BB: IIAC: Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[Floyd in Iowa City]

http://sports.luther.edu/men/baseball/season/2011/news/smithcoach.htm

One day after finding out Coach Gillogly has moved on, Luther formally announced the hiring of Alex Smith to be the head coach.  Coach Smith was the pitching coach for the past six seasons.

Hopefully hiring from within will work well in this case.  I am still sad that all of the knowledge and experience that Coach Gillogly had has moved on.

The current staff either worked or played for Coach Gillogly for multiple seasons, but it is a young staff.

[Kohawk Krazy]

http://sports.luther.edu/men/baseball/season/2011/news/gilloglyresigns.htm

This stinks!

The 2004, 2007, and 2009 teams were really a lot of fun to watch!  I thought that Coach Gillogly and the staff did a very good job with the 2010 and 2011 versions of the Norse.

I follow Norse Football and Wrestling as well, but I also see a lot of Iowa Football and Iowa Wrestling.  In the spring for many seasons I follow Luther Baseball.  The Hawks and other teams that are just starting (high schools, MLB) are a distant 2nd in April and May.

Thanks Coach Gillogly for bringing Luther Baseball back to a level closer to what they used to be.

Unless I missed it, I don't remember Luther being nationally ranked at the end of the season 5 of the last 10 years. 

Should be interesting with a new coach.  Outside of Cornell, there really hasn't been much turnover with baseball coaches in the IIAC in the last 15 years.

[Floyd in Iowa City]

http://sports.luther.edu/men/baseball/season/2011/news/gilloglyresigns.htm

This stinks!

The 2004, 2007, and 2009 teams were really a lot of fun to watch!  I thought that Coach Gillogly and the staff did a very good job with the 2010 and 2011 versions of the Norse.

I follow Norse Football and Wrestling as well, but I also see a lot of Iowa Football and Iowa Wrestling.  In the spring for many seasons I follow Luther Baseball.  The Hawks and other teams that are just starting (high schools, MLB) are a distant 2nd in April and May.

Thanks Coach Gillogly for bringing Luther Baseball back to a level closer to what they used to be.

Unless I missed it, I don't remember Luther being nationally ranked at the end of the season 5 of the last 10 years. 

Should be interesting with a new coach.  Outside of Cornell, there really hasn't been much turnover with baseball coaches in the IIAC in the last 15 years.

I don't remember that either as the 2004, 2007, and 2009 seasons would be the only seasons where the team had that kind of success.  They were ranked at times in other years, but that isn't the same.

Talking about rankings in any sport other than Division I football doesn't do much for me.  IIAC titles, upper division finishes, and NCAA tourney success and appearances seem more informative.

I think Luther Baseball has been a good program over the last several years, but not a great program.

The closest thing I can remember to this coaching change in recent years was at Simpson five years back when Ben Blake took over a good program without a long resume.  However, his dad is still the pitching coach with around 30 years experience.  Having a brother playing in the majors can't hurt either.

[BigPoppa]

What are the chances that an IOWA team hosts the Central Regional this year? It has been quite a while since the IIAC has played host.

[upandin]

Well it's almost here.  Doesn't seem right with the fact that winter has not come yet.  Looking forward to hearing how Dubuque is going to make noise in the IIAC this year.  Ha ha.  I think it will be another year of 3.  A 3 team race at the top with Warburg, BV, and Coe.  And another race to not join Dubuque and Cornell in the bottom 3.  A lot of good IIAC players graduated last year. Should be fun to see who steps in. 

[doolittledog]

Well it's almost here.  Doesn't seem right with the fact that winter has not come yet.  Looking forward to hearing how Dubuque is going to make noise in the IIAC this year.  Ha ha.  I think it will be another year of 3.  A 3 team race at the top with Warburg, BV, and Coe.  And another race to not join Dubuque and Cornell in the bottom 3.  A lot of good IIAC players graduated last year. Should be fun to see who steps in.

Us Spartan fans are like Cubs fans.  Preseason optimism that this is our year...closely followed with "well, there's always next year" 

But really, THIS is our year to make some noise in the IIAC

[TheSportsFan]

Pre-Season Conference Predictions (With zero knowledge about newcomers)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Coe - Stein is unreal.  Have some nice pieces to their pitching staff.  I think Hixson has some nice potential, and Morris is solid (though over-achieved last year in my opinion).  If they are going to be a real contender nationally they need to find an answer defensively behind the plate to replace Schuver.  I also think Melloy needs to be a better SS.  I've never been comfortable on balls hit his direction.

