Clearing the bases
Mar
2008
The season is finally settling in. For a month I have been watching the southern and western team play seeing a few teams from other regions start their season. Every region now is coming to life. There has been a slew of games in the Metrodome in Minneapolis giving the Midwest and Central teams an alternative to waiting for spring break. Last week two-thirds of the teams were in action and more this week. There are a few teams that will hold out until mid March but this week is the first real action across the board this season.
With many of the conferences in play, there are POTW for many. This must mean that the NCBWA Player and Pitcher of the Week will be announced starting next week if the past is any guide.
A glance at the latest D2baseball.com/NCBWA poll shows only one team that has started to play and not have a loss. This is No. 5 Johns Hopkins who started their season yesterday with a 13-2 win. Last week was one to forget for many of the top teams. No. 16 Marietta dropped 2 to No. 22 Piedmont, giving Piedmont enough support to make the top 25. No. 11 Kean stumbled against Manhattanville who needed late inning runs to secure their their wins against the defending national champions. No. 1 Chapman was able to keep their top spot and No. 18 Redlands was able to move up after Chapman defeated Redlands twice in three games. Adrian certainly got noticed and appear in the list of having received votes based on their victories against No. 9 Emory and Piedmont. Looking through this weeks top 25, the only team that played last week and did not lose was No. 8 Texas-Tyler.
The games to watch this week are with No. 12 Wheaton (Mass). They take on No. 13 New Jersey on the 8th and then have two games against No. 3 Cortland State on the 9th and 11th. Nobody has a tougher week. In the middle of the country the key match-up is No. 24 Luther vs No. 10 Wisc-Oshkosh. The UAA tournament gets going on Monday and continues through the following Saturday (March 11-15).
I hope everyone can get out and see a baseball game. Still snow on the ground here but spring is in the air.
March 6th, 2008 at 4:30 am
Line of the week:
NWC Player of the Week was Kyle Stalker, Willamette. Stalker batted .467 (7 for 15) in five games with every base hit going for a home run. He drove in 16 runs and scored 11 times with 10 walks. Also became the school’s alltime HR record holder with 24, as a junior.