BB: USAC: USA South Athletic Conference

[hokieone]

     Catfish, I was hanging around the press box as they waited and waited, watching the radar the whole time, as Sunday afternoon drug on. If CNU was looking to avoid playing it, they could've canceled a whole lot earlier than they did. The umpires waited the whole time and the team was in the dugout all afternoon. It was only when it finally got so late that even if it stopped raining, and it ultimately didn't stop till after very late afternoon, there wasn't going to be enough daylight to play that the game was called.  Presumably (without really knowing) Greensboro had issues about staying another day, certainly understandable for academic reasons, or they could've stayed for a Monday game. The field was available, CNU was available. Don't know about umpires.   I guess your best answer would come from Greensboro, but the coaches were in communication the whole time. 

     I guess it could've been Jimmy Hoffa, or the somebody on the grassy knoll, or perhaps the CIA.

[WHEELIN WES]

Since this happened the middle of the conference season and for some reason GC couldn't stay over at CNU and play on Monday like the other teams in the conference do, plus the fact these two teams haven't worked to find a way to play the game.......simple solution, drop a forfeited loss on both their records and let the standings shake out that way. I bet they would find a way to play the game then!
As I stated in an earlier post, this is the most idiotic rule I've ever heard of and if it stands this year, it should be the last year. Crazy 

[Catfishncwc]

All I know is I am going to be the biggest Ferrum fan this weekend. 

[NCWC]

I'm sorry the Greensboro/CNU game was not played.  The teams were blindsided by the weather -- I was there and expected sunshine that day. 

Teams were not blindsided by the weather this weekend when CNU had to sit around in Fayetteville for over 36 hours before they could play a game.  NCWC had the foresight or thoughtfulness to postpone in advance of SU having to leave town.

I doubt that NCWC sat around Greensboro from Friday through Monday afternoon when they played their Monday game this season.  As I recall those games were pushed back with plenty of notice.  Maybe I'm wrong though.

As far as fairness enhancers, NCWC had a dose of those when they were scheduled to be done with their conference games a week of all the other teams in the USA south.

How did CNU benefit from the tournament rainouts last year?  They didn't.  It cost them, like it cost most everyone else.

I don't think that NCWC set their conf. schedule.  It comes around and goes around.  I really don't care either way if CNU plays that game or not.  Playing the 6 or 7 seed is always a plus, we are locked in at a two seed and can only go up.  What does matter is the homefield advantage and the way the seeds play out for the middle of the pack.  As far as the mention of the conf. tournament statement I was just trying to point out that sometimes the conf. is a mess.  You would think there would be some foresight.

[NCWC]

Monday, April 07, 2008
WEEKLY SPOTLIGHT:  Baseball's Matt Smith speeds to top of career hits list

Rocky Mount, NC - He had 49 as a freshman in 2005 and was named the USA South's Rookie of the Year... He tallied 76 as a sophomore and led his team to the Division III World Series... He added 71 as a junior and was tabbed an All-American... He currently has 55 this season for the nationally ranked Bishops... He is senior Matt Smith, who on Sunday, tied the North Carolina Wesleyan baseball record for hits with the 251st of his career.

The son of Freddy Smith and Mavis Walters, Smith has reached the milestone in a variety of ways. He has nine career homeruns, nine triples, and 34 doubles. Then there's the single... 199 of them to be exact. Some were screaming line drives... some just found a hole... many, however, were simply the result of Smith's speed. Nearly impossible to throw out when he lays down a good bunt, Smith has kept infielders on their toes for four years now while leading the Bishops to four consecutive winning seasons.

And because he can beat you in so many ways with his bat, Smith is one of the most respected hitters in the USA South and in North Carolina Wesleyan history. The four-time All-Conference selection will finish his eligibility this season with a career average upwards of .375, and he'll be remembered as one of the best defensive players to ever wear the Blue & Gold, winning the South Region's Gold Glove in 2007.

For all the accolades, however, this record is special. The 20-year old mark has belonged to former Bishop standout Rusty Dail since 1989. A member of the 1989 National Championship team, Dail was a 2004 inductee into NCWC's Athletics Hall of Fame. Smith needed 56 hits to pass Dail at the start of this season... then 50... then 33... then 21... then 10... now ONE...

One hit and he'll be all alone at the top. This time he'll be hard to catch not because of his speed, but because of the legacy he's leaving behind.

Smith's next chance to break the record will be on Friday when the Battling Bishops travel to Lynchburg College.

[A.G.]

That's awesome...he seems to be a good kid from the few times I've seen him play...and he plays the game "right."

[Catfishncwc]

So Averett and GBC played on monday.  That is twice that someone has played a conference makeup game on Monday at Greensboro.  But Greensboro does not wait to makeup a game on monday at someone elses place.  Once again seems fishy. 

[WHEELIN WES]

^ I second that!

[vabaseball]

According to mapquest, it is 47 miles from Danville to Greensboro.  I doubt that the Averett team sat in a motel room in Greensboro from Friday evening through Monday night.

When Greensboro played CNU, they traveled over 4 hours on Friday night.  They left late in the afternoon Sunday after sitting in the dugout for several hours watching it rain.

You are comparing applies to oranges.

[NCWC]

According to mapquest, it is 47 miles from Danville to Greensboro.  I doubt that the Averett team sat in a motel room in Greensboro from Friday evening through Monday night.

When Greensboro played CNU, they traveled over 4 hours on Friday night.  They left late in the afternoon Sunday after sitting in the dugout for several hours watching it rain.

You are comparing applies to oranges.

CNU is just scared to play G-Boro .  They almost lost the first game and dont want to take a chance on the second one.

[vabaseball]

Just keep on speculating.....

[hokieone]

NCWC,   

    Good grief, "scared to play Greensboro", what a silly and juvenile comment.

[Falcon2720]

The tournament championship is more important than the regular season championship.

Winning the regular season does not give you a spot in the regionals.

Last I checked, the number 2 seed has won the last three tournaments (2005 Ferrum, 2006 Wesleyan, 2007 Ferrum).  So if I was NCWC, a 2 seed is just fine with me.

[Catfishncwc]

OK but then lets say CNU gets swept this weekend.  Then Methodist is screwed out of the 2nd seed.  As much as a hated rival Methodist is then they get screwed, it not just about NCWC getting screwed this can affect a lot of teams.   Gotta love this heated topic.  We need more of these on this message board this is fun. 

[narch]

funny stuff...i think we probably all agree, however, that the conference should have a set of guidelines in place to ensure that every team makes every reasonable effort to play all of their conference games, especially as there are so few conference games to begin with - honestly, i've always heard that the conference has discouraged teams from scheduling monday games after a conference weekend to allow for just this type of situation...maybe that's just urban legend, but it makes good sense - if it isn't policy, maybe it should be? i know that most usasac schools don't have huge budgets and staying an extra day a couple of times a year might cause our student-athletes to miss one or two more classes and cost a few hundred dollars more, but we're talking about someting that MIGHT happen once or twice a year for each team (if at all)