BB: Regionals (West) 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

[Ralph Turner]

I hear you...SCIAC going to 4 conference games this year against each team instead of 3 changes the dynamics of region games.  You can't play as many against the Spring Break snowbird teams, etc.  

Two pretty solid teams in Cal Lu and Redlands got left at home this year after the SCIAC getting two bids last year (PP and Cal Lu)

Most of your snowbird games were not in-region.

I realize that most of the snowbird games are not in-region.  Was commenting on the fact that there could be a shift to more in-region games with more league games, and with a competitive league, more in-region losses.

Key in SCIAC is not to lose to the Whittiers and Oxy's of the world.  Redlands lost to both this year, etc.

Trinity, Texas Lutheran, and even MAC Freedom Regular Season Champ DeSales lost to Schreiner (8-32/6-15) this season.

The problem in the ASC, especially in the ASC-West where most games are 3+ hour bus trips, is that there is just enough good pitching that it is hard to sweep a series against the bottom half of the Division on the road.

[D O.C.]

HEY! save some those home runs.

LINFIELD with back to back to back HR's with 2 out.
(Fully expect negative talk about the distance to the walls. It's the RAILROAD tracks, folks.)

Up 12-3 on the Choctaws.(Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek Seminole)

LINFIELD women win again.  Yes!

Ralph, where does MC stand on the Native American mascot controversy?

[Patriot_Pride]

UTT had a rebuilding year as well. They return almost their entire team including their 94 mph closer unless he is drafted. However UTT looses its head coach.

To win 36 games in a rebuilding year was so unexpected from everyone on the staff.

We lose a big core of seniors and could lose more players if the coaching situation doesn't go as planned. Key losses are Newell, Duke and Jones in the outfield and Skeen behind the plate. We will bring back, however, the entire infield.

And on Logan Chitwood, our junior closer, he will undoubtedly leave if he is drafted. He's already said if he gets any offer, he's gone. He was awesome down the stretch after kind of a shaky start to the year and finished with a 6:1 strikeout to walk ratio.  

[Ralph Turner]

HEY! save some those home runs.

LINFIELD with back to back to back HR's with 2 out.

Up 12-3 on the Choctaws.(Chickasaw, Cherokee, Creek Seminole)

LINFIELD women win again.  Yes!

Ralph, where does MC stand on the Native American mascot controversy?

The Mississippi band of Choctaws accepted the nickname and made recommendations that formalized guidelines for its use.  I believe MC no longer uses the abbreviation "Chocs".

There may be other recommendations to and accommodations by Miss Coll of which I am not aware.

The MC SID Chris Brooks may have more information.

[Ralph Turner]

You wonder how much gas was left in the emotional tank for MissColl.

Linfield was fresh, at home field advantage and must have been sleeping in their own beds.

[ILVBB]

Just got back from our foray to the northwest. Thank you to the lovely people of Linfield; they did their best in running the tournament.

However; from my propective, the NCAA did almost everthing they could to insure that it was a total disaster. Travel arrangements that were insane, hotels that were an hour from the field, bus drivers taking teams on a two hour detour of northern Oregon. An playing games in rain that would make the Amazon seem like a desert.

It is not fair to the kids and their families for the NCAA to operate in such a manner. It is not fair to the wonderful people of Linfield when the teams are treated with calous indiffernce.

[Patriot_Pride]

You wonder how much gas was left in the emotional tank for MissColl.

Linfield was fresh, at home field advantage and must have been sleeping in their own beds.

It was simply the fact that MC had no pitching left. To even question if they had any gas left in their "emotional tank" is odd. Of course they were sky high and wanted to win that game just as bad as Linfield did...

MC won three straight games by 1-run after losing its opener, and had every right to be there fighting for the regional title. I'm hoping this will get the ASC a little more respect in years to come even though UTT went 1-2.

[TexasBB]

MC had just come off two very close one run games within 24 hours of playing Linfield. I am sure they were emotionaly spent since in both of those games they had blown leads and could have lost either of them. In both games the momentum had shifted to the opposing teams.

But you can't take anythng away from Linfield. Other than the one loss they had they had to PP they won all of their games by 5 runs or more and beat PP going away when it counted in a game they faced elimination. They also shut out Chapman 6-0. They were clearly the best team in a tournament that had alot of 1 run games. They played the same number of games as MC and faced the same pitching challenges but appeared to be deaper in that position.

