Not much has been said all year about W&L on this board, which is too bad.

So, I would like to say congratulations for a great season!  What a great team and what a great run, finishing 31-1 with your only loss coming to the team taking home the Walnut and Bronze trophy. What a feat. 

Not only that, but your senior Mary Schleusner took home D3 Hoops First Team All-American honors as well as Player of the Year along with earning a long list of other NCAA and ODAC accolades and setting many new conference and national records.  She is certainly the most decorated ODAC player (man or woman) since R-MC's Megan Silva who played back in 2002-2006. 

Thank you for representing your school and the ODAC so well and thank you for giving us some exceptional basketball to follow. 

Well the games after the first round made up for a less than desirable start.  The 2nd day included all full games and pretty much either team could have won in each instance, with St. Mary's being eliminated first with a 3-6 loss to RMC, then Tx Lutheran bowing out with a 0-2 loss to Redlands. VA Wesleyan overcame Linfield 8-4 and Trine outlasted Rowan 5-1 in the undefeated games.

Saturday elimination games resulted in a great pitching dual game with RMC breaking through in the top of the 7th with the run to beat Rowan 1-0.  Linfield closed out Redlands season with a 6 inning 9-1 defeat.

Then on to the POD playoffs.  GREAT games all day on Sunday.  RMC handed VWU it's first loss in their past 18 games taking the first game 6-2 with an overwhelming 1st inning 6 run start that VWU's heavy bats just couldn't recover from.  VWU came back in the "if" game using a freshman pitcher to finally take down RMC 3-1.  Interesting fact is that this was the SEVENTH  game these two teams have played against each other just this year, including the 3 in this final playoff bracket.

The other POD final game between Trine and Linfield was a thriller as well, with Trine having to score 3 to tie in the bottom of the the 7th inning, then sealing the win in the 8th for a final 10-9 score to end Linfield's season.

So - we have Virginia Wesleyan University and Trine in the finals. Another interesting fact, is that VWU and TU have played for three of the past four walnut & bronze trophies.

The Marlins won the third of their three titles in 2021 over Texas Lutheran University, adding to their championships in 2017 over then St. John Fisher College and 2018 over current host Illinois Wesleyan. The Thunder finished as the runner-up to Christopher Newport University in 2022 and then claimed the final prize over Salisbury University in 2023.

Should be a great final series.  Congratulations to all the young ladies who have played so hard all season to reach the finals. 

Well, 3 out of 4 first round games complete in five innings. 

Hope things get a bit tighter and more interesting next round.

It's a shame to travel to the big event, as a player or a spectator, and not get to see or experience more of the game.

I do think I read somewhere that teams would be re-seeded for the final 8, and I would expect RMC to be the last team on that list.  However, Rowan and Trine are both ranked higher than VWU as of May 6th by the NFCA Coaches poll.  NPI rankings as of May 11th have VWU higher than Rowan and Trine.  I re-checked postings and confirmed that the NPI rankings were used to seed for finals as St. Mary's is also ranked lower than Redlands and Tx Lutheran in the coaches poll but higher in NPI rankings, thus the higher finals seed.

In the end, it really doesn't matter, just got to beat whomever shows up in the other dugout. I hope they are good games throughout and not a bunch of run rule games.

Seriously, the ODAC has two of the final eight teams in the championship finals and they have to meet in the FIRST game of the series. Congrats to Virginia Wesleyan University and Randolph-Macon College for getting this far and representing your schools and the conference so well. Hopefully they both can win a game or more and maybe at least one can get to the final championship game.

Since NYU women hosted 1st round, won't NYU men host 2nd round?  Sooooo, that would mean Gettysburg is highest remaining seed to host next round in the UR quandrant, right?  Would be nice to get that revenge on their home court.

Awesome win for the W&L Generals tonight against previously unbeaten and 3rd ranked Rhode Island College.  Mary Schleusner continues to set records including a playoff record effort tonight with 33 rebounds along with 34 points.  Congratulations!!  Way to represent your school and the ODAC!!

