BB: CCIW: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[jigsaw54]

You going to be in attendance this weekend Big Poppa for this huge series between the ncc and carthage?

[BigPoppa]

You going to be in attendance this weekend Big Poppa for this huge series between the ncc and carthage?

I wish... the seven hour drive (one way)would be the death of me:( I saw Carthage in the metrodome a few weeks ago. It was nice to see the Redmen swing it a bit.

[jigsaw54]

Can't wait to see the two big horse go at it Kloss and Perez.  Should make for a great game 1.  What you got for you prediction in the series Poppa.   

[BigPoppa]

What you got for you prediction in the series Poppa.   

That is a tough call. NCC is a hard team to figure out. They have not played a very tough schedule to this point so I am struggling to determine if they are a contender or a pretender. This weekend will go a long way in helping sort out the CCIW for more than just Carthage and NCC. I think we are most likely to see Carthage take 2 of 3 this weekend and I would be shocked of NCC swept the Redmen. Conversely, I would not be surprised at all to see Carthage sweep the Cards.

In order of possibility:
1. Carthage takes 2 of 3
2. Carthage sweeps
3. NCC takes 2 of 3
4. NCC sweeps Carthage


I do not mean to sound down on NCC, I just really have a feeling that Carthage is going to break out this weekend.

[jigsaw54]

With 3 series down and 4 to go we are at the midpoint of the CCIW.  Before the start of this big weekend I want to hear some predictions for the final regular season standings.  Here are mine:

1. North Central
2. Carthage
3. Wheaton
4. North Park
5. IWU
6. Augustana
7. Millikin
8. Elmhurst 

[DirtyJersey]

With 3 series down and 4 to go we are at the midpoint of the CCIW.  Before the start of this big weekend I want to hear some predictions for the final regular season standings.  Here are mine:

1. North Central
2. Carthage
3. Wheaton
4. North Park
5. IWU
6. Augustana
7. Millikin
8. Elmhurst 

Jigsaw, I hate to rain on the NCC parade, however, NCC still has to play the 4 best teams in the cciw, according to preseason polls and common knowledge. Kloss, Arenson, and Robinson are fine ballplayers. At best NCC takes 2 out of 3 from Augie and IWU. AT BEST! Kloss is a big game pitcher who will face every teams ace. I do not think he will go 4-0, leading me to believe that NCC only has a chance to win the series or 2 that Kloss wins. Goodluck to NCC because I would love some shakeup in the conference...I just don't think it will happen.

prediction
1. Carthage
2. Wheaton
3. NCC
4. IWU

[BigPoppa]

1. Wheaton
2. Carthage
3. IWU
4. NCC/NPU

[letsplay2]

My predictions:

Wheaton
Carthage
North Park
Augie
North Central
Wesleyan
Millikin
Elmhurst

My thoughts...

-Wheaton's series win against Carthage was huge.  They should be able to take care of business against the lower half of the conference.

-I see North Park and North Central as very similar teams.  They can both swing it, but will struggle on the mound.  The only difference between the two is that the top end of North Park's rotation is much stronger.

-Augie just sneaks into the tourny field thanks to second half series' against Elmhurst and Millikin.

-The downfall of North Central will be their pitching staff.  Their bats will keep them in most games, but they don't have enough solid arms to outlast Wheaton, Carthage, and Augie.

[CCIWFAN6]

Personally, I would be shocked if NCC is able to make it to the conference tournament.  My predictions:

1.) Wheaton
2.) Carthage
3.) IWU
4.) NPU

[BigPoppa]

Weekend matchups:

*Carthage/North Central- Carthage takes 2 of 3 (NCC's bubble bursts this weekend and Carthage gets back in the race)
*Augustana/Elmhurst - Augustana sweeps (Augie has to win all three in order to even consider the CCIW tourney)
*Millikin/North Park- NPU takes 2 of 3 (NPU is a bit inconsistent right now... it surfaces again this weekend as they drop one to a struggling Millikin squad)
*Wheaton/Illinois Wesleyan- IWU takes 2 of 3 (Does anyone really think that there will be a CCIW tourney without IWU?)

