BB: CCIW: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[DirtyJersey]

Anyone got any first-hand insight on IWU this season?  I've been studying the stats, but would like something more to interpret them.

Kraig Ladd was touted by some as a possible CCIW MVP - he is currently hitting .182, with a .250 slugging percentage.  Nagging injuries or just a horrible final season?

Brent Kulavic is currently 0-2 with an era of 6.03 (but he IS striking out >1 batter per inning, so I assume it is not physical, per se).  Was his sophomore season simply magic in action, or is he the ultimate 'hard-luck' story this year?

The team appears to be carried (to the extent that a 12-13 record for a perennial contender is being carried at all) by Jason Pankau (6-0, 2.15 era - the ONLY Titan pitcher with a winning record, and 2.80 era better than 2nd place) and Casey McIntosh (slugging % of .606 - he leads in RBIs with 31 [2nd is 19], and total bases with 60 [2nd is 35] - he has nearly as many HRs as the rest of the team combined).

Two other anomalies I'm intrigued by.  There are FIVE Titan regulars with on base % over .400, yet they can't score regularly.  And, after 25 games, the staff total for saves is ONE.

Any insights to go beyond the stats will be appreciated.

Mr. Ypsi,

IWU is an interesting topic. Brett Moore, their best ballplayer is out for the season, which has pushed another freshman into their lineup. IWUs young bats 9have been fairly weak besides the first baseman. Kraig Ladd is healthy, however, looking like a different hitter than the past 2 seasons. Kulavic is coming off Tommy John and just isn't the same pitcher.
If not for McIntosh and some timely hitting (considering they dont hit it very well), the Titans could be in worse shape. I am inclined to say their upperclassmen pitching staff and hitters will turn it up down the stretch. As for the saves, Martel is a guy who won't depend on a closer unless he succeeds every outing.

Also, Gregory Sager, Giovenco does not have a 96mph fastball. Last season Ubaldo Jimenez was the hardest throwing pitcher in MLB averaging a fastball at 95.5 mph. If Giovenco and Jimenez sit at the same velocity then I would have to say CCIW hitters are much more talented than I ever would have thought.  I have never heard of a flamethrower like that not going in the top 3 rounds!! Of course, he may have touched 96 a handful of times in his lifetime on hot summer days but it is safe to say he has a 91 mph fastball. And YES I have seen his throw several times since last season started. As Mr. B has shown he could very easily be 7-1. He is a great pitcher on a solid baseball team, nonetheless.

[cardsalum]

Anyone got any first-hand insight on IWU this season?  I've been studying the stats, but would like something more to interpret them.

Kraig Ladd was touted by some as a possible CCIW MVP - he is currently hitting .182, with a .250 slugging percentage.  Nagging injuries or just a horrible final season?

Brent Kulavic is currently 0-2 with an era of 6.03 (but he IS striking out >1 batter per inning, so I assume it is not physical, per se).  Was his sophomore season simply magic in action, or is he the ultimate 'hard-luck' story this year?

The team appears to be carried (to the extent that a 12-13 record for a perennial contender is being carried at all) by Jason Pankau (6-0, 2.15 era - the ONLY Titan pitcher with a winning record, and 2.80 era better than 2nd place) and Casey McIntosh (slugging % of .606 - he leads in RBIs with 31 [2nd is 19], and total bases with 60 [2nd is 35] - he has nearly as many HRs as the rest of the team combined).

Two other anomalies I'm intrigued by.  There are FIVE Titan regulars with on base % over .400, yet they can't score regularly.  And, after 25 games, the staff total for saves is ONE.

Any insights to go beyond the stats will be appreciated.

