BB: CCIW: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[D O.C.]

Things have probably calmed down a little bit and I'd like to congratulate the coach and team for the solid accomplishment and pure entertainment at the end of the 2010 season. Hats off!

[BigPoppa]

That's twelve rounds earlier than Giovenco was drafted last June, when the Twins picked him. I'm pretty sure that he's going to sign this time. Best of luck, Mike!

I hope so... get him out of the CCIW:)

[Mr. Ypsi]

That's twelve rounds earlier than Giovenco was drafted last June, when the Twins picked him. I'm pretty sure that he's going to sign this time. Best of luck, Mike!

I hope so... get him out of the CCIW:)

Now, now, BP.  Carthage and IWU welcome the competition.  Make the CCIW as strong as possible!

[I admit, I probably wouldn't say this if I weren't still giddy over the d3 CWS results! ]

[CCIWFAN6]

Looks like the CCIW will not have to deal with trying to be Giovenco anymore.  Baseball America reports that the right hander has signed with the Kansas City Royals.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/draftdb/2010xteam.php?team=1010

[Titan Q]

On IWU recruit Jason Kotecki...

http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/high-school/illinois/illinois-lutheran/baseball/article_3579d298-6981-521e-b391-e5192145f571.html

[izzy stradlin]

CCIW alum Steve Duncan (Wheaton '02) just got the head coaching job at Washu.  Duncan had been an assistant at Johns Hopkins over the past three years with two CWS appearances. 

Great hire by the Bears in my opinion.  I won't be surprised if he turns them into a top 10 program.

http://bearsports.wustl.edu/releases/baseball7-13-10.html

[theoneandonly]

big poppa, I know this is the cciw board, but take a look at the new sliac.org site. MAJOR upgrade!

[BigPoppa]

big poppa, I know this is the cciw board, but take a look at the new sliac.org site. MAJOR upgrade!

Much better than it has been in the past. It should make it easier to follow the season.

[BigPoppa]

IWU's Ricky Angel was named to the to All-Decade Team (2000s). Congrats to the IWU faithful as he was the only CCIW player named to the team. In fact, he was the only Central Region player named to the tea. I am guessing that will change with the announcement of the All-90s team.

[Gregory Sager]

Here's a story on Mike Giovenco and his off-season sojourn in the Instructional League. Sounds as though the Royals organization might have him pitching very close to home in 2011.

[ILLhoops1]

Being relatively new to DIII baseball, is there a general consensus on which conference year in and year out is the toughest. Thanks.

[BigPoppa]

Being relatively new to DIII baseball, is there a general consensus on which conference year in and year out is the toughest. Thanks.

I'd put the Jew Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) as two of the top. There are other conferences that may have some better teams at the top, but from top to bottom, both of the these conferences usually have 3-4 teams in the top 25.

If you are looking for an up-and-coming conference, look west to the Northwest Conference (NWC). The emergence of their baseball programs in the past few seasons on the national level is really shifting the balance of power out west(George Fox, Linfield, Pacific Lutheran).


One also needs to look South at the Southwest conference as the Texas schools beat the snot out of each other in a 16 team conference with only one regional bid rewarded.

I'd also be in trouble if I did not mention the Litte East Conference (LEC).

[Gregory Sager]

As soon as I read ILLhoops1's question, I thought to myself, "Now, that's definitely a question that we should let BigPoppa answer."

[BigPoppa]

As soon as I read ILLhoops1's question, I thought to myself, "Now, that's definitely a question that we should let BigPoppa answer."

I am not sure that I am the expert on this, but year in and year out, they seem to be in the mix. I'd put the CCIW in the second-tier of power conferences. Carthage seems to be the constant, IWU and Augustana usually spend a little time in the top 25 each season and once in a while another program creeps in (North Park (early 2010) and North Central (late 2010)).

In fact, IWU went from unranked in the last regular season poll to #1 in the final poll.

[Mr. Ypsi]

I just spent a very nostalgic hour re-reading the threads from last spring's CWS.  I again have a huge smile on my face from the Titan's 9-run 5th inning in the title game!