BB: LEC: Little East Conference

[Ms. Beacon]

Hobbsey -- While I enjoyed reading your New England preview write-up, I was stunned by the glaring omission of Conference Pitcher of the Year, James Dalton.  Dalton dominated, going 8-2, without losing a game to a Little East opponent, and put up impressive numbers (2.82 ERA, 83.0 IP, 72:28 - K:BB, .246 OBA and 6 CG).  Dalton's effort was rewarded, being named Third-Team All-American and is without question, the top returning pitcher in the LEC.

Also, although I respect the KSC program, placing them alongside USM and ECSU as part of "the big three" is a bold statement.  USM and ECSU have multiple national championships each and decades of success.  KSC, although on their way perhaps, simply are not there yet.  I know this may not be the popular opinion amongst some of the regular posters, but the facts are the facts.

The UMB spring schedule is online, and Coach Eygabroat and the Beacons have a challenging trip ahead of them.  They will be facing four regional teams from 2010 (including CWS finalist Cortland St.), as well as Amherst and Bowdoin.   

[KSCfan]

3 thoughts on a Monday morning on 3 different topics

1.  Ms. Beacon, Dalton is a stud.  He is the reigning pitcher of the year in the little east and he should of been.  He cuts teams up and it will come as no shock when he prob does it again.  In Hobbsey defense that is a lot of teams, with a lot of players that he had to write about.  Im sure that it was an honest mistake and anyone that knows D3 NE baseball and or the Little East will know that he is most def going to be tough to beat on sat this year.  As far as Keene being in the top three of the LEC here is my argument that they are......

They have been to the regional tournament in 2007, 2008, and 2010 and got snubbed in 2006.  They are poised to make another run at the regionals this year.  They have 30 games 3 of the last 5 years playing in one of, if not the best D3 baseball conference in the country.  The two times they didnt get 30 wins they had 28 wins.  Since 2005 they have played in the conference playoffs final day in 2006, 2007, 2008, and i think 2009.  With three regionals in the last 4 years, 3 out 5 30 win seasons you HAVE to be in the top of your conference.  Eastern has been to the Regionals every year for a while, i know for sure 2004 on.  Southern Maine has been to the regionals in 2006, 2008, 2009.  That means that Keene has been to the same amount of regionals since 2001 that USM has.  I am not trying to take anything from Southern Maine at all,they are a great national power but their national championships were a little bit ago.  They where in 1991 and 1997.  20 and 14 years ago.  ITS STILL A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP  and 2 more than Keene but over the last 6 or 7 years i think its safe to say that Keene and USM have been on a level playing field.  If you want to go back 20 years then your argument is valid Ms. beacon but since 2006 this league has become a 3 team conference, and after last year might of expanded to a 4 team conference.  UMB needs to continue their sucess over the next couple of years.

2.  As far as recruiting and the "keene kids" talk.  Hobbsey i understand your points about not wanting to "waste" your 4 critical years at a school that is underachieving.  So the question becomes what do you do to turn around that program.  I think the biggest thing to turn around a program is hard work, mixed in with a little bit of luck. Ill use Keene because that is what I am most familiar with

For Keene the turn around came in 2005.  The program had struggled in 2004 and for years before.  Then in 2005 the Owls turned it around to go from 14-24 to 23-16.  WHy?  Hard work.  The players started lifting religiously, working harder in practice, went to extra practice and you could feel the whole attitude of the program start to change.  A couple of big wins here and there and the confidence built.  At the end of the of 2005 year Keene made the ECAC tournament and the players got a tast of play-off baseball.  Then it became well we made the ECAC's we want to make the NCAA.  Then the players knew, well if we worked this hard to make ECAC we need to work twice as hard for the NCAA.  Then players started policing themselves and for the most part the players worked harder and harder to get better and the program keeps getting better.  With wins comes better recruits which promote competition for spots.  This will make players rest as they know people are gunning for their spots.  Its like a rock rolling down a hill, you need that nudge to get it going and then it steam rolls and one thing leads to another.  A good year leads to better confidence for the players, makes them work hard, makes for a better year, better years means more wins, more wins means better recruits, better recruits means deeper teams..... and on and on.