Mr. Ypsi,

IWU is an interesting topic. Brett Moore, their best ballplayer is out for the season, which has pushed another freshman into their lineup. IWUs young bats 9have been fairly weak besides the first baseman. Kraig Ladd is healthy, however, looking like a different hitter than the past 2 seasons. Kulavic is coming off Tommy John and just isn't the same pitcher.
If not for McIntosh and some timely hitting (considering they dont hit it very well), the Titans could be in worse shape. I am inclined to say their upperclassmen pitching staff and hitters will turn it up down the stretch. As for the saves, Martel is a guy who won't depend on a closer unless he succeeds every outing.

Also, Gregory Sager, Giovenco does not have a 96mph fastball. Last season Ubaldo Jimenez was the hardest throwing pitcher in MLB averaging a fastball at 95.5 mph. If Giovenco and Jimenez sit at the same velocity then I would have to say CCIW hitters are much more talented than I ever would have thought.  I have never heard of a flamethrower like that not going in the top 3 rounds!! Of course, he may have touched 96 a handful of times in his lifetime on hot summer days but it is safe to say he has a 91 mph fastball. And YES I have seen his throw several times since last season started. As Mr. B has shown he could very easily be 7-1. He is a great pitcher on a solid baseball team, nonetheless.

Kudos to DirtyJersey for highlighting that point about Giovenco's fastball. Yes, he throws hard but he does not bolster a 96 MPH fastball in his CCIW outings.

[CCIWFAN6]

Anyone got any first-hand insight on IWU this season?  I've been studying the stats, but would like something more to interpret them.

Kraig Ladd was touted by some as a possible CCIW MVP - he is currently hitting .182, with a .250 slugging percentage.  Nagging injuries or just a horrible final season?

Brent Kulavic is currently 0-2 with an era of 6.03 (but he IS striking out >1 batter per inning, so I assume it is not physical, per se).  Was his sophomore season simply magic in action, or is he the ultimate 'hard-luck' story this year?

The team appears to be carried (to the extent that a 12-13 record for a perennial contender is being carried at all) by Jason Pankau (6-0, 2.15 era - the ONLY Titan pitcher with a winning record, and 2.80 era better than 2nd place) and Casey McIntosh (slugging % of .606 - he leads in RBIs with 31 [2nd is 19], and total bases with 60 [2nd is 35] - he has nearly as many HRs as the rest of the team combined).

Two other anomalies I'm intrigued by.  There are FIVE Titan regulars with on base % over .400, yet they can't score regularly.  And, after 25 games, the staff total for saves is ONE.

Any insights to go beyond the stats will be appreciated.

Mr. Ypsi, I have had the chance to see the Titans play a handful of games this year.  Kraig Ladd, who was my preseason POY choice unfortunately got off to a rough start and just looks like a guy who has no confidence.  He is out on his front foot and not allowing the ball to get deep into the strike zone.  He obviously has the talent to do it, as seen in the past two seasons, I just believe it is a mental thing with him. 

Casey McIntosh, on the other hand, has been nothing short of spectacular for them.  He has come up with big hits. Casey is a four year starter for the team, and his experience has shined through this year. Unfortunately, he is the only person who has been getting big hits.  The loss of Brett Moore was huge. This is not an elite team by any means, but if they can get lucky and get into the conference tournament, they could put another team in a tough position with Jason Pankau starting game 1.

[markerickson]

Speed of pitch can be misleading.   Can the pitcher spot an off-speed pitch on the outside corner or throw an inside strike?  Other than the fastball, what does the draftee throw consistently for strikes?

[Mr. Ypsi]

I'd have to question the MLB leader having a 95.5 fastball.  Justin Verlander regularly hits 100; Joel (Zoom-Zoom) Zumaya was hurt last year, but is now hitting 101-102 on occasion.  And that is JUST the Tigers.

Even for a d3 pitcher, I do not find 96 mph improbable.

[mr_b]

I'd have to question the MLB leader having a 95.5 fastball.  Justin Verlander regularly hits 100; Joel (Zoom-Zoom) Zumaya was hurt last year, but is now hitting 101-102 on occasion.  And that is JUST the Tigers.

