BB: CCIW: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[markerickson]

Regarding Luke Johnson, I am in complete awe regarding his tenure at NPU.

Separately, my kids enjoyed and improved by attending the US Baseball Academy late winter baseball camp on NPU's campus at the Helwig Center, overseen by Coach Johnson.

[Gregory Sager]

Luke's a good coach, no two ways about it. He knows the game, and he most certainly knows how to motivate his players to get the best out of them.

[warrior35]

I think you have to be certain kind of guy to play under Coach Johnson, he certainly has some mannerisms that aren't for everyone... but you absolutely cannot argue with the results he's had the past 2 seasons.  Plus, who wouldn't want to play at a park that you can hit a pop fly for a home run :-P  haha, just kidding.

[Gregory Sager]

I think you have to be certain kind of guy to play under Coach Johnson, he certainly has some mannerisms that aren't for everyone...

Yep. His rather colorful language does tend to freak out some North Park fans. I'm sure that most Wheaton fans would swoon if they ever got close enough to the NPU dugout to hear him.

He prefers hard-nosed, tough-as-nails kids, too. NPU baseball exudes a certain kind of blue-collar aura, even among the kids who come from well-to-do backgrounds. Luke does not like the sort of player that he refers to as a "suburban cake-eater" -- he wants a grinder type of player who has never had anything handed to him before and who has a healthy respect for the meaning of hard work. And most of the NPU baseball kids who aren't initially like that tend to adopt that sort of blue-collar, never-back-down-to-anyone persona, partly out of peer pressure but mostly, I think, because they respect Luke so much.

At least, these are my impressions. Some of the baseball alums and Dr. B might have a different (and undoubtedly more accurate) picture of things, but this is sort of the image that I've gotten from being in the dugout and around the team.

Bosko Djurickovic was a lot like that when he ran the NPU baseball program in terms of that blue-collar mentality. He loved kids from the bungalow belt. He used to think of it as an asset if a kid was from Calumet City or Berwyn or the Northwest Side, and a liability if he was from Wilmette or Hinsdale.

but you absolutely cannot argue with the results he's had the past 2 seasons.  Plus, who wouldn't want to play at a park that you can hit a pop fly for a home run :-P  haha, just kidding.

The short porch in right and right-center at Holmgren Athletic Complex is certainly tempting to hitters, but it doesn't cause as many cheap homers as outsiders think. One big reason why is because the wind off the lake tends to push back balls hit to right -- and in the spring there usually seems to be a harsh, cold wind blowing in off the lake from the northeast or the east.

[warrior35]

Yeah, I can definitely see that exuding from Coach Johnson.  And, I do think it takes more than a few years for that kind of system to fully take root... even if they are all his kids, sometimes it takes some time to weed out the ones who aren't sure whether they want to adopt that style or not.  Then you end up with Junior/Senior leadership that helps make the whole team buy in to the leadership, it's either that or tell the young buck to jump on the Kennedy Expressway and head home.  And yes, I'm sure some hair would stand on the back of some Wheaton old-timer's necks, lol.  I think during my playing days, he may have been a little bit overboard with some of his antics b/c the culture he was going for really hadn't taken root yet and he was just trying to make a point. Ok, maybe a lot of points... lol.

As far as the stadium goes, I'm sure that most days the wind blows plenty off the lake... but I did have the chance to play there for probably 6 games during my career, and I can't recall ever thinking that a ball didn't go out b/c of the wind... but it is Chicago, there are bound to be days that the wind holds balls up.  And, in the case that the wind is blowing out of the west... the geese on the water better watch out!

[Gregory Sager]

The weather tends to be a little nicer at the end of the season when CCIW teams come in to visit Holmgren, so the elements aren't working against the hitters so much. And, of course, the hitters in the CCIW tend to be better than those of the non-conference opponents, anyway.

[Viking Blue]

Forget the wind. That porch is close.  Trust me, I know.  One of my teammates for 4 years there hit something like 22 home runs in his career, and I think 17 or 18 of them came to RF at home.

That said, the park is a little bigger since its reconfiguration, and let's not forget that, as nice as it is for hitters, it's equally as difficult for pitchers.  Both teams have to play with the dimensions.

[warrior35]

Wheaton blows a 9-4 lead over Wesleyan to lose 14-10... Wheaton's pitching might be the death of them this year.  I hope they prove me wrong, but clearly blowing a 5 run lead is just not acceptable.  It's not the first time it's happened this year either... that's what's scaring me.  Credit IWU of taking advantage of the opportunities that were given to them too.

[Gregory Sager]

Loss or no loss, you guys rocked Joe Sweeney, and that's impressive. He gave up nine earned runs on nine hits in only an inning and two-thirds.

[warrior35]

I think we've covered that Wheaton's offense has been impressive this year, even despite that new bats... and actually, Wheaton's offense has been the primary reason for its success since 2008... if they could put together a season where they hit above .325, field above .950 and get their ERA below 5 for the season, they could really challenge for the CCIW title.  So far this year they have managed to do all of the above except the fielding %.  But, that was in NC schedule.  Let's just say 13 earned runs and a 3:7 strike out to walk ratio is not even close to what's going to let you compete in the CCIW.  Take away even just a couple of those walks, the game tonight might have been different.

