BB: Central Region Rankings

[BigPoppa]

BigPoppa's Week #6 Top 25: Once again... the Central appears to be very weak on a national level.

1. Trinity (CT): 12-2 (an unreal run in the last year and a half... 57-3!!)
2. Millsaps: 24-3 (ennergizer bunnies... just keep on going)
3. E Connecticut: 14-1 (Starting to make me a believer in them)
4. TX-Tyler: 24-5 (the cream of the crop in Texas)
5. Wooster: 15-3 (Appear to have the arms to play into June)
6. Salisbury: 21-4 (still unsure about this team, but they have my vote for now)
7. Whitewater: 6-3 (Brutal schedule... need to score more runs if they wish to play in late May)
8. Wheaton (MA): 17-1 (HUGE climb this week... could be the nation's BEST team)
9. Kean: 17-5
10. Chapman: 19-6 (starting to gel)
11. Linfield: 20-3 (Piling up in-region wins)
12. Pomona-Pitzer: 22-3 (Scorching hot right now... Hedman has 15 HRs)
13. Southern Maine: 12-2
14. St. Scholastica: 11-2 (almost warm enough to get outside for a game)
15. Heidelberg: 12-2
16. Cal Lutheran: 20-5 (Will be quite a battle with Pomona-Pitzer in the SCIAC)
17. Buena Vista: 16-2 (Who??? All they do is win games. One run loss to Eastern Connecticut this week)
18. St. Thomas: 12-5 (Tough schedule... )
19. St. Olaf: 11-5 (Tough Schedule...)
20. Marietta: 10-3
21. Cortland State: 14-6 (still think they are overated)
22. Rochester: 15-3 (impressive win this week vs. Cortland)
23. Shenandoah: 22-4 (22 wins!!! regardless of the level of opponent, that is still impressive)
24. Beloit: 10-2 (I know... who have they beaten... better question is who has beaten them?)
25. Augustana (cannot lose to North Central and expect to remain here for long)

Dropped out: Thiel (14-5), Johns Hopkins (8-8), UW-Stevens Point (9-3... horrible loss to St. Norbert), UW-Oshkosh (5-5... brutal schedule should prepare them for WIAC play), York (16-5... 0-3 weeks cannot happen to a team struggling to make a name for itself)

[OshDude]

If Carthage or IWU and Beloit met 100 times who would win how many? I'd say Beloit is losing 90+ against either of them - even with the struggles each team has had - it is just a different level of play.

I'm not so sure about that. Speed doesn't usually slump, and I know DeGeorge could pitch on any D-III staff in the country. If the over/under is 10 wins in a 100-game series, I'll take the BC over all day.

[BigPoppa]

BigPoppa's Central Region Rankings: As of 4/1

1. Buena Vista: 17-3 overall... They are making a believer out of me very quickly. They seemd to come from nowhere this season, though I did have an eye on them in my preview as a potential challenger to Wartburg in the IIAC.

2. Augustana: A 16-4 start and a 4-1 CCIW record keeps them in the CCIW race for now. A bad loss vs a weak North Central teams hurts... They cannot afford to lose to teams that IWU and Carthage will beat nearly every time.

3. Beloit: 12-2 Just keep on winning... schedule will get much tougher from here on out so do not be shocked if the fall off this board in two-three weeks.

4. Carthage: 9-4 overall. Off to a 3-0 CCIW start with a sweep of Wheaton (IL). Big DH at North Park today. A 5-0 start could really put them in the driver's seast in the Central.

5. Illinois Wesleyan: 11-5 overall 3-0 CCIW start puts them on a collision course with Carthage in two weeks. I place Carthage ahead only because I think they have a deeper staff right now.

6. Luther: 3-0 in the IIAC and 11-4 overall.

7. Webster: 8-0 in the SLIAC... should be much higher but their 11-9 overall record weighs them own after playing a relatively soft non-conference schedule.

8. Fontbonne: 4-1 in SLIAC play... 13-7 overall.

9. WashU: 12-7 STILL... Not impressed with this team. Very inconsistent so far

10. Grinnell: 9-6 but yet to play any conference games.

On the bubble: North Park, St. Norbert., Simpson, Loras,

Conference totals: CCIW (3), IIAC (2), MWC (2), SLIAC (2), INDEPENDENT (1)

Agree or disagree?

