Third Regional Rankings
May
2008
Division III Regional Rankings
Central Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Illinois Wesleyan 29-8 28-3
2 Carthage 32-5 26-5
3 Augustana 31-9 24-7
4 Wartburg 23-12 21-9
5 Simpson 25-14 22-9
6 Concordia (Ill.) 28-11 24-10
Mid-Atlantic Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Kean 34-9 28-7 (NJAC Pool A)
2 Johns Hopkins 34-5 31-4 (CC Pool A)
3 Rowan 30-12 26-10
4 TCNJ 28-10 26-10
5 Montclair State 26-16 24-11
6 Penn State-Behrend 31-9 29-6
7 Manhattanville 28-13 24-12
8 Elizabethtown 26-12 22-11
9 Juniata 26-12 25-9
Mideast Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Heidelberg 33-7 27-7
2 Wooster 34-9 28-8
3 Adrian 29-9 24-9
4 Calvin 28-8 20-5
5 Thomas More 25-11 19-5
6 Mount St. Joseph 24-15 20-6
7 Rose-Hulman 28-11 23-9
Midwest Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 UW-Whitewater 33-6 30-6
2 UW-Oshkosh 28-7 28-7
3 St. Thomas 27-7 19-5
4 St. Scholastica 29-4 21-3
5 UW-Stevens Point 25-14 22-10
New England Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Trinity (Conn.) 34-0 25-0
2 Wheaton (Mass.) 32-8 29-6 (NEWMAC Pool A)
3 Keene State 28-8 25-7
4 Eastern Connecticut State 27-11-1 23-8-1
5 Suffolk 28-10 25-9
6 Western New England 31-11 28-11 (TCCC Pool A)
7 Southern Maine 29-10 24-10
8 Amherst 22-10-1 17-7-1
9 Williams 24-10 21-8
New York Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Cortland State 36-3 27-0 (SUNYAC Pool A)
2 Ithaca 27-11 23-5
3 Rochester 27-11 26-11
4 Rensselaer 30-10 26-9
5 Brockport State 23-17-1 19-10-1
6 RIT 22-12 20-9
South Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Salisbury 38-2 34-2
2 Lynchburg 30-11 24-8
3 Piedmont 33-12 31-12
4 Emory 25-11-1 23-9-1
5 Christopher Newport 28-12 21-11 (USAC Pool A)
6 Methodist 28-15-1 22-12-1
West Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Chapman 35-3 28-3
2 George Fox 28-12 27-11
3 McMurry 29-17 28-16 (ASC Pool A)
4 Concordia-Austin 30-16 26-13
5 Texas-Tyler 36-9 33-9
6 Cal State-East Bay 26-14 20-10
Posted: 5/8/2008
Revised: 5/9/2008 (West Region correction)
May 8th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
The West Rankings are an absoulte Joke. McMurry has 17 losses, 16 in region and they are ranked 2? What about Texas Tyler who actually won the league, just not the tournament? Then you have George Fox who doesn’t even win the league and they are 3rd? Give me a break. Linfield, LaVerne and Texas Tyler win their regular season leagues and they aren’t in the top 6.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I have to agree that the absence of Texas-Tyler is about the same as the ansence of St. Scholastica in the first regional rankings.
Where McMurry fits in the regional rankings is immaterial since they already have a ticket to the playoffs.
George Fox is probably above Linfield due to head-to-head competition. La Verne did not have the best regional record and I did not expect to see them ranked. Linfield splits with Geo Fox and you see Linfield in that third spot. I dare say a third place regional ranking means a lot to Geo Fox now.
7 of 18 playoff qualified teams are in the regional rankings. or you can think that 11 of these teams will 54 teams will be sitting home this playoff season.
I would almost prefer they list the top 75 teams so the bubble teams are clear.
The winner last week was Cal State East Bay. They played them back into playoff contention after a loss to Chapman.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I know this sounds as though I’m trying to be sarcastic, but I’m really not. I really want to learn something here. Can you explain to me how an in-region won/loss of 23-9-1 and an in-region won/loss of 22-12-1 AND an in-region won/loss of 21-11 should rank over an in-region won/loss of 27-14? Thank you for explaining that to me.
May 8th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Shouldn’t Messiah College be considered in the next Mid-Atlantic Region rankings? They are 27-16 overall and just won the Commonwealth Conference tournament with 2 wins over Elizabethtown garnering the automatic bid. They also boast quality wins over Juniata and Mary Washington.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
The answer is always the same….look in the handbook.
