BB: USAC: USA South Athletic Conference

[Boysofsummer21]

Best winner pitchers line yet.


Shenandoah Hornets   ip  h  r  er  bb  so  wp  bk  hbp  ibb  ab  bf  fo  go 
                             5.0 10 11 11 5   4    2    0    1     0   23  29  4  5

believe that equals an ERA of 19.80

[LTBB1971]

Boysofsummer 21,
great insight...NCWC drops a bad pitched game today vs Tufts...a team we beat up last year pretty good.  Inconsistent starting pitching besides Jr Knowles, Jr Webb, So Wessell...3 starters the entire season is not going to get it done.

Too many issues on the bullpen, players not knowing their roles and a lack of innings for pitchers to get in a groove.  Already riding the lone consistent arm in the bullpen in closer sr Child.  This kid has pitched in 14 of 24 games...Ouch! I hope he can stay healthy the rest of the way...great asset to the team.

[Boysofsummer21]

Boysofsummer 21,
great insight...NCWC drops a bad pitched game today vs Tufts...a team we beat up last year pretty good.  Inconsistent starting pitching besides Jr Knowles, Jr Webb, So Wessell...3 starters the entire season is not going to get it done.

Too many issues on the bullpen, players not knowing their roles and a lack of innings for pitchers to get in a groove.  Already riding the lone consistent arm in the bullpen in closer sr Child.  This kid has pitched in 14 of 24 games...Ouch! I hope he can stay healthy the rest of the way...great asset to the team.

Do you think that will have Wessell start pitching conference games?

[Catfishncwc]

Boysofsummer 21,
great insight...NCWC drops a bad pitched game today vs Tufts...a team we beat up last year pretty good.  Inconsistent starting pitching besides Jr Knowles, Jr Webb, So Wessell...3 starters the entire season is not going to get it done.

Too many issues on the bullpen, players not knowing their roles and a lack of innings for pitchers to get in a groove.  Already riding the lone consistent arm in the bullpen in closer sr Child.  This kid has pitched in 14 of 24 games...Ouch! I hope he can stay healthy the rest of the way...great asset to the team.

Is it players not knowing their role or not stepping up to take that role?  Seems like plenty of people are getting a chance and taking advantage of the time they are getting. 

[D-BAT]

 Good grief, Shenandoah wins over..whoever, 35-13. Nice  to pull the big guns in the 8th when they were barely up, 27-13. Nice touch there.    Maybe  they worried the bullpen couldn't hold  the lead.   So some  of those 30 or so jayvee players couldn't have gotten into this one??   If I was paying $36,000 a year for a jayvee baseball player to go to SU, I'd sure ponder over this a little bit.

 Just for kicks, I computed a couple interesting numbers: SU is hitting, before today's organized BP, .352. They are hitting .275 in conference games, and .379 in nonconference games. 104 points higher...

 Yes, SU can surely hit, and yes, they have some very well-skilled players, but some of this is just silly.  I can't imagine it's so hard to schedule nonference teams that have a pulse.   Salisbury, Mary Washington, York, Washington and Jefferson, Rowan-there really are some northern schools not all that terribly far away...if you want to play someone with a pulse.   3 hours isn't a horrible trip on a weekday, and other schools do it all the time.

   On this  year's schedule, SU has two nonconference away games against respectable competition:  Randolph Macon and Bridgewater. Perhaps a third as EMU, undoubtedly scheduled as an excuse to got to Wood Grille in Harrisonburg, is actually playing pretty good baseball this year.   27-13 before the before pulling the big guns against a weak northern cold weather school that has played12 games?  That's awful.


  55 players x $36,880 (from SU website)= $2,028,400.00 from the baseball players!   For 2 million dollars, surely those boys deserve to travel to play some decent nonconference opposition.   SU has some talented players, and they deserve a better shake on their nonconference schedule.  

