BB: OAC: Ohio Athletic Conference

Started by Ralph Turner, January 09, 2006, 11:38:52 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 5 Guests are viewing this topic.

108 Stitches

I had no idea Northern teams had this type of workload. WOW. Most teams D1-DIII have a 3 game weekend series with a OOC game mid week. These kids are also in academically demanding institutions and how they are able to pull it off is pretty impressive. I guess with the shortened schedule due to weather the choice is fewer games or a more compressed schedule.

Bishopleftiesdad

In the NCAC conference games are 7/9 DH's Saturday and Sunday with OOC games during the week. OWU usually plays a single 7 or 9 inning game Tues, Weds or Thurs and then the DH's Saturday and Sunday. Need to have enough pitching to get you through the weekend to compete in the conference.

OshDude

#1622
Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 03, 2013, 11:36:59 AM
Quote from: Ricky Nelson on January 02, 2013, 09:06:05 PM
This year UW-Whitewater will play its entire WIAC schedule in less than one month (April 3-28). That's 24 nines (yes, all nines), with travel, in the span of 26 days.

http://www.uwwsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball&

The WIAC doesn't always send a team to Appleton, but I'm unaware of another D-III league that typically plays six nines a week.

That's unbelievable.  They play a 4 game conference series every weekend and also a conference DH every Wednesday.  That's a MLB work load for your pitching staff!     
I used UWW's schedule because it's slightly more compact than some others this year, but all other WIAC teams play their 24 nines in a short window every year. Then toss in a spring trip and noncon DH's against St. Thomas, St. Scholastica, Illinois Wesleyan, etc., and you have yourself a schedule.

http://athletics.uwsp.edu/schedule.aspx?path=baseball
http://www.uwoshkoshtitans.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/schedule
http://www.uwlathletics.com/schedule.aspx?path=baseball

UWW used nine starting pitchers last season (and went 33-17). Most other WIAC teams approach that number. The top WIAC pitchers don't usually have the numbers of First-Team All-Americans because they don't have a chance to. If you're a WIAC pitcher with a uniform, your number will be called eventually.

BBFan62

Quote from: 108 Stitches on January 03, 2013, 02:18:04 PM
I had no idea Northern teams had this type of workload. WOW. Most teams D1-DIII have a 3 game weekend series with a OOC game mid week. These kids are also in academically demanding institutions and how they are able to pull it off is pretty impressive. I guess with the shortened schedule due to weather the choice is fewer games or a more compressed schedule.

The Liberty League (Upstate NY) plays 7/9 conference DH's each weekend and most of the teams have a Tuesday & Wednesday 9 inning game. Sometimes it'll be Tuesday/Thursday. That's why I mentioned in a different post that many of the Northern or Eastern pitchers get somewhat overlooked when it comes to post season recognition because, with that schedule it is rare for a guy to get more than 10 starts.
UR normally opens the season with the 8 game UAA tournament in Florida, then begins conference play near the end of March. Several games have been cold/rained/or snowed out the last couple of years. So, with 2 tournament starts in Florida and 7 conference weekends, our guys usually will get 9 starts. This year a couple of the guys might get 10, if all games are played.

motorman

Quote from: Dr. Acula on January 03, 2013, 11:44:30 AM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 02, 2013, 04:52:07 PM
I would even like to see three or four game series on the weekends to "encourage" teams to develop deeper pitching.  Everyone's got a #1 guy, most teams have a pretty good #2, where the rubber meets the road is in that third(fourth, etc) game in as many days, when 1 and 2 are resting.  (see St. John Fisher last year....Two studs, nobody else in the rotation....They went home.  It wasn't for lack of offense either!)   

I'd like to see them go to a single game on Friday and then a DH on Saturday.  That still leaves Sundays open for rain outs or OOC games.  The obvious issue is travel costs.  I'm not sure there would be the willingness to incur the additional cost to add that 3rd game to each OAC matchup.  The other issue is that currently we have mid-week OAC DH's.  How would those be handled to add the 3rd game?  It looks like the WIAC just makes you go twice.  They play 4 games on the weekend and you play the same team in a Wed DH back-to-back weeks (so you play everyone 4 times).

The other problem is adding a 3rd game vs each team in a 10 team league makes 27 league games instead of 18. Add a 10 game Florida trip and that only leaves 3 games for non conference games in a 40 game season. It wouldn't be as much of a problem in a smaller league, but smaller leagues like the MIAA already play 4 games against each conference opponent, home and home DHs.