[OshDude]

I'd find a spot for Ripon. Not a good record so far, but I think they'll win the MWC.

[BigPoppa]

I'd find a spot for Ripon. Not a good record so far, but I think they'll win the MWC.

I thought about it, but how do I justify putting a 3-7 Ripon team on that list?

[BigPoppa]

UpdatedCentral Region Conference Standings (from websites as of 4/2)

Can somebody please make sense of the Central Region for me? Maybe I am over-analyzing it a bit, but I really some some issues outside of 4-5 teams. Is the region weak this year or am I reading it wrong?
CCIW
                   W   L   T       W   L   T
Illinois Wesleyan   13   5   0      5   0   0
Carthage                   10   4   0       4   0   0
Augustana   16   4   0       4   1   0
Millikin                   8   8   0       2   2   0
Wheaton (Ill.)   9   11   0       2   3   0
North Central   2   10   0       1   4   0
North Park   9   9   0       0   3   0
Elmhurst                   8   8   0       0   5   0

I am not sure what to make of the CCIW yet. We all knew who the top three were going to be so it is no surprise, but the lack of a 4th team really stepping up yet is the story of this league.


IIAC               W   L      W   L   
Luther College   3   0      11   4   
Buena Vista Univ.   4   1      17   3   
Simpson College    5   3      12   8   
Coe College   3   2      9   9   
Loras College   3   3      12   7   
Central College   3   3      8   10   
Wartburg College   2   4      10   11   
Cornell College   1   4      4   12   
Univ. of Dubuque   1   5      6   12   

Buena Vista and Luther have been surprises so far, but the biggest disappointment has to be Wartburg. Hard to believe they are so down this year. I am also shocked to see both Simpson and  Loras out of the gates so quickly.

SLIAC   SLIAC   Overall
Webster      8-0   11-10
Maryville (Mo.)   5-1   8-9
Fontbonne   4-1   13-7
Eureka      4-2   4-7-1
Blackburn      4-5   5-10
Principia      1-2   8-7
MacMurray   2-7   5-14
Greenville      0-3   2-15
Westminster (Mo.)   0-7   2-15

Where does one start here? Webster is great in conference, but terrible out of it as are many other teams. Fontbonne seems to have the best mix of conference and non-conf. success so far. I am complete befuddled by this league right now.

MWC
2009 North Standings   

     MWC      Overall
Beloit        0-0   12-2
Carroll       0-0   6-2
St. Norbert   0-0   7-5
Lawrence       0-0   3-6
Ripon        0-0   3-7

2009 South Standings   
   
                       MWC   Overall
Grinnell           0-0      9-6
Illinois College 0-0      5-5
Monmouth        0-0      3-8
Knox           0-0      0-11

Conference play opens this weekend and will quickly tell us who the contenders are. Beloit is off to a great 12-2 start with a brutally weak schedule while traditional power Ripon is sitting at 3-7. St. Norbert is holding its own against some quality competition to this point.

[OshDude]

I'd find a spot for Ripon. Not a good record so far, but I think they'll win the MWC.

I thought about it, but how do I justify putting a 3-7 Ripon team on that list?

After RC's split with LU, you were correct to leave them off any list.

[BigPoppa]

Say what you want about Beloit's schedule, but they are quietly streaking to a 14-2 record. Outscored Carrol 27-2 in a MWC DH yesterday.

The CCIW is quickly turning into two team race. Augustan dropped to 5-3 while Carthage and IWU stayed hot.

