2014 West Regional - McMinnville, OR

[CrashDavisD3]

 Chapman played Trinity-Texas, Texas Lutheran, Kean, and Cal Lutheran and their SOS still sucked. Losses to below .500 team don't help but neither does winning 30 games

[ILVBB]

Crash; it is not just losses, it is just playing sub-.500 teams. More than half of the SCIAC had a sub .500 record. This mathematically discounts the SOS for the top teams. This is true in the ASC and SCAC which is made worse by the fact that most of each conferences non-conference games are ASC/SCAC gamed which compounds the problem.

[SoCalSoxFan]

Really looking forward to seeing some of the other programs in McMinnville.

SoCalSox fan looking forward to seeing you again in McMinnville, hopefully in game 2!

Congrats on getting to Regionals again, hope we face each other game 2 also!
Safe travels.

[dp643]

What are we talking about here in the west? 3 possible fringe teams in Chapman, GFU, and CTX? The system may or may not be flawed, but all 3 of these teams you can just as easily make a case against as you can for.

[108 Stitches]

....and the same discussion will be happening for D1 ball in a few weeks.

[CrashDavisD3]

Some of my favorite places from my 2 trips to McMinnville, OR

Love the dog who goes everywhere in this place
http://www.panthercreekcellars.com/

A place for some good food and cool beverages.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/golden-valley-brewery-and-pub-mcminnville

A great place to pick up food after a late night game....Took a lot of players here every night to this place. A real hole in the wall and cheap
http://www.yelp.com/biz/muchas-gracias-mcminnville

A real monkey in the cage. Is he still there?
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/alfs-ice-cream-and-burgers-mcminnville?select=5ST1QFvIZMEuwyHbZYKUzA#6eMK0--Xfpu3AwHQ-VY7sw

[Westside]

To piggyback off of Crash, the brewer from Golden Valley left and started his own place that is really cool and worth checking out (I think that is what happened). Probably the place I would reccomend most to get a drink, eat some food or watch a game.

http://www.grainstation.com/

[Teddy_Ballgame]

What are we talking about here in the west? 3 possible fringe teams in Chapman, GFU, and CTX? The system may or may not be flawed, but all 3 of these teams you can just as easily make a case against as you can for.

That's true. I think it's more the issue that, in the eyes of the NCAA, the OAC and the entire West region deserve the same amount of regional bids. That's outrageous. The South and the Mideast each got 3 pool C's and a pool B, while the West didn't get any. And, incredibly, there were two other regions with 0 at-large bids. Was it a down year for the West? Probably. But I just can't see how you justify this outcome.

Anyway, I've got all my b*tching and moaning out. Looking forward to the weekend- I think we can all agree that the teams that are in the regional are quality programs and we should expect some good baseball. I'll be rooting for the SCIAC! (don't make me get more specific- old grudges die hard  )

[BigPoppa]

If NWC has a tourney and someone other than Linfield were to have won can we assume there would then have been two teams making it? How can they leave a top 10 team out!

Top Ten according to whom? The opinion of the NCAA Committee is the only one that maters.

[tigerfan_2001]

If NWC has a tourney and someone other than Linfield were to have won can we assume there would then have been two teams making it? How can they leave a top 10 team out!

Top Ten according to whom? The opinion of the NCAA Committee is the only one that maters.

I think he was calling Linfield a top 10 team, since they would have gone Pool C.

[BigPoppa]

If NWC has a tourney and someone other than Linfield were to have won can we assume there would then have been two teams making it? How can they leave a top 10 team out!

Top Ten according to whom? The opinion of the NCAA Committee is the only one that maters.

I think he was calling Linfield a top 10 team, since they would have gone Pool C.

Makes sense... If the NWC had a tourney and Linfield did not win it, Linfield would still have earned a Pool C bid and the NWC would have had two bids.

When looking at conferences with multiple bids, I think they are all those with conference tourneys. The few I know that do not have a conference tourney were all single bid conferences.

[dp643]

I am going to start off the first round of games picking Trinity, Cal Lutheran, and Linfield. Looking on paper it appears Trinity is the only pick to worry about on paper, but even that is a stretch.

[CrashDavisD3]

I will take Linfield, Cal Lu and UW-SP in Day 1 games.

Great baseball weather in Oregon today. Reminds of 2009. I miss watching baseball games with great weather in Oregon.

http://www.weather.com/weather/today/McMinnville+OR+USOR0213:1:US

[CrashDavisD3]

I will take Linfield, Cal Lu and UW-SP in Day 1 games.

Great baseball weather in Oregon today. Reminds of 2009. I miss watching baseball games with great weather in Oregon.

Linfield has a beautiful campus and baseball stadium

http://www.weather.com/weather/today/McMinnville+OR+USOR0213:1:U

[ludawg6]

Long time reader, two time poster... I am back in the mix to support the Graple any way I can. It's great to be able to watch the alma mater play in meaningful games, before the 2009 tourney in Oregon, it had been 18 years since I had seen a meaningful game, and not much seeing because I caught the final out in that game – May 4th, 1991 – back in a time when the "Kingsmen Surprise" was in play, the Slim-mobile was the preferred mode of transportation, and Van Wars on the 118 to the 210 to the 10 were a road trip must – but I digress, now just a short 5 years later to watch some meaningful baseball is good for me... making the 3 ½ hour trip tomorrow from Puyallup to make the game (hopefully a win), driving back after and to do it all over again Thursday and hopefully Friday – gonna log some serious miles – hopefully we are still playing Saturday – will make it all worthwhile... and lucky me, I won't get accosted by Chapman fans for walking my kids to the bathroom...

On to the task at hand – my prediction - Linfield, Cal-Lu, Trinity.... I am really hoping to see that Cal-Lu/Trinity rematch... Last year, watched it from work (while not supposed to) and it was a classic... things I noticed from last year was the depth of pitching the Trinity had, used like 12 different pitchers in the tourney??? And I don't think they went to their ace from game one the rest of the tourney... Cal-Lu had the hitting depth but the pitching was in questions – this year, it is the opposite... ain't nothing better than college baseball!!!

I will be sporting the Graple jersey, hat (now old school), and spitting seeds (hopefully reliving some of the past with DC) – and watch out, if we make it to Friday evening, my daughters will be sporting the "authentic, game worn" graple jerseys – yep, they will be taken out of school eeeaaarrrlllyyy to make the trip...

One last point of note – CLU Coaching Legacies –
---1989 CLU Assistant Coach – Lindsay Meggs – University of Washington Head Coach – ranked as high as 5th in the nation now and 2 time D-2 World Series Winner at Chico State. Founder of the moniker "LuDawgs"
---1989 CLU Assistant Coach – Dave Taylor – Chico State University Head Coach – Currently Ranked #6 in Division 2; two time D-2 World Series winner (with Meggs) –
---1990-93 CLU Assistant Coach – Marty Slimak – well, we all know about Slim...
---1988-93 CLU Head Coach – Rich Hill – the ring leader – current Head Coach at University of San Diego – Numerous WCC titles...
Just imagine – UW, Chico State, and CLU national titles this year – ESPN should do a 30 on 30 special about that!!!

See y'all tomorrow!!!

LuDawg6