BB: LEC: Little East Conference

keenONkeene · December 16, 2010, 11:49:08 AM

Love the Swamp.........just have questions.........this year above all others pitching will be key......the new bats will make a major difference. Keene is a notorious group for "thumping" the ball..not going to happen this year. Games should be closer (conference), the day of the 10 to 15 plus runs a game will be few and far between.
The teams that pitch and play defense will be the at the top of the LEC.
Boston...read above, nice run last year.......but you are thin at pitching and defense was never really where you hung your hat.
Why do we fool ourselves, the teams to beat, as usual, will be ECONN and USM. Why you ask....#1 best coaches in league....by far......#2 these teams dont hurt themselves, they will pitch and hit...and be in the right place...#3 USM and ECONN always bring in the best talent in the LEC, they dont "bridge" gaps they reload....
Should be fun!

KSCfan · December 16, 2010, 12:33:03 PM

KeenOnkeene i dont think that USM and Eastern have the best coaching staff. I think that the Keene staff of Howe/Testo/Moylon are hands down the best in the league. Testo is they best pitching coach in the league and gets the most of least in Keene. He took a kid that threw 79 mph with no breaking stuff and made him one of the best pitchers in the league for 3 years in a row. I give credit to the pitcher but he will be the first to tell you that Testo helped him so much. Moylon has taught Keene how to hit, and hit well. Keene up until about 4 years ago had all they could do to score 3 runs a game against Colby Sawyers mid-weed guy. Moylon came in and has helped the offense so much it can not be put into words. It wasnt a whole new hitting system he put in, it was looking at a kid swing and tweaking here, adjusting here, and these little things paid off 10 times. If you are ever lucky have a conversation with him about hitting, he is a wealth of knowledge on approach, pitch selection to hit, and just hitting in general. But, his best skill is explaining so that you can understand it. SOme coaches know hitting but can not talk about it. Throw in Coach Howe, who game in and game out puts the right line-up on the card, manages the game greatly, trusts in his coaches to help him, and is loyal to his players and i challenge you to find me a better D3 coaching staff top to bottom. On that staff you have a AA minor league catcher, a NECBL head coach, and a Manager that has brought this program from nothing to year in and year out contenders in New England.

The Umass Boston coach also deserves a nod in the great coaching department. He has turned Umess Boston to Umass Boston, gone to a world series, and turned a program that was always missing that last piece into a very good one. I dont know much about his suppourt staff but I do know a darn good coach when i see one and he is a very good coach

Hurts to have to disagree with a keene guy

keenONkeene · December 17, 2010, 10:15:08 AM

Respect your thoughts....love coach Howe and rest of staff.........just not up to par with the elite teams of ECONN and USM......those are just the facts.......both hall of fame coaches with great staffs......not even sure there can be an argument...

keenONkeene · December 17, 2010, 12:05:34 PM

Replying to my own post.........sad....
When has Keenes pitching staff ever been top of league.......

? Ever? Usually their downfall, is it not?
Hitting is good but have trouble vs. good pitching......eat up avg. to below avg. pitching up.....All great guys who work hard and love the game and the kids, no doubt.......if I had to have 1 coach for 1 game to win it all it would be Flaherty or Holowaty.......please argue that

LEC Fan · December 17, 2010, 03:51:20 PM

Since 2005 this is how Keene finished in Team ERA

2005- 3.79 (2nd)
2006- 3.29 (1st)
2007- 3.83 (2nd)
2008- 4.98 (3rd)
2009- 5.29 (3rd)
2010- 5.78 (4th)

As you can see they have been at the top of the league from 2005-2008. This looks a lot better when you look at the numbers below. Team ERA from 1999-2004!

2000- 3.66 (1st)
2001- 6.33 (5th)
2002- 5.67 (6th)
2003- 6.31 (6th)
2004- 5.25 (6th)

Apart from 2000 they were near the bottom of the league. I think it goes to show what kind of work the pitching coach, and entire coaching staff for that matter, has done over the last 5-6 years. As we all know you win with pitching and KSC has faired pretty well since 2004. During that 4-5 year span from 2005-2009 they set school records for ERA, wins, consecutive wins, won an LEC title, 3 NCAA berths.

I think KSC needs to get some credit for the work they have done since 2000 to get where they are and accomplish what they have done in getting here.

