BB: Midwest Region

[scrapper]

St Thomas swept St Olaf big today.  1st game 11-1 and 9-2.  St Scholastica pounds Bethany 18-6.  Please someone explain to me how St Olaf will still stay ranked.  And with a straight face.

[Ralph Turner]

St Thomas swept St Olaf big today.  1st game 11-1 and 9-2.  St Scholastica pounds Bethany 18-6.  Please someone explain to me how St Olaf will still stay ranked.  And with a straight face.

Thanks for the update.  We would appreciate your updating the Regional Rankings and giving us your opinion of what the Regional Rankings will look like next Thursday.

Remember that "once ranked, always ranked" when considering the criteria for Regional Rankings,

Thanks.  Your opinion will help us "non-Midwest Region" fans understand what is happening in the Region.

Regional Rankings from 4/28/2011
Midwest Region
1 UW-Whitewater 20-5 21-5
2 UW-Stevens Point 18-6 19-8
3 Macalester 15-6 17-9
4 Hamline 15-6 16-10
5 St. Scholastica 16-2 23-4
6 St. Olaf 17-8 19-10

[scrapper]

Would have to say that the top 4 would be  a slam dunk. Stevens pt or WW 1 and 2,St Scholastica 3 and Macalester 4.  This is where it gets sticky, would have to keep Hamline in at 5.  Probably St Thomas at 6 with Oshkosh and Bethany looking in.  Don't really know if you were really asking for some ones opinion or were being sarcastic.  Oh well, for what its worth, just someones opinion.

[Ralph Turner]

Would have to say that the top 4 would be  a slam dunk. Stevens pt or WW 1 and 2,St Scholastica 3 and Macalester 4.  This is where it gets sticky, would have to keep Hamline in at 5.  Probably St Thomas at 6 with Oshkosh and Bethany looking in.  Don't really know if you were really asking for some ones opinion or were being sarcastic.  Oh well, for what its worth, just someones opinion.

Yes, I was serious.  Thanks for the response.

That means that we might have 1 Pool C coming from the WIAC and one from the MIAC.

Of course any Pool C team probably gets 2 more losses along the way.

[cbch21]

miac luv it is quite funny for you to try and make fun of someone's career when they were drafted in the 6th round as a Junior and the 12th as a senior as well as reaching triple a in 2 years and being in big league spring training in that second year.  I do suppose your town ball career is well deserving of making fun of others though.  As far as what he has accomplished, the pipers were winning 10 games a year before he got there so I would say what he has done so far is pretty good. 

[scrapper]

Not the same MIAC LUV that still says that ST Olaf could still get in the regionals ?

[MIACLUV]

miac luv it is quite funny for you to try and make fun of someone's career when they were drafted in the 6th round as a Junior and the 12th as a senior as well as reaching triple a in 2 years and being in big league spring training in that second year.  I do suppose your town ball career is well deserving of making fun of others though.  As far as what he has accomplished, the pipers were winning 10 games a year before he got there so I would say what he has done so far is pretty good. 

Always nice to see new posters on the boards. Welcome. Not making fun of Coach Verdugo's career at all. He played at ASU, which I gave him credit for if I remember correctly, and was drafted, thought I mentioned that as well. I did provide a couple stats that are a matter of public record on the ASU web site. In no way was I mocking his career in the least. I was responding to another Hamline supporters gushing about his career. We do have something in common though, we both played in the exact amount of Major league games. My problem with Coach Verdugo is his wanting to come down the road to greener pastures. It is shocking that none of you that are coming to his defense have yet to comment your thoughts on this. He has done a very good job in turning Hamline into what it is now. Without a doubt I applaud him having this team in a position to possible make an NCAA tournament. It's a credit to him and his staff. That being said he's better off in red & white creating his own program than coming into ours. Also my town team is not too shabby.

[MIACLUV]

Not the same MIAC LUV that still says that ST Olaf could still get in the regionals ?

Based on the criteria that the NCAA has set, they do have a shot. SOS is in the top 2 or 3 in the region and in region winning percentage is not as low as you may think. Playing the teams they have left on the schedule (notably BLC & LAX) that SOS just gets better. Do I agree they should be in consideration. NO I DO NOT! But the criteria is what it is, and the comittee proved it with the rankings last week.

[MNbaseball]

MIACLUV, your opinion on St. Olaf is correct on them having an outside shot in my mind with important in region games coming up, but hopefully BLC can sweep them at home to end their chances and put BLC in a better position themselves.  Both teams are coming off very rough losses so we'll see what each team is made out of tomorrow.
As for your Verdugo bashing, what coach wouldn't want to have all the assets St. Thomas has with their facilities and funding?! Despite being fairly close down the road, Hamline is in a much rougher neighborhood to live. They don't have their own field for practice and games and are at the mercy of the city and the Saints when they are able to use Midway, and their baseball locker room is in a different building than their field house so players have to go outside in the winter after changing.  On top of that, St. Thomas has more majors to choose from to be able to recruit a wider variety of kids.  Verdugo is a great coach and an even better person if you get to know him, and he has done a great job turning that program around.

[cbch21]

Just like MN Baseball said why would he not want to check out a job with the amount of resources that the tommies have.  Think of what he could do with those resources with what he has done with the resources he has.  Just so you know from a very credible source he has turned down two jobs that he was approached about at much higher levels then the tommies including a pro job to stay at hamline and in minnesota because it is best for his family situation which you also don't know anything about.

[cubs]

CSS with the definitte advantage in Game #1 today, as they send their #1 to the mound in Matt Lewis, while Whitewater counters with their #6 Jack Larsen.  Just a prime example of the difference in strength between the respective conferences.

[cubs]

Whitewater goes to the bullpen early and brings on their #4 Kyle Lee as CSS was threatening in the 4th inning.  He gets a line out to RF to get out of a jam.

Whitewater leads 3-1 as the game heads to the bottom of the 6th inning.  Just one more chance for CSS to come back.

[cubs]

Game #1 Final
Whitewater 3
CSS 1

Lewis goes the distance giving up 3 runs (all earned) on 5 hits, while walking two, and striking out just one in 6 innings of work.

Lee comes on in relief for the victory going 3.1 ininngs, giving up just one hit, while waling one and striking out two.

Each team with five hits in the game.

Game #2 to start at approximately 2:40.

[cubs]

Game #2 Final
CSS 2
Whitewater 1

CSS scores two runs in the 6th inning on four hits, including one off of Matthew Roberts arm which knocked him out of the game to take a 2-1 lead, and held on for the victory.  Whitewater had runners on 1st and 3rd with one out in the 7th, but Jensen was able to get a strike out and a ground out to squash the Warhawks rally.

Jensen goes the distance, giving up one run (earned) on seven hits, while walking one and striking out two.

All in all, CSS has to be happy with the trip.  They were able to improve their SOS, AND pick up a victory on top of it.  Should definitely help them in next weeks regionals as long as they don't slip up between now and then.

[BaseballFan]

Game #1 Final
Whitewater 3
CSS 1

Lewis goes the distance giving up 3 runs (all earned) on 5 hits, while walking two, and striking out just one in 6 innings of work.

Lee comes on in relief for the victory going 3.1 ininngs, giving up just one hit, while waling one and striking out two.

Each team with five hits in the game.

Game #2 to start at approximately 2:40.

CSS squandered a big opportunity, scoring no runs with 1st & 3rd with no out and their 2,3,& 4 hitters up

Overall, CSS probably happy with a split since it should help their region ranking but I would think CSS walks away slightly disappointed since CSS had their top pitcher going and another of their top 5 pitchers and UWW didnt throw their top 3.