Quick Starts to 2010 Season

[d3baseballnut]

The poll on the front of d3baseball.com was interesting today: I think pacific lutheran is off to the most impressive start to the young season at 7-0, but is this start surprising, as the poll says?...maybe

I mean, they got one of the greatest snubs in Division III baseball history last year at 31-9 and being left out of the postseason, despite finishing the season on a 12-1 tear.They return their main starters, and a good portion of their lineup.

This team could really be legit this year. Even if they do fizzle out, we should have expected them to be good, which removes them as a contendor for the "greatest surprise".

[BigPoppa]

Agreed. PLU is a great team that will make some noise in the West Region this year. I am not surpirsed to see them off to a great start even after they thumped a few SCIAC teams last week.

[CrashDavisD3]

PLU is 19-1 over its past 20 games from the end of 2009 to 2010.

At this time they have to be the top ranked team in the West Region.

Outside of George Fox and Linfield series not sure who could slow them down.

Looking at 31-9 record in 2009 and being NWC Co-Champs shows how it makes no LOGICAL sense how lesser teams in Pool B/C get in over them.

But the system is what is and losing that last game to George Fox did them in last year.  I don't see that happening this year. To me it seems like this team is on a mission driven by what happened to them last year.

[BigPoppa]

Win your Pool A bid and NEVER let it come down to the human element. Too many things can, and do, happen when it gets to that point.

St. Norbert in at 19-12 last year was painful, even if they played a very tough non-conference schedule... which they did. It seems as though the committee wanted to send a message to teams to play tough schedules if they wished to be considered for a Pool C. Look at the schedules in the Midwest Region this year and ALL of the top contenders are playing each other at some point in the season. It could make for some nasty records come Pool C time.

[Jim Dixon]

Agreed. PLU is a great team that will make some noise in the West Region this year. I am not surpirsed to see them off to a great start even after they thumped a few SCIAC teams last week.

PLU is picked in the conference preseason poll to win.  Linfield should be a close second and George Fox's poll position is a bit on reputation.  The Bruins have a young team.  Look for them to be the preseason favorite next year when both Linfield and Pac Luthern lose key players.

[utilitycat17]

PLU is 19-1 over its past 20 games from the end of 2009 to 2010.

At this time they have to be the top ranked team in the West Region.

Outside of George Fox and Linfield series not sure who could slow them down.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.  Chapman is still at the top of the heap until they prove otherwise.  5 consecutive regional championships and a good start with only a loss to #2 NAIA ranked Point Loma, on a walk-off grand slam, is still worth something.  Unless they start dropping games like they did last year, they are the top team in the West.

[d3baseballnut]

Win your Pool A bid and NEVER let it come down to the human element. Too many things can, and do, happen when it gets to that point.

St. Norbert in at 19-12 last year was painful, even if they played a very tough non-conference schedule... which they did. It seems as though the committee wanted to send a message to teams to play tough schedules if they wished to be considered for a Pool C. Look at the schedules in the Midwest Region this year and ALL of the top contenders are playing each other at some point in the season. It could make for some nasty records come Pool C time.

Oh man, dont get the d3nut going about Pool B/C bids. There is no way norbert's schedule was that much better to warrant their selection over PLU. And dont tell them to win their conference and sto complaining. St. Norbert wouldnt have won the NWC over George Fox either.

I know that once you lose your conference you lose the opportunity to complain, but in another sense i dont agree with that. THe bids exist, and their existance assumes fair, reasonable selections. You cant just say

"You should have won your conference, we can pick anybody and you  can't complain."

..cmon guys....

[BigPoppa]

I am not justifying St. Norbert's selection in 2009, just making a case for the argument at what the committee was looking at.

There was no one more shocked to see them get in than me and I saw them play a few times.

[Ralph Turner]

The poll on the front of d3baseball.com was interesting today: I think pacific lutheran is off to the most impressive start to the young season at 7-0, but is this start surprising, as the poll says?...maybe

I mean, they got one of the greatest snubs in Division III baseball history last year at 31-9 and being left out of the postseason, despite finishing the season on a 12-1 tear.They return their main starters, and a good portion of their lineup.