EttaFan1

Or just convince the NCAA to go back to the 1980's and let teams play 60 games per year. ::)

Dr. Acula

From the too much time on my hands file...I was looking at coaching records. Obviously Brewer and Palm are the class of the conference.  There's a healthy rivalry between the programs. But thanks to coaching at JCU first Brewer has exactly 13 seasons in the OAC as well, same as Palm, there's a coaching race too.  Palm leads the head to head in overall wins (408 to 405), but Brewer leads in OAC wins (168 to 164).  Thought it was cool that after so many years they're so close still.

Also read that there are only 10 coaches with 300+ wins in OAC history. Five are currently coaching. The two above along with Thompson (338), Powell (324) and Hesse (312). 

On a side note, averaging 21 wins a year in New Concord is an accomplishment. Can you imagine recruiting kids to come there?  Thompson is underrated in my book.

EttaFan1

Interesting comparison.  I had no idea it was that close.   Sometimes I forget that Coach Brewer was the head man at JCU.  He was 79-85 while coaching the Streaks.  He is 326-111-1 at Marietta, a win percentage of .745! (He was also just named ABCA coach of the year in DIII again this year.) 

http://pioneers.marietta.edu/news/2013/1/5/BB_0105133003.aspx?path=baseball

Workouts begin in two weeks, season starts in early March with a trip to Xenia

EttaFan1

Don't know if it has been officially announced yet, but the mid-east regional will not be in Marietta this year   >:(  (This bums me out because It was a great mini vacation watching all of those games the past few years). 

I have heard that it will be in Terre Haute, Indiana at Rose Hulman.

Bishopleftiesdad

Bummer!
Did they just beat Marrietta out or did Marrietta not put a bid in. (can't imagine that they would not but you never know.)

OshDude

Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 15, 2013, 10:41:52 AM
Don't know if it has been officially announced yet, but the mid-east regional will not be in Marietta this year   >:(  (This bums me out because It was a great mini vacation watching all of those games the past few years). 

I have heard that it will be in Terre Haute, Indiana at Rose Hulman.
I'm sure many Mideast fans know, but RHIT hosted a few baseball regionals in the aughts. Never been, but the baseball facility looks nice in photos.

Neither here nor there, but I was told RHIT did a great job hosting the 2012 cross country nationals.

Dr. Acula

Quote from: Ricky Nelson on January 15, 2013, 02:41:30 PM
Quote from: EttaFan1 on January 15, 2013, 10:41:52 AM
Don't know if it has been officially announced yet, but the mid-east regional will not be in Marietta this year   >:(  (This bums me out because It was a great mini vacation watching all of those games the past few years). 

I have heard that it will be in Terre Haute, Indiana at Rose Hulman.
I'm sure many Mideast fans know, but RHIT hosted a few baseball regionals in the aughts. Never been, but the baseball facility looks nice in photos.

Neither here nor there, but I was told RHIT did a great job hosting the 2012 cross country nationals.

Yeah, it hasn't been that long ago either.  Maybe 4 or 5 yrs ago they hosted?  And they hosted more than once.  Etta has the best facilities (especially lights), but I have no problem with them rotating for the sake of fairness.  I think most Etta fans would gladly trade off hosting the last couple for not hosting this season given the teams they had/have.

Dr. Acula

Skimmed over Mount's roster of returning players.  No seniors.  Not a one.  22 juniors and 13 sophomores.  The juniors carried the load last year and will again this year and next, but I'm still excited to see what the freshmen can add to the mix.  There are a couple spots that I think freshmen could win the job if they're good.

Dr. Acula

Congratulations to the OAC guys on the d3baseball.com preseason AA teams.

2nd team:  Wes Meadows (Ott), Connor Mathis (Mount)
HM:  Aaron Hopper (Etta)

Dr. Acula

Tip of the cap to Bishopleftiesdad for spotting the d3baseball.com preseason top 25 today. 

Etta received the most 1st place votes (14) but checked in at #3.  The only other squad receiving votes was Mount and they sit 6 spots deep in the ORV.

I'm kind of surprised Berg didn't receive any votes at all.  I know they didn't have a great year last year, but I thought with what they had coming back combined with the reputation of the program they'd garner a few votes.  Oh well, preseason polls are tough.  I'd hate to vote in it.  It's so hard to examine that many teams so you'd just end up reshuffling last year's final poll to reflect graduation losses for the most part.