BB: SUNYAC

[John McGraw]

Kyle Blanco, Farleigh Dickinson (finished with nine wins)
0-6, 14.90 ERA, 22.1 IP, 44 H, 41 R, 37 ER, 15 BB, 15 K, .411 OBA
-Out of St. Raymond's in the Bronx.

Kyle Dimino, Finger Lakes CC
.358 BA, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 39 H, 1 DBL, 3 TRP, 43 SB-44 SBA
All-Mid State Athletic Conference 2007

Kurt Heaton, Suffolk Community College-Seldon
5-1, 2 SVS, 3.44 ERA, 55.0 IP, 27 R, 21 ER, 43 H, 55 K, 23 BB
-team leader in wins, strikeouts, saves

[scuba16]

Looks like C-State just may have put together the best pitching staff that the NY region has ever seen! At least 5-6 guys that run it up in the 90's. Mattes the closer tops at 93-94. Jweid, Tone, Bilyck, Serio, Blanco, Heaton etc.. This spells trouble for all that have to compete with Cortland State in '08!

[StarvinMarvin]

I'm excited to see how the SUNYAC will shake out.  I don't think there's any doubt Cortland is the favorite with what they have returning and the additions they made through recruiting and transfer help.  I for one, am very hesitant to crown anyone based upon what a team has on paper but I have to say that Cortland should be just as good if not better than last year. 

Getting Mattes, Bilyk and Carney back is huge and it's a shame they weren't able to help Cortland in their pursuit of last year's title.  They may have lost one of the best arms in DIII in Dougher but the addition of the three previously mentioned arms, a few transfers and some talented freshman should make this one of the most talented staffs in the country on paper.   

They obviously must prove it on the field but I am looking forward to seeing if this is the year Cortland can finally get that title that they deserve.  I'm sure Coach Brown and his staff will have this team well-prepared and ready to compete against what looks to be a very challenging schedule.  Love to see good teams play a strong schedule.  Looking at Brockport's schedule, they too look like they play some very good teams out of conference and I wish them the best of luck in representing the SUNYAC.  It will be interesting to see how the coaching change will impact their season.

[Bob Maxwell]

I llike Starvin Marvin's comment about the conference and Cortland... and agree with it.

I'm excited to see how the SUNYAC will shake out.  I don't think there's any doubt Cortland is the favorite with what they have returning and the additions they made through recruiting and transfer help.  I for one, am very hesitant to crown anyone based upon what a team has on paper but I have to say that Cortland should be just as good if not better than last year.

You have to say that based on the non-conference schedule that Cortland is playing (especially on their spring trip) that they are really making a statement... congrats to them for putting together what may be the toughest schedule in D-III this year (based on teams past performances...).

And if the five transfers mentioned here play to their potential they will be just as tough as they always are...  but I am still pulling for Brockport!

Go EAGLES!!!

Hopefully the SUNYAC season will be as entertaining as last years... When you never knew what was going to happen from weekend to weekend.

John, nice to hear from you again!

[sunyacguru]

i asked it earlier in the forum but it seems people were not as attentive to the board as they are now. Is it true that once sunyit drops out that sunyac is changing to a different weekend format? is it 9,7,7?

[Bob Maxwell]

Guru,

I recall hearing in early December that for the 2009 season the SUNYAC would be eliminating the post season tournament.  I don't recall the exact details about the in season schedule, but think that the format was to play 3 games against each (over two days) of the other 6 teams.  But that would fit the scenario of the elimination of the post season tournament...  as it would take 6 weekends to play each team once (3 games).  In its present format, the seasont takes 6 weeks - four weekends for the games, with a off for makeups and then the tournament weekend.

Personally, I like playing each team 3 times... but think that doing it at the expense of the post season tournament is a BIG mistake and can't imagine why any school (other then Cortland) would vote to eliminate it.  I like the three games against eact team on the same weekend, because it puts everyone on equal footing as to what pitchers they face... every team will throw the same three top starters against all the teams.  As it is now, it doesn't always shake out equally as one team usually gets the top two and the other gets #'s 3 & 4.  Which puts teams on different footing when post season comes around... A team could win 5 or 6 games and not face anyones top two pitchers.

