BB: NCAC: North Coast Athletic Conference

Started by woosterbooster, December 29, 2005, 03:10:56 PM

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woosterbooster

Quote from: imderekpoe on April 25, 2006, 10:32:41 PM
Quote from: David Collinge on April 25, 2006, 06:09:38 PM
NCAC tournament play begins this weekend:
#2 (West) Wittenberg (22-14, 10-6) at #1 (East) Wooster (33-5, 15-1)
#2 (East) Kenyon (25-11, 10-6) at #1 (West) Ohio Wesleyan (24-11, 13-3)

Finals at Springfield next Thursday and Friday.
Does anyone know the game times in Springfield next week?

The Wittenberg website still has the game times listed as TBA.  This whole thing still tee's me off, the fact that Wittenberg gets to host the finals.  The two likely finalists are Wooster and Ohio Wesleyan.  Both would have to make a drive southwest to play at a field that's not at all centrally located.  If I remember correctly, when this happened two years ago, some of Wooster's players were forced to take private transportation down there because either Thursday or Friday (or both) are exam days at Wooster and they couldn't finish in time to make the team bus.  Then Wittenberg's players, who were supposed to be professionally working the event, decided to sit in the stands and loudly and profanely heckle Coach Pettorini.  And, should Wittenberg happen to get in, why should they get home field advantage?

Bad enough we have to deal with them here in Wooster this weekend but to be forced to do so again next week is simply wrong.

BASH6-4-3

David Collinge

North, South, East, West -  The SCAC is geographically challenged and I transposed my directions.  Sorry I got your panties in a bunch. I'd think with nearly 2500 posts to your credit you would be above dressing down a junior varsity poster.  Funny post but I'm a little more interested in people's thoughts about baseball and the NCAC.
"This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray.  It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.  Oh...people will come Ray." - Field of Dreams, 1989

BASH6-4-3

My beloved Little Giants finished their season last night with an 8-4 loss to Franklin.  They finish 17-21 (7-9 NCAC).  Once again their season ends before May, they lose the season series with local rivals DePauw, Franklin and Rose Hulman and other than beating on weak sister Earlham they perform below average against the conference rivals.
I guess I'm becoming a Cubs fan of sorts as each spring my mind wanders with optimism for a Wabash Baseball winning record and even a post-season only to be disappointed by another sub-.500 season.  Maybe next year.
"This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray.  It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.  Oh...people will come Ray." - Field of Dreams, 1989

David Collinge

Quote from: BASH6-4-3 on April 27, 2006, 10:27:03 AM
David Collinge

North, South, East, West -  The SCAC is geographically challenged and I transposed my directions.  Sorry I got your panties in a bunch. I'd think with nearly 2500 posts to your credit you would be above dressing down a junior varsity poster.  Funny post but I'm a little more interested in people's thoughts about baseball and the NCAC.

Dressing down?   :-[  I'm sorry you took it that way.  On the contrary, I take for granted that what you post is both correct and insightful, because it always is.  I was making fun of the SCAC.  I thought it was funny that the SCAC would have their East and West so far out of whack.  It never occurred to me that you might have transposed the directions (something, BTW, I do all the time myself).  I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.

I too am interested in people's thoughts about baseball and the NCAC, including and especially yours, 6-4-3.   I personally have very little insight into the subject, being a couple thousand miles away.  Generally I am a lurker in here (men's hoops is my thing), but since the conversation had slowed down, I thought I'd give it a little goose.  Now I'll just fade back into the woodwork.

BASH6-4-3

DC

Guess I was a bit too quick with the retaliation chin music. In basketball vernacular - no harm, no foul.
"This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray.  It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.  Oh...people will come Ray." - Field of Dreams, 1989

Li'l Giant

DC:

Nice quote and pic, by the way.
"I believe in God and I believe I'm gonna go to Heaven, but if something goes wrong and I end up in Hell, I know it's gonna be me and a bunch of D3 officials."---Erik Raeburn

Quote from: sigma one on October 11, 2015, 10:46:46 AMI don't drink with the enemy, and I don't drink lattes at all, with anyone.

