BB: Top Teams in West Region

[Spence]

Also, when someone doesn't agree with you you probably shouldn't go to the moderator all the time.  They most likely have better things to do and its very unbecoming

Thanks for your concern, but this is actually the first time I've ever done it.

Long story short to the rest of your post...saying it's difficult and poses a challenge is fine. It requires logistic foresight and very good time management not just in the immediate term, but all year round. But it can be done, and is done. I truly think that at least in the programs I've seen, there's no reason a player has to lose out academically as a result of playing baseball.

[Whatagame]

Series I'm Looking Forward To This Weekend:

UT Tyler vs. Centenary
Hardin Simmons vs. Chapman
Linfield vs. Pac Lutheran
George Fox vs. Puget Sound
Redlands vs. Oxy (I guess...)

Not a super compelling weekend as none of the top conference teams square off against each other; however, always playoff implications on the line as the top teams need to try and sweep their series in order to stay in contention for a Pool C bid provided (in the case of the of ASC/SCIAC) they don't win their conference tournament.

*UT Tyler & Centenary are both atop their conferences, but Centenary is not playoff eligible and a non-conference opponent for the Patriots.

JSG

The two NWC series are very interesting, indeed.  It will be difficult for either Linfield or G. Fox to sweep - if someone does sweep - on the road, it will be a statement.  Pac Lu's offense has not produced this season, but Beatty and Lubking have the ability to shut anyone down for a game.  Puget Sound has been a scrapper all season in-conference.  They took a game from Linfield, and swept PLU last weekend.  Fox is hot, coming off a sweep of Whitworth, but was nearly swept the previous weekend, losing 2/3 to Whitman.

After a stretch of beautiful weather, the Northwest is looking rainy and cold again - back to normal, but they'll get the games in....

....Crash....Chapman is actually 5 games under .500, at 11-16.

...this thread is starting to kick butt! 

Back to the games, PLU's Lubking absolutely shut down Linfield today, so Linfield takes 2/3 from PLU.  Lubking has got to be one of the top 2 or 3 lefties in the West Region.  And, Puget/George Fox are tied in a rain-suspended game 2 after 9 innings that will be completed tomorrow, along with game 3.  G. Fox took game one.  What a great race.  Lewis and Clark College took 2/3 from Whitworth in Spokane this weekend.   

[Spence]

Many schools in the ASC-West will spend 10-12 nights on the road in the course of a season.

Not many issues with your post, but I would point out that this is about the same as for a team back east with spring trip and a few overnights during the year. Some a few more (I would guess Wooster would be around 16-17), some a few less (the NJ schools might not have an overnight after spring trip).

[Ralph Turner]

Many schools in the ASC-West will spend 10-12 nights on the road in the course of a season.

Not many issues with your post, but I would point out that this is about the same as for a team back east with spring trip and a few overnights during the year. Some a few more (I would guess Wooster would be around 16-17), some a few less (the NJ schools might not have an overnight after spring trip).

For the ASC this is in the middle of the semester, tho' and not on the spring break trip.

[Spence]

Many schools in the ASC-West will spend 10-12 nights on the road in the course of a season.

Not many issues with your post, but I would point out that this is about the same as for a team back east with spring trip and a few overnights during the year. Some a few more (I would guess Wooster would be around 16-17), some a few less (the NJ schools might not have an overnight after spring trip).

For the ASC this is in the middle of the semester, tho' and not on the spring break trip.

Don't see where it matters significantly in terms of cost, and given all the consternation about missed class time on this thread, I presumed most of those nights would be on the weekend.

Seems to more or less balance.

[108 Stitches]

....back to games.

Trinity swept Austin, game 1 yesterday a mercy, today the complete the opposite pitchers dual with TU winning 2-0.

It is funny how teams develop over the season but a solid number 2 has emerged from the shadows at TU with Soph Speers. He is now 5-0 and leads the team in ERA at 1.6 something. They have had so many injuries I am not sure who would be 3-4-5 at this point. Back end of the bullpen is solid.

UTT takes 2-3 from Centenary. A player from Centenary sent me a text saying they played like crax and thought they should have beat UTT. (FWIW what player does NOT think this?) The team is split on who they think is better UTT vs TU. They think TU's number 1 is better, 1-9 they are better and UTT's no 2-3 pitchers are better. From the "put that in your pipe and smoke it" department.

Fun time of year.

[Patriotfan87]

Wow lets all just chill. Some teams have travel budgets and are better endowed and can afford to put more into sports. Others do not. My son went to UTT. That program started athletics in 2004. UTT has been successful in baseball but they do not travel beyond bus range unless they make it to the regionals.

24 hours is bus range for teams in Massachusetts on their spring trip. That's why I asked whether schools out west get spring break.
You're right...not many D-III programs fly. But a lot of them bus for a long time at one point or another.

That link shows UT-Tyler as a sort of medium-budget program. (50-60k IIRC).

The ASC was playing conference games the week of spring break.

