Kent from Ott would have been the Rafeld winner.

I usually scratch my head over at least a couple of the selections (or at least what tier they were selected) but I really didn't this year. 

Good luck to Etta this week!  Carry that OAC flag for us. 

[Dr. Acula]

Etta lost a heart breaker yesterday.  Feel bad for Herstine who was 1 out away from the CG 2-1 win.  Time for Crowl to step up for them.

[Dr. Acula]

Belated congrats to the 2 OAC guys drafted:

Tyler Kent (Ott) taken in the 26th round by the Phillies.

Mark Zimmerman (BW) taken in the 33rd round by the Padres.

[Dr. Acula]

Mark Zimmerman is pitching really well in A ball.  21 K and only 3 BB in 16.1 IP.  WHIP under 1.00 and ERA of 1.10.  Great work out of the bullpen so far.  Hope he keeps it up.

Current Stats

[Dr. Acula]

Just reading about the NCAA tourney format changes coming in 2019.  D3 will essentially mirror D1.  There will be regionals (4 teams at top seed's campus), then the regional champs advance to a best of 5 super regional.  The 8 super regional winners advance to the World Series.  There's an article on the front page about the World Series having to change venues in 2019 due to the schedule changes resulting from the new format. 

[ElRetornodelEspencio]

Basically you only need 3 pitchers to get to and win a super regional.

Even more advantage to the southern schools that don't normally develop depth in pitching.

NCAA is bound and determined to make D3 as southern-dominated as the other divisions they previously ruined.

[Jim Dixon]

NCAA is bound and determined to make D3 as southern-dominated as the other divisions they previously ruined.

Lets see the number of south teams that won a title - NC Wesleyan x2, Texas (Trinity), la Verne, Chapman, Cal State Stanislaus x2.

7 teams in 40 years.  Add George Fox and Linfield and you get less than 9 champions from 2 of 8 regions.  Maybe those "southern teams" need an assist to make it fair against the northern teams.

[Bishopleftiesdad]

Jim,
What advantages, do you see the northern teams having over the southern teams, in the current system?

[Dr. Acula]

NCAA is bound and determined to make D3 as southern-dominated as the other divisions they previously ruined.

Lets see the number of south teams that won a title - NC Wesleyan x2, Texas (Trinity), la Verne, Chapman, Cal State Stanislaus x2.

7 teams in 40 years.  Add George Fox and Linfield and you get less than 9 champions from 2 of 8 regions.  Maybe those "southern teams" need an assist to make it fair against the northern teams.

I don't know the exact breakdown, but statistically wouldn't they have far fewer in large part because there are barely any schools in the south relative to the north?  There are 21 D3 schools in OH alone.

[Jim Dixon]

I don't know the exact breakdown, but statistically wouldn't they have far fewer in large part because there are barely any schools in the south relative to the north?  There are 21 D3 schools in OH alone.

I expect it is more complicated than that, as the format of the playoffs has changed over time.   The real mark of representation is teams that make the playoffs. 

I actually like well pitched games and spreading the playoffs over another week will allow more games with the top of the rotation.  I do not want to go to the extent that the D-I series goes, with just two games per day in the early part of the College World Series.

[Ralph Turner]

West Region has had 7 champions.
West Region has only ~35 -38 teams, ~10% of D3.

The move to the new format is coming from someone above my pay grade.

Also, the ASC, the NWC and half of the SCAC have been members of D3 less than.20 years.

[ElRetornodelEspencio]

Jim,
What advantages, do you see the northern teams having over the southern teams, in the current system?

I notice this question didn't get an answer. Pretty obvious why.

The one thing that used to make D3 unique and interesting were the dense nature of the regional and championships. Now having the longer tournament and the super regionals makes it no different than any other level. Nothing unique about it.

The weird thing is that getting through an 8 team regional was tougher than getting through the championship with 8 teams because of how they set it up. Making it so you never have to go deep into your staff in a tournament just tips the scales away from the teams that build depth over their season because it's a short season.

Make it so southern teams can't start playing home games until mid-March and see how they like that.

It's practically like two different divisions in D1 and most of D2. That's what made D3 different. But it won't anymore if the NCAA has their way.

[ElRetornodelEspencio]

I don't know the exact breakdown, but statistically wouldn't they have far fewer in large part because there are barely any schools in the south relative to the north?  There are 21 D3 schools in OH alone.

I expect it is more complicated than that, as the format of the playoffs has changed over time.   The real mark of representation is teams that make the playoffs. 

I actually like well pitched games and spreading the playoffs over another week will allow more games with the top of the rotation.  I do not want to go to the extent that the D-I series goes, with just two games per day in the early part of the College World Series.

Until this past terrible tournament, the championship game winner hadn't allowed more than 5 runs since 2003.