2014 West Regional - McMinnville, OR

Started by Westside, May 07, 2014, 03:09:22 AM

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Westside

Venue:
Roy Helser Field. McMinnville, Oregon.


Teams:
1. Linfield
2. Cal Lutheran
3. Trinity
4. UW-Stevens Point
5. Illinois Wesleyan
6. LeTourneau

Interesting Stats (Top Ten National Rankings):
Linfield: 2.16 ERA (2nd), .976% Fielding (2nd), 9 Shutouts (3rd), 6.7 Hits Allowed Per Game (1st), 1.01 WHIP (1st), 183 Walks (7th)
Trinity: 2.35 ERA (5th), 47 Double Plays Turned (1st), 29 Home Runs (7th), 35 Sac Flies (2nd)
Cal Lutheran: .343 Batting Average (9th), 105 Doubles (2nd), .972% Fielding (5th), 49 Sac Bunts (6th), 505 Hits (2nd), .425 OBP (8th), 368 Runs (5th)




Weather: 8-)
Tuesday: 83 F. Sunny.
Wednesday: 88 F. Sunny.
Thursday: 86 F. Sunny.
Friday: 78 F. Sunny.
Saturday: 70 F. Showers.
Sunday: 66 F. Showers.
NWC Baseball

tigerfan_2001

That would be great weather if it stays like that.

108 Stitches

Thanks for starting this up.

If CTX wins then I think the seedings look like this. If not do the teams compare? CTX/GF/PLU/Chapman. CLU and Trinity could flip flop depending on where the committee puts them. In the end it may not matter too much as they will likely not have CLU play Chapman, and Linfield play a NW at large team. Which would mean a Linfield vs ASC or Chapman, CLU or Trinity vs NW@Large, and CLU or Trinity vs ASC. My prediction is a Linfield vs Chapman, Trinity vs NW@large, CLU vs ASC. I am really curious how the committee compares GF and PLU.

1. Linfield.
2. CLU
3. Trinity
4. ASC Winner
5. Chapman
6. NW @Large


NWBaseballFan10

http://www.linfield.edu/sports/2014mcminnvilleregional.html

Once things get finalized you can use this website to track the games and get additional information for the Regional. Linfield's games have had live stats, audio, and a video feed for almost the whole season so hopefully it does not change now.

In regards to seeding, I'd imagine that the committee will make sure two teams from the same conference do not match up in the first game. Last year they flopped Pomona-Pitzer with Trinity to ensure that P-P did not play Cal Lu in the opener.

108 Stitches

Thanks for the link. I had not seen the NCAA regional rankings and based on them, assuming CTX wins the ASC, which is not guaranteed by any stretch of the imagination, but thinking about it as I type this, even if they don't they are not likely to win an at large bid over PLU so they will likely be:

Linfield vs Chapman
CLU vs PLU
Trinity vs ASC Winner



wildcat11

Quote from: tigerfan_2001 on May 07, 2014, 08:38:33 AM
That would be great weather if it stays like that.

Yeah, one week a lot can change in the Pacific NW but if the weather does hold then you're in for a real treat.

Not that it's a big deal but I wonder how many of these teams pitchers have thrown off a field turf mound before?

Westside

I am trying to think which team you would rather face bewtween PLU and George Fox (assuming one of them gets an at-large bid. PLU is dead last in the NWC in hitting (.246 BA), but their pitching staff is deep and talented. Lubking (2.12 ERA, 111 K) is as good as anyone in the nation, and he could easily hand a team a loss in game one.

George Fox, on the other hand, leads the NWC in hitting. They are 2nd in pitching and fielding. They've got a murderers row (Dixon, Clifford, Rapacz x2) in the middle of the order and they have two legit aces on their pitching staff. The only problem is their staff drops off pretty quick behind these two.

So... I guess, if I were Linfield, Trinity, or Cal Lu, I would prefer to see PLU an out-of-region team!
NWC Baseball

108 Stitches

Regarding the mound, most of the teams have played at McMinnville before, not sure about the individual pitchers, but never heard of it even mentioned before. I would guess the speed of the turf infield takes more time to adjust to than the mound.

Regarding who you play, all regional teams have stud number one pitchers, so it really does not matter too much who you face, other than not wanting to meet Linfield in the first game. :o Solid pitching and defense wins regionals. (plus timely hitting and some lucky bounces) Coaches are more worried about getting their teams ready than who they will be playing.

Hope the weather holds, love the place when it is nice, and hate it when it is not. Bring on global warming for a week.