3.  Spring practice is underway!!  Football is over and it is truly baseball season again... well in like a month but a man can dream cant he.

[BigPoppa]

2.  As far as recruiting and the "keene kids" talk.  Hobbsey i understand your points about not wanting to "waste" your 4 critical years at a school that is underachieving.  So the question becomes what do you do to turn around that program.  I think the biggest thing to turn around a program is hard work, mixed in with a little bit of luck. Ill use Keene because that is what I am most familiar with

I used to think the same thing until I heard this: "If hard work meant anything in sports it would be Army vs Navy for every national title." At some point, the talent needs to be in the program before anything else matters.

[KSCfan]

Hard work beats talent when talent doesnt work hard.....

I agree Big Poppa you need talent.  But hard work allows you to elevate your game and your program.  This elevates your appeal to better and better players.  I think that you need to have talent to win, but how do you build the program to the point where you are attractive to better talent? I would make the case you need to persuade some decent prospects to take a shot on the school and sell we can turn this around together approach.  But, in order to attract the big fishes you need top build on something and i see that something as average to above average players building their game through hard work, and turning themselves into better players

I think that if it was 2003 or 2004 Keene doesnt get a Bobby Doyon or a Cory Vogt into their program.  It took the players before them to win and make Keene more attractive to land players of such caliber.  Those players worked hard to raise the level of their game which paved the way for Keene to land better players.

[Hobbesy]

Ms. Beacon,

My omission of James Dalton in the regional preview will be something that I regret for awhile.  From the information that I had at the time it did not appear that he was coming back but clearly that's not the case.  I spoke with the new pitching coach Reid Jackson the other day (former teammate in Bennington, VT) and he gave me the inside scoop on what was going on. 

Dalton gives the Beacons an almost guaranteed victory every weekend, that's how good he is.  His age and his experience will be crucial in bringing along the younger pitchers that will need to step up for this Beacons team if they want to match last year's season.

And as for Keene being in the big three of the LEC, it's hard not to put them there at this point.  If you go by success on the national stage then obviously its only ECSU and USM but at the conference level, Keene has been right there the last five years.  And yeah, you can say UMass Boston has more World Series appearances that Keene St. but that's not very reasonable.

Any team that makes the conference championship four straight years (Keene 2006-09) is doing something right.  I can't even say that I did that when I was at ECSU but we did get the better of the Owls on all three occasions  And I am still thankful for Keene whooping USM in 08 because I think that's what got us into the regionals.

[Wally]

KSCfan, thanks for the welcome. Look forward to this season and the thoughts of everyone regarding the LEC and all of NE. Anyone going to Florida to see games in March? When will the team's who haven't posted there rosters yet, do so?

[Ms. Beacon]

My feeling is that since the write-up was featured on a website that is read by fans all over the country, to label KSC as one of "the big three" implies that they have the same level of recognition and success as USM and ECSU on the national stage.  While I am not refuting that Keene has done a great job with their program recently, I still assert that lumping them in with two national champions is a bit premature; if their regional appearances continue over the next few years, then it would be warranted.

Hobbsey -- In your rationale for why Keene should be considered part of "the big three," I was a bit perplexed by your comment about UMB having more world series appearances than Keene.  I never mentioned the Beacons in my previous post, and my loyalty to the Beacons has nothing to do with my statement about USM and ECSU being in a league of their own.

[BigPoppa]

KSCfan, thanks for the welcome. Look forward to this season and the thoughts of everyone regarding the LEC and all of NE. Anyone going to Florida to see games in March? When will the team's who haven't posted there rosters yet, do so?

Wally... sorry for jumping on you a bit early last week. I just had one of those days. Mea culpa

I look forward to your insight this season.