Even for a d3 pitcher, I do not find 96 mph improbable.

I am also wondering about the 95.5 mph figure.  Is that an average or a maximum?  The latter is certainly not the case, because we can list many pitchers who touch 100 on the gun.  Most likely it's an average for the pitcher's fastball (i.e., not including off-speed stuff, which would drop the overall average significantly).

[BigPoppa]

Jared Hirsch, currently wit the rockies and formerly with Cal Lutheran, had a fastball often clocked at 95-96. It is rare, but not unheard of in D3 baseball. Kris Hansen, who was drafted out of Whitewater in 1994, consistently touched 94 on the radar gun... I only know because it souned like 94 when it blew by me at the plate:)

[Gregory Sager]

I will agree on the fact that the weather at North Park did play a factor in the outcome, but their short porch-hitter friendly ballpark could be the main cause.

While Holmgren Athletic Complex's right-field dimensions are the ultimate definition of a short porch, left field -- where most homers are hit, of course -- isn't all that generous. And there hasn't been more than one or two cheap homers hit to right in CCIW games played at HAC this season. Abraham's shot in that NCC @ NPU game was to right-center; I don't know for sure if it would've gone out in the right-center fields of other CCIW ballparks. Devin Melecio of NPU hit a cheapie into the stands in right on Sunday against Millikin. Zach Deutscher also hit one out to right on Sunday, but it hit the fencing that holds the P.A. speakers on top of the press box; I can't imagine that there's a ballpark in D3 that could've held that one in. It was about a foot shy of splashing into the North Shore Channel, and it would be floating down to the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette right now if the fence atop the press box hadn't been there.

It seems that most games played at North Park will be high scoring affairs.

That's not supported by the data. Here's the total number of runs scored in CCIW ballparks thus far this season (CCIW games only):

team	runs	rpg
Augustana	83	13.8
Carthage	115	16.4
Elmhurst	150	21.4
Ill. Wesleyan	61	12.2
Millikin	45	11.3
North Central	138	23.0
North Park	97	16.2
Wheaton	117	16.7

Now, obviously there are other factors at play here: The potency (or lack thereof) of the home team's pitching, the potency (or lack thereof) of the home team's hitting, the quality of the opponents that have visited each particular ballpark to date, etc. But even taking those things into consideration, you can see that games played at Holmgren aren't necessarily high-scoring affairs in a comparative sense. In fact, NPU's not even in the upper half of the league in terms of runs scored in its ballpark in CCIW games, and that's in spite of the fact that the Vikings hosted North Central in a doubleheader on that windy afternoon of April 2.

It looks like the perennial power pitchers are struggling this year.

I wouldn't say that Giovenco is struggling, unless by "struggling" you mean that he's having a tough time getting wins.

Also, Gregory Sager, Giovenco does not have a 96mph fastball. Last season Ubaldo Jimenez was the hardest throwing pitcher in MLB averaging a fastball at 95.5 mph. If Giovenco and Jimenez sit at the same velocity then I would have to say CCIW hitters are much more talented than I ever would have thought.  I have never heard of a flamethrower like that not going in the top 3 rounds!! Of course, he may have touched 96 a handful of times in his lifetime on hot summer days but it is safe to say he has a 91 mph fastball. And YES I have seen his throw several times since last season started. As Mr. B has shown he could very easily be 7-1. He is a great pitcher on a solid baseball team, nonetheless.

I don't know about "a handful of times in his lifetime on hot summer days" -- the frequency and conditions are indeterminate -- but he has topped out at 96. But, yeah, on average his fastball probably doesn't have mid-90s velocity.

[Mugsy]

fyi... Wheaton lost a tough game yesterday to Concordia-Chicago by a final of 7-6.  Concordia scores 2 in the 9th to win it.  Wheaton is 20-9, Concordia moves to 22-7.