[Ralph Turner]

Thanks, Chris.

I believe that it was JSG who recognized the pitching depth of Linfield.

Okay friends.

Who do we want to lose in the Pomona-Pitzer/Linfield game?   

I think you want Linfield to lose. They have the most depth on the mound, and they were my favorite to win the regional. After Colvin, PP is not terribly strong on the mound and I think you'd have a better chance of beating them twice if it came to that.

Linfield's #3 = Reese McCulley 3-2, 3.45 ERA, .257 against
               #4 = Casey Cameron 2-0, 2.49 ERA, .164 against (maybe?)

Or maybe it's Hilberg (3-1, 5.56 ERA), Robert Vaughn (1-1, 3.14 ERA)

PP's        #3 = Leo Rosetti 6-3, 4.62, .290 against
               #4 = Rooke-Ley 5-0, 4.78, .304 against

Or maybe it's Gano (1-0, 4.44 ERA)

And they're up 6-2 after a 3 HR from James Kang & a solo shot from Eirc Munzer. 

JSG

[CrashDavisD3]

Congrats to Linfield.   They proved they were the best team in the West this year. 2nd time to Appleton in 3 years. Linfield will do well in Appleton and could be the one to bring a National Championship back to the West Region

Also all the teams in the West Region proved they belong this year and all were outstanding teams. .

Chapman will be back stronger than ever in 2011 returning ALL of their pitchers which were 3rd in the country in ERA in 2010.

CrashDavis has now retired....Its been a great 4 years....

[D O.C.]

CD thanks for keeping an even keel on the West boards.

(and I was half serious about practicing in the sprinklers    )

[wildcat11]

Travel arrangements that were insane, hotels that were an hour from the field, bus drivers taking teams on a two hour detour of northern Oregon.

This part didn't make sense to me at all.  I know the Crown Plaza in Lake O. is the NWC hotel (rate brake for all NWC teams that stay) but McMinnville has plenty of lodging options and those should have been used to house teams for the Tourney and not an hotel that's 45 minutes away and stuck at the corner of two of the busiest highways in the state (I-5/217). 

I think that it just takes away from some of the experience these visiting teams and fans could have had in Mac area and save an additional 8 total hours of travel for the teams that had to go back and forth for 4 days.

[wildcat11]

On another note...huge congrats to Linfield.  The 'Cats didn't hit a single HR until today but they really played a great regional tourney. 

BTW, enjoyed the Mississippi College kids very much.  Hard hitting, hard playing, and a fun group of kids.

[golden_dome]

A couple thoughts on this year's West Regional for people not there, particularly fans in the South wondering how we stack up.

I don't agree Linfield was clearly the best team, I thought they were the best of several close teams, but they clearly played the best baseball. They split with Pomona and MC had them down in the 7th inning of the first game. Want to know why Linfield wins? In MC's two losses to them, the Choctaws had six errors and ten walks, Linfield had one error and zero walks. They do not beat themselves, just a solid team top to bottom.

I thought earlier this year MC was a potential World Series team, then lost two very good starting pitchers to injury. For MC fans it will be hard not to think"what if" when they think about this season. Those arms would have come in handy today when Linfield had their ace going.

I have to at least partially agree with the poster about Linfield hosting regionals. The Linfield people did a great job and this isn't a knock on them, and this area of the country is stunning. But the weather was absolutely miserable all week (actually had a hail delay) with rain everyday and just about every game. MC's hotel was a good 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour one way drive, and I think a couple other schools had similar arrangements. If this is normal weather, it should be elsewhere. JMO

I agree Linfield can do well in the World Series and I wish them well. They are so fundamental and disciplined, I'm just not sure they have enough pitching to win it. Larson is very good, but I don't know after that. It would be nice for the West representative to go deep, and Linfield will definitely give themselves a chance to win.

[Jcon8958]

Whats up everybody over from the Little East board. Wondering if you guys could tell me a little bout this linfield team. I ask beacause they will be playing Umass Boston out of the LEC and just want to know a little about the linfield squad. Because they are walking into a BUZZSAW in UMB... WELCOME TO BEACONVILLE LINFIELD