BB: MWC: Midwest Conference

[Maverick]

Ripon over Beloit, 6-3, in the winners bracket game.  Monmouth vs. Grinnell, in an elimination game, was moved to Saturday morning at 8 am due to weather conditions.

[buc em up]

6 runs in the bottom of the ninth mind you

[ballfan55]

Carroll is really starting over.  After 2 days of fall practice nearly all of the returning players were cut in favor of 17 freshmen.  Seniors who had spent 3 years in the program were released (which doesn't surprise me seeing the coach didn't do anything to acknowledge his graduating seniors at the end of last year).  I am missing one player, but those that are coming back appear to be Jordan Stephans, Matt Francois (coming off major surgery that had him sit all of last year), Matt Busse, Drew Volkmann, backup catcher Phil Giuffre, and two recruits from last year, Aaron Gendrich and Joe Klobukowski.  Tim Holan will be allowed to make the team in the Spring as he is currently playing football (apparently the same doesn't apply to Volkmann).

[Bishopleftiesdad]

Yikes, My sympathies go out to those players,

[BigPoppa]

Carroll is really starting over.  After 2 days of fall practice nearly all of the returning players were cut in favor of 17 freshmen.  Seniors who had spent 3 years in the program were released (which doesn't surprise me seeing the coach didn't do anything to acknowledge his graduating seniors at the end of last year).  I am missing one player, but those that are coming back appear to be Jordan Stephans, Matt Francois (coming off major surgery that had him sit all of last year), Matt Busse, Drew Volkmann, backup catcher Phil Giuffre, and two recruits from last year, Aaron Gendrich and Joe Klobukowski.  Tim Holan will be allowed to make the team in the Spring as he is currently playing football (apparently the same doesn't apply to Volkmann).

Tough spot for a coach to be in. A struggling program and a coach with D1/D2 connections to players around the country. The temptation HAS to be to fill those needs quickly while you can. Even if it means disrupting the program a bit. I have been in that situation as a coach and it is tough. I have sat face to face with kids I recruited and got to know their familes only to have to release them. Loyalties are to the good of the program. A sad reality of the business of college athletics.

[CrashDavisD3]

 

Carroll is really starting over.  After 2 days of fall practice nearly all of the returning players were cut in favor of 17 freshmen.  Seniors who had spent 3 years in the program were released (which doesn't surprise me seeing the coach didn't do anything to acknowledge his graduating seniors at the end of last year).  I am missing one player, but those that are coming back appear to be Jordan Stephans, Matt Francois (coming off major surgery that had him sit all of last year), Matt Busse, Drew Volkmann, backup catcher Phil Giuffre, and two recruits from last year, Aaron Gendrich and Joe Klobukowski.  Tim Holan will be allowed to make the team in the Spring as he is currently playing football (apparently the same doesn't apply to Volkmann).

Tough spot for a coach to be in. A struggling program and a coach with D1/D2 connections to players around the country. The temptation HAS to be to fill those needs quickly while you can. Even if it means disrupting the program a bit. I have been in that situation as a coach and it is tough. I have sat face to face with kids I recruited and got to know their familes only to have to release them. Loyalties are to the good of the program. A sad reality of the business of college athletics.

Yep a  12-21 record will do that.

Coaches will clean house to get a fresh start with his people. Very tough and brutal business and sometimes good players get caught in the middle.  Winning and making the playoffs solves this issue.

[ballfan55]

I am biased, BUT I thought that they should have been a lot better last year but the team was horribly mismanaged.  He settled on a lineup, went with it, and even when they were struggling no one else really got a chance to show what they could do.  Frankly I could give you a whole list of things that I an others watched happen and puzzled over.  I think he was trying to drive many of his veteran players out of the program and he succeeded. 

Maybe once he gets his own players things will change.  I was very disappointed on how he handled his graduating seniors, I know he was new to the program, but he is a Carroll grad and you would have thought he would have at least done something to talk about their commitment to the school.  But there was zip, nada, just a large void.

I know one player that is returning that seriously thought about not going out because he was fed up with things. 

[Long Ball]

Where have we seen this before?  A new coach comes to Carroll with hopes of reviving the baseball program? 