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2010/4/19/BB_CUChicago.aspx?path=baseball

[Gregory Sager]

Speaking of Mike Giovenco, congrats to him upon being named CCIW Pitcher of the Week today.

[mr_b]

It seems that most games played at North Park will be high scoring affairs.

As Greg pointed out, this does not appear to be the case.  I did a quick scan of all games played at Holmgren field since it opened in 2005, and here is what I found:

Games in which 10+ runs were scored by a team (listed as win-loss for North Park):
2010: 3-1 so far
2009: 4-5
2008: 6-5
2007: 4-0
2006: 1-3 (Luke Johnson's first year as coach)
2005: 0-8 (the team that finished 1-39)

Over the same time period, I tabulated the number of low-scoring games.  Here are the scores:

2010: 4-1, 3-2
2009: 5-3, 3-1, 1-0, 4-3, 4-1
2008: 5-4
2007: 3-2, 2-1, 2-0, 2-1, 5-3
2006: 3-2, 5-3, 3-1, 1-0, 4-2
2005: 4-3, 3-2


Source: North Park Baseball

[droppinbombs47]

I will agree on the fact that the weather at North Park did play a factor in the outcome, but their short porch-hitter friendly ballpark could be the main cause.

While Holmgren Athletic Complex's right-field dimensions are the ultimate definition of a short porch, left field -- where most homers are hit, of course -- isn't all that generous. And there hasn't been more than one or two cheap homers hit to right in CCIW games played at HAC this season. Abraham's shot in that NCC @ NPU game was to right-center; I don't know for sure if it would've gone out in the right-center fields of other CCIW ballparks. Devin Melecio of NPU hit a cheapie into the stands in right on Sunday against Millikin. Zach Deutscher also hit one out to right on Sunday, but it hit the fencing that holds the P.A. speakers on top of the press box; I can't imagine that there's a ballpark in D3 that could've held that one in. It was about a foot shy of splashing into the North Shore Channel, and it would be floating down to the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette right now if the fence atop the press box hadn't been there.

It seems that most games played at North Park will be high scoring affairs.

That's not supported by the data. Here's the total number of runs scored in CCIW ballparks thus far this season (CCIW games only):

team	runs	rpg
Augustana	83	13.8
Carthage	115	16.4
Elmhurst	150	21.4
Ill. Wesleyan	61	12.2
Millikin	45	11.3
North Central	138	23.0
North Park	97	16.2
Wheaton	117	16.7

Now, obviously there are other factors at play here: The potency (or lack thereof) of the home team's pitching, the potency (or lack thereof) of the home team's hitting, the quality of the opponents that have visited each particular ballpark to date, etc. But even taking those things into consideration, you can see that games played at Holmgren aren't necessarily high-scoring affairs in a comparative sense. In fact, NPU's not even in the upper half of the league in terms of runs scored in its ballpark in CCIW games, and that's in spite of the fact that the Vikings hosted North Central in a doubleheader on that windy afternoon of April 2.

Gregory, you are absolutely kidding yourself if you believe that there has only be one maybe two cheap home runs hit to right field this entire year.  I can only speak for the two games I was at between North Central and North Park but Abrahams home run off Giovenco would not be a home run at most CCIW fields.  The ball was hit off the end of the bat and hit the press box 350 feet from home plate. 

In game two Romanello hit a ball to the right center gap that if the wind was blowing in would have landed in the infield however the wind blew it to the first row of the bleachers and was laughing rounding the bases because he knew that it was a gift handed to him.  So to say that there has only been one or two out to left is questionable at best.


Do you know the dimensions of the field by chance ... Because left is still short but it looks farther than normal considering the extreme shortness of right field.  I am just wondering if you know because if not I am going to find out.

[HITandRUN463]

I think this is a huge week for CCIW matchups, so I dug up some stats that might be interesting.

