BB: General New England Discussion

Started by Paul Heering, February 14, 2007, 06:14:24 PM

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KSCfan

I think that any team that makes it to the regionals is a legitamate contender for the CWS.  Yes Curry plays in what might be a weaker conference but the CCC is not the weakest conference in New England let alone the nation.  What about the NAC with powerhouses of Castleton, Johnston State, U-maine Farmington.  THe NAC is much weaker than the CCC. Yes NEC is not a powerhouse but i will tell you that WNEC, Curry, and Roger Williams are solid programs. I must disagree with NEDIII post. 

I think that Curry will have a chance to prove itself in fabolous Willimantic this year.  THey might go two and out but that is true for any team when you get to that level, other than Trinity last year the regionals are pretty competitive from the top team to the 8th team.  Dont believe me?  KSC two years ago played in the regonals final as the 5 seed in the Cape, and USM played in the regional final last year as i think the 5 seed, i could be wrong on thier seed but it was not in the top 3 of the regional.

KSCfan


NEDIII

Making the Regional Finals and going to the show is completely different. While I agree with you that everyone is a contendor, when was the last time an 8 seed went to CWS?? C'mon.

TheGNAC

Quote from: NEDIII on April 16, 2009, 10:08:19 AM
Making the Regional Finals and going to the show is completely different. While I agree with you that everyone is a contendor, when was the last time an 8 seed went to CWS?? C'mon.

I think the point KSCfan is making though is that Curry isn't an 8 seed. If the regionals were to be seeded today, Curry would be a 4 seed at worst, in my opinion. If they continue winning and roll through the CCC as I expect they should, they could realistically finish at 38-3. With a record like that, they could even sneak in to the top 3 seeds.

It's a testament to how strong this region really is. It's been said before but deserves mention once more; whoever gets shipped to New York is one lucky squad.

KSCfan

That may be true about the 8 seed going to the CWS but i dont think that Curry is an 8 seed.  I think that GNAC hit it on the head when he said that Curry is the 4 seed.  If i were to seed today i would have USM at 1 Trinity at 2 and Wheaton at 3 then Curry at 4.

Curry did beat Wheaton the other day and you can say they beat Wheaton's 4 but a win is a win is a win, espically over a team as quality as Wheaton.  I understand your point NEDIII but i think that you might be selling Curry a little short on the quality of team that they are. 

rbgosfan

I do not think we should hand Curry the TCCC championship just yet. They are 15-1 in conference but have not played Roger Williams or Wentworth yet. They split with WNEC losing game 1 13-0 (against WNEC's number 5 starter) and then won the second game in extra innings after tying it in the 7th. WNEC has had some bad losses in conference but is getting better and better pitching from the back end of the rotation, which is critical in post season play. Evan Michaud is their #3 and he won national pitcher of the week honors last week. Roger Williams also has a strong team and will be tough come playoff time.

While I do agree that top to bottom the TCCC is not real strong, top 3 or 4 teams can compete with anybody in the region. WNEC has been in Harwich the last 3 years and 4 out of 5 (the first three coming out of the GNAC and last year from the TCCC).

Stump

I have to agree with KSCfan, TCCC is nowhere near the worst conference in New England. The NAC and NECC are horrid. The competition at the top of most conferences is good. You get beyond the top 3 in most conferences and you would think you were watching fair to poor high school teams.

NESCAC, Trinity running off and hiding(lots of talk on their board how it's a down year)
NEWMAC, Wheaton, 3 game lead over WPI,4 over MIT
GNAC, Suffolk, St. Joe's, J&W are competitive,
TCCC, Curry, WNEC, Wentworth, Roger Williams(that's 4 competive teams)
NECC, Becker,So. Vermont, Elms(Becker & Elms barely competed in the NAC)
NAC, Castleton, Husson(that's it)
MASCAC, Worcester, Bridgewater, MCLA
LEC, probably the deepest conference in New England.

The top of the region can clearly compete with anyone. As it has been said often the team that gets shipped out for the regional may be the luckiest team in the region.

ECSUalum

Quote from: TheGNAC on April 15, 2009, 10:50:39 PM
I'm a few days late, but here are my weekly rankings. Bit of a shake-up this week.

1. Southern Maine (22-3) - The Huskies continue to roll, as they went 8-0 since my last ranking, where they were also 1st. I still contend they have the most powerful offense in the region (although Curry is making a strong case for themselves, more on that later), and they just continue to win ballgames. The 5.37 team ERA is a bit scary, but when you can hit like they can, it's pretty much a non-factor.