Throughout the program's history, the baseball program at Carroll has struggled.  It's a revolving door for players and coaches.  Why? The school isn't serious about putting a winning baseball team on the field.  If they were, they would pay for a full-time head coach and they would stick some money into building a legitimate college baseball field?

Look at the recent history of the program. 

The old coach was hired part-time.  The new coach was hired part-time. 

The last coach was there 4 years and was hired at the end of July 2006.  The current coach was hired at the end of July in 2010.  Both coaches had basically "zero" opportunity to recruit their first year. 

A former player in the program told me that they only had 27 players on the roster in 2007 (the old coach's first season), because that was everyone on campus that showed up for tryouts. 

The old coach brought in 14 new players as part of his first recruiting class. Only 4 were left as seniors.  He recruited Volkmann and Fitzsimmons as transfers.  The current coach brough in 17 players as part of his first recruiting class.  Sound familiar? 

The real question is how many of the 17 recruits will be left after four years, and will the current coach still be there to see them graduate?

[BigPoppa]

There is always a big chunk of a recruiting class that does not make it through the program. Some transfer, some quit, some get hurt and some never pan out and are cut. I wouldn't base the program on how many arew still there. Good programs bring in in younger players that are actually better than the upper classmen and beat them out.

[BBFan62]

There is always a big chunk of a recruiting class that does not make it through the program. Some transfer, some quit, some get hurt and some never pan out and are cut. I wouldn't base the program on how many arew still there. Good programs bring in in younger players that are actually better than the upper classmen and beat them out.

BigPoppa,
I agree! When my son was a Freshman his class consisted of 7 pitchers, all recruited due to the number of Senior and Junior pitchers. Of the group, my son and one other freshman became conference game startes to round out the 4 man rotation and another freshman became our closer. Well, right now only 2 guys are left from his class, my son and the closer. The other (very talented) freshman dropped out due to grades and all the rest were cut or just gave up baseball.

[BigPoppa]

If all of the 17 guys recruited each season stayed in the program they would have to carry a roster of 68 guys by the time the first group were seniors. This is feasible is some programs that support a JV/developmental program, but it is an added cost to the univeristy and many are not willing to take on that added expense right now.

I'd expect about 5-7 of each class to make it through to the end while inside of the program.

[BigPoppa]

I'd expect Carroll to be VERY young this year. They do have some returners, but knowing what they brought in this fall, I can see 4-5 freshmen in their line-up most days. It may be a struggle this year, but that experience will only help them in the future.

[CrashDavisD3]

If all of the 17 guys recruited each season stayed in the program they would have to carry a roster of 68 guys by the time the first group were seniors. This is feasible is some programs that support a JV/developmental program, but it is an added cost to the univeristy and many are not willing to take on that added expense right now.

I'd expect about 5-7 of each class to make it through to the end while inside of the program.

Chapman has one of the top programs in D3 for the past decade. In 2011 it had 3 seniors who made through all 4 years. 3 starters in 2011 were Freshman.

In 2010 it had 4 seniors who made it through all 4 years out of 14 incoming freshman in 2007.

To be a top program year and year out requires to bring in the best and keep the best each year. Many quit each year due to lack of playing time or do not make the roster since a better player took the roster spot each year. 75%-80% never  make it all 4 years in a program.

To bring out a business analogy to what happens.
In business while he was CEO at GE, Jack Welch each year would fire the bottom 10% in the company. The best survive.

In the Jack Welch model it has been described as a "20-70-10" system. The "top 20" percent of the workforce is most productive, and 70% (the "vital 70") work adequately. The other 10% ("bottom 10") are nonproducers and get fired.

Welch's system produced a 28-fold increase in earnings (and a 5-fold increase in revenue) at GE between 1981 and 2001

[BigPoppa]

Applying that business model to baseball is what Moneyball is all about. D3 programs are like financially strapped businesses that must have a productive workforce of 25-30 "employees" if they expect to have any chance to be a "productive company" year in and year out.

[cubs]

2011-12 season to be the last for Ripon College Head Baseball coach Bob Gillespie.  Would have to think Associate Head Coach Eric Cruise would be the front-runner to replace him.

http://www.midwestconference.org/news/2012/3/7/BB_0307121652.aspx