Quote from: hazzben on April 30, 2023, 04:44:49 PM
Random question, any other motorcycle riders on the board?

I just bought a Vulcan 1600 Mean Streak. Figured I'd ask and see if we could add cycle chatter to the list of Hamms/Beer, hunting/fishing, furnace fortitude, and Ausie Rules FB. 

I own a 2003 Anniversary Edition Harley-Davidson Road King Classic.  Just returned from a 3300+ mile (NO highways), two week trip from Virginia down to Key West and back by way of the Florida panhandle and through Maggie Valley, NC up the Blue Ridge Parkway.  No words can fully describe the feeling of riding for me. But I feel like the sights and sounds of the road are so much more amplified when you're riding.  Colors are brighter, sounds are more vivid, the scenery is breathtaking.   I've only been doing it for 20 years, but my husband got me into it and he has been riding since 1966.  You do the math...

One correction to note below:

--- Region 6 --- vs. D3 --- Overall --- Next game/Conf Tourney Exit
1 --- Christopher Newport --- 23-0 --- 24-0 --- Conf Tourny Champ Pool A
2 --- Mary Washington --- 18-5 --- 20-5 --- Lost 2/25 @ #1 Christopher Newport
3 --- Washington and Lee --- 19-6 --- 19-6 --- Lost 2/26 vs Shenandoah    W&L was the ODAC Conference Champ Pool A winner
4 --- Randolph-Macon --- 19-6 --- 19-6 --- Lost 2/23 vs Shenandoah
5 --- Emory --- 15-7 --- 16-7 --- Won 2/25 vs Reg 3 #4 Rochester
6 --- Guilford --- 20-5 --- 20-5 --- Lost 2/23 vs Randolph
7 --- Bridgewater (Va.) --- 19-5 --- 19-5 --- Lost 2/25 vs Shenandoah

W&L is in!!!  They are very deserving. 

I hope the player who was injured late in their semi-final game is doing well. 

Great for the ODAC to have two teams get to the final tournament. 

Go Generals!!  Go Hornets!!

Congratulations to Shenandoah on their win in the ODAC finals.  It was tough shooting day for both teams, but free throws sealed the win for them. 

I'm sure hoping that Washington and Lee gets a bid to the dance as well.

Best of luck in the final NCAA playoffs. 

Randolph-Macon has a brutal schedule for February with three make up games squeezed in between originally scheduled ones and then they go and ADD another game with Mary Washington College.  They will play 8 games in 17 days.  Mary Wash was added to their schedule for 2/2, then they have a make up game with Roanoke on 2/4, at Lynchburg on 2/5,  a make-up game with Hollins on 2/7, Shenandoah on 2/9, a game at Bridgewater on 2/12, then again with BC for a home make-up game on 2/14, at Hollins again on 2/17, ending with Guilford on 2/19.  Then, the ODAC play in games begins on 2/22!!!  Hopefully they will be able to to stay within the top 6 so the won't have to play until the 25th.

I haven't looked at other ODAC team schedules as closely.  Are other teams backed up with games like this?

Well, I checked now. Looks like Hollins is in the worst shape with 10 more games to play, Roanoke and Shenandoah both have 9 remaining.  Along with R-MC, Bridgewater, Lynchburg and W&L have 8 to go; Randolph and Guilford have 7 games remaining; and VWU and Ferrum each have 6.  Macon, Hollins and Shenandoah each have one non-conference game remaining in their respective counts. 

So I guess will be a hectic February for everyone.  I just don't remember it being so busy leading up to the conference championships.

Why doesn't OAC runner-up get to attend in their place? or another Pool C team?

Have to be Ohio State to get rules changed after the regular season is completed.

Coach Carroll LaHaye announces her retirement.  https://rmcathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2019-20/releases/20200325sk3rc4

Congratulations on an amazing career.