[BigPoppa]

BigPoppa's Top 25: Week 8
01 Wheaton (Mass.) 23-3 A favorite to move on to Appleton right now

02 Millsaps 30-4 They just keep on winning games. Looking strong for a #1 seed in a regional

03 Pomona-Pitzer 28-3 The class of the West Region

04 Texas-Tyler 31-6 Really laying it on the ASC. Should have a Pool C bid locked up if they stumble in the ASC post-season

05 Salisbury 29-4 Should be the third team to reach 30 wins

06 St. Scholastica 21-2 Record is inflated by a weak UMAC, but this team is for real

07 Trinity (Conn.) 18-3 A bit of a stumble last week, but back on track this week

08 Heidelberg 23-5 The best team that no one knows about

09 Southern Maine 18-3 A solid team is a solid region. Look for a dent in the national picture

10 Eastern Connecticut 19-5 A tough week but they have the experience to bounce back from this

11 Kean 22-7 Still hanging around the top ten range. NJAC teams usually do as they beat up on one another

12 George Fox 24-7 In a heated NWC battle right now with Linfield and Pacific Lutheran

13 Carthage 17-5 Is it possible for Carthage to fly under the radar?  Well, they are. Great team, great pitching.

14 Linfield 25-7 Positioning themselves to be a possible high seed in their own regional

15 Wooster 24-6 Even after a hiccup this week, they are still a dangerous team.

16 St. Thomas 18-5 Starting to pull away from part of the pack in the Midwest Region

17 UW-Oshkosh 13-7 One of the nation's toughest schedules to this point. WAY underrated right now.

18 St. Olaf 14-6 Their emergence will create quite a logjam in the Midwest Regional rankings and lead to some great teams left out in late may

19 Cal Lutheran 24-7 Still battling Pomona-Pitzer in the SCIAC

20 Buena Vista 21-4 Pounding the IIAC as well as everyone else

21 Shenandoah 28-6 They just continue to surprise me every week. Could be a dark horse in a regional

22 Marietta 17-7 Not as good as year's past, but still a scary team in the post-season

23 Curry 21-3 Where did they come from?

24 Thomas More 20-4 Another team that could make a splash in the post-season

25 Ithaca 18-5 The Bombers are starting to put it all together.

[BigPoppa]

Updated Conference Standings:

IIAC Top SIX teams qualify for post-season play:

Buena Vista Univ. 8-2
Luther College  6-3
Wartburg College 8-4
Coe College 6-5
Simpson College  7-7 
Central College 6-6
Loras College 4-5 
Univ. of Dubuque 2-7
Cornell College 1-9

Loras has an outside shot of grabbing the 6th position, but this is a well-balanced conference and one never knows what to expect in the IIAC... FYI: Wartburg is heating up.

CCIW Standings: Top FOUR teams qualify for post-season play:

Carthage 10-1/ 17-5
Illinois Wesleyan 8-3/ 16-8
Augustana 8-4/ 21-7
Wheaton (Ill.) 6-6/ 13-15
North Park 4-7/ 13-13
North Central 4-7
Elmhurst 3-9
Millikin 2-8

Carthage and IWU are locks in the post-season, but Augustana has four losses and has yet to play either Carthage or IWU. Wheaton may slide into the 3rd spot when all is said and done. Still I think thecurrent top four are the post-season reps.

SLIAC:  Top FOUR teams qualify for post-season play:

Webster 14-0
Maryville (Mo.) 9-2
Fontbonne 7-5
Blackburn  9-7
Eureka 6-5 
Principia 4-7
MacMurray 4-12
Greenville  2-9
Westminster (Mo.)  2-10

Webster is running away with this conference and the top four appear to be set. Blackburn has a large lead over the #5 spot.

MWC Top TWO from EACH division qualify for post-season play:

NORTH
St. Norbert  4-0
Beloit  6-2
Ripon  5-3 
Lawrence 1-3
Carroll 0-8

SOUTH
Monmouth 4-0
Grinnell 2-2 
Knox 2-2
Illinois College  0-4

The problem with this conference is that only two of the three best tream will get into the post-season. The MWC'sa three best teams, Ripon, Beloit and St. Norbert's are all in the North Division which only sends two teams to the post-season. The North will be a battle between those three teams and the South is MUCH weaker than the North. Monmouth and Grinnell should maintain thos two positions.

[BigPoppa]

BigPoppa's Central Region Rankings: As of 4/13

1. Buena Vista: 21-4 overall... can they hang on as Wartburg is warming up appears ready to make a charge to challenge them.

2. Carthage: 17-5 overall... The Redmen are 2 games in front of IWU and hold the tie-breaker head-to-head. Barring a collapse at Augustana, they should be the CCIW #1 seed.