               Avg.         ERA           Conf. Avg.  Conf. ERA         FLD %
   
Augustana      .332        4.36      .317             5.47                .938

Carthage        .359         5.63     .394             7.62               .950

Elmhurst          .327       9.30      .345             11.60             .943

Ill. Wesleyan   .263        6.10      .264            6.01                .952

Millikin            .286        7.14      .276           7.82                .940

North Central   .357        4.88      .369           7.13                .957

North Park       .336        4.32     .355             5.68              .962

Wheaton         .347        4.51      .338           5.67              .956


Anyone have any predictions for the games?  I personally cannot wait to watch Wheaton vs. NCC on live stats, and NPU vs. IWU, as well

           (Matchups)

*Wheaton vs North Central
*North Park vs. Ill. Wesleyan
*Augustana vs. Carthage
*Elmhurst vs. Millikin

[HITandRUN463]

I will agree on the fact that the weather at North Park did play a factor in the outcome, but their short porch-hitter friendly ballpark could be the main cause.

While Holmgren Athletic Complex's right-field dimensions are the ultimate definition of a short porch, left field -- where most homers are hit, of course -- isn't all that generous. And there hasn't been more than one or two cheap homers hit to right in CCIW games played at HAC this season. Abraham's shot in that NCC @ NPU game was to right-center; I don't know for sure if it would've gone out in the right-center fields of other CCIW ballparks. Devin Melecio of NPU hit a cheapie into the stands in right on Sunday against Millikin. Zach Deutscher also hit one out to right on Sunday, but it hit the fencing that holds the P.A. speakers on top of the press box; I can't imagine that there's a ballpark in D3 that could've held that one in. It was about a foot shy of splashing into the North Shore Channel, and it would be floating down to the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette right now if the fence atop the press box hadn't been there.

It seems that most games played at North Park will be high scoring affairs.

That's not supported by the data. Here's the total number of runs scored in CCIW ballparks thus far this season (CCIW games only):

team	runs	rpg
Augustana	83	13.8
Carthage	115	16.4
Elmhurst	150	21.4
Ill. Wesleyan	61	12.2
Millikin	45	11.3
North Central	138	23.0
North Park	97	16.2
Wheaton	117	16.7

Now, obviously there are other factors at play here: The potency (or lack thereof) of the home team's pitching, the potency (or lack thereof) of the home team's hitting, the quality of the opponents that have visited each particular ballpark to date, etc. But even taking those things into consideration, you can see that games played at Holmgren aren't necessarily high-scoring affairs in a comparative sense. In fact, NPU's not even in the upper half of the league in terms of runs scored in its ballpark in CCIW games, and that's in spite of the fact that the Vikings hosted North Central in a doubleheader on that windy afternoon of April 2.

Gregory, you are absolutely kidding yourself if you believe that there has only be one maybe two cheap home runs hit to right field this entire year.  I can only speak for the two games I was at between North Central and North Park but Abrahams home run off Giovenco would not be a home run at most CCIW fields.  The ball was hit off the end of the bat and hit the press box 350 feet from home plate. 

In game two Romanello hit a ball to the right center gap that if the wind was blowing in would have landed in the infield however the wind blew it to the first row of the bleachers and was laughing rounding the bases because he knew that it was a gift handed to him.  So to say that there has only been one or two out to left is questionable at best.


Do you know the dimensions of the field by chance ... Because left is still short but it looks farther than normal considering the extreme shortness of right field.  I am just wondering if you know because if not I am going to find out.

I too, droppinbombs47, remember a couple infield flies that turned into homeruns (from both teams).  This was because of the blustering winds blowing out, and the incredibly short fence in right.  Definitely seems like a good factor if you are a North Park hitter getting the luxury of hitting pop flies into the bleachers in right on daily basis for homeruns. Visiting hitters coming to the park must be ecstatic as well. 

[jigsaw54]

If you haven't seen the new rankings yet here are the two links:

http://www.d3baseball.com/top25/2010/week-8

http://www.muhlenberg.edu/pdf/main/athletics/abcapoll42010.pdf