[D3Vike11]

I think we've covered that Wheaton's offense has been impressive this year, even despite that new bats... and actually, Wheaton's offense has been the primary reason for its success since 2008... if they could put together a season where they hit above .325, field above .950 and get their ERA below 5 for the season, they could really challenge for the CCIW title.  So far this year they have managed to do all of the above except the fielding %.  But, that was in NC schedule.  Let's just say 13 earned runs and a 3:7 strike out to walk ratio is not even close to what's going to let you compete in the CCIW.  Take away even just a couple of those walks, the game tonight might have been different.

There are currently 4 teams with a higher team BA than Wheaton, all of which are higher than .325. I don't think that that, on top of an ERA below 5 (which there are currently 7 teams at 5.00 or below), would boost Wheaton up to a CCIW title. It takes more than that.

[Gregory Sager]

I think we've covered that Wheaton's offense has been impressive this year, even despite that new bats... and actually, Wheaton's offense has been the primary reason for its success since 2008... if they could put together a season where they hit above .325, field above .950 and get their ERA below 5 for the season, they could really challenge for the CCIW title.  So far this year they have managed to do all of the above except the fielding %.  But, that was in NC schedule.  Let's just say 13 earned runs and a 3:7 strike out to walk ratio is not even close to what's going to let you compete in the CCIW.  Take away even just a couple of those walks, the game tonight might have been different.

Yeah, but Wheaton wasn't just teeing off on any old pitcher. Sweeney is Wesleyan's ace. He was first-team All-CCIW last season. He came into today's game with a 2.45 ERA, and left it with a 5.70 ERA. That's impressive no matter how you look at it.

There are currently 4 teams with a higher team BA than Wheaton, all of which are higher than .325. I don't think that that, on top of an ERA below 5 (which there are currently 7 teams at 5.00 or below), would boost Wheaton up to a CCIW title. It takes more than that.

That's true, too. Heck, Elmhurst meets those three criteria of a team BA above .325, a team fielding % above .950, and an ERA below 5 (although the Bluejays are sitting right on 5 at the moment). Does anybody really think that the 'jays are a threat to win the league?

[warrior35]

There are currently 4 teams with a higher team BA than Wheaton, all of which are higher than .325. I don't think that that, on top of an ERA below 5 (which there are currently 7 teams at 5.00 or below), would boost Wheaton up to a CCIW title. It takes more than that.

That's true, too. Heck, Elmhurst meets those three criteria of a team BA above .325, a team fielding % above .950, and an ERA below 5 (although the Bluejays are sitting right on 5 at the moment). Does anybody really think that the 'jays are a threat to win the league?

It's early yet boys.  And, I need to clarify my statement.  You boys forget that we're not even half-way through the season yet and we have barely touched CCIW play.  The numbers I referenced are what I think they should be at the end of the season, not currently.  Also, I think that those levels are to even have a shot at competing for the title.  It absolutely may take more, or possibly less... Wheaton made it to the conference championship game in 2009 when their season stat line was .326 BA, .948 FLD%, and 6.50 ERA.

For the sake of reference, the season stat lines of recent CCIW champs.
2008- .329 BA, .959 FLD%, 4.50 ERA.
2009- .329 BA, .958 FLD%, 3.40 ERA.
2010- .302 BA, .956 FLD%, 5.00 ERA. 
2011- .327 BA, .951 FLD%, 3.18 ERA.

There is nothing magical about the numbers I wrote... teams have won the CCIW with far better numbers, and they have won with worse numbers (and the national championship for that matter). But as a general rule, to have a shot, I believe those numbers to be a pretty true for Wheaton and most teams.  May I stress "general rule"... if this game was played on paper it wouldn't be any fun.  Also, It's not uncommon for teams to come into conference play with great stats... the CCIW can be a bit of a meat grinder, if you know what I mean.  It's good, tough baseball!  I would hope that most teams would come in with great ERAs, I wish I could dig up stats from teams heading into conference play compared to their final ERA over the past several years, that would be an interesting stat!

[warrior35]

Yeah, but Wheaton wasn't just teeing off on any old pitcher. Sweeney is Wesleyan's ace. He was first-team All-CCIW last season. He came into today's game with a 2.45 ERA, and left it with a 5.70 ERA. That's impressive no matter how you look at it.

That may be true, but games are 9 innings... not 1 2/3.  I really don't want to minimize what Wheaton did, but if it was so impressive they should have been able to score more than 1 run off of guys who aren't as good as Sweeney when the team needed it... at the end of the day, it is nice to see Wheaton hitters do well off of good competition but if it isn't putting Ws in the win column it's not good enough.  The ability is there, Wheaton is just not putting together well rounded games at the moment.

[izzy stradlin]

Wheaton got all the runs you could ask for.  They didn't get the outs. 

There is an easy gold standard when it comes to measuring team offense and it's runs scored.   BA is a poor metric for individual offense and even worse when looking at entire teams.  Wheaton leads the conference in offense at this point in the season and I would bet will end up in the top 2 or 3 in conference play.