This team could really be legit this year. Even if they do fizzle out, we should have expected them to be good, which removes them as a contendor for the "greatest surprise".

A little hyperbole there...

For the newbies on the boards, record in the last half of the season is not a criterion.

I wonder if the conference had that "snub" in mind when they voted to move back to 3-game series to lessen the impact of "inbreeding" on the OWP that isolated conferences have.  PLU went 1-3 in in-region games outside the NWC.  That did not show much for the strength of the team outside an isolated conference.

For the isolated conferences, coaches need to find quality in-region opponents for the non-conference schedule.

That may mean a well-constructed trip to California, Arizona or Hawaii for the West region teams, as PLU did in 2009.   

[CrashDavisD3]

Linfield has scheduled a tough schedule this year and also has a quick start.

PLU vs Linfield will be a great series this along with Linfield @ Chapman.

[d3baseballnut]

The poll on the front of d3baseball.com was interesting today: I think pacific lutheran is off to the most impressive start to the young season at 7-0, but is this start surprising, as the poll says?...maybe

I mean, they got one of the greatest snubs in Division III baseball history last year at 31-9 and being left out of the postseason, despite finishing the season on a 12-1 tear.They return their main starters, and a good portion of their lineup.

This team could really be legit this year. Even if they do fizzle out, we should have expected them to be good, which removes them as a contendor for the "greatest surprise".

A little hyperbole there...

For the newbies on the boards, record in the last half of the season is not a criterion.

I wonder if the conference had that "snub" in mind when they voted to move back to 3-game series to lessen the impact of "inbreeding" on the OWP that isolated conferences have.  PLU went 1-3 in in-region games outside the NWC.  That did not show much for the strength of the team outside an isolated conference.

For the isolated conferences, coaches need to find quality in-region opponents for the non-conference schedule.

That may mean a well-constructed trip to California, Arizona or Hawaii for the West region teams, as PLU did in 2009.   

We're back at it Mr. Turner...... its good to be back on here with you

[Ralph Turner]

The poll on the front of d3baseball.com was interesting today: I think pacific lutheran is off to the most impressive start to the young season at 7-0, but is this start surprising, as the poll says?...maybe

I mean, they got one of the greatest snubs in Division III baseball history last year at 31-9 and being left out of the postseason, despite finishing the season on a 12-1 tear.They return their main starters, and a good portion of their lineup.

This team could really be legit this year. Even if they do fizzle out, we should have expected them to be good, which removes them as a contendor for the "greatest surprise".

A little hyperbole there...

For the newbies on the boards, record in the last half of the season is not a criterion.

I wonder if the conference had that "snub" in mind when they voted to move back to 3-game series to lessen the impact of "inbreeding" on the OWP that isolated conferences have.  PLU went 1-3 in in-region games outside the NWC.  That did not show much for the strength of the team outside an isolated conference.

For the isolated conferences, coaches need to find quality in-region opponents for the non-conference schedule.

That may mean a well-constructed trip to California, Arizona or Hawaii for the West region teams, as PLU did in 2009.  

We're back at it Mr. Turner...... its good to be back on here with you

 Let's play two!  

One other thought...
If PLU goes 3-1 on the SoCal road trip, that raises their in-region record from 29-9 to 31-7, and I'll bet that they would have gotten a Pool C bid.

[CrashDavisD3]

As always Ralph you make excellent points.

The bottom line is teams must win games to get in and not worry about leaving it up to someone else to determine what happens.

So the key is for Pool A bid teams to win your conference bid. Then you don't worry about someone else keeping you out. Teams that fall into Pool B/C bids must win  games in region and schedule, play and beat quality opponents.

Yes the path for some may be easier than others. But no system is perfect.

IF NOT you will be left at home wondering why you were not picked to play in the playoffs in the present system. Lose you last game in a conference tourney or
tiebreaker playoff or regular season and it may could cost you that playoff spot.

[Jim Dixon]

IF NOT you will be left at home wondering why you were not picked to play in the playoffs in the present system. Lose you last game in a conference tourney or
tiebreaker playoff or regular season and it may could cost you that playoff spot.

It is expected that tracking all game results this year on d3baseball.com, we will have the numbers that the committee has.

This is a significant commitment as there are over 7,000 baseball games scheduled this season.