[Patriotfan87]

....back to games.

Trinity swept Austin, game 1 yesterday a mercy, today the complete the opposite pitchers dual with TU winning 2-0.

It is funny how teams develop over the season but a solid number 2 has emerged from the shadows at TU with Soph Speers. He is now 5-0 and leads the team in ERA at 1.6 something. They have had so many injuries I am not sure who would be 3-4-5 at this point. Back end of the bullpen is solid.

UTT takes 2-3 from Centenary. A player from Centenary sent me a text saying they played like crax and thought they should have beat UTT. (FWIW what player does NOT think this?) The team is split on who they think is better UTT vs TU. They think TU's number 1 is better, 1-9 they are better and UTT's no 2-3 pitchers are better. From the "put that in your pipe and smoke it" department.

Fun time of year.

Not quite the same take I got from one of the Gents players and a couple of the parents....

[108 Stitches]

I am really looking forward to Crashes top 6 list tomorrow. Going to be interesting for some bubble teams. I am really interested in the regional rankings when they come out.

Great time of year.

[CrashDavisD3]

CDD3 TOP 6 for the Regional 4-8-2013

1-Cal Lutheran 22-6-1 **** 15-1 last 16 games
2-Linfield 22-5-1         **** 2 losses in past 4 games
3-Texas-Tyler 25-8      *** Beat Centenary 2 of 3
4-Texas-Lutheran 25-8 * 11-1 in Conference Games
5-Pomona-Pitzer 22-7   * Next 3 games with Linfield
6-Trinity-Texas 26-7    ** Lost 4 games to Centenary * Lost to 6-14 Rockford  Needs to play top ASC Teams some year

On the Bubble
George Fox 20-8    Still has 3 games with Linfield

What has happen
Chapman 12-17  Chapman has 10 SCIAC games left to get into the SCIAC tournament....Team averages 4.3 runs scored per game but gives up 5.0 runs per game. 2-9 in last 11 games. Team ERA 4.15. Opponents ERA 3.38. Trouble in the OC.

[ILVBB]

Crash - Your point that Trinity "needs to play top ASC teams some year" is both valid and very difficult. With the addition of Schreiner and TLU to the SCAC next year Trinity will be eliminating the two closest teams that were previously non-conference west region games. Schreiner and TLU account for 4 or 11 midweek games for the past few years. The number of options for mid-week games will become an issue. This year they are doing a home/home with Concordia (1.5 hour drive - 1 way) and a home/home with Mary Hardin Baylor (3.5 hour drive -1 way) and a single game Hardin Simmons (nearly 4 hour drive). Next year they may need to start looking at overnight trips to get in mid-week games. ASC east teams are all at least a 5-6 hour drive and some are as much as 12 hours. That leaves the only other ASC west teams Howard Payne and Sul Ross which is a 10-hour drive (a little tough for a midweek game).

The only thing that will makes sense for the new SCAC is to change how some of their conference games are scheduled so that the start playing midweek conference games. Also, they will need to get other teams to come to SA for their spring breaks.

[playball]

Wow, the SCIAC has really done a number on Chapman since they moved in to the league hasn't it!

[TexasBB]

I would love to see UTT play TU but agree that distance between the two schools limit that to a non-conference weekend. UTT had one of those this past weekend when it played Centennary but in the past those weekends did not exist except for "pre-conference" season in February. San Antonio in February has much better weather than Tyler, so possibly TU could host a tournament and invite some of the traditional West regional powers to it. (Assuming they have the budget).  That would be competing with Arizona though. A bus ride to Arizona (Phoenix) is about 1,200 miles from Tyler and probably too far for UTT. However a bus trip to San Antonio (6 hours) can be done. A compromise point between LA and Tyler would be El Paso, TX which is in range so that city is another possible host for a tournament but is not attractive from a baseball perspective as Phoenix.

[Whatagame]

Just hunted down an update from Tacoma, George Fox just won the suspended-from-Saturday-by-darkness/rain Game 2 over Puget Sound.  Postponed Game 3 in-progress now, but no update yet.  G. Fox now 1/2 back in NWC standings, and with another win today, they are tied with Linfield.

[CrashDavisD3]

I would love to see UTT play TU but agree that distance between the two schools limit that to a non-conference weekend. UTT had one of those this past weekend when it played Centennary but in the past those weekends did not exist except for "pre-conference" season in February. San Antonio in February has much better weather than Tyler, so possibly TU could host a tournament and invite some of the traditional West regional powers to it. (Assuming they have the budget).  That would be competing with Arizona though. A bus ride to Arizona (Phoenix) is about 1,200 miles from Tyler and probably too far for UTT. However a bus trip to San Antonio (6 hours) can be done. A compromise point between LA and Tyler would be El Paso, TX which is in range so that city is another possible host for a tournament but is not attractive from a baseball perspective as Phoenix.

Some good idea's to get some games between SCAC and ASC....Neutral site may be the best with 4 teams. 2 from SCAC and 2 from ASC playing.