As for the coaching question I think you get into a lot tougher territory. It is hard to argue and to not pick the coach who was been around for 42 years, won 1,288 games and has 4 national championships, having said that I think that several coaches in the LEC are good enough to coach any team for 1 game to win it all.

kscer · December 17, 2010, 05:12:10 PM

Quote from: KSCfan on December 16, 2010, 12:33:03 PM
KeenOnkeene i dont think that USM and Eastern have the best coaching staff. I think that the Keene staff of Howe/Testo/Moylon are hands down the best in the league. Testo is they best pitching coach in the league and gets the most of least in Keene. He took a kid that threw 79 mph with no breaking stuff and made him one of the best pitchers in the league for 3 years in a row. I give credit to the pitcher but he will be the first to tell you that Testo helped him so much. Moylon has taught Keene how to hit, and hit well. Keene up until about 4 years ago had all they could do to score 3 runs a game against Colby Sawyers mid-weed guy. Moylon came in and has helped the offense so much it can not be put into words. It wasnt a whole new hitting system he put in, it was looking at a kid swing and tweaking here, adjusting here, and these little things paid off 10 times. If you are ever lucky have a conversation with him about hitting, he is a wealth of knowledge on approach, pitch selection to hit, and just hitting in general. But, his best skill is explaining so that you can understand it. SOme coaches know hitting but can not talk about it. Throw in Coach Howe, who game in and game out puts the right line-up on the card, manages the game greatly, trusts in his coaches to help him, and is loyal to his players and i challenge you to find me a better D3 coaching staff top to bottom. On that staff you have a AA minor league catcher, a NECBL head coach, and a Manager that has brought this program from nothing to year in and year out contenders in New England.

The Umass Boston coach also deserves a nod in the great coaching department. He has turned Umess Boston to Umass Boston, gone to a world series, and turned a program that was always missing that last piece into a very good one. I dont know much about his suppourt staff but I do know a darn good coach when i see one and he is a very good coach

Hurts to have to disagree with a keene guy

I think we will see the results of this coaching team over the next few years. They have to go to the World Series and make their bones.

Hobbesy · December 23, 2010, 11:07:48 AM

Hey guys!

Happy Holidays!

Had a few articles I thought would be interesting.

The first one is about the new bats:
http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2008/10/08/ncaa-changes-measure-of-bat-performance/#more-6144

And the second is the link to the preseason top 30 from the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
http://www.baseballnews.com/polls/divIII/currentpolldiviii.htm

Looking forward to getting back into the discussion!

LEC Fan · December 23, 2010, 11:51:28 AM

Hobbesy,

Good to see you are back, thanks for the links about the bats and pre season standings. Interesting on the bats link about how the NCAA is trying to get wood like results from non wood bats. I believe I asked earlier as to why the NCAA has not gone to wood if they are trying so hard to get "wood bat" results!

Also, I didn't think I would see the day when UMess Boston is ranked nationally AND ahead of the LEC powerhouses ECSU and USM. It goes as a compliment to what Coach E and his staff have been able to do with that program. Nice work!

I know that as a player and fan you can not put much empahsis on the pre season poll but just goes to show that the LEC is one of the best conferences for baseball in the country!

10. UMASS Boston
26. ECSU
29.USM

Is it Spring yet?

ECSUalum · December 24, 2010, 12:19:43 PM

As KSCFan stated: "to the esteemed LEC Board", I liked that!!!!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannakah etc etc.

Well, based on Baseball News Pre-Season Poll, it looks like UMBoston finally got the respect it desrved from last years unbelievable performance. Congrats to them.

Re the coaching staffs, I would support the comments made by LECFan, KSCFan and KeeneonKeene, that there is NO doubt that the KSC program has been greatly improved over the last 4-5 years due to the tremendous recruiting and coaching abilities of Coaches Howe, Testo and Moyon!! However, as stated below ultimate respect for the program comes with year over year LEC championships, appearances in the CWS and finally a Walnut and Bronze or two or three, or four

In the Sports world, as it is in the Business world it all about results, certainly at the D-I level from a financial standpoint and for sure at the D-III level from a respect and future recruiting potential standpoint.

But as everyone on this board knows, the Coaching staff, is just one piece of the equation, when looking at a College/University's baseball program performance, others, including facilities, recruiting ability, (looking for those diamonds in the rough), Coaching, academic expectations, and the overall appeal of the college campus etc etc and finally the fact that success breeds success.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great Holiday Season.
and.......2011 is going to be another fantastic year for LEC Baseball, cannot wait

ECSUalum · December 24, 2010, 01:48:07 PM

A 2011 preview of ECSU Baseball can be read here: http://nutmeg.easternct.edu/mt-static/athletics/2010/12/baseball-warriors-no-26-in-pre-season.html

Article states So Ben Church has left the program, Anyone know why?

