BB: Top Teams in West Region

[CrashDavisD3]

A good example of a team in the West who beat quality teams. Chapman was down this year. 1 Senior, Head Coach being suspended then resigning, Losing #1,#2 pitchers to injuries and most of the pitching staff and many position players starting as freshman

BUT

They got wins over
Kean, Trinity, Cal Lu all in the top 10 along with a close loss to Ithaca who is number 10.

IF.....Chapman can return their players and IF they can get a quality coach MAYBE then can return to the ranks of top teams in the West

BUT ALOT OF IF's......

[Texas Leaguer]

Teddy... wrong Trinity/ wrong Centenary.  Trinity went 3-4 and Centenary (transitioning from D1) is in West anyway.  New SCAC member from Shreveport, LA

History Major - Not sure if you interpreted his post like he meant it to be read.  Trinity (Tx) is 4-1 against non-West Region opponents.  They went 3-1 vs Rockford (who is 15-11 since their series with Trinity and awful start and actually counts as an in-region opponent for Trinity)  and 1-0 vs Desales.  Centenary was the other team in the SCAC that played non-west region opponents.  They went 0-1 vs North Central (Ill).  So the SCAC conference went 4-2 vs non-west region teams. 

[CrashDavisD3]

Let's be honest about the Ithaca and Kean games.  They were spring training games 3,000 miles and 3 time zones away from home against mid-season teams playing on their own fields.

I think that Kean and Ithaca did pretty well.

I understand that. But I can tell you it's not that big a disadvantage. Certainly not enough to excuse going 1-3 or 2-3 against 4 different SCIAC teams. If they were only playing PP and CLU, that would be one thing. But between those two teams, they played 6 different SCIAC teams and not one of them was Cal Lu.

I played on a PP team that was ranked first in the country, in the middle of our season going into a game against Middlebury. It was their first game of the season, and day on an outdoor field. They won the first game of the doubleheader. Ultimately, it's all baseball. Teams may have kinks to work out, but you can't tell me that anyone on the field is treating the game any differently than if it were in the middle or end of the season. And they may not get as much outdoor time, but they're not sitting on their butts either. Would Ithaca and Kean go 3-6 against that schedule right now? Probably not. But given where they are ranked, it would be reasonable to expect the best team in a particular region to go 6-3 or 7-2 against a schedule of teams centered in the middle of another region. And there's no way there's a 3 or 4 game swing from March to May.

Also, Bridgewater was well into their season when they went 1-3.

Look at Chapman's overall record vs Kean. This include games during the regular season and Appleton. Last time I checked Chapman is way ahead in the W column,... All games between these two programs are played like it is the last game of the season.

[Teddy_Ballgame]

Teddy... wrong Trinity/ wrong Centenary.  Trinity went 3-4 and Centenary (transitioning from D1) is in West anyway.  New SCAC member from Shreveport, LA

History Major - Not sure if you interpreted his post like he meant it to be read.  Trinity (Tx) is 4-1 against non-West Region opponents.  They went 3-1 vs Rockford (who is 15-11 since their series with Trinity and awful start and actually counts as an in-region opponent for Trinity)  and 1-0 vs Desales.  Centenary was the other team in the SCAC that played non-west region opponents.  They went 0-1 vs North Central (Ill).  So the SCAC conference went 4-2 vs non-west region teams.

Thank you, that is indeed how I meant it to be read. Apologies for not making it clear. And thanks for bringing up the fact that Rockford (and many others included in my post) still counted as in region opponents for the NCAA purposes. PP and CLU played some midwest teams in Arizona that also counted as in-region. But for my purposes- simply comparing  the West to different regions, I included all those games.

Couple quick notes-
TLU was 2-1 vs Wheaton (Illinois) not (Mass), which is a big difference and I should have noted it.

Overall West region teams went 13-6 against teams who were ranked in other regions as of last week.

The only regionally ranked team with a winning record against West region teams is Wartburg who went 2-0 vs Lewis and Clark and 1-0 vs Howard Payne.

Ithaca (NY #1, 1-3), Huntingdon (South #1, 1-3), Kean (MA #1, 2-3), and Bridgewater (South #4, 1-3) all had losing records against the west. Bridgewater's loss to CLU was the only one of those 19 games played against a Regionally ranked team from the west.

Just sayin'.

[CrashDavisD3]

There is much talent in the SoCal area. But, with at least 50 D1, D2, NAIA and JC schools vying for the talent, it does get dilluted quickly.

