BB: SCIAC: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[CrashDavisD3]

For Baseball is advantage today being independent making the playoffs as a independent Pool B bid. It is less difficult than trying to win a conference Pool A or at large bid of Pool C. In 2011 it appears they will be about 27 teams in pool B with 3 spots. Chapman would need to finish in the top 3 to make the playoffs in 2011. In past years the Pool B teams have not been as strong as Pool C and Pool A teams overall. So it will become more difficult for Chapman to reach the playoffs as a SCIAC conference team. The year they finished 3rd in the nation in 2009 they would have missed the playoffs as a 4th place team in the SCIAC.

Scheduling games for other sports has become very difficult in recent years though not being part of a conference.

[Ralph Turner]

Chapman has a problem with scheduling in all sports.

I think that Chapman must consider D-II, if they cannot get into the SCIAC.

As mentioned above, everyone else has left D-III, CSU-East Bay, Menlo, LaSierra.  UDallas is moving to the SCIAC.

[CrashDavisD3]

Chapman has a problem with scheduling in all sports.

I think that Chapman must consider D-II, if they cannot get into the SCIAC.

As mentioned above, everyone else has left D-III, CSU-East Bay, Menlo, LaSierra.  UDallas is moving to the SCIAC.

I think whatever issues that kept Chapman out of the SCIAC before may have been resolved otherwise I do not think they would have applied unless they thought they had a good chance of being accepted into the SCIAC Conference. This conference has existed since 1915. SCIAC Conference History
http://www.thesciac.org/information/about/index

Chapman has been playing SCIAC teams since the 1920's. Prior to 1994 Chapman played at the DII level
and moved to DIII in 1994. I do not think Chapman will ever consider going back to DII.

Chapman's baseball has won National championships in 1968 (DII) and 2003(DIII).

Chapman in prior years played 3 game series with Cal State East Bay and Menlo College which they no longer play since both schools moved out of DIII.  Chapman has in the past played in the College Division(Small College), DII and DIII.

Chapman has played games with schools at the DI, DII, DII, NAIA and University Division(Major College), College(Small College) Division schools in baseball in prior years

[BigPoppa]

If they are left out of the SCIAC there best bet would be to join the NAIA's Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). Like the rest of that league, they are a small, private school and they already play many of the schools for baseball. That entire conference is within a two hour drive of Chapman, unlike the D2 schools, some of which are 5-6 hour drive (Somoma State, Chico State, San Fran State, etc).

[CrashDavisD3]

If they are left out of the SCIAC there best bet would be to join the NAIA's Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). Like the rest of that league, they are a small, private school and they already play many of the schools for baseball. That entire conference is within a two hour drive of Chapman, unlike the D2 schools, some of which are 5-6 hour drive (Somoma State, Chico State, San Fran State, etc).

The entire GSAC conference may move to D2 from NAIA.

http://gsacsports.org/wordpress/?p=1817

I seriously doubt Chapman will leave D3.  It will be better to see the GSAC move to D3 baseball and it would then also be a perfect fit for Chapman. Chapman already plays several NAIA schools already. Pt. Loma, San Marcos, Westmont, Azusa Pacific, are some of the schools that have played Chapman more recently. Other NAIA schools close byto Chapman include Vanguard, Biola, Corcordi-Irvine

[utilitycat17]

I don't see Chapman leaving D3 under any circumstance.  If they don't get into the SCIAC there's no reason why they would try to go NAIA or D2.  Chapman's President Doti is a big believer in having a football program for the school.  The reason Chapman went D3 when it did was so it could have a football program.  They could not afford to have a football program with the scholarships that come with that.  Chapman will not be moving to a division with scholarships as long as Doti is around.  To my knowledge this is not the first time Chapman has applied to the SCIAC either.  This is just the first time in a few years, and they posted it on their website.  

[utilitycat17]

UDallas is moving to the SCIAC.

They'll have to change the name of the conference.  Instead of the (SCIAC) Southern California Interscholastic Athletic Conference they could try the (SCaOSfTIAC) Southern California and One School from Texas Interscholastic Athletic Conference. 

[CrashDavisD3]

UDallas is moving to the SCIAC.

They'll have to change the name of the conference.  Instead of the (SCIAC) Southern California Interscholastic Athletic Conference they could try the (SCaOSfTIAC) Southern California and One School from Texas Interscholastic Athletic Conference.  

Looks like a typo
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) announced  that the University of Dallas has accepted an invitation to join the Conference. Currently a Division III independent, Dallas will join the SCAC at the beginning of the 2011-12 academic year.

[BigPoppa]

I don't see the NAIA GSAC leaving for D2 either. The entire conference fares very well on the national level in just about every sport. It is the nation's premier NAIA basketball (men's and women'), softball, and volleyball conference. Not to mention many of the NAIA's top Soccer, Cross-country, Volleyball and Track programs. Very few of the schools field a football team.

