BB: Central Region Rankings

[BigPoppa]

My predictions for conference tournament seedings:

CCIW:
1. IWU
2. North Park
3. Carthage
4. North Central

IIAC:
1. Buena Vista
2. Wartburg
3. Central
4. Coe
5. Luther
6. Simpson

MWC:
1N. Ripon
1S. Grinnell
2N. St. Norbert
2S. Illinois College

SLIAC:
1. Webster
2. Spalding
3. Greenville
4. Blackburn

[BigPoppa]

OK... after a ton of research, number-crunching, phone calls, emails and gut feelings, here is where I see the teams in the Central region right now:

1.   Illinois Wesleyan- CCIW
2.   Buena Vista- IIAC
3.   North Park- CCIW
4.   Webster- SLIAC
5.   Ripon- MWC
6.   Carthage- CCIW
7.   Central- IIAC
8.   North Central- CCIW
9.   Wartburg- IIAC
10.   St. Norbert- MWC/ WashU-UAA

[CCIWFAN6]

As much as I hope the Titans can finish as the #1 seed in the central, I simply do not see how this team will score runs.  Losing Ladd, McIntosh, Moore, and Morrissey seems to me to be simply too much to replace.  A couple of great arms will man the rotation, but I also see a very large drop off from the top 2 or 3 arms to the other guys which may be a problem in non-conference play.

[BigPoppa]

Augustana is on the board with a 7-3 win over Brandeis on Thursday.
Here is the link to the story from Augie's website. http://www.augustana.edu/x33331.xml

[BBFan62]

As much as I hope the Titans can finish as the #1 seed in the central, I simply do not see how this team will score runs.  Losing Ladd, McIntosh, Moore, and Morrissey seems to me to be simply too much to replace.  A couple of great arms will man the rotation, but I also see a very large drop off from the top 2 or 3 arms to the other guys which may be a problem in non-conference play.

CCIWFAN6,
On first glance I agree:
McIntosh .363  13 hr  61 RBI
Moore     .303    3       21
Morrissey .310  2       17

However, only McIntosh will be the hard one to replace. IW has some great ball players in the wings.

Sullivan, Kopp, and transfer Nathan all played together since they were 9 years old, all in winning programs. In 2008 they were Regional champs at Highland Park HS.
All 3 are 2 way players and can easily give innings on the mound, be defensive replacements and provide Bats.
Sullivan had a bit of a down year (for him) at .290 but came up big time during the tournament and the championship game. He had a couple of HR, etc.
Kopp, as a freshman, did not get much playing time. However, as a freshman he played football as well as baseball. He is now concentrating on baseball.
Nathan hit .313 ( consider that a down year!) with 2 HR and 14 RBI's on a very poor Lawrence University team. Given the chance, he will be able to showcase his talents and speed at a variety of positions. He is a solid catcher, can handle SS, or the outfield. On the mound he can hit around 89 and has good control.
Personally, I wish they were all 3 were teamed up with my son at the University of Rochester, as he too, was a teammate of these guys.

[BBFan62]

Another item worth mentioning regarding IWU's Kopp and Nathan - ESPN Rise magazine, in a March 31, 2009 article named these 2 and my son as players from Illinois to watch. Well. we'll be watching!

[theoneandonly]

My predictions for conference tournament seedings:

CCIW:
1. IWU
2. North Park
3. Carthage
4. North Central

IIAC:
1. Buena Vista
2. Wartburg
3. Central
4. Coe
5. Luther
6. Simpson

MWC:
1N. Ripon
1S. Grinnell
2N. St. Norbert
2S. Illinois College

SLIAC:
1. Webster
2. Spalding
3. Greenville
4. Blackburn

Big Poppa, I may be wrong but isint spaulding on their probationary period still for the conference tourney? I believe this is only their second year in and i thought you couldnt enter conference tourneys until your 3rd or 4th year? I may be wrong, I was just wondering.

[BigPoppa]

I think you are right. I just found that out yesterday... still, they can play spoiler for a few other SLIAC teams as I think they might be a contender.

[theoneandonly]

I think you are right. I just found that out yesterday... still, they can play spoiler for a few other SLIAC teams as I think they might be a contender.

Let me be honest, they have settled in nicely in the SLIAC. I didnt know how they would fair, but they have been towards the top of the conference in almost every sport. They finished 4th in conference (baseball) last season.

[CCIWFAN6]

As much as I hope the Titans can finish as the #1 seed in the central, I simply do not see how this team will score runs.  Losing Ladd, McIntosh, Moore, and Morrissey seems to me to be simply too much to replace.  A couple of great arms will man the rotation, but I also see a very large drop off from the top 2 or 3 arms to the other guys which may be a problem in non-conference play.

CCIWFAN6,
On first glance I agree:
McIntosh .363  13 hr  61 RBI
Moore     .303    3       21
Morrissey .310  2       17

However, only McIntosh will be the hard one to replace. IW has some great ball players in the wings.

Sullivan, Kopp, and transfer Nathan all played together since they were 9 years old, all in winning programs. In 2008 they were Regional champs at Highland Park HS.
All 3 are 2 way players and can easily give innings on the mound, be defensive replacements and provide Bats.
Sullivan had a bit of a down year (for him) at .290 but came up big time during the tournament and the championship game. He had a couple of HR, etc.
Kopp, as a freshman, did not get much playing time. However, as a freshman he played football as well as baseball. He is now concentrating on baseball.
Nathan hit .313 ( consider that a down year!) with 2 HR and 14 RBI's on a very poor Lawrence University team. Given the chance, he will be able to showcase his talents and speed at a variety of positions. He is a solid catcher, can handle SS, or the outfield. On the mound he can hit around 89 and has good control.
Personally, I wish they were all 3 were teamed up with my son at the University of Rochester, as he too, was a teammate of these guys.

