BB: CCIW: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[D3Vike11]

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.

I agree. Every year Wheaton is near the top of the conference for offense. As previously stated though, they don't pitch well. You have to be able to pitch well if you want to have success in the CCIW. You might get away with outscoring some opponents, but as the year goes on, and as you get farther into the postseason, pitching becomes even more crucial. You rarely see a 14-10 game in conference tourneys, let alone regionals. If Wheaton is going to compete, they need someone to step up on the mound now that conference play has started.

[Gregory Sager]

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

Actually, those aren't the numbers for the recent CCIW champs. Those are the numbers for the recent CCIW tourney champs, which is a different thing altogether -- although, in terms of team statistics, it's a distinction without a difference. Carthage, which won the CCIW tourney last season and whose 2011 numbers you quoted, actually outperformed CCIW co-champions North Park and Illinois Wesleyan in the team BA and team ERA categories.

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.

Again, though, that was not my point. I was simply saying that I was impressed that Wheaton got to Sweeney so heavily. It was as much a comment about Sweeney as it was about Wheaton.

[Gregory Sager]

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.

I agree, although I think that the scoring metric should be more properly expressed as runs per game. Here are some relevant team offensive metrics, current as of this morning:

team	SLG%	OBP	OPS	RPG
Wheaton	.503	.430	.933	8.71
Illinois Wesleyan	.467	.426	.893	8.47
Augustana	.473	.423	.896	7.87
North Park	.444	.435	.879	7.59
North Central	.408	.389	.797	7.15
Elmhurst	.470	.414	.884	7.08
Carthage	.428	.375	.803	6.50
Millikin	.317	.363	.690	4.33

Nevertheless, D3Vike11 is absolutely correct when he states:

You have to be able to pitch well if you want to have success in the CCIW.

[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.

I agree, although I think that the scoring metric should be more properly expressed as runs per game. Here are some relevant team offensive metrics, current as of this morning:

team	SLG%	OBP	OPS	RPG
Wheaton	.503	.430	.933	8.71
Illinois Wesleyan	.467	.426	.893	8.47
Augustana	.473	.423	.896	7.87
North Park	.444	.435	.879	7.59
North Central	.408	.389	.797	7.15
Elmhurst	.470	.414	.884	7.08
Carthage	.428	.375	.803	6.50
Millikin	.317	.363	.690	4.33

Nevertheless, D3Vike11 is absolutely correct when he states:

You have to be able to pitch well if you want to have success in the CCIW.

Yes, without being that explicit, I was referring to runs per game. 

Agree on pitching also, which is why I favor North Park in the conference race. 

[NCF]

sitting in beautiful downtown naperville getting see NCC dominate on the track and the diamond. NC won game 1, 3-2 and is leading 8-1 in game 2 against Carthage.

[warrior35]

Actually, those aren't the numbers for the recent CCIW champs. Those are the numbers for the recent CCIW tourney champs, which is a different thing altogether -- although, in terms of team statistics, it's a distinction without a difference.

Indeed, tourney champs may differ from the regular season leaders... but let's not kid ourselves, only the tourney champion is what truly matters.  CCIW doesn't recognize regular season "champs", so I don't even consider them champions at all.  Hence the reason I used the numbers I did.

Bottom line, Wheaton still has some improvement to do if they want to compete for the CCIW title.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Actually, those aren't the numbers for the recent CCIW champs. Those are the numbers for the recent CCIW tourney champs, which is a different thing altogether -- although, in terms of team statistics, it's a distinction without a difference.

Indeed, tourney champs may differ from the regular season leaders... but let's not kid ourselves, only the tourney champion is what truly matters.  CCIW doesn't recognize regular season "champs", so I don't even consider them champions at all.  Hence the reason I used the numbers I did.

Bottom line, Wheaton still has some improvement to do if they want to compete for the CCIW title.

Not true.  The conference champion is the regular season winner (with the trophy and banner to prove it); the tournament winner is the only one guaranteed to play in the postseason, though (without checking) I believe the CCIW has become respected enough that 'the champions' too will play in the postseason if they lose in the tournament.

[NCF]

sitting in beautiful downtown naperville getting see NCC dominate on the track and the diamond. NC won game 1, 3-2 and is leading 8-1 in game 2 against Carthage.

