BB: Pool C

[say hey]

It has been dfficult to get So Cal schools to the Northwest.  Menlo travels north every other year, and PLU goes to the Bay Area.  Last year, the Lutes did a set in So Cal against Redland, P-P, Laverne, etc.  I think almost all the games played in 2009 were in region, but it wasn't enough then either.

The flip side of the issue, is that it has still been a great run even without the playoffs.  PLU did well when they won the conference in 2007, and lost a 1-0 decision in the West Region Championship.  Hopefully they will return again soon.

[CrashDavisD3]

It has been dfficult to get So Cal schools to the Northwest.  Menlo travels north every other year, and PLU goes to the Bay Area.  Last year, the Lutes did a set in So Cal against Redland, P-P, Laverne, etc.  I think almost all the games played in 2009 were in region, but it wasn't enough then either.

The flip side of the issue, is that it has still been a great run even without the playoffs.  PLU did well when they won the conference in 2007, and lost a 1-0 decision in the West Region Championship.  Hopefully they will return again soon.

I attended that 1-0 game and it was a amazing game with the tying run and go head runs on base in the 9th. Congrats to 2 great years to PLU..You deserve to be in a regional even if the NCAA flies you to another one like they did with Linfield a few years back.

[RSSmith]

Pool    WIN%     SOS
A     0.75333     0.51889
B     0.74000     0.53000
C     0.71733     0.53933

Basically, if you want to be "safe" for a tournament bid, play every game against a team slightly over .500 and win 70% of your games.

Or live in a region where there are several conferences within a 3 hour drive so you can play teams that will end up just above .500 and are teams that you can beat.

Fans who do not live in the West Region and the deep South or who have never lived in this region do  not understand that we have to play each other just ot get 40 games!

I suppose the Sunbelt teams can do the same thing the Snowbelt teams do--spend a week at a RussMatt event, play 11 games in 8 days against good teams.

[BigPoppa]

Pacific Lutheran's response to being left out is not nearly as scathing to the NCAA as least year's but a nice read nonetheless.
http://www.golutes.com/sports/bsb/2009-10/releases/051710ncaa

[Just Bill]

Pool    WIN%     SOS
A     0.75333     0.51889
B     0.74000     0.53000
C     0.71733     0.53933

Basically, if you want to be "safe" for a tournament bid, play every game against a team slightly over .500 and win 70% of your games.

Or live in a region where there are several conferences within a 3 hour drive so you can play teams that will end up just above .500 and are teams that you can beat.

Fans who do not live in the West Region and the deep South or who have never lived in this region do  not understand that we have to play each other just ot get 40 games!

I suppose the Sunbelt teams can do the same thing the Snowbelt teams do--spend a week at a RussMatt event, play 11 games in 8 days against good teams.

They can, but that's no guarantee. Teams generally have very little control over who they play at those events. A team could get stuck with 11 out-of-region games.

[Ron Boerger]

Pacific Lutheran's response to being left out is not nearly as scathing to the NCAA as least year's but a nice read nonetheless.
http://www.golutes.com/sports/bsb/2009-10/releases/051710ncaa

Meh, 23-10's pretty pedestrian, and .494 SOS / 1-3 against RR teams didn't help, either.     You could even toss in Texas Lutheran (29-13, .494 SOS, 2-4) ahead of them - virtually identical overall record, SOS, and better against ranked teams.   

[Ralph Turner]

Pacific Lutheran's response to being left out is not nearly as scathing to the NCAA as least year's but a nice read nonetheless.
http://www.golutes.com/sports/bsb/2009-10/releases/051710ncaa

I believe that PLU's getting swept by Linfield in the last weekend knocked out their Pool C chances.

If they had lost the Linfield series 2-1, then they would have finished 24-9 (.727), which would have moved them ahead of Marietta in SOS.  On the season, they would have been 2-2 versus Linfield.  They swept the California teams (4-0), which is the outcome that I expected from a Pool C contender.  If they had won the Linfield series, 2-1, then they would have had the Pool A bid.  Even a 2-1 series loss to Linfield would have given PLU an identical 19-5 conference record with Linfield.

[Ralph Turner]

NCAA did charter a plane for UTT and MC today. Charter flew to Tyler airport around noon and then to MS to collect the MC team for the flight to Oregon.

wonder why they didnt go to San Antonio as well....instead of having TU fly out of Austin.

I thought the same thing yesterday. Seems to make sense just to put them all together. If you're going to do two teams, why not all three?

Because that may affect the size and cost of the airplane available.

Just how many players on the UTT and MC teams made the charter?

Did other coaches/personnel fly commercial?

[golden_dome]

NCAA did charter a plane for UTT and MC today. Charter flew to Tyler airport around noon and then to MS to collect the MC team for the flight to Oregon.

wonder why they didnt go to San Antonio as well....instead of having TU fly out of Austin.

I thought the same thing yesterday. Seems to make sense just to put them all together. If you're going to do two teams, why not all three?

Because that may affect the size and cost of the airplane available.

Just how many players on the UTT and MC teams made the charter?

Did other coaches/personnel fly commercial?

The charter was a 56-passenger plane, two short of the combined teams' 29-person traveling parties that the NCAA covers. MC had a couple of assistant coaches fly over early today but we were fortunate to have the entire team in Oregon yesterday by 5:30 local time after about a 4-hour direct flight. I'm sure the trip seemed short after a 10-hour bus ride to TLU last week.

I have no idea what Trinity's situation was, but flights were hard to find in this area.

[say hey]

Fair enough, Ralph.  In the last two years the Lutes have had their fate in their own hands.

[carthage88fan]

why no love for concordia-illinois

[Ralph Turner]

Day one:

Pool C went 5-10.

[CrashDavisD3]

Fair enough, Ralph.  In the last two years the Lutes have had their fate in their own hands.

Yes despite 2 consecutive great 30 win season they stay home because they did not win games in the end to get them in the playoffs last year to George Fox and this year to Linfield. Great team, great program, great coaches sometimes come up short

[CrashDavisD3]

Day one:

Pool C went 5-10.

The record reflects why a Pool C team is a Pool C. A second chance at the Pool A/B teams. BUT there always a few Pool C teams that rise up and get to Appleton along with Pool B's in past years. We will see who will emerge from Pool C and get to Appleton.

[wildcat11]

Fair enough, Ralph.  In the last two years the Lutes have had their fate in their own hands.

Yes despite 2 consecutive great 30 win season they stay home because they did not win games in the end to get them in the playoffs last year to George Fox and this year to Linfield. Great team, great program, great coaches sometimes come up short

Agreed...They had control of their destiny and three cracks to put Linfield away and they couldn't close the deal.  They have no room to argue about getting left out.  If Linfield would have lost 2 out of 3 then I would have full expected Linfield to be left out again. 

Best advice....win the auto bid to leave no doubt.