BB: NACC: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference

[OshDude]

Welcome to the Midwest Evaluation Region, by the way. Thoughts on whether that's good or bad in terms of getting bids?
Also, I like Benedictine to win it this year. Seemingly always a toss-up in this league, but I like the Benedictine returnees the best. I think Rockford, Concordia Chicago, Aurora, Marian and maybe Edgewood will contend.

[Just Bill]

NAC coaches poll is out: http://northernac.org/releases/2009_02/20090217a.html

2009 NAC Baseball
Coaches' Preseason Poll

1. Benedictine University (3), 126
2. Rockford College (4), 121
3. Aurora University (2), 118
4. Concordia University Chicago (1), 112
5. Edgewood College (1), 103
6. Marian College (1), 93
7. Concordia University Wisconsin, 76
8. Dominican University, 63
9. Lakeland College, 42
    MSOE, 42
11. Wisconsin Lutheran College, 28
12. Maranatha Baptist Bible College, 12

First place votes in parentheses.

Kind of amazing to see 6 of the 12 teams get at least one first place vote.  Maybe that's indicating a tightly bunched group of teams this year.

[BigPoppa]

NAC coaches poll is out: http://northernac.org/releases/2009_02/20090217a.html

2009 NAC Baseball
Coaches' Preseason Poll

1. Benedictine University (3), 126
2. Rockford College (4), 121
3. Aurora University (2), 118
4. Concordia University Chicago (1), 112
5. Edgewood College (1), 103
6. Marian College (1), 93
7. Concordia University Wisconsin, 76
8. Dominican University, 63
9. Lakeland College, 42
    MSOE, 42
11. Wisconsin Lutheran College, 28
12. Maranatha Baptist Bible College, 12

First place votes in parentheses.

Kind of amazing to see 6 of the 12 teams get at least one first place vote.  Maybe that's indicating a tightly bunched group of teams this year.

Or it might be an indication that nobody has ANY clue of what to expect from one another this year. NAC should be fun to watch. Benedictine looks to be solid and Rockford has been so close to make a run into the NCAA in the last few seasons. Traditionaly, this group has been dominated by Aurora, but they have hit the skids recently.

[goldengear]

Each coach votes, and it being spring hopes and dreams are running high, so I would think that each of those who ended up with 1st Place votes - voted for themselves and those 6 without hope, or more commonsense than hope I should say.

[BigPoppa]

I am attending the Concordia/Elmhurst DH Sunday in the MetroDome... anybody else going to be in attendance?

[hickory_cornhusker]

Each coach votes, and it being spring hopes and dreams are running high, so I would think that each of those who ended up with 1st Place votes - voted for themselves and those 6 without hope, or more commonsense than hope I should say.

Unless this conference does it different than any other conference I know of this isn't true. Generally in polls like this you don't vote for where you think where your team will end up, just the 11 other teams.

[OshDude]

Concordia Chicago scored 10 runs in the last two innings – six runs in the bottom of the 7th (five with two outs in the 7th) – to beat St. John's 11-10 today. St. John's won game 2, 5-3.

[goldengear]

Each coach votes, and it being spring hopes and dreams are running high, so I would think that each of those who ended up with 1st Place votes - voted for themselves and those 6 without hope, or more commonsense than hope I should say.

Unless this conference does it different than any other conference I know of this isn't true. Generally in polls like this you don't vote for where you think where your team will end up, just the 11 other teams.

This isn't like most conferences

[Just Bill]

Edgewood beats Concordia-Moorhead 13-9 in 8 innings, but they can't finish the second game that the Eagles led 8-1.  Second time in two weeks they get bit by the Metrodome time limits in a game they were winning.  I guess they need to stop going extra innings!

[BigPoppa]

Edgewood beats Concordia-Moorhead 13-9 in 8 innings, but they can't finish the second game that the Eagles led 8-1.  Second time in two weeks they get bit by the Metrodome time limits in a game they were winning.  I guess they need to stop going extra innings!

... or maybe just book time for three games so they do not have to rush to get two in. It might cost a bit more, but it may be the difference in whether or not someone gets a post-season bid.

[Just Bill]

Booking for three games isn't an option.  The guys who coordinate the Metrodome games at this time of the year chop up the schedule into 5 hour blocks.  There's no other options.

[Cheez-it]

Aurora has started 5-0 on their spring trip, outscoring their opponents by a score of 52-5 so far.

Their pitching staff seems to have started out really solid this year

and when you add transfer Nate Peterson to the middle of a line-up that already includes Tony Wellner (.365, 23 doubles last year)  and Ray Kozmicki (.432 last year, 4 HRs), looks like the Spartans are a force to be reckoned with this year in the NAC

Spartans beat Cazenovia today by scores of 15-1 and 14-2. Warner had 10 rbi's on the day

[Just Bill]

CUC thought their four games at Hawaii Pacific would be counted as exhibitions but the NCAA has said they are not.  So now CUC has more than 40 games on their schedule.  They might be the only team in the country hoping for rainouts.

[BigPoppa]

CUC thought their four games at Hawaii Pacific would be counted as exhibitions but the NCAA has said they are not.  So now CUC has more than 40 games on their schedule.  They might be the only team in the country hoping for rainouts.

Any idea what the penalty would be if they played more than the allowed number of games?

[Look It Up]

CUC thought their four games at Hawaii Pacific would be counted as exhibitions but the NCAA has said they are not.  So now CUC has more than 40 games on their schedule.  They might be the only team in the country hoping for rainouts.

Not quite. The games in Hawaii are exempted under the following NCAA guideline:

17.4.5.5 Once-in-Four-Years Exemption—Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico. A maximum of four contests on a regular-season trip or a tournament, either against or under the sponsorship of an active member institution located in Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico, shall not be scheduled more than once every four years by a member institution located outside of Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico. This limitation shall not apply to a regular-season conference contest between two members of the same NCAA member conference. (Revised: 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97)

The games do not count towards the 40 regular-season games, although the results and stats will count. So no, there will be no extra rain dances in River Forest.

Interesting how quickly this news broke today...