Final in game 2: NC 8, Carthage 1

[warrior35]

Not true.  The conference champion is the regular season winner (with the trophy and banner to prove it); the tournament winner is the only one guaranteed to play in the postseason, though (without checking) I believe the CCIW has become respected enough that 'the champions' too will play in the postseason if they lose in the tournament.

That's news to me, and I played in the CCIW... oh well, shows that we never won it... lol.  I guess it is an honor to have the best conference record, but I'd prefer to win the tourney.  I don't know for sure, but I don't think it's a guarantee that the reg. season winner from any conference automatically qualifies for Regionals.  But, clearly I don't know everything, haha.  Times change quickly if you don't keep up... I was focused on D2 ball for the past few years.  But, I do believe that the current status of the CCIW should get at least 2 schools in every year, unless the conference falls off... but I don't see the CCIW getting worse any time soon.

[Gregory Sager]

Actually, those aren't the numbers for the recent CCIW champs. Those are the numbers for the recent CCIW tourney champs, which is a different thing altogether -- although, in terms of team statistics, it's a distinction without a difference.

Indeed, tourney champs may differ from the regular season leaders... but let's not kid ourselves, only the tourney champion is what truly matters.  CCIW doesn't recognize regular season "champs", so I don't even consider them champions at all.  Hence the reason I used the numbers I did.

Bottom line, Wheaton still has some improvement to do if they want to compete for the CCIW title.

Not true.  The conference champion is the regular season winner (with the trophy and banner to prove it); the tournament winner is the only one guaranteed to play in the postseason, though (without checking) I believe the CCIW has become respected enough that 'the champions' too will play in the postseason if they lose in the tournament.

Not necessarily. NPU was co-champs last season, and the Vikes didn't make it in to the D3 tourney as an at-large.

[Gregory Sager]

NPU swept the doubleheader today against Millikin with a pair of slaughter-rule wins, 20-3 and 10-0. Steve Kuligowski upped his record to 6-1, 1.42 in the opening-game rout, while Nick Soldano improved to 5-1, 3.27 with a five-hit shutout in the nightcap.

[Gregory Sager]

The other two CCIW doubleheaders played today were splits. Down in Bloomington, Wheaton held off another late Wesleyan rally to win, 8-6, in the opener, while IWU took the nightcap, 12-2. In Elmhurst, the 'jays took down Augie, 5-2, in the first game, before falling to the Doggies, 4-2, in the second game.

[D3Vike11]

Nice to see North Park flex their muscles today against a weak Millikin. Their pitching continues to be their strength despite them scoring 30 runs on 37 hits. Kuligowski and Soldano are quite the 1-2 punch.

Zach Hofer doesn't show up in the box scores of the Elmhurst DH today. If he is hurt, that is a huge loss for an improved Elmhurst squad looking to take the series from Augustana tomorrow.

I think the biggest surprise of the day is seeing an egg in the win column for Carthage. At 5-7 overall, 0-2 in conference, Coach Schmidt must be getting a little worried. They need a win tomorrow at home against a North Central team that looks to be middle of the road this year.

[Gregory Sager]

Millikin won a moral victory today by avoiding the slaughter rule, as North Park romped to a 9-0 win. Paul Garcia (2-1, 2.73) scattered four hits over seven innings for the Park, while Merrick McGrady and Alex Silverthorne each hurled a hitless inning of relief to preserve the shutout.

Today's box score isn't up yet, but if my calculations are correct, NPU outhit MU this weekend by a tally of .392 to .189. Millikin is, to put it diplomatically, not exactly the 1927 Yankees. Still, it was a solid, efficient three games for the Vikings, especially the pitching.

[Gregory Sager]

Zach Hofer doesn't show up in the box scores of the Elmhurst DH today. If he is hurt, that is a huge loss for an improved Elmhurst squad looking to take the series from Augustana tomorrow.

Hofer didn't play today, either, but Elmhurst nevertheless whipped Augie, 11-5, in Rock Island, to take the series.

I think the biggest surprise of the day is seeing an egg in the win column for Carthage. At 5-7 overall, 0-2 in conference, Coach Schmidt must be getting a little worried. They need a win tomorrow at home against a North Central team that looks to be middle of the road this year.

The Red Men did manage to hold off North Central and win today's game in Kenosha, 5-3, preventing a sweep by the Cardinals.