2. Buena Vista - Word is this team will play very inspired to prove their worth without last year's great senior class.  On paper you won't find a lot of amazing returners for the Beavers, but they still have some respectable pieces that return some nice experience.  I love this bullpen.  Usually a very underrated pitching staff.  No doubt this team will find ways to win, it just won't be as easy as it was the past few years.

3. Wartburg - Lost their ace, catcher, and their best hitter in Grau (despite his poor performance last year), yet I can't help but feel this team will win 14-16 games in the IIAC this year.  Ryan Powers is a nice leader for them at SS, I like his approach at the plate.  I know he had a lot of errors at SS last year but he seems very capable at that position.

4. Central - Coming off a slightly disappointing season (22-19, 12-12), this Dutch squad has a lot to prove.  What they have going for them is a few guys that are locks for all-conference (imo).  They have the best Middle Infield in the league with Furlong and Ariola, both guys are primed to have a monster season at the top of the order for the Dutch.  Joel Pulliam gives them a guy that will limit opponents all season long.  I think he may have been a little worn down at the end of the year with a couple of bad starts against Luther and Wartburg to close his season.  I wouldn't be surprised if Central wins 15 games in the IIAC this season.

5. Simpson - Pitcher Chris Dorff and Outfield Tyler Crandell highlight a team that took some major blows to graduation.  That being said, Coach Blake has done very well in the conference tournament as of late with 5 wins over the past two years at Kernals Stadium.  Nothing flashy about this team, they just find ways to win year in and year out.

6. Luther - This team is a little confusing.  Some are high on the Norse, some are low, I'm basically in the middle.  They seem very capable, yet have not been all that consistent.  They have been bad (losing two at Dubuque last year) and they have been good with some nice wins (@ BV, Coe, @ Wartburg, and took 3 of 4 from Central).  Have a little bit of pop in the middle of the order and return some good arms.  The most encouraging thing about this team is their apparent potential to have a lot of capable pitchers.

7. Dubuque - Spartan fans rejoice!  No, I don't have you predicted in the top 6 and qualifying for the tournament, HOWEVER, you are starting your climb back to IIAC relevance.  Finally Dubuque will be playing a few teams that are worthy of playing college sports before starting their IIAC schedule.  Last year UD started 10-1 (then went 9-19), in '10 they started 5-2 (then went 6-26), in '09 they started 5-6 (then went 3-25)......you get the picture.  They have decided to throw a little bit of bulk on their schedule this year even though it's still a little soft in the big picture.  They will play North Park (30 wins in '11), Hamline (29 Wins), Skidmore (26 wins) and Scranton (24 wins).  All this being said, they have zero star power, leaving them without the big time talent to have a truly successful year.

8. Loras - Seeing Loras this low is a big surprise for some.  It's a surprise for me too.  The more I look at them the more I see that there is nothing that this team can rely on.  Overall they are a poor offensive team and they lost their one solid pitcher by way of transfer.  The one reassuring thing about this team is they appear to have answered some of their defensive woes in their middle infield, something that has been a real problem for a couple years.  I feel this team will probably win between 8-12 games.  The top 8 teams of the IIAC might be packed in pretty tight.  It's very possible the 8th place team could end up winning 10 games.

9. Cornell - Seth Wing has a real up hill battle with this team.  Any wins they can get this year are feathers in Coach Wing's cap (no pun intended).  Word on the street remains that Coach Wing is an extremely hard worker willing to put in the time to change the culture for Cornell Baseball.  Removal from the IIAC should prove helpful for the Rams.


I'm sure there will be some issues up for debate with this ranking and please correct me if any of my facts were not correct.  Thanks, I look forward to another year of Iowa Conference Baseball and hearing others' opinions.

[BigPoppa]

Pre-Season Conference Predictions (With zero knowledge about newcomers)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Coe - Stein is unreal.  Have some nice pieces to their pitching staff.  I think Hixson has some nice potential, and Morris is solid (though over-achieved last year in my opinion).  If they are going to be a real contender nationally they need to find an answer defensively behind the plate to replace Schuver.  I also think Melloy needs to be a better SS.  I've never been comfortable on balls hit his direction.

