BB: LEC: Little East Conference

[Bostonian]

ECSU is impressive offensively, but where they really stand out is on the mound. Their pitching depth is unreal. Gilblair is obviously a major talent, but Jagodinski, Esposito, and Lavorgna were just as impressive in their roles. How they didn't end up at the Division I level is beyond me. I saw Tingley vs. Tufts this year, and he would be a 1 or 2 at 90% of Div. III programs, yet he is near the back of theline for ECSU pitchers.

I hope they rep. NE well this week.

[Jcon2134]

As much as I have bashed Eastern this year when they were down and out early they truly have a real shot a winning this thing this year if they swing the bats like they have been all year and the pitching is somewhat there I reall dont see a team in the final 8 that can match them with the bats and ther pitching is probally like 2nd or 3rd there but there offense will be what carries them to the championship in my option

[quailman]

Hello folks, new to the site but would like to add some to the discussion.  What many people don't understand is when you get to the world series, not always does the best team win.  A lot of luck and near perfect execution on every side of the baseball is needed.  Eastern has a good team and could win, i'm rooting for them and hope luck and execution is on there side.

[Bostonian]

Quail,
Great point. ECSU's pitching and hitting will not matter much if they are kicking it around in the infield.

[kscer]

The thing about ESCU is they hit good pitching. they don't wait for mistakes. They are solid defensively. The outfield is trully outstanding. Re made a catch on a ball over the fense in the winners final that was as good as I have seen. That catch won the game for them, because it would have been a tie game in the seventh inning with momentum to KSC. They should win.

[wordsmith]

The thing about ESCU is they hit good pitching. they don't wait for mistakes. They are solid defensively. The outfield is trully outstanding. Re made a catch on a ball over the fense in the winners final that was as good as I have seen. That catch won the game for them, because it would have been a tie game in the seventh inning with momentum to KSC. They should win.

They also suicide squeeze in the 7th inning up by 7 runs because they "respect Keene so much".

[Pat Coleman]

What many people don't understand is when you get to the world series, not always does the best team win.  A lot of luck and near perfect execution on every side of the baseball is needed. 

This isn't really any different the rest of the year, is it? Seems to be a basic tenet of baseball. That's why we don't play single elimination tournaments.

[quailman]

I couldn't disagree more. the deeper you goet into the post seasno, a natural urgency occurs unlike anything yeams have seen in the regular season. everything is hightend, and every aspect of the game means so much. Many players can't get it done. Coach Holowaty and other post season experienced coaches have an advantage many times because they try to recruit players who know and think they can play in intense situations. To say post season is similar to reg season is a very false statement.

[Pat Coleman]

But the World Series is so fundamentally different than the regionals?

[quailman]

there is a difference between the two. as a coach it is easy to get a scouting report for the regionals because 1. you may have already played the team. 2. someone in your confernce probably has played them before to get a sufficient report.  in the world series its much tougher to get a depenable report because unless you have a friend who coached against them its tough to trust it. as a player its different because 1. its the world series! 2. your a little uneasy because of the unknown. how good are these guys? u don't know what to expect. the uneasiness of the unknown is the best why to put it.  so there are differences. plus, most teams in the world series will take advantage of your mistakes where as in the regionals its probably just the one seed, maybe the 2.

[Pat Coleman]

I'll certainly agree on the unfamiliar opponents. But I would suggest that "the best team" doesn't always win the World Series is not because of scouting reports, or any of that. It's because we don't even know who "the best team" is based on the regionality of Division III.

[quailman]

you would be correct, if yor definition of the "best team" is the team that win's it all. So we can probably go back and forth all day. But I believe we both know the "best team" does not always win.

[wordsmith]

Please, will someone help explain these rankings to me? How does Keene State College end up 4th in New England, and unbelievably 29th in the USA while Wheaton claims 2nd and Oh My GOD 11th in the Nation.??!!??

HELP

New England
1. Eastern Connecticut State (38-10)
2. Wheaton (34-13)
3. Trinity (30-8)
4. Keene State (32-15)
5. Williams (27-10)
6. Tufts (25-12)
7. Western New England (28-12)
8. Southern Maine (27-15)

Rank School Record Points Last Rank
1. (8) Chapman (Calif.) 40-6 240 2
2. Cortland (N.Y.) State 40-5 224 3
3. Emory (Ga.) 39-8 220 4
4. Kean (N.J.) 39-8 218 5
5. Eastern Connecticut State 38-10 206 11
6. Wis.-Stevens Point 32-15 196 25
7. Marietta (Ohio) 32-15 194 18
8. Carthage (Wis.) 36-11 193 nr
9. Pacific Lutheran (Wash.) 35-9 163 15
10. Wooster (Ohio) 42-7 162 1
11. Wheaton (Mass.) 34-13 158 6
12. Johns Hopkins (Md.) 38-11 156 13
13. Wis.-Oshkosh 35-12 155 8
14. New Jersey 34-11 122 7
15. Texas Lutheran 37-10-1 119 9
16. Luther (Iowa) 31-11 111 nr
17. St. Thomas (Minn.) 30-11 97 14
18. Ferrum (Va.) 27-18 92 nr
19. Trinity (Conn.) 30-8 90 rv
20. Otterbein (Ohio) 32-13 86 rv
21. Ithaca (N.Y.) 27-15 75 rv
22. Augustana (Ill.) 35-14 70 rv
23t. Texas-Dallas 34-13 54 28
23t. York (Pa.) 32-14 54 nr
25. Salisbury (Md.) 33-9 41 10
26. Illinois Wesleyan 32-13 34 12
27. Gwynedd-Mercy (Pa.) 32-12 32 23
28. St. Olaf (Minn.) 32-10 31 27
29. Keene (N.H.) State 32-15 30 nr
30t. Millsaps (Miss.) 35-11 27 16
30t. Ohio Wesleyan 30-18 27 nr

[mwunder]

Quail,
Great point. ECSU's pitching and hitting will not matter much if they are kicking it around in the infield.

Not to rub salt in the wound, but this statement turned out to be prophetic.  EConn ended up with 5 errors today, but the scoreboard should have read more like 8.   Throwing the ball all over the field, missing cut-offs to let runners advance, dropping balls, not communicating in the OF....wow...not an impressive performance.

That being said, I think they beat Emory tomorrow to move on.

[spring07]

Chill out wordsmith,

KSC beat WC twice in the regionals, had a great year and look like they will continue gaining momentum as they had a lot of good young players. Enjoy your summer.