BB: South Region General Talk -- '07, '08, '09 and '10

[NCWC]

I just wanted to add this as a reminder as we get closer to real lively debates:
http://www.d3baseball.com/pressreleases/USAC/2008/01/15/USA-South-to-Co-Host-2008-NCAA-Division-III-Baseball-Regional/2165

(FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.) - The NCAA Division III Baseball Committee, in conjunction with the annual American Baseball Coaches Association Convention, recently announced the eight regional playoff locations for this upcoming season. The USA South Athletic Conference, along with the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, will co-host the South Regional at American Legion Memorial Post 325 Stadium-Dan Daniel Park in Danville, Virginia from Wednesday, May 14 through Saturday, May 17.

and...

The 2008 Division III baseball championship will feature 54 teams divided into eight regional tournaments. Of the eight regional tournaments, three will feature eight teams while five will consist of six teams. The team which wins the South Regional will advance to the Division III Baseball Championships in Appleton, Wisconsin on Friday, May 23.

Thus, at least according to this, we will be looking at either 6 or 8 teams.  Hopefully, 8 teams from WITHIN the region will be deemed worthy.

I think the South has a good shot at hosting an eight-teamer. It may come down to either the South or West getting eight, with the other getting six.

In any event, the Central, Mideast and Midwest are almost locks for six-team regionals. So, the South has better than a 50-50 shot at eight teams just based on that.

Is there an advantage to playing a 6 team regional or an 8 team regional?  Are the 6 team regionals harder?

[OshDude]

I just wanted to add this as a reminder as we get closer to real lively debates:
http://www.d3baseball.com/pressreleases/USAC/2008/01/15/USA-South-to-Co-Host-2008-NCAA-Division-III-Baseball-Regional/2165

(FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.) - The NCAA Division III Baseball Committee, in conjunction with the annual American Baseball Coaches Association Convention, recently announced the eight regional playoff locations for this upcoming season. The USA South Athletic Conference, along with the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, will co-host the South Regional at American Legion Memorial Post 325 Stadium-Dan Daniel Park in Danville, Virginia from Wednesday, May 14 through Saturday, May 17.

and...

The 2008 Division III baseball championship will feature 54 teams divided into eight regional tournaments. Of the eight regional tournaments, three will feature eight teams while five will consist of six teams. The team which wins the South Regional will advance to the Division III Baseball Championships in Appleton, Wisconsin on Friday, May 23.

Thus, at least according to this, we will be looking at either 6 or 8 teams.  Hopefully, 8 teams from WITHIN the region will be deemed worthy.

I think the South has a good shot at hosting an eight-teamer. It may come down to either the South or West getting eight, with the other getting six.

In any event, the Central, Mideast and Midwest are almost locks for six-team regionals. So, the South has better than a 50-50 shot at eight teams just based on that.

Is there an advantage to playing a 6 team regional or an 8 team regional?  Are the 6 team regionals harder?

They both have obvious advantages and disadvantages. In the Midwest the six teams are some combination of Top 25 teams, with Whitewater, Oshkosh, Stevens Point, St. Thomas and the like. So, they're tough considering there are rarely "weaker" teams, but they're also more condensed. In my perhaps geographic-centric way of thinking, my opinion is that the Midwest always has at least four (usually five) legit nationals contenders. That's the give-and-take. It's shorter, but every game is contested. I'm not saying an eight-seed can't win its opener, but when comparing to the Midwest No. 5 seed to the No. 7 AQ (usually) in another region, I doubt there would be an even comparison.

I wouldn't say 6-teamers are necessarily harder, they just have different inherent negatives.

[Ralph Turner]

The NCAA did away with regional allocations of playoff teams.

The 54 teams are considered nationally on regional criteria.

The teams that are playing Danville are likely to be any team that they can bus 500 miles to that location, including the USA South Pool A bid, the ODAC Pool A bid, the Pool B's that come from the south, especially a Piedmont or an Emory,  and any Pool C bids.

[A.G.]

Ralph...does that mean, then, that the soon-to-be-released regional rankings are basically meaningless in the grand scheme of things?

[OshDude]

Ralph...does that mean, then, that the soon-to-be-released regional rankings are basically meaningless in the grand scheme of things?

The regional rankings are the only meaningful indicator in the grand scheme of things.

Here's how Ralph explained it last year in the Daily Dose. Substitute schools from any region for the ones mentioned as far as being selected.