After reviewing the boxscore, it was 19 to 13 going into the bottom of the 6th, so actually that game was somewhat close until SU matched St. Joseph's 7-spot in the top of the 6th to double up their run total to start the top of the 7th.



400 027 000 - 13 14  1 ... St. Joseph's
940 427 18X - 35 33  1 ... Shenandoah



With a score of 19 to 13, I am not sure I would of unloaded the benches, especially with metal bats being used and if your team does not have a dominate pitcher in control of the game.  So, when can anyone say hey, it's over folks, lets make mass changes.

Remember, it's not over then it's over, even when you have recorded the 27th out in a game after striking out but the catcher misses the 3rd strike.  Is that not what happened in SU's game vs. Messiah this week?

Anything is possible in the game of baseball!

I would love to see college baseball go to wooden bats then we would not have these softball scores as it would give an advantage back to the pitcher.  MLB could help out with the wooden bats for college baseball, just look at these outrages contracts the players are getting today, what was the latest, $184 million?

Again, get rid of the metal bats, speed up the game, eliminate the softball run totals, then we'll find out who the true hitters are, will we not? Overall, college baseball would be such a better game.  

So go WOOD to help the quality of the game and to SAVE the pitcher's arms!

[LTBB1971]

boysofsummer21,
I do not think Wessell will start conference games.  NC Wesleyan has been using Knowles and Webb and I think that is a good combination.  Wessell has pitched well this year though.  Jr Andrew Webb has pitched really well since coming into a starting role.  Problem has been finding a nbr 4 or nbr 5 even.  Just very inconsistent at those spots but hopefully things will get straighten out.

Catfishncwc,
how can they be taking advantage of the time when you have 8 of 13 pitchers with ERA's over 8.00?  Most of the key bullpen guys need regular work if we are going to make any noise in Conference tournament.  Besides Child and Costa, there is no experience in the bullpen.  Fresh Martin has been a nice surprise so far.

There  is still plenty of season left.

[Catfishncwc]

LTHSDAD they have 9 kids with double digit innings already.  I look at that and it tells me someone needs to stepup and get some people out.  If anyone could do that right now they would be in a much better position.  Walking less people would be a good start. 

[LTBB1971]

You do have a point there...way too many walks, which is number one reason pitchers get in trouble in my opinion.  I haven't checked lately but I think we are at the top or close to it in most walks allowed in the USA SOUTH.

[Boysofsummer21]

I think that the bigger problem is that the lowest ERA is 3.00. They do have 9 kids that have thrown double digits but in conference play they use 3 starters and 4 seperate relievers. The main reliever is Child with more than double the IP than any other reliever. When I looked at the conference numbers the pitching didn't look way out of whack but it may be a case of grooming arms, and when you do that there is some pain involved.

[cnuball25]

USA South Fan: I couldn't agree more with the wooden bat statement. One of the best sounds in baseball is walking outside Camden Yards while the teams are taking pre-game batting practice and hearing the crack of the wooden bat echo throughout the stadium. The "ping" of a metal bat just doesn't provide the same excitement...

And yes, technically it isn't over until it's over...especially in the sport of baseball and even more so with metal bats being involved. But you can't convince me that sometime during the bottom of the 6th, while they were busy going ahead 26-13, they couldn't have gotten some hard-working reserves a couple much needed AB's. It looks like in the 8th the reserves put up an 8 spot, so apparently they hit the pitching (if you want to call it that) just as well. To say what they did is anything beyond padding the starters stats is ignorant. I haven't said much all year when it comes to SU's "schedule" (and I use that term very lightly), because I suppose subconsciously I'm giving them a pass due to last year's success. And I'm certainly not going to go on a rant about it now, days before they play my beloved Captains. But give me a break...

Everybody going to the games this weekend, please travel safely. And anybody traveling on I-81 PLEASE watch your speed...law enforcement has been out in full force all week...

