BB: SCAC: Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference

Started by Ralph Turner, January 04, 2006, 11:16:50 AM

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CAK72B

Trinity is in a pretty good spot next year. Replacing Tindall, Speer, and Rape in the rotation is the main issue as Gray and Walker are really the only ones who have seen significant time starting games. Also replacing Griffith in the pen since Turner is the only one with a big sample size of experience there as well. Every starter from this WS team comes back which is something that will be their biggest strength next year and will all of them being seniors...(literally all 9 of them). They will easily be the favorite to win the West Region next year.

Jim Dixon

Quote from: CAK72B on May 27, 2015, 02:26:51 AM
Trinity is in a pretty good spot next year. Replacing Tindall, Speer, and Rape in the rotation is the main issue as Gray and Walker are really the only ones who have seen significant time starting games. Also replacing Griffith in the pen since Turner is the only one with a big sample size of experience there as well. Every starter from this WS team comes back which is something that will be their biggest strength next year and will all of them being seniors...(literally all 9 of them). They will easily be the favorite to win the West Region next year.

Freimuth was a diamond with few innings before transferring.  It is not improbable that there is a pitcher ready to step up with an All-Region/All-American year.

108 Stitches

Trinity is in really good shape for next year, all position starters are back, plus some really really good young guys that will fill in should injuries (actually when) they come up.

Pitching will develop during the year but they took a couple of the young guys to the CWS and got them some innings which is huge when they get to conf/regionals/significant games.  There are Freshmen who look really really good but had no chance to get any innings due to the Sr laden pitching staff and there is a lot of talent in the program. There are some potential all american arms that no one has seen yet. Their pitching program is so good (Coach Smith' program is better than a lot of D1 schools IMO)  and they have the depth so they can develop them if a player buys in and puts in the work even if they are not playing a lot.

It will be an interesting team to watch to see if they have the lackadaisical approach as they did early and then it seem like the switch turned on when they lost the conf game and had no choice but to win or go home. Hopefully TLU, Centenary and SWern build on their successful season and will provide serious competition, this team really played up and down to who they were playing.  Having the ASC have so many conf games is a problem. Hopefully they can get some more Millsaps, Hendrix games in like they did two years ago. Also the Chapman series What happened there?

There are some excellent teams in the West and it is more than presumptuous to be crowning anyone a favorite when the season just ended.

Bmo

Looking at some early schedules, it looks like there will be a pretty good slate of DIII baseball happening in Texas on the 2nd week of February.  The upper crust of the SAA, NWC, SCIAC, ASC, and SCAC will all participate in tournaments in Tyler, Central Texas, and DFW.  In no particular order, looks like Chapman, Emory, Birmingham Southern, Rhodes, George Fox, Whitworth, Hendrix, Pomona, Cal Lutheran, and Centenary make the trek to Texas from out of state.

Really hoping the weather holds and this starts a precedent.  Lots of high quality match-ups between highly ranked West and South region team. 

Ralph Turner

Congrats to UDallas on winning the Sul Ross series. The Crusaders took Sunday's game, 11-10 to get the best 2-of-3.

108 Stitches

SCAC media day(s) interviews of coaches are here if anyone wants insight into some of the programs.

http://scacsports.com/news/scac_spring_media_days_16


108 Stitches

See that Trinity dropped their opener in a tight ballgame with Birmingham Southern. Loved Coach Scannell's comments on the game. Deja vu all over again from last year?

"It was a tight ball game," said Head Coach Tim Scannell. "We were mentally not prepared to play live competition. Our guys were probably a little too focused on what they did last year and did not understand it's a whole new year. We didn't pitch very well and we hit poorly. They hopefully understand that what someone says about you doesn't necessarily make you a good team. You have to earn it. They will have to understand that although they were good last year, it's a whole new year."

108 Stitches

Interesting opening week for SCAC teams. It is still way early, but a couple of observations.