David Collinge

NCAC semifinals:

Ohio Wesleyan advances to the NCAC championship series with a sweep of Kenyon, 12-5 and 8-0.  The Bishops will face the winner of the Wittenberg/Wooster series, which is tied at 1-1.  Wittenberg upset the top-ranked Scots 8-7 in the opener, but Wooster came back for a 5-0 season-saving win in the nightcap.  The Scots and Tigers square off tomorrow at noon to determine the other finalist.

imderekpoe

The ninth inning in the first game was one of the worst innings of baseball that I've ever seen, with a couple of strange plays thrown in to mix things up.

First, with the Scots up 3, the Tigers get the first two on - one via a single and another on the Scots 1st error of the inning.  Next, I guess to stay out of a possible double-play, Witt sacrifices the runners to 2nd and 3rd.  I'm thinking - great!  Those runs don't mean anything, take the out if they're going to give it.  When the next guy K's, it seems like the game's in the bag.  The Scots bring in Katich to close it out, but he promptly gives up a single to left.  Still not a big deal, until Sankal throws home instead of making sure that they tying run stays on first.  2 more errors, a wild pitch, and a single later the Tigers are 1 game away from winning the series.

Thanks to a great outing from Adam Samson, some timely hitting, and ZERO errors the Scots won the 2nd game and force the deciding game tomorrow.  The Scots should have the advantage with a deeper pitching staff (Witt's 3rd starter has a 5+ ERA), but the Scots have to catch the ball if they're going to win. 

Kurt Kapferer got hits in both games today to extend his hitting streak to 28 games - a new school record!

Boesinger only got hit once today - albeit with the bases loaded in the 8th in game 2 - to up his season total to 25.  His On Base Pct is now .590 (the Scots season record is .543 by Dan Penberthy in 2001.)

Go Scots!


woosterbooster

#188
Derek -

Amen on the worst inning of baseball.  That decision to throw home on the single to left was the catalyst, and although Sankal needs to shoulder a lot of the blame for it, it was a team-wide breakdown.  Everyone in his vicinity (shortstop, third baseman, center fielder) should have been yelling "Second, second base", and prior to the play the coaching staff should have gotten word what to do with the ball on a base hit.  It sure seems like they didn't.

Had that throw gone to second, the Scots would still have gotten a force at second on the ensuing ground ball, the one that Quinby booted.

I also heartily disagreed with the decision to remove Ryan Mullins after he faced only one batter, whom he struck out.  Mullins has been slowly coming around, and pitched two very solid innings up at Kent State on Wednesday.  Yesterday, he was brought in to face a lefty.  Wittenberg promptly pinch hit with a righty; Mullins k'd him anyway.  Coach Pettorini then yanked him, apparently looking to go righty/righty with Katich, but every time you bring in a new pitcher, there's the danger that something will go wrong.  And Katich has been nothing if not erratic this season.

Kapferer's hitting streak not only broke Russ Miller's team record of 27 games, but that was also the NCAC record.  Congrats to Kurt!  The DIII record, though, is still very safe.  Damian Costantina of Salva Regina (??) hit in 60 straight between April 4, 2001 and March 10, 2003.

The Wooster radio station, during their broadcast of yesterday's double header, mentioned a few times that a Wooster loss would end their season, that they couldn't see how Wooster would get a Pool C berth if they didn't at least make the league finals.

I disagree.  I can hardly see how Wooster could be left out, what with 14 available Pool C bids compared to last year's 3.  Surely at least one would be given to the Mideast, and I don't see anyone within range of Wooster's record or national ranking.  It would sure be nice to see those regional rankings...

imderekpoe

Quote from: Wooster Booster on April 30, 2006, 08:18:47 AM
That decision to throw home on the single to left was the catalyst, and although Sankal needs to shoulder a lot of the blame for it, it was a team-wide breakdown.  Everyone in his vicinity (shortstop, third baseman, center fielder) should have been yelling "Second, second base", and prior to the play the coaching staff should have gotten word what to do with the ball on a base hit.  It sure seems like they didn't.

Had that throw gone to second, the Scots would still have gotten a force at second on the ensuing ground ball, the one that Quinby booted.


Agreed - I'm not sure where everyone's head was on that play, but it was a total breakdown.  One of the odd things was that my dad and I were trying to figure out why Witt sacrificed two runner into scoring position when they were down 3.  But without the sac, maybe Sankal doesn't try to throw home, and as you say, Quinby's boot still results in the easy force at second.