BBFan, I am not trying to saying anything negative about the players you mentioned.  With that being said, if I were the coach of the Titans I would feel much more confident going into a season with 4 players who have been All-Region performers at one time or another in their career.

And while some of those players overall statistics were down from years past (with the exception of mcintosh), some of that was due to battling injuries for much of the year.  It is important to remember that the Titans struggled as these players struggled and caught fire when these guys caught fire.

I find it hard to agree with a comment that Kopp had a down year.  In his first year really playing at the collegiate level, .290 is nothing to scoff at. Many times there is an adjustment period, and 5 at bats the previous year would not overcome that adjustment period. It would not be fair to expect much more out of a kid in his first year than that.

[BigPoppa]

Something to pass the time until the first pitches later today/this weekend:

Winning percentages by conference so far-
IIAC: 19-7 (.730)
CCIW: 13-5 (.722)
MWC: 9-7 (.563)
SLIAC: 14-18 (.438)

My two cents... while it is hard to gauge teams/conferences with so few games played, I think the SLIAC is a bit under rated as some of the powerful MIAC and WIAC teams have rolled through the region due to the Metro Dome collapse. I am surprised that the IIAC is that high as well. The CCIW is right about where I thought they would be and the MWC has its power concentrated in the North Division which has really yet to get going.

In the next ten days, more will shake out and start shaping up the power of the conferences.

[BigPoppa]

OK... after a ton of research, number-crunching, phone calls, emails and gut feelings, here is where I see the teams in the Central region right now:

1.   Illinois Wesleyan- CCIW
2.   Buena Vista- IIAC
3.   North Park- CCIW
4.   Webster- SLIAC
5.   Ripon- MWC
6.   Carthage- CCIW
7.   Central- IIAC
8.   North Central- CCIW
9.   Wartburg- IIAC
10.   St. Norbert- MWC/ WashU-UAA

My regional rankings (my national ranking in parenthesis)
1.   (14) IWU: 3-0 Until someone knocks them off, they will continue to be my #1 (and you have no idea how painful that is for me to say).
2.   (19) Webster: 6-1 This team should blow through the SLIAC with only minor damage, but if they keep winning non-conf games they will climb the national rankings as well.
3.   (20) Buena Vista: 5-1 Their only stumble is a loss to an up-and-coming Grinnell squad that may surprise a few people this year.
4.   (23) North Park: 3-2 Gave highly touted Birmingham-Southern a run for their money down south. NPU will be there at the end... it's just a matter of how they can hang in the tough CCIW.
5.   Augustana: 6-1 The Vikes scare me here as they started hot last year (12-0) and then imploded once they returned home.
6.   Central: 6-2 I think this could be the darkhorse team in the region. All 8 games to this point are in-region games and they are 2-0 vs Rockford (who is expected to contend in the NAC).
7.   Carthage: 3-3 Solid pitching staff to start the southern trip which bodes well for the return home. Three losses are all to teams in the top ten (two one run losses to #8 Marietta and blew a 9th inning lead to #1 Heidelberg). Carthage will be a player in the region by the time May rolls around.
8.   Monmouth: 6-1 Their start may be deceptive as they have not beaten a quality opponent yet and they were boat raced by a slightly above average Wheaton team in their only loss.
9.   Spalding: 5-2 Off to a solid start and should collect a bag full of Ws in the SLIAC. Have not face a "quality" opponent yet, but they are still winning games nonetheless. Not eligible for post-season play but can really damage the hopes of those who are.
10.   (tie)Wheaton: 6-4 A similar schedule to other and a solid win over Monmouth. Four what I would call bad losses to teams they need to beat of they want to be a contender.
North Central: 2-0 An impressive drubbing of WIAC member UW-Platteville last weekend should help them prepare for a big three-game series this weekend at Rose-Hulman.

[BigPoppa]

Something to pass the time until the first pitches later today/this weekend:

Winning percentages by conference so far-
IIAC: 19-7 (.730)
CCIW: 13-5 (.722)
MWC: 9-7 (.563)
SLIAC: 14-18 (.438)

My two cents... while it is hard to gauge teams/conferences with so few games played, I think the SLIAC is a bit under rated as some of the powerful MIAC and WIAC teams have rolled through the region due to the Metro Dome collapse. I am surprised that the IIAC is that high as well. The CCIW is right about where I thought they would be and the MWC has its power concentrated in the North Division which has really yet to get going.

In the next ten days, more will shake out and start shaping up the power of the conferences.

Updated:
CCIW: 28-12 .700
IIAC: 34-18 .653
MWC: 18-13 .580
SLIAC: 23-31 .425

By the end of this week we should have a much better feel as more teams will have a handful of games on the books.

Sometimes I feel as if I am having a conversation with myself.

[jigsaw54]

Poppa your not alone anymore.  Being baseball is back in full swing I think its time for me to get back to posting.  I'm really interested to see how this central region shapes up over the next few weeks with everyone having a significant amount of games.  I'm still thinking the CCIW will be the strongest conference for another year but we will see thats why they play the games

[Mr. Ypsi]

BP, fear not, you have readers, and occasionally contributors.  Since IWU is just getting underway, and since there is a near zero chance I will ever see them in person, I've just had nothing to say (which, of course, does not always stop me from saying things! )

And don't worry - used to be that people got nervous if a guy was talking to himself.  Now they just assume he's on his cell phone!