Let's not forget the High School guys that get drafted and sign along witht JUCO guys plus all the guys that leave SoCal to player else where. Trinity-TX being a good example of SoCal guys on their rosters, and Linfield has gotten a few also.

[forheavendial4999]

Let's be honest about the Ithaca and Kean games.  They were spring training games 3,000 miles and 3 time zones away from home against mid-season teams playing on their own fields.

I think that Kean and Ithaca did pretty well.

I understand that. But I can tell you it's not that big a disadvantage. Certainly not enough to excuse going 1-3 or 2-3 against 4 different SCIAC teams. If they were only playing PP and CLU, that would be one thing. But between those two teams, they played 6 different SCIAC teams and not one of them was Cal Lu.

I played on a PP team that was ranked first in the country, in the middle of our season going into a game against Middlebury. It was their first game of the season, and day on an outdoor field. They won the first game of the doubleheader. Ultimately, it's all baseball. Teams may have kinks to work out, but you can't tell me that anyone on the field is treating the game any differently than if it were in the middle or end of the season. And they may not get as much outdoor time, but they're not sitting on their butts either. Would Ithaca and Kean go 3-6 against that schedule right now? Probably not. But given where they are ranked, it would be reasonable to expect the best team in a particular region to go 6-3 or 7-2 against a schedule of teams centered in the middle of another region. And there's no way there's a 3 or 4 game swing from March to May.

Also, Bridgewater was well into their season when they went 1-3.

Look at Chapman's overall record vs Kean. This include games during the regular season and Appleton. Last time I checked Chapman is way ahead in the W column,... All games between these two programs are played like it is the last game of the season.

We'll never know until a western team goes east for a similar trip. Not looking for that to happen soon.

[108 Stitches]

I think it was you Forheaven that suggested that Trinity, Concordia, TLU and maybe one other program invite some of the eastern power house teams (maybe a couple of West Coast teams would come) down for a round robin type of tournament over easter break. Great idea that probably won't get any traction, but good idea none-the-less.

[Teddy_Ballgame]

I think it was you Forheaven that suggested that Trinity, Concordia, TLU and maybe one other program invite some of the eastern power house teams (maybe a couple of West Coast teams would come) down for a round robin type of tournament over easter break. Great idea that probably won't get any traction, but good idea none-the-less.

Good idea. Certainly more reasonable than expecting a West Coast team to risk going East. Pretty difficult to figure out a time to do that late in the season, and early in the season means going out during periods of volatile weather. Spring break is the best time for these sorts of inter-region games to be played, and doing them in a central location with low risk for inclimate weather is the way to do it.

I know PP, for example, is currently budgeted for one out-of-state bus trip every two years. Arizona is usually the destination of choice (during Spring break) because it draws teams from around the country, and allows the various teams to break off and check out some Spring Training games when they aren't playing. It is a neutral site for all the teams, so nobody has home field advantage. It's close enough to drive without too much hassle, which keeps the cost down. The San Antonio/Austin area might be a more difficult place to drive to, but anywhere that can draw good in region and non region competition (particularly with next year's rule changes) is something to look at.

The issue, as always, is cost. Spring break trips are great because they bypass academic concerns, but most of the SoCal athletic budgets are built with an awareness of the fact that other teams from around the country are always willing to come out here. The need for travel is low, so travel is the easiest place to trim a budget when you're looking to be fiscally prudent. That's probably why PP only travels every other year, and why just about everyone but Chapman limits their travel to bus trips (unless they bus out to Texas when they go?).

It's great for all of us with no decision-making power to talk about how all our teams should go out and try to play top competition in other parts of the country, but unfortunately ADs who manage up to 20+ teams and the Trustees and administrators they report to don't get the luxury of unlimited hypothetical budgets nor are they likely to understand the intricacies of building a schedule that lends itself to a greater ability for Pool C playoff bids.

[Whatagame]

I think it was you Forheaven that suggested that Trinity, Concordia, TLU and maybe one other program invite some of the eastern power house teams (maybe a couple of West Coast teams would come) down for a round robin type of tournament over easter break. Great idea that probably won't get any traction, but good idea none-the-less.

Hey, never say "never" on this one.  Maybe not Spring Break, but could happen earlier in season.

[TexasBB]

So whoever comes in at 5 and 6 the first four appear locked and 3 and 4 will be playing each other in the first round. That means it is likely that Trinity will play UT Tyler. That should be very interesting.

TexasBB

[Ralph Turner]

McMurry and Coach Driggers hosted a tourney in Abilene in March in the mid 2000's to which teams like Montclair State and Marietta would come.