In region record is not the only primary consideration, just one of a number that is looked at. Think of ranking teams by batting average. You will miss a few good teams that although have average hitting but live on the strength of their pitching staffs. Ranking teams is like this.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Dixon-
If you had to pick those 11 teams to get left home who would they be?
Here is what I came up with:
Redlands
Methodist
Elizabethtown
Manhattanville
Williams
Amherst
Rose-Holman
Wisconsoin Stevens Point
Montclair St.
Juniata
Simpson
Thoughts?
May 8th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Dixon… Thanks for the answer. Believe it or not, I did read the handbook. And the only part that truly made sense is that they don’t necessarily use the criteria they so painstakingly created in any consitent order for each of the teams. Seems to me, and I could be very wrong here, but it would seem that would leave a lot of gray area for politics thus lessening the skill level exhibited by the players. Like so many other things, until somebody puts me in charge, I’d do best to accept and say thank you.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Dixon
If regional rankings are not the only thing taken into consideration, how does a team like DePauw who is 35-11 and ranked 15th ahead of every team in the Mideast except Heidelberg not even make the regional list? With the strength of the SCAC and the 35 wins, they should be getting more respect.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
More than 11 will have to be taken off the list as other Pool A bids will be given out for teams not listed (i.e. NAC: Husson/Castleton)
Redlands - As long as Concordia-Texas is ranked below Redlands you have to keep Redlands and take off Concordia-Texas. Trinity (Texas), Linfield, and La Verne will be in the playoffs. If you have an 8 team west regional, you can get Redlands and Cal State East Bay in.
Methodist - unlikely to make it
Elizabethtown, Manhattanville, Montclair St., Juniata- Both really needed to win their conference championships.
Williams, Amherst - With a lot of New England Pool A teams, you’ll get an 8-team regional in the New England regional. I could see Suffolk bumping a team like Montclair State out of the playoff picture and moving to the New York region, but a sweep by St. Joseph in region did not help their chances.
Rose-Holman - and maybe Calvin.
Wisconsoin Stevens Point - I agree unless they lose in the WIAC final. That might get them in.
Simpson - or Wartburg if they dont win the IIAC.
The 6th Pool B bid is really up for grabs. Emory, Concordia (Ill.) have equal records. Concordia needs to play well in the conference tournament.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
I’m not so sure how McMurry can be #2 in the West. 17 losses is something to be accountable for. But they’re in so I guess that’s irrelevant, but I think that the sudden appearance of some teams who are hoping for bids is fishy.
May 8th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Wow, it seems like a lot of good teams are going to left home.
Elizabethtown, Manhattanville, Montclair St. and Juniata all lost in their conference Tournaments, so do think I am right in assuming they are finished?
Do you think either Emory or Concordia(IL), whichever doesn’t make it in Pool B, will get a Pool C bid?
Thanks for the insight.
May 8th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
McMurry in at #2? IMHO, Strength of schedule. I do not have OWP/OOWP numbers, but it nice to have Chapman’s “33-2″ George Fox’s “25-10″ and Concordia-Austin’s “25-9″ in your OWP.
McMurry went 1-2 versus Chapman, 1-2 versus George Fox and 4-1 versus Concordia-Austin. The ASC-West was a very balanced conference, with top 4 teams tying for the division title at 14-7.
1 Chapman 35-3 28-3
2 McMurry 29-17 28-16 (ASC Pool A)
3 George Fox 28-12 27-11
4 Cal State-East Bay 26-14 20-10
5 Redlands 27-13 20-8
6 Concordia-Austin 30-16 26-13
Remember…
Trinity (SCAC Pool A)
LaVerne (SCIAC Pool A)
Linfield (NWC Pool A)
May 8th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Maybe I shouldn’t single out McMurry, but if the west region rankings are trying to show what the West Regional might look like in a week, than they could do a better job.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Central Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Illinois Wesleyan 29-8 28-3 CCIW tourney TH, F, SA IWU 7 Wheaton 5
