BB: CCIW: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[BigPoppa]

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!

Can you feel my envious glare directed in your general direction?! I still don't know what to make of IWU this coming season.

[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!

Can you feel my envious glare directed in your general direction?! I still don't know what to make of IWU this coming season.

Not a surprise - I still don't know what to make of them LAST season!

[BBFan62]

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!

IWU picked up a great transfer in AJ Nathan from Lawrence. He was a teammate of Kevin Sullivan (HP '08)and Anthony Kopp (HP '09) at Highland Park HS. AJ set the season hit record at HP (66 hits in 33 games) and the BA season record, with .546 during his senior year at HP ('09). His primary position is catcher (1.80 pop time) but can be used as a closer, or play the infield. A great pickup of a great athlete for IWU.
My son played with them during HS, but attends college out East.

[DirtyJersey]

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!

IWU picked up a great transfer in AJ Nathan from Lawrence. He was a teammate of Kevin Sullivan (HP '08)and Anthony Kopp (HP '09) at Highland Park HS. AJ set the season hit record at HP (66 hits in 33 games) and the BA season record, with .546 during his senior year at HP ('09). His primary position is catcher (1.80 pop time) but can be used as a closer, or play the infield. A great pickup of a great athlete for IWU.
My son played with them during HS, but attends college out East.

aj nahan hit .318 at lawrence university-- a team that went 7-29 last year, who played against very average teams in their own right...hopefully he helps the titans

[CCIWFAN6]

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!

IWU picked up a great transfer in AJ Nathan from Lawrence. He was a teammate of Kevin Sullivan (HP '08)and Anthony Kopp (HP '09) at Highland Park HS. AJ set the season hit record at HP (66 hits in 33 games) and the BA season record, with .546 during his senior year at HP ('09). His primary position is catcher (1.80 pop time) but can be used as a closer, or play the infield. A great pickup of a great athlete for IWU.
My son played with them during HS, but attends college out East.

Great to hear that IWU has gotten some new talent in, as they lost a very good group of seniors that were instrumental in their National Championship run last year. Not taking anything away from AJ, but if he really has a 1.80 pop time, not only should he be catching at IWU, he should be behind the plate for the Cubs as long as he could hit his weight. 1.8 would put him in the top 2% of ML catchers.

[CrashDavisD3]

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!

Very Nice !!! 

[BBFan62]

Saw AJ's pop time with these old eyes. There were 3 coaches there..they all looked at each other because they thought their stop watches  malfunctioned. It was laughable, looking at the expression on their faces. He did it quite a few times.
Still, everyone has to show what they can do. I had the pleasure of watching Kopp, Sullivan, and Nathan for about 10 years between travel ball and high school ball.
We rib AJ, telling him he learned to block balls in the dirt so well because he caught my son's splitter for a good number of years. I expect IWU do do very well, again. They have a good, solid, team and AJ should fit in very nicely.

[BigPoppa]

Pudge Rodrigurez and Johnny Bench throw 1.8 for POP times. The average college catcher is 2.0-2.1. If this kid is really a 1.8, someone missed the boat for two reasons (and no offense intended):
1. 1.8's do not got undrafted out of high school, and
2. 1.8's do not choose Lawrence as their school... their future is in baseball and even a transfer to IWU is beneath them. They should be starting at a major D1 university. The best I have EVER seen with my own eyes is a consistent 1.91 and that kid was a D2 simply because he could not hit a lick.

We'll see the true numbers once the season begins.

[CrashDavisD3]

Pudge Rodrigurez and Johnny Bench throw 1.8 for POP times. The average college catcher is 2.0-2.1. If this kid is really a 1.8, someone missed the boat for two reasons (and no offense intended):
1. 1.8's do not got undrafted out of high school, and
2. 1.8's do not choose Lawrence as their school... their future is in baseball and even a transfer to IWU is beneath them. They should be starting at a major D1 university. The best I have EVER seen with my own eyes is a consistent 1.91 and that kid was a D2 simply because he could not hit a lick.

We'll see the true numbers once the season begins.

Honestly POP times mean nothing...WHY ?

Look at the catchers numbers  How many runners were caught stealing, what percentage were caught stealing...

Guess who most players steal on..The PITCHER....If he is slow too the plate, 1.8 pop times mean nothing...If your pitcher keeps runners close and picks runners off. Catchers can look like Johnny Bench throwing guys out...if they dont have great POP times but make very accurate throws to the base....

[Just Bill]

Maybe he can take some catching pointers from Domingo Ayala...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14q8lkJVl1A

[BigPoppa]

Looking at All-CCIW players coming back in 2011: (1st and 2nd Team):

North Central- 6
North Park- 5
Carthage- 4
Augustana- 2
Wheaton- 2
Illinos Wesleyan-1 (but that one guy put the team on his back and carried them to a national title)
Elmhurst-1
Millikin-1

It should make for interesting 2011 season. I have IWU at #16 in my poll and North Park at #21. It appears that I SHOULD have North Central in there somewhere, but I guess I am not a believer yet. I am curious to see where the CCIW coaches poll has teams land.

[ballfan55]

If they were coming back in 2001 isn't their eligibility about up?  Just sayin'.

[BigPoppa]

If they were coming back in 2001 isn't their eligibility about up?  Just sayin'.

Nice catch... corrected:)

[norfrank]

Five out of eight schools received votes in D3baseball poll. IWU the only one to crack the top 25. NCC 22 votes, Carthage 21, North Park and Augie followed down the pack. What happened to the Thunder?

[thunder38]

The way their ERA exploded last year I don't question why Wheaton isn't getting votes.  They were in a great spot heading out of their nonconference schedule and even with the doubleheader comeback sweep of Augie at Alexian Field but after the freak injury to Urbanowitz that pitching staff just went downhill.  I think the pieces are there for the Thunder to return to the CCIW tournament but they're gonna have to find a way to throw strikes at a more efficient rate.

They return Pyne and Martin at the corner INF and I would assume Miller would move over to SS.  Whartnaby is now a three year starter behind the dish and they return all three outfielders with Zeller, Antal, and Golz although there's some questions regarding the health of Zeller and Antal coming out of football.

Dennison is going to have to take a big step forward to ace this pitching staff.  Scouts are understandably drooling over his size as they would with any 6'7" lefty that can walk and chew gum at the same time but he needs to step up and lead this pitching staff or it might be another situation where Wheaton is going to have to score massive amounts of runs to win ball games.

Wheaton has a very favorable spring trip schedule that they could come back north on a roll.


Like you BP, I'm still a little skeptical of North Central just based on the egg they layed in the conference tournament last year but their brand of ball is a lot like Carthage has been over the past couple of years.  That's a good young coaching staff for the Cards and they have speed at a lot of positions that puts a ton of pressure on your defense.  On top of that they're very fundamentally sound with the hit and run which can be a killer when executed.  At least they were last year and that's what I'm basing all this off of.  It'll be interesting to see if they can continue what they started last season.  If they do that fourth spot for the conference tourney is going to quite a competition.