[KSCfan]

Hobbsey really you have to dagger through my heart by bringing up '06 in Maine, and then you guys walking off on us at Eastern in the second game in '07.  Thanks, going to be a great day reliving those moments.  Come to think of it what was worse coming out of the winners bracket and losing two, or having Hall get thrown out at the plate by Ishmal, only to have gilblair get a game winning hit against us.  Ill say that 06 was worse because we got snubbed for the regionals that year when we beat USM in the conference semi's, lost two on that last day to lose the conference tournament, and had over 30 wins. 

Anyone see a pre-season coaches poll yet for the LEC yet?  I know that it comes out at some point around this time.

[LEC Fan]

Eastern sure had Keene's number for awhile...rather not think about those years!

Keene's Spring schedule has been released, couple of interesting games for the Owls. Early season test with WNEC @ Suny Farmingdale the first part of March then good tests with St. Joe's (ME), Cortland State, and a rematch of last years NY Regional with Oneonta St. The Owls better be ready to play!

Couple of good ones up north as usual with Wheaton (home and home) as well as WNEC again at The Swamp. Interesting scheduling as always with the last 3 weekends of conference play starting with UMASS Boston (home) then @ USM, only to finish with ECSU at home. March can''t come soon enough!!!!

[Hobbesy]

Ms. Beacon-

My apologies for the UMass Boston comment.  Just a little bit of my family sarcasm coming out.  I think I get it from the Holowaty side of the family....

And you are right, until another LEC team wins a National Championship ECSU and USM will still be the top two teams.

But at a conference level, I think the Owls are pretty close to being in that party.

At a regional level, no.  I still feel that echelon belongs to ECSU, USM and Trinity.

KSCfan-

Sorry about that.  Those will always be some of the best moments of my life, win or lose.  Driving to Orono with the USM team on the same bus and then beating them that night at UMaine.  Then having to drive back to Gorham and back to Orono the next morning.

They should make that a yearly thing 

[LEC Fan]

SAME BUS?!?!?

[KSCfan]

What did you watch for a movie? hahaha

[wordsmith]

Ms. Beacon-

My apologies for the UMass Boston comment.  Just a little bit of my family sarcasm coming out.  I think I get it from the Holowaty side of the family....

And you are right, until another LEC team wins a National Championship ECSU and USM will still be the top two teams.

But at a conference level, I think the Owls are pretty close to being in that party.

Hobbesy, In the words of Doc Holiday when he met Johnny Ringo...."I beg to differ sir"

I think we need to make a differentiation between teams and programs. What I mean by that is >>> USM has a great program with a rich tradition, however they have not been an especially strong team since their last title in 1997, missing the NCAAs more often than not in the 2000's. UMass Boston has not had the rich tradition as a program as that of a USM but they were a great team last year and well might be this year and thus the "cream of the crop" or the "class of the league".  (See the New Orleans Saints)

Same would apply for Keene State; several excellent teams, a string of contending teams for the class of the LEC or cream of the crop for that year or for a period of several years. So I'd have to KSC & EConn have been the class of the league consistently over the last 4-5 years with a UMB & a USM making appearances.
No program rivals EConn for consistency of performance. No one rivals USM for consistently getting ranked in the Top 25 without delivering year in and year out. No one rivals KSC for the growth and development of a program over the past 6 years. And finally no one rival UMB for ascending the WS ladder with so many obstacles in their path.

Word

[Ms. Beacon]

Just saw on the UMB website that the 2011 LEC coaches Pre-season poll was released this afternoon.

2011 Pre-season Poll Results
Institution                   First Place Votes            Total Points
UMass Boston                      6                            61
Keene State                         1                            49
Eastern CT State                  1                            49
Univ. of Southern Maine        -                             42
Rhode Island College            -                             34
UMass Dartmouth                 -                            24
Western CT State                 -                             18
Plymouth State                    -                             11

I seems that the coaches feel that even though EConn lost their top two starting pitchers and four of their best offensive players, they still expect them to be a strong team.  In general though, I am not too surprised by the results.