Interesting note, the NCAC went 6-0 against out of conference opponents in this regional. Hopefully, this goes a long way with the selection committee in the future. There may be some laggards at the bottom of the conference that drag the strength of schedule down, but the top of the conference is always strong.
Thanks for the comment.
Past conference performance is not a criterion for the selection. However, as one looks at the criteria, the committee probably looks at the non-conference record very closely to see how a team performed against regionally ranked (especially) non-conference teams. What a NCAC team does with the other 22 games on the regular season schedule is critical to building the case to be selected as a Pool C.
The fields are becoming more balanced every year. A comment was made about the #8 seeds going 0-8. The scores in the first round (#1 v #8) were 15-1; 5-4;
4-2 (Wabash v Wooster); 9-0; 6-4. There were 2 blowouts with #1 v #8. My guess is that the blowouts were by # 1 pitching aces.
In the elimination round, where #8 was playing a #4 or a #5, the #8's lost by 4-1; 3-2; 4-3 and 8-6. None of those were blowouts and we can assume the both teams used #2 pitchers
The field is just incredibly balanced and reputation does not carry a team very far. In the West Regional final game, Texas Lutheran was the #3 SCAC conference seed and the #4 Regional Seed. Willamette was the Northwest Conference #3 seed and the #6 regional seed in a 6-team bracket. In the Central, UT-Tyler was a #4 ASC conference seed and #3 Central Region seed and defeated Rhodes a #2 SAA seed and a #4 Central Regional seed.
Going to Wisconsin are #1's Wooster, Concordia-Chicago and Randolph-Macon, #2 Oswego, #3 UT-Tyler, #4 Texas Lutheran and #5 Misericordia.