At the start, all the No. 1-ranked regional teams (after AQ's are taken out of the regional rankings) are pitted against each other for selection. When one is selected, the No. 2 team from the selected team's region is then pitted against the No. 1 teams from all other regions. Maybe the No. 1 from another region is selected second. Then there are two second-ranked teams going against six regional No. 1s for selection. So, there are eight teams from the different regions on the table at one time.

And even though regional allocation is no more, I think it's a rare exception for a team to fly to another region. Technically Pomona could be sent to the Mideast or Chapman to New York or wherever, but it won't happen. Probably. A flight is a flight, but I doubt Chapman and Wooster (or another team not in the West) will play each other in regionals, even though they could according to the rules.

Ralph from 2007:

"Montclair will be evaluated by the committee in the primary criteria from the games in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The local region will send its list of teams, in descending order, with the Mid-Atlantic Region rep to the National Committee. Then, the National Selection committee will work off the 8 lists to determine the best team on the table for each of the 14 rounds.

Unless something major happens this weekend, I see the committee looking at Kean first, then Ramapo next. Until those 2 teams are seeded, then Alvernia, Arcadia and everyone list deeper in the queue, including Montclair State, are waiting thru all 14 rounds of the Pool C selection process.

After the 53 teams are seeded, then the green-eyeshade folks (have the younger readers ever heard of that figure of speech for a number-cruncher) will seed the brackets.

I hope that clarifies the process."

[A.G.]

Thanks, OshDude...
...LC helped its case with a DH sweep of Bridgewater, a team which was 25-13-1 (with quality wins over UMW, NCWC, CNU and VWC) going into the day.  LC improved its overall record to 28-9 (22-6 in the region).

[Ralph Turner]

A.G., 22-6 is somewhere in the realm of being regionally ranked.

Here are the regional rankings from the first week of 2007.

2007 Daily Dose on Regional Rankings.  Please click here and scroll to the bottom.

22-6 is competitive.

As I have compared the Pool C at large selections in baseball, it is not like football where a Pool B never gets a Pool C bid, or basketball where we refer to the Pool B contenders as the "Bumblin' B's", the Pool B teams are tough, e.g., Emory, Wash StL, Salisbury, Chapman, St Scholastica, Cal State East Bay, etc.

Any Pool B team that is left over after the Pool B bids have been awarded goes into  Pool C.

[A.G.]

I am learning...trying to figure all this out...and appreciate all the information.  Of course...the best thing to do is to keep winning through the tournament.  I am certainly looking forward to seeing the rankings when they come out this week.

[A.G.]

Some nice regional representation in the ABCA Poll:
http://www.muhlberg.edu/sports/abcapoll42208.pdf

Salisbury 5
Piedmont 11
Lynchburg 20
CNU 26
Emory 29
Rhodes also receiving votes

[A.G.]

The Hornets fall to Pool C consideration, with R-MC's win in the ODAC tournament.  That puts R-MC, CNU, in from Pool A, and you'd have to figure Salisbury is a B lock, as well as possibly Piedmont (with Piedmont certainly "C" worthy).  That will leave the rest fighting it out for two slots.  Hopefuly LC has done enough (and great comments from Dixon and Turner).
http://www.d3sports.com/dailydose/2008/04/24/regional-rankings#comment-1223

[averetthomer]

What are the chances of Greensboro College making a regional? I think they are 24-9 in the South region and they are supposedly adding 3 games against a quality Rhodes team. If they somehow pull off a sweep and finish 27-9 in the region, do they have a shot at an at-large bid?

[narch]

What are the chances of Greensboro College making a regional? I think they are 24-9 in the South region and they are supposedly adding 3 games against a quality Rhodes team. If they somehow pull off a sweep and finish 27-9 in the region, do they have a shot at an at-large bid?

i've got gc at 22-11 in region, and the strength of schedule just isn't there, in my opinion, to get them in - i think ncwc is the only usasac with a legit shot at a pool c - mu is an EXTREME LONGSHOT with a sweep of piedmont...

[A.G.]

NCWC also has two key games coming up against a suddenly hot UMW team that has implications for both teams.

[averetthomer]

If MC gets swept and GC sweeps Rhodes....does GC become that longshot Narch?

[A.G.]

The new regional rankings are out:
http://www.ncaa.com/baseball/default.aspx?id=212508

No change in the top 3...
South Region
Rank    Team                      Overall    In-Region
1    Salisbury                  37-2       33-2
2    Piedmont                 33-10     31-10
3    Lynchburg                 30-11     24-8
4    Emory                           25-11-1      23-9-1
5    Millsaps                    29-18        27-14
6    Mary Washington    25-12        22-11