Top 25 Discussion

[BigPoppa]

Here is my top 25 this week:

1. Christopher Newport
2. Cortland State
3. Marietta
4. Trinity- Texas
5. Wheaton (Mass)
6. Western New England
7. Kean
8. St. Joseph's (Maine)
9. Linfield
10. St. Thomas
11. Whitewater
12. La Crosse
13. Salisbury
14. Stevens Point
15. Washington and Jefferson
16. Keystone
17. Shenandoah
18. Trinity (CT)
19. Bridgewater
20. Tyler (TX)
21. St. Scholastica
22. Pomona-Pitzer
23. Manchester
24. Misercorida
25. Illinois Wesleyan


Go ahead... hammer away at my rankings:)

[Spence]

I think I would leave #1 vacant

I seriously have no idea what I would do, but I don't think I'd put two teams in the top 5 that lost 2 of 3 over the weekend to the same team. I suppose if you dragged me kicking and screaming to vote for someone it would be Linfield. Cortland probably 2nd even though their schedule hasn't really picked up yet.

Also not sure I would have penalized St. Thomas quite as much considering they have gone through quite a bit of pitching playing all top 25 teams all only playing 2 games in the week.

You seem to stick closer to the preseason/previous week rankings than I would/used to. I would have had Manchester quite a bit higher and Keystone and Misericordia lower, for example.

Next week it should be a lot easier to make sense of things. A lot of teams play a lot of games this week. Mount Union has I think 11.

[BigPoppa]

Spence- you are right about #1... Not sure what to do there. As of the next poll, most teams will have a handful of games under their belts, so it will be much easier to get a handle on what is happening. It is always tough to rank teams early as many of them have yet to play or are just starting out.

Also, it is tough to judge teams on spring trips that play 8-10 games in a single week. They are throwing guys late in the rotations that may never see the mound once they return home. I can almost always excuse a loss or two in a week when a team plays those brutal 10-games-in-6-days stretches.

[Jack Parkman]

I don't know much about anywhere but the West but I think Trinity staying at 4 is a little high.  They are a solid club, but they lost 2/3 and I really don't know if they play solid enough D to be a championship club.  Pitching is pretty solid and they have a fairly straight shot into a regional.  I would probably place them around the 9/10 slot right there with Linfield.

[BigPoppa]

I don't know much about anywhere but the West but I think Trinity staying at 4 is a little high.  They are a solid club, but they lost 2/3 and I really don't know if they play solid enough D to be a championship club.  Pitching is pretty solid and they have a fairly straight shot into a regional.  I would probably place them around the 9/10 slot right there with Linfield.

The nice thing about the next few weeks is that it will all sort itself out.

[108 Stitches]

I am with Jack and Spence. It is really hard to know about all of the teams, particularly those outside of our respective region(s). The top two spots are a crap shoot from what I can see. I can't see Trinity at #4 right now, just too many errors and a few other questions, I would drop them down a few spots, but again not knowing the teams around them in the rankings make it difficult. The rest of the West teams seem about right.

[Spence]

Spence- you are right about #1... Not sure what to do there. As of the next poll, most teams will have a handful of games under their belts, so it will be much easier to get a handle on what is happening. It is always tough to rank teams early as many of them have yet to play or are just starting out.

Also, it is tough to judge teams on spring trips that play 8-10 games in a single week. They are throwing guys late in the rotations that may never see the mound once they return home. I can almost always excuse a loss or two in a week when a team plays those brutal 10-games-in-6-days stretches.

Definitely true on that last bit.

[CrashDavisD3]

I am with Jack and Spence. It is really hard to know about all of the teams, particularly those outside of our respective region(s). The top two spots are a crap shoot from what I can see. I can't see Trinity at #4 right now, just too many errors and a few other questions, I would drop them down a few spots, but again not knowing the teams around them in the rankings make it difficult. The rest of the West teams seem about right.

IMO Trinity is not the top team in the West.

I would say Linfield even though they lost to lowly Williamette. Also consideration has to be given to Centenary(*), Texas-Tyler also.

* I know Centenary is not eligible for the NCAA playoffs.,

[Whatagame]

I am with Jack and Spence. It is really hard to know about all of the teams, particularly those outside of our respective region(s). The top two spots are a crap shoot from what I can see. I can't see Trinity at #4 right now, just too many errors and a few other questions, I would drop them down a few spots, but again not knowing the teams around them in the rankings make it difficult. The rest of the West teams seem about right.

IMO Trinity is not the top team in the West.

I would say Linfield even though they lost to lowly Williamette. Also consideration has to be given to Centenary(*), Texas-Tyler also.

* I know Centenary is not eligible for the NCAA playoffs.,

I'd posit that one should reconsider the "lowly Willamette" classification this season.  Three of their losses are to NAIA teams, then they lost to Whitworth by one run in a pre-conference play matchup.  Then, they opened Northwest Conference play against PLU, at PLU, losing two games by one run, and then taking game three.  Then, they faced Linfield this past weekend in conference, losing two close ones and taking the 3rd game in the weekend series.  Hell, put Willamette in some other conferences, and they'd probably be in a regional this year....

Against D3 competition this season, their big blowout losses have been a 6-3 loss to Hendrix (first game of season), and a 6-1 loss to Linfield this weekend.

[CrashDavisD3]

Chapman takes down another TOP 25 team.
http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/releases/20130312oipzl9

[Spence]

Chapman takes down another TOP 25 team.
http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/bsb/2012-13/releases/20130312oipzl9

Looks like much like the Yacko era, you have to beat Chapman before the last couple of innings.

[Spence]

I am with Jack and Spence. It is really hard to know about all of the teams, particularly those outside of our respective region(s). The top two spots are a crap shoot from what I can see. I can't see Trinity at #4 right now, just too many errors and a few other questions, I would drop them down a few spots, but again not knowing the teams around them in the rankings make it difficult. The rest of the West teams seem about right.

IMO Trinity is not the top team in the West.

I would say Linfield even though they lost to lowly Williamette. Also consideration has to be given to Centenary(*), Texas-Tyler also.

* I know Centenary is not eligible for the NCAA playoffs.,

I'd posit that one should reconsider the "lowly Willamette" classification this season.  Three of their losses are to NAIA teams, then they lost to Whitworth by one run in a pre-conference play matchup.  Then, they opened Northwest Conference play against PLU, at PLU, losing two games by one run, and then taking game three.  Then, they faced Linfield this past weekend in conference, losing two close ones and taking the 3rd game in the weekend series.  Hell, put Willamette in some other conferences, and they'd probably be in a regional this year....

Against D3 competition this season, their big blowout losses have been a 6-3 loss to Hendrix (first game of season), and a 6-1 loss to Linfield this weekend.

I would agree with this. The NWC looks improved over last year, which itself was a deeper league than it was several years ago. With the way a few of the top leagues have fallen off, the NWC may be one of the best leagues in the country now.

[Hammer Ball]

What currently unranked 2012 NCAA Tourney team is 6 - 0 with 4 of those wins coming against 2012 NCAA Tourney teams in it's region?  "#norespect"

[108 Stitches]

Hammer, it is often that unranked teams early in the season get overlooked....however 2012 has little to do with 2013 unless of course there is a significant number of returners and or a history of the program being strong year over year.

Drum roll....and the mystery team is?

[OshDude]

Hammer, it is often that unranked teams early in the season get overlooked....however 2012 has little to do with 2013 unless of course there is a significant number of returners and or a history of the program being strong year over year.

Drum roll....and the mystery team is?

Haverford qualifies. The 6-0 Fords have beaten Drew, Rowan, Skidmore and Pitt-Bradford.