Centenary seems like they are the real deal this year again. They took Trinity to the final game of the SCAC Championships and it looks like they have not missed a beat. They started earlier than some of the other teams and are 6-1, loosing only to No 7 BS. They should get some votes in the the top 25 ballots.

TLU beat No. 7 BS, so even with only three games played they have shown they can play with the best.

Not sure what to make of SWestern at 1-6, but they traveled to the South Region and played some quality teams.

Trinity went 2 of 3 loosing a close game to No 7 BS. They will overpower a lot of teams offensively, but their long term fate rests in the hands of how their pitching staff develops during the year. They are a regional team, but not sure about pitching getting them through to the CWS again this year.

Dallas looks bad as does Austin.

Weekend predictions (don't have time to look at mid week games)

Texas Dallas @ Trinity TU takes 2 of 3
Austin @ SW NM     Who knows, who cares
HSU @ TLU      TLU takes 2 of 3
UofD @ LeT        Splits 1 - 1
Cent @ SWestern   Early match up to see what both teams are made of SW is tough at home but Cent takes 2 of 3.

Good to be talking baseball again.





Jack Parkman

Quote from: 108 Stitches on February 15, 2016, 09:46:20 PM
Interesting opening week for SCAC teams. It is still way early, but a couple of observations.

Centenary seems like they are the real deal this year again. They took Trinity to the final game of the SCAC Championships and it looks like they have not missed a beat. They started earlier than some of the other teams and are 6-1, loosing only to No 7 BS. They should get some votes in the the top 25 ballots.

TLU beat No. 7 BS, so even with only three games played they have shown they can play with the best.

Not sure what to make of SWestern at 1-6, but they traveled to the South Region and played some quality teams.

Trinity went 2 of 3 loosing a close game to No 7 BS. They will overpower a lot of teams offensively, but their long term fate rests in the hands of how their pitching staff develops during the year. They are a regional team, but not sure about pitching getting them through to the CWS again this year.

Dallas looks bad as does Austin.

Weekend predictions (don't have time to look at mid week games)

Texas Dallas @ Trinity TU takes 2 of 3
Austin @ SW NM     Who knows, who cares
HSU @ TLU      TLU takes 2 of 3
UofD @ LeT        Splits 1 - 1
Cent @ SWestern   Early match up to see what both teams are made of SW is tough at home but Cent takes 2 of 3.

Good to be talking baseball again.

I saw UTD play 2 games this past weekend and this series will be pretty interesting.  UTD has a very fast lineup and they are very patient at the dish and get the pitch they want and they punish it.  I know Trinity has a very good #1 but I don't know much about their pitching after that.  I think this should be a pretty good series.

Bishopleftiesdad

#3414
I am very familiar with their Assistant coach, Sean West. What you describe of the hitters at UTD was very similar to the approach while he was at Denison. He recruited my son to pitch for the Settlers, in the Great Lakes League.
They have a good one, in West. I am not sure why Denison, did not renew him. New coach wanted his guys I guess. I believe UTD has a good guy there and hope they hold onto him. At least until he gets an opportunity to be a head coach some where.

infielddad

#3415
Quote from: Jack Parkman on February 16, 2016, 11:01:25 AM
Quote from: 108 Stitches on February 15, 2016, 09:46:20 PM
Interesting opening week for SCAC teams. It is still way early, but a couple of observations.

Centenary seems like they are the real deal this year again. They took Trinity to the final game of the SCAC Championships and it looks like they have not missed a beat. They started earlier than some of the other teams and are 6-1, loosing only to No 7 BS. They should get some votes in the the top 25 ballots.

TLU beat No. 7 BS, so even with only three games played they have shown they can play with the best.

Not sure what to make of SWestern at 1-6, but they traveled to the South Region and played some quality teams.

Trinity went 2 of 3 loosing a close game to No 7 BS. They will overpower a lot of teams offensively, but their long term fate rests in the hands of how their pitching staff develops during the year. They are a regional team, but not sure about pitching getting them through to the CWS again this year.