[D-BAT]

And yes, technically it isn't over until it's over...especially in the sport of baseball and even more so with metal bats being involved. But you can't convince me that sometime during the bottom of the 6th, while they were busy going ahead 26-13, they couldn't have gotten some hard-working reserves a couple much needed AB's. It looks like in the 8th the reserves put up an 8 spot, so apparently they hit the pitching (if you want to call it that) just as well. To say what they did is anything beyond padding the starters stats is ignorant. I haven't said much all year when it comes to SU's "schedule" (and I use that term very lightly), because I suppose subconsciously I'm giving them a pass due to last year's success. And I'm certainly not going to go on a rant about it now, days before they play my beloved Captains. But give me a break...

I can see you point but who are we to say whatever team should do in making substitutions and scheduling games?  Remember everything is based on "in-region" record and that is a 200 mile radius of each schools plus your conference games.  Plus is it not cheaper to host a game vs. traveling?

The NCAA system has set the guidelines for D3 Baseball to follow, if you don't like their system, then please contact the NCAA and tell them to change it.

[OshDude]

And yes, technically it isn't over until it's over...especially in the sport of baseball and even more so with metal bats being involved. But you can't convince me that sometime during the bottom of the 6th, while they were busy going ahead 26-13, they couldn't have gotten some hard-working reserves a couple much needed AB's. It looks like in the 8th the reserves put up an 8 spot, so apparently they hit the pitching (if you want to call it that) just as well. To say what they did is anything beyond padding the starters stats is ignorant. I haven't said much all year when it comes to SU's "schedule" (and I use that term very lightly), because I suppose subconsciously I'm giving them a pass due to last year's success. And I'm certainly not going to go on a rant about it now, days before they play my beloved Captains. But give me a break...

I can see you point but who are we to say whatever team should do in making substitutions and scheduling games?  Remember everything is based on "in-region" record and that is a 250 mile radius of each schools plus your conference games.  Plus is it not cheaper to host a game vs. traveling?

The NCAA system has set the guidelines for D3 Baseball to follow, if you don't like their system, then please contact the NCAA and tell them to change it.

Just to be clear, the rule is 200 miles while using this site.
https://web1.ncaa.org/TES/exec/miles

[D-BAT]

Just to be clear, the rule is 200 miles while using this site.

https://web1.ncaa.org/TES/exec/miles

Thanks for the catch, I fixed my previous posts.

For the record, some folks can quite worrying about the 35 to 13 game that Shenandoah had with St. Joseph's Long Island because it's NOT an "in-region" game.  342 miles difference between the two schools.

Thanks for the link to the NCAA mileage calculator "OshDude"

[hokieone]

     USA- no "worries" actually about that, regional record wasn't the issue, and don't get me wrong, Shenandoah has some very very good talent. A couple players that I know are some of the nicest kids you'd ever want to meet.    They showed well last year, deserved all the accolades they received, and are loaded this year too.   And it's nice the field is improved, and heck, maybe the bathrooms will even be open this weekend.   

     But just as I fault Notre Dame yearly for their watered down football schedule (they always play Army, Navy, Air Force-they'd play the Coast Guard if they had a team), and then claiming greatness (or at least their fans do) with a weak schedule, it's hard to compare teams when the schedules are vastly different.    Having their own TV network grates my nerves too.   

     On the other hand, the USAS schools all play the same conference schedule, and with all the schools playing head to head, it all works itself out. Perhaps I just ignore the organized batting practice games, but with only 12 conference games, the sampling size is pretty small, and multiple ties are the norm.  In one sense, having it all come down to who gets hot for 3-4 days doesn't seem right, yet they all know that's the deal going into the season.   The USAS tournament is definitely an event that is lots of fun to watch.   

   
   

    USAS baseball is such a great spectator sport, a larger conference schedule would be nice.
   
         

[LTBB1971]

hokieone,
definitely agree with you.  Every year USAS has about 2 teams in the top 25 with maybe 2 more teams receiving votes.  Of the 7 teams, at least of recently, 4-5 of them are extremely competitive regionally.  Averett has been down in the past but having a very solid season so far.