2. Trinity (18-3) - Lost amid all the strong showings and high rankings for New England teams thus far has been Trinity's steady play. While teams like Wheaton and Eastern Connecticut falter a bit, the Bantams just continue to win. They've only played 3 games since the last ranking, but they're sitting at 9-0 in the NESCAC, and should win that conference handily.

3. Curry (24-3) - It's official: the Colonels are for real. 7-0 since the last rankings, the Colonels are tied for 1st in the region in wins with 24, and posted a convincing 5-0 victory over Wheaton yesterday to prove their status as a contender. Statistically, they have the nation's #1 offense, as they're hitting an astounding .387 as a club with 28 home runs. The pitching has also been solid, and shutting out a high-powered Wheaton offense as they did yesterday is certainly something to hang their hat on. Expect the Colonels to make a legitimate run at the CWS this year.

4. Wheaton (24-4) - The Lyons went 4-1 on the week, but that one loss came to Curry, which is why the two teams are ranked where they are. Still, make no mistake about it; Wheaton is a club to be reckoned with. They hit like crazy, have dominated the NEWMAC (9-0), and haven't even pitched to their capabilities yet. If Louie Bernardini can take his game to the levels it was at in 2007, look out.

5. Suffolk (22-5) - The Rams were rolling as of the last ranking, winners of 8 straight games before yesterday, when they suffered a setback to an underrated UMass-Boston club 13-8. They rebounded nicely today however, beating WNEC 6-3 to move their record to 22-5. Tied for 1st in the conference at 9-1 with St. Joe's, Suffolk has a number of impressive victories on their resume, including wins over #3 Wheaton and #19 Keystone. Statistically, they can pitch with anyone in the country (3.05 team ERA), and have swung it well, too (.326 BA). Expect this weekend's double header with St. Joe's to be a barnburner, as Suffolk takes the #1 seed with a split or better, but falls to #3 and a play-in game if they're swept.

6. Eastern CT (21-6) - I'm sure this is not a popular pick among many here, but I think it's justified. Simply put, the Warriors are playing bad baseball. They're 3-4 since the last ranking, with less-than-stellar losses to Western CT and Bridgewater State. Their statistical splits are impressive (.331, 3.38 ERA), but until they right the ship, I don't see how they can be placed ahead of the 5 listed above.

7. St. Joe's (ME) (21-9) - The Monks went 7-2 since the last ranking, and look to be a legitimate contender along with Suffolk in the GNAC. Their offense is deadly (.355 BA), and they also have one of the best pitchers in the region in Pat Moran, a true ace and All-American candidate (5-0, 2.40 ERA, 45 IP, 53 K, 3 BB). As stated earlier, this Sunday's affair up in Standish with Suffolk should be quite the double header, as St. Joe's needs a split or better to avoid the #3 seed.

8. WPI (19-9) - The 8 seed was a toss-up, but with a 4-0 run, it goes to the smart gentlemen from Worcester. WPI has a quality record in a tough conference, and they've also posted convincing wins over St. Joe's, Worcester State, and Trinity. Conor Fahey is another All-American candidate (4-1, 1.64 ERA, 55 IP, 69 K), and they can definitely make some noise in the NEWMAC tournament.

Just missed: Worcester State, Wentworth, WNEC

GNAC, another insightful post +1K

KSCfan

Rhode Island college beats a very good Curry team that i have been blogging about all day.  Maybe NEDIII was right!

NEDIII

I won't take credit but I was just stating some opinions from outside the box about Curry. Bottom line is, baseball is baseball and any team can beat (upset) any team on any given day.

mdosfan

Trinity is 66-4 in their last 70 games.  Yikes.

wordsmith

#701
I will never be as comprehesive as the legendary TheGNAC but I would like to offer my New England Top 8. I have now had the opportunity to see many of the top teams and feel as if I have a better take on the squads.

1- Trinity - Granted I have not seen them live, but they are the reigning champs and until they show they are beatable they should be the favorite to return to Appleton.

2- USM - Big Sticks. Just enough pitching and Impact players in D'Alfonso and  Burleson. Do not, I repeat do not under estimate USM's pitching staff. If you can run out guys like Therrian and Henry and fill in with Stacy and Eaton ....look out in Gorham.

3-EastConn - Always solid, always in the mix, impact player in Gilblair who looks to me to be in prime shape for a big postseason. My choice to play Texas-Tyler in the Championship game (see post back in February), cban't waiver on that but they must become more consistent to advance from the NE.