If Coach Driggers can get his playing field up to speed ( and I here that it is coming along nicely) then there are several teams that can make that a good tournament...UTT, Centenary and ETBU (now that they appear to have, once again, recalled how to win ball games.

[Teddy_Ballgame]

Changing directions a little bit- I think we can all agree that there's a very good chance at least one team gets shipped in this year. TLU would not a lottt of help this weekend to find themselves in Pool C contention (only 14 spots available, a few are already taken...) and GFU is by no means a shoe-in (though I do think they get one of the last few spots).

How then do they decide who to ship in? Is it typically the out of region team closest to the regional site? I imagine it would be fairly easy for a few of the teams in the South to get to Austin, but do they give Pool A's priority in staying in their own region? Or potential 1 seeds? Do they try and send someone who will probably be the 5 or 6 seed, or are there purely geographic considerations? I imagine it's also dependent upon which regions have an odd number of bids, and there might be some juggling to make sure every region gets the right amount of teams... Any insight would be appreciated! Also, does balancing the regionals and the associated geographic considerations have any bearing on who the committee selects to round out the field, or do they just pick the best Pool B and C candidates and then try and map everything else out after?

Looking at geographic proximity, Millsaps appears to be the closest team to Austin in the most recent regional rankings (8.5 hour drive). Huntingdon isn't crazy far either. WashU seems to be the closest from the central...

[Ralph Turner]

Millsaps is probably bussed to Memphis for the South Regional.

My first guess is that the Regionals will be assigned these teams:

New England -- 8
New York -- 8
Mid-Atlantic -- 8
MidEast  -- 7  8 teams
Central -- 6
Midwest -- 6
South -- 6
West -- 6

Correction.  We have 56 bids for the tourney this year.

[OshDude]

Changing directions a little bit- I think we can all agree that there's a very good chance at least one team gets shipped in this year. TLU would not a lottt of help this weekend to find themselves in Pool C contention (only 14 spots available, a few are already taken...) and GFU is by no means a shoe-in (though I do think they get one of the last few spots).

How then do they decide who to ship in? Is it typically the out of region team closest to the regional site? I imagine it would be fairly easy for a few of the teams in the South to get to Austin, but do they give Pool A's priority in staying in their own region? Or potential 1 seeds? Do they try and send someone who will probably be the 5 or 6 seed, or are there purely geographic considerations? I imagine it's also dependent upon which regions have an odd number of bids, and there might be some juggling to make sure every region gets the right amount of teams... Any insight would be appreciated! Also, does balancing the regionals and the associated geographic considerations have any bearing on who the committee selects to round out the field, or do they just pick the best Pool B and C candidates and then try and map everything else out after?

Looking at geographic proximity, Millsaps appears to be the closest team to Austin in the most recent regional rankings (8.5 hour drive). Huntingdon isn't crazy far either. WashU seems to be the closest from the central...

Posed that question earlier this season.
http://d3baseball.com/columns/around-the-nation/2013/ATN_March13

Feel free to read the other ATN's.

[Teddy_Ballgame]

Changing directions a little bit- I think we can all agree that there's a very good chance at least one team gets shipped in this year. TLU would not a lottt of help this weekend to find themselves in Pool C contention (only 14 spots available, a few are already taken...) and GFU is by no means a shoe-in (though I do think they get one of the last few spots).

How then do they decide who to ship in? Is it typically the out of region team closest to the regional site? I imagine it would be fairly easy for a few of the teams in the South to get to Austin, but do they give Pool A's priority in staying in their own region? Or potential 1 seeds? Do they try and send someone who will probably be the 5 or 6 seed, or are there purely geographic considerations? I imagine it's also dependent upon which regions have an odd number of bids, and there might be some juggling to make sure every region gets the right amount of teams... Any insight would be appreciated! Also, does balancing the regionals and the associated geographic considerations have any bearing on who the committee selects to round out the field, or do they just pick the best Pool B and C candidates and then try and map everything else out after?

Looking at geographic proximity, Millsaps appears to be the closest team to Austin in the most recent regional rankings (8.5 hour drive). Huntingdon isn't crazy far either. WashU seems to be the closest from the central...

Posed that question earlier this season.
http://d3baseball.com/columns/around-the-nation/2013/ATN_March13

Feel free to read the other ATN's.

That was very insightful, thank you!!

And Ralph, thanks for pointing out that there's a regional in Tennessee. Perhaps Millsaps wouldn't be a good pick to bring to Texas. In which case it may turn out that they ship in a team that would have to fly to their own regional anyway... I guess that's a tough one to speculate.