I was also trying to figure the radio guy's logic in stating that the Scots needed to win this weekend to get a NCAA berth.  It would seem to me that they're pretty close to a lock.  But let's hope that they win today and next week and take any deciions like that out of the equation.

Go Scots!

woosterbooster

Derek -

Yep, I agree on Witt's bunting decision also.  And it certainly looked like it was a sacrifice, not that he was bunting for a hit.  He really squared around, made sure he got the ball down before leaving the box, etc.  It was a very good bunt, but just tactically the wrong time to do it.

Let's hope that the Wooster bats really break loose today, that they play defense like they did in yesterday's game two (Barone was exceptional, handling lots of chances flawlessly), and that Coach Pettorini won't be sending anymore runners to their death at home plate with nobody out...  ???

David Collinge

Wooster overcomes another fistful of errors (3, 4, or 5; all three figures cited in the postgame comments of the radio guys) to defeat Wittenberg 13-3 and advance to the title series.  OWU will take on the Scots on Thursday at Springfield, time and number of games TBA.

BASH6-4-3

You guys have questioned Wooster's defensive play from the first of the season.  From the description of the game 1 collapse against Witt, the problem has not corrected itself after 41 games and is now an identity and not a trend.  There are physical errors and mental errors and throwing to home with the tying run on first is a big mental error.  I know I said earlier in a post that with repetition, these things will work themselves out by May and the Scots will be fine but now I question my position.  I'm afraid  with better competition and closer games this problem will most likely be their demise in the regionals (if not this weekend - but these games are really meaningless for Wooster in as much as making it to the next round).

Having not seen this team in person this season, I went to the Wooster website and saw 2 glaring season stats.  First, the bulk of the errors are really attributed to 2 players (Enos & Quimby) and both these guys are freshman.  They have both been very productive at the plate and thus warrant the playing time.  In short, welcome to the rest of DIII where talented frosh start but make a lot of mistakes in the field that cost the rest of us games. (By the way Wabash started frosh at SS & 2B = below .500)

Second stat is the unbelievable offensive numbers put up by this Scots team.  I believe you when you say that there are no weaknesses 1-8 in the lineup.  Can you continue to outhit your opponents to victory in the post-season?  History would suggest that pitching and defense will prevail, but this team sure can hit and I'm curious to see how well they hit in the coming weeks.
"This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray.  It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again.  Oh...people will come Ray." - Field of Dreams, 1989

woosterbooster

Quote from: BASH6-4-3 on April 30, 2006, 08:45:53 PMFirst, the bulk of the errors are really attributed to 2 players (Enos & Quimby) and both these guys are freshman.

Yep, Enos and Quimby are the two biggest culprits.  Enos made 4 errors in today's game, the second time this season that he's done so, tying his own record.  I guess there's a positive way of looking at that, meaning that if you were to throw out those two games he'd be fielding .897 instead of .840.  He's made some really nice plays on balls to either side of him, but has trouble when the ball is hit right at him and he can't control the hop.  Personally, I think he plays too deep.

Quimby looks like a better fielder than his numbers indicate.  He's fielding .904 with 16 errors, but has also made some nice plays out there.  And, just like his predecessor at short, DIII Player of the Year Luke Ullman, who only fielded .894 with 15 errors, Quimby hits more than enough to keep himself in the lineup. 

Quote from: BASH6-4-3 on April 30, 2006, 08:45:53 PMCan you continue to outhit your opponents to victory in the post-season?  History would suggest that pitching and defense will prevail, but this team sure can hit and I'm curious to see how well they hit in the coming weeks.

That is the big question.  Even as the competition improves, there will be few, if any, teams that can outhit and outslug Wooster.  And the Scots's pitching is possibly good enough win it all, as guys like Adam Sampson, Ryan Mullins, and Anthony Trappazzano have been throwing the ball well lately, indicating that they will give number one starter John Oliver some help.

But if the defense doesn't hold up, neither will the pitching, and it's unlikely that the offense can carry the whole load.  It's time to break out the gloves, and by the way to improve the baserunning decisions, both by the runners and the coaches.

woosterbooster

Here is a link to the Mideast Regional webpage at Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute:

http://www.rose-hulman.edu/sports/baseball/06regional/