4-WPI- What can you say sweep Wheaton and you move up on my board. Also quality win over EConn, Trinity, UMD, hey maybe these guys should be #2 ???

5-Wheaton - Is what it is. Poldelski has them playing well and to me they are the dark horse to go to Appleton.



6 -St. Joe's- Will the hardest working man in D-III had me sold that they were legit, then they ran into the USM BUZZ-Saw. Still deserve a 6 ranking.

7- Suffolk- Solid club with some decent wins. Recent losses to St. Joe's makes one wonder though.

8- WNEC & Curry - Too close to call they should decide this next week in TCCC playoffs.


Barely missing:  Worcester State, Amherst,  Williams,  Roger Williams

Word :P
Word

dgilblair

Quote from: wordsmith on April 20, 2009, 01:40:39 PM
I will never be as comprehesive as the legendary TheGNAC but I would like to offer my New England Top 8. I have now had the opportunity to see many of the top teams and feel as if I have a better take on the squads.

1- Trinity - Granted I have not seen them live, but they are the reigning champs and until they show they are beatable they should be the favorite to return to Appleton.

2- USM - Big Sticks. Just enough pitching and Impact players in D'Alfonso and  Burleson. Do not, I repeat do not under estimate USM's pitching staff. If you can run out guys like Therrian and Henry and fill in with Stacy and Eaton ....look out in Gorham.

3-EastConn - Always solid, always in the mix, impact player in Gilblair who looks to me to be in prime shape for a big postseason. My choice to play Texas-Tyler in the Championship game (see post back in February), cban't waiver on that but they must become more consistent to advance from the NE.

4-WPI- What can you say sweep Wheaton and you move up on my board. Also quality win over EConn, Trinity, UMD, hey maybe these guys should be #2 ???

5-Wheaton - Is what it is. Poldelski has them playing well and to me they are the dark horse to go to Appleton.



6 -St. Joe's- Will the hardest working man in D-III had me sold that they were legit, then they ran into the USM BUZZ-Saw. Still deserve a 6 ranking.

7- Suffolk- Solid club with some decent wins. Recent losses to St. Joe's makes one wonder though.

8- WNEC & Curry - Too close to call they should decide this next week in TCCC playoffs.


Barely missing:  Worcester State, Amherst,  Williams,  Roger Williams

Word :P

Hard to disagree with those picks but I will a little.  Since you take that much stock in USM pitching I'll take them as #1 cause I've seen them hit.

2- ECSU....no need to explain.  Biggest drawback is they have lost to many games to at best average and in some cases less than average pitchers.  The offense is up and down up and down.  Pitching has been steady except for a couple spots.  I know Word must not be sold on Musson with what you saw on Saturday but he is much better than that.  CONSISTENT is a good WORD for this team to adopt. 

I don't think we played WPI, maybe that may change your 4-5 picks.   LOL

3- Trinity- Now, being the Jonah that I am Trinity will cruise to an easy win on Tuesday.  They can beat anyone at any time I'm sure but I also will stick to my earlier thoughts they don't have the staff to win a tournament especially if the hit the losers bracket.

I'll go with the rest as is.  Sorry Alum, ecfaninri and TEE fans.

wordsmith

Whale of a prediction there Mr. G.  ;D

Musson was well, not involved in the decision. Would have to see more before I made a comment. I do know that I wish I could be at the F,S,HG vs TEE game on Tuesday.

Word

Stump

Good predictions. What's everybodies best guess on who loses out on going to Willimantic and who ends up getting shipped out of region?  No one includes a NAC or a MASCAC team in their lists. 7 automatic qualifiers: LEC, NESCAC, NEWMAC, GNAC, TCCC, MASCAC, NAC with 8 going to regional. Which conference doubles up at Eastern? LEC, NEWMAC, GNAC, TCCC? Who gets a trip to NY?  I'm sure with as much talent at the top that someone from NE is shipped to NY as they have recently.

If USM sweeps regular season and LEC Tourney, does LEC get a second team given the inconsistency of ECSU? I would guess that Trinity is the only pick from NESCAC(short of a real shocker in their tourney.)  I would think NEWMAC should probably get 2 unlees Wheaton collapses completely.  GNAC has 2 strong choices but I don't see both going to the regionals. How about TCCC WNEC probably has to win the tourney. Lots of good choices at top of the region it'll be an interesting couple weeks.