BB: SLIAC: St Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[BigToughGuy]

Alright guys. Here is a question for you...who is your pitcher of the year and player of the year?

Fuiten or Biagini from Webster will take Player of the Year.

The pitcher of the year will be tough.  Stenzel from Maryville has great numbers, but he has only appeared in 5 games all year.......Only 4 of those appearances in SLIAC play.  Bryce Law from Webster has a very strong argument.  He has appeared in 8 SLIAC games with an ERA of 0.68 for a 4-0 record.  He has started and come out of the pen.  I would say it's between those two.  Savage from Webster gets an honorable mention.  Kollack from Maryville probably would have been in there if he hadn't faced Webster.  Stenzel never had to face Webster which probably saved his ERA a couple of points.

[ThatGuy]

So you are saying because Kollack had to face Webster he is out of the race? Have you seen that kid's numbers? Even with the lose to Webster, he pitched pretty well against them and has dominated the rest of the teams he had faced. Now, I will agree with you on the fact that Law should also be considered, but with only a 4-0 record really doesn't justify it for me.

I also don't think just because Webster went undefeated that they deserve both awards.

[BigToughGuy]

Kollack is only 3-1 in the conference and his ERA is over 3 times higher than Law's in SLIAC play.  Law also has a lower ERA overall.   61 SO's is nice, but his other numbers are only 5th best in the conference.  I don't agree that they simply get the award because they were undefeated, but you can't argue with Law's SLIAC numbers.

[ThatGuy]

Well first of all you are wrong completely with Kollack's numbers. He pitched last night and threw 6 innings of no-hit ball against Blackburn last night. He is 4-1 with a 3.2 ERA. He has 71 strikeouts, the opposing teams are only hitting barely over .200, and he is second in hits given up. I'd say that alone is pretty solid numbers.

[BigToughGuy]

Yep, I missed 1 start so my numbers are completely wrong for Kollack.  Law's numbers didn't change after Kollack's start last night though.  Law is still 4-0 with a 0.68 ERA and has only given up 9 hits in 26 1/3 in the SLIAC.  This averages to approximately 1 hit every 3 innings.   

Kollack has allowed 25 hits in 36 1/3 even after his SPECTACULAR 6 innings of no-hit ball last night.  This averages to approximately 1 hit every 1 1/2 innings. His record is 4-1 and his conference ERA is over 3.00.    He does have more strikeouts than Law and more innings pitched.

I'm only comparing SLIAC numbers because that's the only equal measuring stick since the strength of non-conference schedules varies greatly.

Did I miss anything else? 

[BigToughGuy]

P.S. You sound like a Maryville fan.  Tell them that Division II teams update their websites regularly and generally dominate Division III before moving to DII.  They have a lot to learn before next year on many levels.

[depew24]

Ouch...I see karma points being lost on that one!

[JAdaPrince]

Player of the Year: Fuiten ... I don't think there is any debate to it. Yes, Biagini has but up solid numbers. Most of which has been of late though. I know classification shouldn't mean much, but Fuiten is a senior and Biagini is a freshman. In addition, you usually have to be head and shoulders above the reigning Player of the Year to unseat them.

Pitcher of the Year: That is very difficult to me ... One you have Bryce Law. He has been spectacular lately. You can point to the numbers 4-0, 0.68 ERA. He has made three starts, and two of which have been complete games ... Two, there is Will Savage, who has been the "ace" of the Webster staff all season ... He is 6-0 and 1 save with a 1.29 ERA ...Three, there is Bryan "The Hawk" Stanley .... It seems like he is always coming out of the 'pen is a key situation for the Gorloks. It can be said that Stanley is as important as any member of the pitching staff. His numbers are impressive as well, 5-0, 1.50 ERA .... DRUM ROLL PLEASE ...... Will Savage

[OshDude]

So you are saying because Kollack had to face Webster he is out of the race? Have you seen that kid's numbers? Even with the lose to Webster, he pitched pretty well against them and has dominated the rest of the teams he had faced. Now, I will agree with you on the fact that Law should also be considered, but with only a 4-0 record really doesn't justify it for me.

I also don't think just because Webster went undefeated that they deserve both awards.

You a big Rickey Henderson fan? Why the third-person references? Just say "I deserve to be considered" and be done with it.

[WashedUP07]

Congrats go out to Webster DH Joe Biagini for earning a national accolade as he was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's Division III National Hitter of the Week.

Link to article http://www.websterathletics.com/news/2009/4/30/SB_0430090322.aspx

[theoneandonly]

Player of the Year: Fuiten ... I don't think there is any debate to it. Yes, Biagini has but up solid numbers. Most of which has been of late though. I know classification shouldn't mean much, but Fuiten is a senior and Biagini is a freshman. In addition, you usually have to be head and shoulders above the reigning Player of the Year to unseat them.

Pitcher of the Year: That is very difficult to me ... One you have Bryce Law. He has been spectacular lately. You can point to the numbers 4-0, 0.68 ERA. He has made three starts, and two of which have been complete games ... Two, there is Will Savage, who has been the "ace" of the Webster staff all season ... He is 6-0 and 1 save with a 1.29 ERA ...Three, there is Bryan "The Hawk" Stanley .... It seems like he is always coming out of the 'pen is a key situation for the Gorloks. It can be said that Stanley is as important as any member of the pitching staff. His numbers are impressive as well, 5-0, 1.50 ERA .... DRUM ROLL PLEASE ...... Will Savage

Im going to agree here. Once again im not looking to cut down Webster, but in the case of Bryce Law, he has pitched against bad teams. He in all reality has one quality win. A 14-2 win over Maryville. And any pitcher when their team scores 14 runs SHOULD win. Now i realize thats not always the case. However his other 3 wins were against MacMurray, Eureka, and Westminster (all three in the bottom of the SLIAC) One of his wins is in a game that he didnt start.. He only pitched two innings at the end of the game.