NWBaseballFan10

Quote from: 108 Stitches on May 07, 2014, 09:34:39 AM

I am really curious how the committee compares GF and PLU.

1. Linfield.
2. CLU
3. Trinity
4. ASC Winner
5. Chapman
6. NW @Large

I agree with this statement. PLU won the season series against Fox (2-1), but PLU was 0-4 against Linfield while Fox went 2-3...That split Fox had last weekend may have been just enough to sneak them ahead of PLU. Beyond this, the team's have pretty similar resumes (PLU is 22-11 and Fox is 23-11 against D3 opponents).

I also think that if someone other than CTX wins the ASC bid than whoever comes out of that conference will end up being the 6 seed in the Regional. Hopefully, things do not go haywire across the country in the other conference tournaments, otherwise it is still a good possibility that a team is shipped in...I hope not though :-\

Westside

Quote from: 108 Stitches on May 07, 2014, 02:00:56 PM
Regarding the mound, most of the teams have played at McMinnville before, not sure about the individual pitchers, but never heard of it even mentioned before. I would guess the speed of the turf infield takes more time to adjust to than the mound.

I think he was talking about Linfield's new, all-Turf mound. When the regional was here last, it was still a dirt mound. I am guessing most Texas and California teams haven't thrown off one since... ya know... it doesn't rain 300 days a year there.
NWC Baseball

108 Stitches

My son's HS had a turf bullpen, that was OK for about a year until the cleats tore it up. Never heard a peep about it being any different.

I have no idea how they will compare PLU vs GF, but at least at this point the NCAA has PLU ranked higher. I am pretty sure one of them will get in given the SoS in the conference and location. Again I don't think ranking will mean much, unless you are the 6th seed as they will split up same conference teams.

I am hoping the at least 5 of those 65 non rainy days are from May 14-18th  ;D

OldCatProf


Gosh, I've got to get out more. I was in Mac during two weeks in April and saw 7 games at Helser Field. I'd have sworn the mound was still dirt while the rest of the infield was field turf. May have to go back up there for the regional to see for sure. Just shows ya the sacrifices I'm willing to make for the Wildcats. ;D
"My only feeling about superstition is that it's unlucky to be behind at the end of the game."
Duffy Daughterty

CrashDavisD3

Quote from: 108 Stitches on May 07, 2014, 06:18:43 PM
My son's HS had a turf bullpen, that was OK for about a year until the cleats tore it up. Never heard a peep about it being any different.

I have no idea how they will compare PLU vs GF, but at least at this point the NCAA has PLU ranked higher. I am pretty sure one of them will get in given the SoS in the conference and location. Again I don't think ranking will mean much, unless you are the 6th seed as they will split up same conference teams.

I am hoping the at least 5 of those 65 non rainy days are from May 14-18th  ;D
A huge advantage for Linfield.

Prior to the 2013 season, the dirt pitching mound was also replaced with artificial turf to match the infield surface.

http://www.linfield.edu/sports/sports-venues/roy-helser-field.html
This... is a simple game. You throw the ball. You hit the ball. You catch the ball.  "There are three types of baseball players: those who make things happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened."
Crash Davis Bio - http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/crash0908.html

Whatagame

#13
Why is it an advantage?  The turf mounds seem to play very neutral. Colorado's post on the SCIAC forum about the "elevated" Hart Park mound seems to speak of more of an advantage to me.  Turf mounds in the NWC are smart, I've seen weekends with 4 inches of rain when the the games were played, no rain-outs, because of the turf.

Deal with it!

CrashDavisD3

#14
Quote from: Whatagame on May 07, 2014, 09:08:56 PM
Why is it an advantage?  The turf mounds seem to play very neutral. Colorado's post on the SCIAC forum about the "elevated" Hart Park mound seems to speak of more of an advantage to me.  Turf mounds in the NWC are smart, I've seen weekends with 4 inches of rain when the the games were played, no rain-outs, because of the turf.

Deal with it!
Yes 5 teams dirt mounds 1 team turf mound. Your right the players will deal with it. Baseball should use dirt mounds period all at the same height and angle. My opinion. 

Yes baseball can be played in pouring rain with low temps wind blowing rain sideways and freezing temps in Oregon. I know. I watched a game in that wonderful baseball weather in 2010. I expect Linfield to go back to Appleton. They are the best team regardless of weather conditions or turf or no turf field. Regionals should be rotated from NW to SoCal to Texas IMO.
This... is a simple game. You throw the ball. You hit the ball. You catch the ball.  "There are three types of baseball players: those who make things happen, those who watch it happen, and those who wonder what happened."
Crash Davis Bio - http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/crash0908.html