Dallas looks bad as does Austin.

Weekend predictions (don't have time to look at mid week games)

Texas Dallas @ Trinity TU takes 2 of 3
Austin @ SW NM     Who knows, who cares
HSU @ TLU      TLU takes 2 of 3
UofD @ LeT        Splits 1 - 1
Cent @ SWestern   Early match up to see what both teams are made of SW is tough at home but Cent takes 2 of 3.

Good to be talking baseball again.

I saw UTD play 2 games this past weekend and this series will be pretty interesting.  UTD has a very fast lineup and they are very patient at the dish and get the pitch they want and they punish it.  I know Trinity has a very good #1 but I don't know much about their pitching after that.  I think this should be a pretty good series.

The Trinity-UT Dallas game was played at very high intensity level. Clearly, Trinity is the big target this year and it isn't completely clear if they have adjusted to that mindset. With that said, they can be really good, offensively.  As good as UT Dallas is, the ball has a very different sound coming off the TU bats, for the most part. They are powerful, athletic and with good speed 1-9 in the line up
The HR was one of the longest anyone could remember clearing the oaks beyond the left field fence.
This team has a ways to go and cannot be giving up free base runners at the clip the pitching is doing so far. Tate was really good though and Gray was darn tough in keeping runners he put on going station to station, only.
Had a fun night being back for the first time in many years with our son.  Threw out the first ball with him.
Let's just say I kept it "down" in the zone!

108 Stitches

Awesome IFD. Congrats to you and your son.  I watched some of the game on the video feed and thought the same thing. I have to admit it totally boggles my mind why a program like Trinity can not get a video announcer, particularly on opening day after going to the CWS. They had the same thing last year and had some excuses why they lost one at the last minute. This is a shame.

It looks like Tate is emerging as one of the new pitchers that will have to develop during the year. My son also made the trek down to SA from Austin at the last minute. We were talking about the teams and he thought he needed to be there so he packed up and left and was at the game also.

Trinity's fate this year will be how their pitching develops, as well as keeping up the intensity and not reliving last year. Enjoy the weekend in SA! (+ have a Margarita for me at La Fonda!)

108 Stitches

Trinity swept a very good UTD team, although it sometimes was not pretty. A couple of new pitchers are emerging, which is a good thing, but a 4.59 ERA is not going to get it done. Trinity's offense will carry them for awhile but again this team's long term success will be how the pitching staff develops. Look what happened to CLU a couple of years back when they came into the regional with the leading offense in D3 ball. If I recall they were a one -two- BBQ. I just read their summary and coach Scannell summed it up pretty well.

"UTD is a really good team," said Head Coach Tim Scannell. "They are senior-laden like we are, so you saw two teams really fight and compete. I think the difference came down to the fact we had some big home runs that gave us a lead in games, and allowed us to make some pitching changes. Baseball always runs through pitching. Unless we clean it up and pound the zone, we are going to have a long year. We have to get way better on the mound. Games are taking forever, and we are losing the tempo of the game. It seems like we are getting to a 3-2 count on every batter. The guys who had success, Nelson, Tate, and Hoffman...those guys pound the zone early and the game takes on a rhythm where we can make defensive plays. We swung the bats all weekend. I thought Wolf was huge. I thought he found his swing, and he is a great player. Without Wolf, we don't go anywhere, so I was proud of his swings."

Jack Parkman

Quote from: 108 Stitches on February 21, 2016, 11:25:27 AM
Look what happened to CLU a couple of years back when they came into the regional with the leading offense in D3 ball. If I recall they were a one -two- BBQ.


I think you are talking about 2013 and you are right, they got shut down pretty good.  Scoring 5 runs in 3 games isn't going to win a lot of games.

Bmo

#3419
Got to watch a little of the live stream from yesterday's 2nd TU-UTD game.  If you're so inclined, check out the play by the Trinity shortstop at about the 33:30 mark from that game.  You don't see that very often at this level..