On the other hand, when I was coaching in the GSAC, I often lost recruits that I offered partial scholarships to when a SCIAC or D2 state schools school offered an incredible financial aid package and made it cheaper to attend a D3/D2 school than an NAIA school on a partial scholarship.

[CrashDavisD3]

I am predicting Chapman will be accepted in April for the SCIAC for the 2011-2012 season.

Here is some background leading up to this.

Chapman was formerly in the DII CCCA conference at one time prior to joining the NCAA DIII as a independent. No teams play football in the DII CCCA Conference and Chapman does. So it is not a fit and cost with required athletic scholarships is not a fit for Chapman. Here is the history of teams who have played in the CCCA
http://www.goccaa.org/sports/2006/8/10/leaguehistory.aspx?

Chapman also is not a fit to the NAIA GSAC conference either. GSAC does not play football and they offer athletic scholarships. Members listed here.
http://www.goccaa.org/sports/2006/8/10/leaguehistory.aspx?

Also more NAIA GSAC to DII news.
http://chimes.biola.edu/content/article/2010/may/12/schools-consider-divisionII/

[El Hombre]

Having read all the input regarding Chapman joining the SCIAC conference, it raises a question.  Can a school join a conference for all sports but one?  I see the benefits for sports such as football and basketball, however I also understand the arguments for baseball staying independent.  Therefore, could Chapman join the SCIAC for al sports except baseball?

[CrashDavisD3]

I would guessing it is all or nothing thing this time around BUT back in 1950 Chapman was a member of the SCIAC for the following sports for a very short time. But it has been playing SCIAC teams since the 1920's in baseball.

1925--- Chapman's win over Redlands was the first victory over any college in the Southern California Conference, which later became the S.C.I.A.C.

SCIAC CONFERENCE History
1950   Chapman College begins competition as an associate in baseball, basketball and tennis
1952   Chapman's association ends

[pomonaalum]

Pomona-Pitzer went independent in football for a few years starting in the mid 90s...supposedly because the team's roster size was too low to be competitive through a conference schedule.  This left the SCIAC with 6 football teams (no Cal Tech either, but they have no varsity football)  The irony is that on the strength of some really good recruiting classes (Jack Ramirez & others), the Hens fielded some really good teams as an independent and would have been very competitive in SCIAC those years.  I think there was a one loss season where the only loss was to Azusa Pacific, etc.

Chapman joining SCIAC would make an already strong baseball conference even better.   

[CrashDavisD3]

Pomona-Pitzer went independent in football for a few years starting in the mid 90s...supposedly because the team's roster size was too low to be competitive through a conference schedule.  This left the SCIAC with 6 football teams (no Cal Tech either, but they have no varsity football)  The irony is that on the strength of some really good recruiting classes (Jack Ramirez & others), the Hens fielded some really good teams as an independent and would have been very competitive in SCIAC those years.  I think there was a one loss season where the only loss was to Azusa Pacific, etc.

Chapman joining SCIAC would make an already strong baseball conference even better.  

Chapman in the SCIAC in baseball will indeed make it tougher for Chapman to make the playoffs. In 2009 Chapman played terrible against SCIAC teams losing several games against SCIAC teams but won enough games as independent team and got a Pool B playoff bid winning the West Regional and finished 3rd in the National Championship series in Appleton, WI one win away from the National Championship games. They would have missed the playoffs that year if they were in the SCIAC.

In baseball Chapman has won and lost numerous games and series against all SCIAC teams except Cal Tech which it never plays. With Chapman being in the SCIAC and playing Cal Tech 3/4 times per year will lower Chapman's  SOS(Strength of Schedule Ratings) which will make it harder for them to get a Pool C bid unless it wins the conference to get a Pool A bid. Chapman has enjoyed the advantage of Pool B bids which may have been easier than winning the SCIAC for a Pool A or getting a Pool C bid. I bet Chapman baseball's preference may be to stay independent. BUT for other SCIAC teams it will raise their SOS and improve their chances for a Pool C playoff bid.

Will Cal Tech ever consider going to club sports status and leave the SCIAC. There are not  competitive in most sports and hurt other teams playoff chances in the SCIAC today by bringing down their SOS.
In several sports they have not won a SCIAC conference games for a very long time.

[CA_dreamin]

So what is the scouting report for the season?
Cal Lu loses Top of Order plus one and top 2 pitchers (Hertz, Martin, Hartman, Selden, Gelber).
Redlands loses heart of order, SS, #1 pitcher (Wetmore, Johnson, Sandford, Hughes,Braband, Lessig)
Laverne loses heart of batting order (Munoz, Hattabaugh, Surina, Pinado, Ibarra).
Pomona-Pitzer loses league MVP and #2 pitcher (Kang, Brunswick)
CMS loses too much to list.

The numbers seem to favor P-P but Kang is a big hole.
Can Oxy improve fast enough to contend?

Has anyone heard about the incoming frosh? Anyone get someone that will make a difference in 2011?