3. Illinois Wesleyan: 16-8... A great showing in a three game series with Carthage this weekend. Lost two one-run games, but proved the belong in the upper-echelon of the region.

4. Beloit: 18-4  Just keep on winning... The Bucs appear to be as good as advertised. They play in the tough North Division of the MWC which may suffer from three solid teams (SNC, Ripon and Beloit)with only two earning post-season spots.

5. Augustana: 21-7... Augie is a bit over rated at this point as they still have Carthage and IWU to face. They will either mnake or break themselves in those two series.

6. Webster: 17-10... a 14-0 start in the SLAIC has pushed them back into the spotlight.

7. St. Norbert: 12-4... unbeaten in MWC play so far. Need to hold off a surging Ripon and Beloit to make the post-season.

8. Luther: 14-7... Need to challenge Buena Vista if they want to stick around in mid-May

9. Wartburg: 16-11... Starting to heat up in IIAC play. Curently 8-4 in the IIAC (One game back of 8-2 Buena Vista)

10. WashU: 17-9... Just when you count this team out, they make a run and keep in the edge of the spotlight.

11. Maryville: 13-10... 9-2 in SLIAC play keeps them in contention for the SLIAC crown.

Any thoughts? Disagreements? Where would everyone else rank them?

[theoneandonly]

BigPoppa, I saw that you did this for the CCIW so I thought just for fun i would throw the sliac into comparison with the cciw so we can see some region statistics. I only know the sliac so if anyone wants to add another region conference in here feel free! Now take into account different competition levels and everything and add in your top 5 from your conference if you feel like taking the time to add!


Batting avg
-----------
1. Maryville................  .364
2. Illinois Wesleyan...  .343
3. Augustana...........  .334
4. Wheaton.............  .333
5. Principia...............   .325
6. Fontbonne...........   .320
7. Carthage............  .317
8. Webster................ .317
9. MacMurray.............  .320
10. Elmhurst............  .315

Slugging pct
------------
1. Illinois Wesleyan...  .516
2. Maryville................  .506
3. Augustana...........  .484
4. Wheaton.............  .480
5. Webster..............  .474
6. Elmhurst............  .468
7. North Park..........  .467
8. Principia.............   .449
9. MacMurray...........  .426
10. Fontbonne........   .417

On base pct
-----------
1. Maryville............. .433
2. Carthage............  .431
3. Wheaton.............  .424
4. Principia..............   .424
5. Illinois Wesleyan...  .423
6. Augustana...........  .407
7. Webster................  .406
8. North Park..........  .403
9. Fontbonne............  .397
10. MacMurray............ .389

Runs scored
-----------
1. Augustana...........  223
2. Webster ............... 214
3. Maryville................ 202
4. Illinois Wesleyan...  191
5. Fontbonne............. 179
6. North Park..........  175
7. Principia.................173
8. Carthage............  169
9. Wheaton.............  168
10. MacMurray........... 167

Hits
----
1. Maryville............... 285
2. Augustana...........  284
3. Illinois Wesleyan...  263
4. Webster................ 261
5. Fontbonne............  260
6. Wheaton.............  241
7. Principia................  238
8. North Park..........  235
9. MacMurray............ 218
10. Carthage............  201

Runs batted in
--------------
1. Augustana...........  199
2. Webster..............   190
3. Illinois Wesleyan...  174
4. Maryville................  172
5. Fontbonne............  166
6. Wheaton.............  151
7. North Park..........  149
8. Carthage............  149
9. MacMurray............ 147
10. Principia.............. 145

Doubles
-------
1. Maryville..............  73
2. Augustana...........   57
3. Webster..............   54
4. North Park..........   51
5. Fontbonne...........  49
6. MacMurray............ 48
7. Illinois Wesleyan...   43
8. Elmhurst............   42
9. Principia..............   40
10. North Central.......   35

Triples
-------
1. Wheaton.............   16
2. North Park..........   15
3. Elmhurst............   10
3. Augustana...........   10
3. Westminster.......... 10
6. Greenville.............. 8
7. Maryville................  7
8. Fontbonne.............. 6
9. Carthage............    4
10. Webster.............. 3