Will Savage has pitched 6 quality wins in which he has only given up 5 Earned Runs, two of which were in the same game in a 19-4 stomping of Eureka.  Also Savage has a Save in one of Law's games (the 3-0 win over Mac). Overall I see Savage as the Ace and Law as the guy that goes out there against weaker SLIAC teams. Dont get me wrong, he is still pitching well, VERY well, but not well enough to be the Pitcher of the Year. That award goes to Savage in MY BOOK.

Also Im going with either Joe Biagini or Adam Cadle for newcomer of the year. Any thoughts on that? I know Biagini's numbers are great, but Cadle has really become a leader at Blackburn, and I think leadership as well as numbers Offensively and Defensivly. should factor into the Newcomer of the Year

[BigToughGuy]

I'm not looking to argue either because I think Savage & Law have been equally good and important to Webster this year.  However, I don't agree that 14-2 victory should be used against a pitcher.  He threw 7 innings, giving up 3 hits and 1 earned run against the top hitting team in the conference at the time.  Are you saying that it would make him look better if his team had only scored 3 runs and he had gotten a 3-2 win?

Also keep in mind that all teams in the SLIAC aside from Webster and Maryville are bad.  You could count Fontbonne as average considering they are slightly over .500 in both the SLIAC and overall.  Everyone else is struggling to stay above water in the conference and has lousy records overall.  There are only 4 teams that are hitting over .300 (Webster, Maryville, Fontbonne, Principia).

[theoneandonly]

I'm not looking to argue either because I think Savage & Law have been equally good and important to Webster this year.  However, I don't agree that 14-2 victory should be used against a pitcher.  He threw 7 innings, giving up 3 hits and 1 earned run against the top hitting team in the conference at the time.  Are you saying that it would make him look better if his team had only scored 3 runs and he had gotten a 3-2 win? Not at all. I never once said it would make him look better or that its being used against him. That is not what i was saying. I was saying that was the only QUALITY team that he pitched against and that with 14 runs worth of support ANY pitcher should win. Period. Thats what the point was.
Also keep in mind that all teams in the SLIAC aside from Webster and Maryville are bad. WRONG You could count Fontbonne as average considering they are slightly over .500 in both the SLIAC and overall.  Everyone else is struggling to stay above water in the conference and has lousy records overall.  There are only 4 teams that are hitting over .300 (Webster, Maryville, Fontbonne, Principia). Just because teams are below .500 doesnt mean they arent good or arent a threat. This is where you are mistaken. I will argue that fontbonne is a pretty good team. They beat WashU earlier this year, and WashU beat Webster in a close game just two weeks ago. Not to mention Greenville is playing some really good ball right now and are extremely hot. And Blackburn is still hanging around. Although I do see where you are coming from, I think you are not giving enough credit where credit is due.

My comments to your questions are above in your quote but in red.

[BigToughGuy]

I'm not looking to argue either because I think Savage & Law have been equally good and important to Webster this year.  However, I don't agree that 14-2 victory should be used against a pitcher.  He threw 7 innings, giving up 3 hits and 1 earned run against the top hitting team in the conference at the time.  Are you saying that it would make him look better if his team had only scored 3 runs and he had gotten a 3-2 win? Not at all. I never once said it would make him look better or that its being used against him. That is not what i was saying. I was saying that was the only QUALITY team that he pitched against and that with 14 runs worth of support ANY pitcher should win. Period. Thats what the point was.
Also keep in mind that all teams in the SLIAC aside from Webster and Maryville are bad. WRONG You could count Fontbonne as average considering they are slightly over .500 in both the SLIAC and overall.  Everyone else is struggling to stay above water in the conference and has lousy records overall.  There are only 4 teams that are hitting over .300 (Webster, Maryville, Fontbonne, Principia). Just because teams are below .500 doesnt mean they arent good or arent a threat. This is where you are mistaken. I will argue that fontbonne is a pretty good team. They beat WashU earlier this year, and WashU beat Webster in a close game just two weeks ago. Not to mention Greenville is playing some really good ball right now and are extremely hot. And Blackburn is still hanging around. Although I do see where you are coming from, I think you are not giving enough credit where credit is due.

My comments to your questions are above in your quote but in red.

Wash U was not in the SLIAC last I checked, but here are some relevant scores vs the only team that has significantly separated itself from the SLIAC pack:

Webster defeated Maryville:  8-1, 5-0, 14-2 

Webster defeated Fontbonne: 14-3, 17-2, 8-1

Webster defeated Greenville: 13-7, 12-4, 10-1 

Webster defeated Blackburn: 9-5, 15-5, 18-5

I'm sorry, but I can't classify any of these teams as "threats" or as "pretty good".   I will give these teams credit when they earn it.

[BigToughGuy]

Hey depew24,

I got you man.....I'm -8 Karma now.  You've been too nice lately.