2. Buena Vista - Word is this team will play very inspired to prove their worth without last year's great senior class.  On paper you won't find a lot of amazing returners for the Beavers, but they still have some respectable pieces that return some nice experience.  I love this bullpen.  Usually a very underrated pitching staff.  No doubt this team will find ways to win, it just won't be as easy as it was the past few years.

3. Wartburg - Lost their ace, catcher, and their best hitter in Grau (despite his poor performance last year), yet I can't help but feel this team will win 14-16 games in the IIAC this year.  Ryan Powers is a nice leader for them at SS, I like his approach at the plate.  I know he had a lot of errors at SS last year but he seems very capable at that position.

4. Central - Coming off a slightly disappointing season (22-19, 12-12), this Dutch squad has a lot to prove.  What they have going for them is a few guys that are locks for all-conference (imo).  They have the best Middle Infield in the league with Furlong and Ariola, both guys are primed to have a monster season at the top of the order for the Dutch.  Joel Pulliam gives them a guy that will limit opponents all season long.  I think he may have been a little worn down at the end of the year with a couple of bad starts against Luther and Wartburg to close his season.  I wouldn't be surprised if Central wins 15 games in the IIAC this season.

5. Simpson - Pitcher Chris Dorff and Outfield Tyler Crandell highlight a team that took some major blows to graduation.  That being said, Coach Blake has done very well in the conference tournament as of late with 5 wins over the past two years at Kernals Stadium.  Nothing flashy about this team, they just find ways to win year in and year out.

6. Luther - This team is a little confusing.  Some are high on the Norse, some are low, I'm basically in the middle.  They seem very capable, yet have not been all that consistent.  They have been bad (losing two at Dubuque last year) and they have been good with some nice wins (@ BV, Coe, @ Wartburg, and took 3 of 4 from Central).  Have a little bit of pop in the middle of the order and return some good arms.  The most encouraging thing about this team is their apparent potential to have a lot of capable pitchers.

7. Dubuque - Spartan fans rejoice!  No, I don't have you predicted in the top 6 and qualifying for the tournament, HOWEVER, you are starting your climb back to IIAC relevance.  Finally Dubuque will be playing a few teams that are worthy of playing college sports before starting their IIAC schedule.  Last year UD started 10-1 (then went 9-19), in '10 they started 5-2 (then went 6-26), in '09 they started 5-6 (then went 3-25)......you get the picture.  They have decided to throw a little bit of bulk on their schedule this year even though it's still a little soft in the big picture.  They will play North Park (30 wins in '11), Hamline (29 Wins), Skidmore (26 wins) and Scranton (24 wins).  All this being said, they have zero star power, leaving them without the big time talent to have a truly successful year.

8. Loras - Seeing Loras this low is a big surprise for some.  It's a surprise for me too.  The more I look at them the more I see that there is nothing that this team can rely on.  Overall they are a poor offensive team and they lost their one solid pitcher by way of transfer.  The one reassuring thing about this team is they appear to have answered some of their defensive woes in their middle infield, something that has been a real problem for a couple years.  I feel this team will probably win between 8-12 games.  The top 8 teams of the IIAC might be packed in pretty tight.  It's very possible the 8th place team could end up winning 10 games.

9. Cornell - Seth Wing has a real up hill battle with this team.  Any wins they can get this year are feathers in Coach Wing's cap (no pun intended).  Word on the street remains that Coach Wing is an extremely hard worker willing to put in the time to change the culture for Cornell Baseball.  Removal from the IIAC should prove helpful for the Rams.


I'm sure there will be some issues up for debate with this ranking and please correct me if any of my facts were not correct.  Thanks, I look forward to another year of Iowa Conference Baseball and hearing others' opinions.

Nicely done:)

[upandin]

Well said sportsfan, looks like you have a good pulse on the IIAC. 

[TheSportsFan]

Most exciting time in Division 3 sports.  Basketball is really starting to heat up and (even though we have snow here) baseball fans are getting excited and players and coaches are revved up and ready to get to work this February.  Here is when the IIAC teams will open up their seasons.