Home runs
---------
1. Illinois Wesleyan...   28
2. Webster.................  23
3. Blackburn................ 19
4. Augustana...........   17
5. North Park..........   16
6. Carthage............   16
7. North Central.......   15
7. Principia...............   15
9. Westminster........   14
10. MacMurray........... 13

Walks
-----
1. Carthage............  109
1. Principia.............. 109
3. Westminster......   108
4. Webster............  107
5. Wheaton.............  101
6. Illinois Wesleyan...   99
7. MacMurray..............  93
7. Maryville..................  93
9. North Park..........   92
10. Augustana...........   90

Hit by pitch
------------
1. North Park..........   47
2. Westminster......   28
3. Augustana...........   26
3. Carthage............   26
5. Fontbonne..........   25
6. Webster..............   24
7. Blackburn............   23
8. Principia...............  22
9. Wheaton.............   21
10. Illinois Wesleyan...   17

Strikeouts
----------
1. MacMurry............  158
2. Greenville...........  157
2. Webster............ 157
4. Wheaton.............  152
5. Blackburn.......... 151
6. Westminster........ 147
7. North Park..........  137
8. Millikin............  134
9. Carthage............  113
10. Elmhurst............  105

Stolen bases
------------
1. Fontbonne......... 56
2. Webster............ 50
3. Augustana...........   49
4. Carthage............   43
5. North Park..........   40
5. Maryville..........   40
7. Westminster.......  36
8. Principia...........  28
9. Millikin............   26
10. Illinois Wesleyan...   24


Remember.. these are the top 5 from each conference. Even though some of the "top 10" in this group may have less than some of the bottom in other conferences, I just took the top 5 from the SLIAC and BIGPOPPA just took the top 5 from the CCIW, No more, No Less. SO if you want to add, take the top 5 from your conference and make it the top 15!

[BigPoppa]

Looking at possible NCAA bids (barring major upsets) this is what I am seeing right now in the Central:

POOL A:
CCIW- Carthage- Should be a Pool C if they lose out to IWU

MWC- St. Norberts- MWC is up for grabs, but only one bid will be earned in this league

IIAC- Buena Vista- Possible Pool C with an IIAC tourney loss, but Wartburg is charging hard

SLIAC- Webster- Running away with the SLIAC, doubtful for a Pool C if they stumble


POOL B:

WashU- very doubtful, but the Pool Bs appear to be weak this year so they may grab one of the 6 bids.


POOL C:

IWU- Could also take the Pool A from Carthage.

Augustana- I think they need a CCIW tourney final to earn a bid. Tough road ahead of them with Carthage and IWU still on schedule and 7 losses already

** I have a feeling that a team from another region will be shipped into the Central to fill out the bracket. Possibly a third NWC team or a WIAC team.

Regardless, if the top teams do not win their conference tourneys (not including the CCIW), the others will be shut out of the post-season.

[SLP-O-8]

Ill add where the top 3 teams of the IIAC would be in these categories.

Batting Average
2. Luther .352
3. Buena Vista .347
10. Wartburg .319

Slugging Pct
2. Buena Vista .515
6. Luther .470
9. Wartburg .431

On Base Pct
T 2. Buena Vista .431
4. Luther .430
10. Wartburg .394

Runs Scored
1. Buena Vista 250
5. Wartburg 181
7. Luther 178

Hits
3. Buena Vista 275
4. Wartburg 274
8. Luther 244

Runs Batted In
1. Buena Vista 208
7. Luther 158
8. Wartburg 153

Doubles
T4. Buena Vista 51
T7 Warburg 48
12 Luther 37

Triples
3. Buena Vista 14
4. Wartburg 12
10. Luther 6

Home Runs
4. Buena Vista 18
12. Luther 11
13. Wartburg 8

Walks
7. Buena Vista 98
T 8. Wartburg 93
13. Luther 70

Hit By Pitch
2. Luther 33
3. Buena Vista 30
T 11. Wartburg 21

Strikeouts
9. Buena Vista 128
11. Luther 114
13. Wartburg 89

Stolen Bases
1. Buena Vista 72
12. Wartburg 20
13. Luther 17

[BigPoppa]

Depending on this weekend, I see the Central Rankings as this way right now:

1. Carthage
2. IWU
3. Beloit
4. Buena Vista
5. Augustana
6. Webster