BB: CCIW: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mr. Ypsi]

Through 6 innings, Titans and Raiders in a pitching duel - 1-1.  IWU finally broke through for 4 runs in the top of the 7th, but Nick Mehn is still going strong with another 1,2,3 inning.  After 7, IWU 5, UMU 1.

[Mr. Ypsi]

Nick Mehn goes all the way in a 5-2 win (he threw 144 pitches, so I suspect he's done for the weekend).

No word yet on who or when they next play (my guess would be the Wooster/Penn St-Behrend winner in the first game tomorrow).

[TitanPride]

IWU plays at 1:15 PM tomorrow afternoon against the loser of tonight's Marietta vs. Thomas More match up. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

Matt Hart was cruising along with a shutout through 5 (and a 3-0 lead), but then the roof caved in.  IWU trailed 10-4 with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth, but gave it a helluva try - the game ended with the bases loaded and trailing by 4.  Season ends for the Titans, 10-6.

A very nice season (including the CCIW regular-season title), but I sure wish it had ended one way or the other in Appleton!

[mr_b]

Concordia Chicago tops Augustana, 9-6, to eliminate the remaining CCIW team from the regional.

[Gregory Sager]

The Luke Johnson head-coaching tree grew a new branch this month, as NPU pitching coach Kevin Tomasiewicz has been hired as the new head coach at UW-Oshkosh. Best of luck to Kevin as he takes over the reins of that storied D3 baseball program.

[Gregory Sager]

North Park has hired a new pitching coach / assistant head coach, Jake Upwood. As you can see from his bio, he has very good credentials -- including a background in D3, as he played for Ithaca, and a lot of pro experience both as a pitcher and as a pitching coach.

The departure of Kevin Tomasiewicz for UWO made for an awkward transition, as fall isn't usually the time when a lot of coaches are looking for a job. Luke Johnson's candidate pool was therefore smaller than it would've otherwise been, and there was some concern during the search that he might have to settle for someone whom he might not have otherwise chosen had this been a summertime search. But I'm certain that Luke doesn't feel that way at all about Jake Upwood. He found the right-hand man that he wanted.

[BigPoppa]

My 2014 CCIW Prediction:

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

Pound away at it.

[Gregory Sager]

Fine with me. I'd rather be the hunter than the hunted.

[BigPoppa]

Fine with me. I'd rather be the hunter than the hunted.

Greg- any thoughts that NPU will be better/worse than I anticipate?

[Mr. Ypsi]

Fine with me. I'd rather be the hunter than the hunted.

I'm not afraid of wearing a target.  Any time Big Poppa has IWU #1, it looks good to me!

[BigPoppa]

Fine with me. I'd rather be the hunter than the hunted.

I'm not afraid of wearing a target.  Any time Big Poppa has IWU #1, it looks good to me!

I think the Titans return the best stable of arms in the region, not just the CCIW.

[Mr. Ypsi]

The way this winter is going, they may have trouble getting in much of a season!

I am SO sick of winter!  There is no longer anywhere to shovel the snow to, but it just keeps coming.

[izzy stradlin]

My 2014 CCIW Prediction:

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

Pound away at it.

I'd swap Wheaton and Carthage.  The Thunder have a couple all-american type talents but I still don't think they have the overall depth in their program that they had a few years ago. 

[izzy stradlin]

Wheaton season preview interview with Coach Matt Husted:

http://athletics.wheaton.edu/custompages/sports_report/2013-14/Jan_TSR/Matt%20Husted%20Season%20Preview%20941.MP3