February 17 - Simpson vs. Ozarks  (Ozarks Baseball Classic) @ Clarksville, Arkansas

February 19 - Dubuque vs. Hamline @ Metrodome

February 26 - Buena Vista vs. St. John's @ Metrodome
February 26 - Wartburg vs. Farmingdale State @ Orlando, Florida

February 29 - Loras vs. Augustana (RussMatt Invitational) @ Winterhaven, Florida

March 2 - Cornell vs. Hanover @ Winterhaven, Florida

March 3 - Coe vs. Presentation @ Tucson, Arizona
March 3 - Central vs. Knox @ Jacksonville, Illinois

March 10 - Luther vs. Concordia-Moorhead @ Metrodome

[doolittledog]

Dubuque opened with 2 victories over Hamline 2-1 and 7-1.  Hamline won the MIAC tourney last year and made the NCAA...or so the UD website says.  I assume that is true. 

[BigPoppa]

Those are either announcing the arrival of the Dubuque program or the demise of the short-lived Hamline run to the MIAC elites. The next few weeks will be telling for both programs.

[warrior35]

Or it's just the first games of the year, which IMO doesn't hold much weight... Coaches use so many different philosophies during the first games of the year, and not all of them are always dead set on winning the game.  However, Hamline did lose their top two offensive weapons so they could be down and out.  There was one stat from this game that really peaks my interest though.  It might just be completely off the wall, but I'm interested to see how this winter effects the Non-c. games in the north.  If you look at the errors in the game Hamline had 5 vs. 0 for Dubuque.  Of course that might not have anything to do with anything besides a few mistakes, but I DO wonder what this winter has done to the college baseball season.  This is easily the most mild winter we've had in recent memory.  It has been mild enough in states like Iowa and Illinois that a good portion of the winter didn't have much snow cover and frequently had temperatures above freezing allowing for teams to practice outside on FieldTurf a good portion of the winter.  And, while the winter in Minnesota and Wisconsin was still mild... they still had snow cover basically the whole winter, driving teams to be cooped up practicing indoors for several months.  It is quite possible that this could have a drastic effect on the outcome of non-c. games.  It probably won't have any effect on the IIAC conf. games, but it could potentially have a slight effect on the CCIW conference race and possibly other conferences in other districts.  Time will only tell.

[Floyd in Iowa City]

Or it's just the first games of the year, which IMO doesn't hold much weight... Coaches use so many different philosophies during the first games of the year, and not all of them are always dead set on winning the game.  However, Hamline did lose their top two offensive weapons so they could be down and out.  There was one stat from this game that really peaks my interest though.  It might just be completely off the wall, but I'm interested to see how this winter effects the Non-c. games in the north.  If you look at the errors in the game Hamline had 5 vs. 0 for Dubuque.  Of course that might not have anything to do with anything besides a few mistakes, but I DO wonder what this winter has done to the college baseball season.  This is easily the most mild winter we've had in recent memory.  It has been mild enough in states like Iowa and Illinois that a good portion of the winter didn't have much snow cover and frequently had temperatures above freezing allowing for teams to practice outside on FieldTurf a good portion of the winter.  And, while the winter in Minnesota and Wisconsin was still mild... they still had snow cover basically the whole winter, driving teams to be cooped up practicing indoors for several months.  It is quite possible that this could have a drastic effect on the outcome of non-c. games.  It probably won't have any effect on the IIAC conf. games, but it could potentially have a slight effect on the CCIW conference race and possibly other conferences in other districts.  Time will only tell.

That would be great if better weather means more teams are going to play at a higher level this season.  Iowa Conference Baseball is already fun to watch and follow without a potential weather bonus!

The future of the Metrodome is something that might create a big power shift as well.  I want the Dome to stay, but that new Gopher ballpark is coming with some donations/support in part because I think most see indoor baseball going away in Minnesota over the next decade.

[Floyd in Iowa City]

I am not a big fan of UNI advertising here on this board as they no longer have a baseball program, are getting rid of the University Museum, might get rid of NU High, and within a few years will only have football, basketball, track, and cross country as men's sports.

The website needs the advertising money, but UNI needs to think about what college athletics are in Iowa when your athletic department doesn't have baseball and soon might not have wrestling either.  Wouldn't you almost rather see UNI go back to being Division II like they were pre-1976 and offer a broad based athletic program?

The problem with UNI moving down to Division II to me is that there are no longer as many natural opponents to play in the region.  Mankato State and Winona State are still around, but North Dakota, NDSU, SDSU, and South Dakota all jumped to Division I.  Maybe they could join the Iowa Conference like they did in the 1920s.

Thank goodness for IIAC Baseball!  If only Iowa could put together a team that actually has good hitting and good pitching in the same season!