517th · January 02, 2011, 08:47:25 AM

Happy New Year everyone!!! Here's to an exciting 2011 in the LEC.Good article on ECSU,sure sounds like Church has left.BTW when do Dlll schools announce their official rosters and schedules?I noticed a lot of Dl schools put out a roster in the fall,not sure how official.I heard there is a difference in academic eligibility,one semester vs.two semesters of grades but there's nothing in the NCAA regulations differentiating them?

kscer · January 02, 2011, 10:42:30 AM

Interesting take on the article about the collapsed dome, and the coach complaining about how his players would be upset if they had to practice inside for 6 weeks. In 2007, KSC played it's first home game on April 24th, and only played 6 or 7 games
at the swamp because of the weather. That may have been the best season for the school as they battled Eastern for both the LEC title and the NE Regional title in their first NCAA appearance. As a side note that team was not a great hitting team batting only .275 with comparatively little power. Clutch hitting and good base running, strong pitching and a good experienced infield.
Some thoughts on a cloudy Sunday. Six weeks inside? Any baseball seems heaven sent.

Ms. Beacon · January 04, 2011, 12:05:19 AM

Quote from: keenONkeene on December 16, 2010, 11:49:08 AM
Love the Swamp.........just have questions.........this year above all others pitching will be key......the new bats will make a major difference. Keene is a notorious group for "thumping" the ball..not going to happen this year. Games should be closer (conference), the day of the 10 to 15 plus runs a game will be few and far between.
The teams that pitch and play defense will be the at the top of the LEC.
Boston...read above, nice run last year.......but you are thin at pitching and defense was never really where you hung your hat.
Why do we fool ourselves, the teams to beat, as usual, will be ECONN and USM. Why you ask....#1 best coaches in league....by far......#2 these teams dont hurt themselves, they will pitch and hit...and be in the right place...#3 USM and ECONN always bring in the best talent in the LEC, they dont "bridge" gaps they reload....
Should be fun!

It seems to be difficult for people to shake the old image of the Beacons.

If you check the stats, UMB finished in the top three in the LEC for hitting, pitching and fielding in 2010. In fact, they finished first in fielding and led the league in double plays; and that is even with having to replace their junior shortstop with an untested freshman midway through the season. The Beacons should be able to put up solid offensive numbers again, since they lose only one guy from their starting nine. With their combination of small ball (led the league in stolen bases and sacrifice bunts) and their ability to hit the long ball (led the league in homeruns), UMB is well positioned to make another run at the LEC title, even with the new bats. However, I fully expect perennial powerhouses USM and ECSU to give them a run for their money.

BTW, word on the street is Church from ECSU had academic issues.

KSCfan · January 06, 2011, 09:21:19 AM

Ms. Beacon good points on the beacons. A new and third member of beaconville is upon us. Pretty soon you umb fans will challenge for world domination. As far as shedding the old image of UMB, I hope that they stay very good and very competitive for years to come. THe more great teams in the LEC the better as far as I am concerned, better teams in the league make for a better league. The strength of the LEC shines every year as they constantly get rewarded with an at large bid sometimes even 2 at larges. The NCAA recognizes the strength of the league and UMB going to the World Series and staying on that level for years to come will only help the cause.

Can you imagine if UMB were ever to get dorms, have a home field? They would instantly become a recruiting power. I have been to the actual campus and its nice right on the water right in boston. Now i know boston is a city and where are you going to build dorms and or a field, but these two things would immediatly allow for the school to attract better players with better facilities. Facilites matter to a player when choosing a college. I am a recruit that just saw UMB go to the World Series so i go check out that school, and i check out the normal powers of the LEC, lets just use Eastern for the example. If you are torn between UMB and Eastern where are going to play? A place that has dorms so you can live on campus or are you going to pay rent in an apartment that is 30 minutes from campus. Likewise not have a true home field or go play in a first class stadium? Just throwing it out there as its January 5 and spring can not come soon enough, got to talk about something!

LEC Fan · January 06, 2011, 10:40:36 AM

Good points KSC Fan about what UMB could become with some added amenities.

UMB's showing in the WS just goes to show what we all know, the LEC is one of the best conferences in the country. Was wondering (if anybody had the time) to see what that breakdown has been of the last 12-15 years of WS participants. I understand we get the bias because we all have played/have kids that have played/or are in someway linked to the LEC, but it would be interesting to see the teams that have gone to the world series and the conferences they represent and how it compares to the rest of the country.

Perhaps we start in New England first...
It is easy (per my opinion) to look at Eastern and their 4 national championships as well as the trips they have made to the WS, same with USM and their 2 bronze and walnut trophies, but what about the rest of the conferences in NE, Trinity had that wonderous year, Wheaton is always a staple in post season baseball (still question their conference), but would be neat to see how the rest of NE has faired over the last 12-15 years of conference, regionals, and national tournament stages.

When will the spring start?!?!