If this all goes as I plan, it will create quite a log jam in the standings. It would make it a six-team race with a heck of a finish on the horizon. Here is what it would look like:

North Central 8-4
NPU- 8-4
Carthage 8-4
Wheaton 7-5
Illinois Wesleyan 7-5
Augustana 6-6
Millikin 3-9
Elmhurst 1-11

[jigsaw54]

Weekend matchups:

*Carthage/North Central- Carthage takes 2 of 3 (NCC's bubble bursts this weekend and Carthage gets back in the race)
*Augustana/Elmhurst - Augustana sweeps (Augie has to win all three in order to even consider the CCIW tourney)
*Millikin/North Park- NPU takes 2 of 3 (NPU is a bit inconsistent right now... it surfaces again this weekend as they drop one to a struggling Millikin squad)
*Wheaton/Illinois Wesleyan- IWU takes 2 of 3 (Does anyone really think that there will be a CCIW tourney without IWU?)

If this all goes as I plan, it will create quite a log jam in the standings. It would make it a six-team race with a heck of a finish on the horizon. Here is what it would look like:
North Central 8-4
Wheaton (Ill.) 7-5
NPU- 7-5
Carthage 7-5
Illinois Wesleyan 7-5
Augustana 6-6
Millikin 3-9
Elmhurst 1-11

Poppa wouldn't that make NPU 8-4 and Carthage 8-4 as well

[BigPoppa]

Poppa wouldn't that make NPU 8-4 and Carthage 8-4 as well

Yes it would, thank for catching my error. That makes the CCIW even more jumbled.

[Gregory Sager]

Jigsaw, I hate to rain on the NCC parade, however, NCC still has to play the 4 best teams in the cciw, according to preseason polls and common knowledge.

Only one of the five people who have posted their predictions of the final standings here over the past 24 hours has picked Augustana to make the playoffs, so it would seem that Augie's status as one of the four best teams in the CCIW is not "common knowledge" after all. In fact, you didn't pick Augie to finish in the top four, either, which means that you're contradicting yourself.

It's also interesting to note that two of the five prognosticators didn't pick Illinois Wesleyan to finish in the top four, either.

[DirtyJersey]

Jigsaw, I hate to rain on the NCC parade, however, NCC still has to play the 4 best teams in the cciw, according to preseason polls and common knowledge.

Only one of the five people who have posted their predictions of the final standings here over the past 24 hours has picked Augustana to make the playoffs, so it would seem that Augie's status as one of the four best teams in the CCIW is not "common knowledge" after all. In fact, you didn't pick Augie to finish in the top four, either, which means that you're contradicting yourself.

It's also interesting to note that two of the five prognosticators didn't pick Illinois Wesleyan to finish in the top four, either.

Augustana is still one of the four most talented ballclubs in the cciw. They will swing the bats every time they play, however, they have dug themselves in a hole too deep to climb out of. They are still a very dangerous team.

[Gregory Sager]

Jigsaw, I hate to rain on the NCC parade, however, NCC still has to play the 4 best teams in the cciw, according to preseason polls and common knowledge.

Only one of the five people who have posted their predictions of the final standings here over the past 24 hours has picked Augustana to make the playoffs, so it would seem that Augie's status as one of the four best teams in the CCIW is not "common knowledge" after all. In fact, you didn't pick Augie to finish in the top four, either, which means that you're contradicting yourself.

It's also interesting to note that two of the five prognosticators didn't pick Illinois Wesleyan to finish in the top four, either.

Augustana is still one of the four most talented ballclubs in the cciw. They will swing the bats every time they play, however, they have dug themselves in a hole too deep to climb out of. They are still a very dangerous team.

Augustana is sixth in runs scored, sixth in OBP, sixth in BA, seventh in slugging, and seventh in homers. "They will swing the bats every time they play"? If anything, it's Augie's pitching that is keeping it out of the bottom of the standings. (Augie's also dead last in fielding percentage.)

Last weekend Augie was swept in its own ballpark by a North Park team that you say is not one of the four most talented ballclubs in the CCIW. Only one of those three losses was close, and Augie was outscored by a combined tally of 26-11 in the series. And keep in mind that, as letsplay2 said, NPU has struggled on the mound since CCIW play began.

You say that Augie is one of the four best teams in the league. I say that they should prove it first.