I see the post season tournament is a BIG plus as it keeps more teams "interested" for the duration of the season...  with out it, lose a few games early and you are just playing out the string with little to no hope of winning the conference championship.  If this format is put into place, look for the ECAC to be made up of 3 or 4 SUNYAC teams every year... with that tournament being a stepping stone towards a Pool C bid for a second SUNYAC team.

It will be interesting to see what happens... if it is put in place.  Perhaps the ECAC becomes a bigger tournament becuase it now most likely has an NCAA Pool C bid up for grabs... it worked for St John Fisher last year.

BUT with no conference post season tournament will that change the ECAC status of games counting against the 40 game limit?  I don't think it will... so now teams will have to play only 35 games if they want to play in the ECAC tournament...

18 conference games
9 on a spring trip (maybe fewer games now...)
5 have to be kept free for ECAC....
that leaves 3 games against non-conference teams (more if you play fewer on the spring trip...)
So teams could end up only scheduling 35 games...

Seems like a step backwards making teams play fewer games outside of the conference... but hey what do I know.

What do others think about this?

[Bob Maxwell]

oops... my bad, have to work on that addition...



8 not 3 games during the season vs non conference teams...

[sunyacguru]

I personally am a fan of the SUNYAC tournament. I think its a great showcase of the top teams in the conference. I can see where this new format could be un-beneficial 
for some teams that lack a back end of a rotation. And i completely agree with Bob when he said that more sunyac teams would enter into the ecac tournament. Teams will do anything to get a bid into the ncaa's. It would be interesting to see the new format and how it would play out.

[SUNYAC1]

what is the Plattsburgh State line-up going to look like this year?  Any surprises?

[NYBaseball]

ECAC's are going back to how they use to be or possible some type of spring trip format.......so after this year they wont be used as a sort of play in tourney. 

Not having a SUNYAC tourney would be a mistake.....it allows everyone to have something to play for all year even though Cortland usually wins it anyways. 

Plattsburgh's lineup should be pretty good....but unless they brought in some pitching, they will be no better than they've been in the past. When it comes down to it pitching and defense wins games. 

[Ralph Turner]

This is the first that I have heard that conference post-season tourney games count against the regular season 40.

[NYBaseball]

Conference tourney games don't count against the regular season 40 games

[Bob Maxwell]

Ralph,

The conference tournament doesn't.... what I am talking about would be the ECAC tournament, which does count against the 40 game limit.

[Bob Maxwell]

I am not positive this is what is going to happen... but I did hear something about it in December...

And as I said, I really like the idea of playing a 3 game series against each team...  but not at the expense of eliminating the post season tournament.  A 3 game series with a post season tournament would only take 7 weeks... and that 7th week could be found by either: 1) moving the start of conference play up a week - which would mean fighting the cold weather and wet field conditions; or 2) by moving the conference tournament back a week - but I have to give BIG cudous to the SUNYAC for NOT playing their post season championships on graduation weekend.  That is a BIG thing to me as it is a celebration of what going to college is about and everyone should attend it... so that is not an option from the conference point of view.

So I put out an alternative... could they possibley play some of the conference games on Wednesday afternoons?  Obvioulsy Fredonia v Plattsburgh would need to be played on a weekend... but many of the ohter matchups could be done on a week day for a single game. And as a DH if need be to make up games...  It would take just a little creative scheduling.


Intereting about the ECAC's... so they would not be a post season tournament any more?  That is too bad if the SUNYAC eliminates its post season...

I hope it doesn't happen... as the tournament is exciting and brings many of the teams, coaches and fans together at the same time.  I would think that would be exciting for everyone and a BIG plus for the conference...  I would like to see more made of the conference tournament then just more games.  Not eliminate it...

but just my two cents....

[sunyacguru]

I know from last year plattsburgh will have welch, campbell, hughes, kowalowski, kelley, and jarvis returning for their lineup. They also got a transfer from SCC Joe curcio another lefty who i believe is takin hughes spot at first place. My guess being he cant play anywhere else but first and hughes is versatile enough to go to OF. The 
other two spots i believe they would be RF and either 2nd base or catcher will either be filled by humphrey or some freshman that coach doorey brought in. Not very knowledgeable about the p-burgh freshman though. But those other 7 already seem to be a fairly potent lineup in my opinion. Not quite cortland strength but prolly 2nd to them in the sunyac.