2 Carthage 32-5 26-5 CCIW tourney Playing Augie tonight
3 Augustana (Illinois) 31-9 24-7 CCIW tourney
4 Wartburg 23-12 21-9 IIAC tourney (#1 seed playing #5 seed Loras tonight, 7 pm)
5 Simpson 25-14 22-9 IIAC tourney (#2 seed Lost to #6 seed Central, 11-9, today)
6 Concordia (Illinois) 28-11 24-10 NATHC tourney (Pool B) Plays Benedictine Fri 9 am.
May 8th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
South Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Salisbury 38-2 34-2 Pool B season complete
2 Lynchburg 30-11 24-8 Pool C — ODAC; season complete
3 Piedmont 33-12 31-12 Pool B season complete
4 Emory 25-11-1 23-9-1 Pool B season complete
5 Christopher Newport 28-12 21-11 (USASAC Pool A)
6 Methodist 28-15-1 22-12-1 Pool C — USASAC season complete
Randolph-Macon (ODAC Pool A bid)
May 8th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
New York Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Cortland State 36-3 27-0 (SUNYAC Pool A)
2 Ithaca 27-11 23-5 Pool B E8 Hosts Montclair State on May 10, May 11
3 Rochester 27-11 26-11 LL Tourney May 9-11 Opens vs Clarkson in G2
4 Rensselaer 30-10 26-9 LL Tourney May 9, 0930 HRS EDT vs St Lawrence in G1
5 Brockport State 23-17-1 19-10-1 ECAC Upstate Tourney at Oneonta May 10-11
6 RIT 22-12 20-9 Pool B E8 ECAC Upstate Tourney at Oneonta on May 10-11
May 8th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
New York Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Cortland State 36-3 27-0 (SUNYAC Pool A)
2 Ithaca 27-11 23-5 Pool B E8 Hosts Montclair State on May 10, May 11
3 Rochester 27-11 26-11 LL Tourney May 9-11 Opens vs Clarkson in G2
4 Rensselaer 30-10 26-9 LL Tourney May 9, 0930 HRS EDT vs St Lawrence in G1
5 Brockport State 23-17-1 19-10-1 ECAC Upstate Tourney at Oneonta May 10-11
6 RIT 22-12 20-9 Pool B E8 ECAC Upstate Tourney at Oneonta on May 10-11
Farmingdale State (SKY Pool A)
May 8th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Mid-Atlantic Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Kean 34-9 28-7 (NJAC Pool A) at Farmingdale May 10
2 Johns Hopkins 34-5 31-4 (CC Pool A)
3 Rowan 30-12 26-10 NJAC — Season complete
4 TCNJ 28-10 26-10 NJAC — Season complete
5 Montclair State 26-16 24-11 NJAC — at Ithaca May 10-11
6 Penn State-Behrend 31-9 29-6 Hosting AMCC Tourney #1 seed May 9-11
7 Manhattanville 28-13 24-12 MAC-F — Season complete
8 Elizabethtown 26-12 22-11 MAC-C –Season complete
9 Juniata 26-12 25-9 LAND Pool B — Season complete
DeSales (MAC-Frieedom Pool A)
Gwynedd-Mercy (PnAC Pool A)
Keystone (NEAC Pool A)
Messiah (MAC-Commonwealth Pool A)
May 8th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Central Region update
#3 Augie 6, #2 Carthage 5
http://www.cciw.org/spring_baseball/2008resultspage.php
Tomorrow
G3 — Wheaton vs. Carthage
G4 — Augie vs. IWU
G5 — L3 vs L4
May 8th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
Central Region
SLIAC tourney has been postponed to F, SA SU. They will play 4 games on F, 2 on SA and 1 on SU. Hosted by Webster.
http://www.sliac.org/tournaments.htm#baseball
May 9th, 2008 at 12:10 am
Midwest Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Wisconsin-Whitewater 33-6 30-6 #1 seed UWW vs #4 seed UWLC
2 Wisconsin-Oshkosh 28-7 28-7 #2 seed UWO vs #3 seed UWSP
3 St. Thomas (Minnesota) 27-7 19-5 MIAC Tourney vs GAC on Friday
4 St. Scholastica 29-4 21-3 UMAC Pool B
5 Wisconsin-Stevens Point 25-14 22-10
Midwest Tourney at Knox
http://www.midwestconference.org/
MIAC Tourney
http://www.miac-online.org/Sports/baseball/2007/bsbtournament08.asp
UMAC Tourney
http://www.csssaints.com/Sports/baseball/2008/BB-UMAC.asp?path=baseball&tab=mens
WIAC Tourney (Seven games on May 9-10)
http://www.uwsa.edu/wiac/baseball/08tournament.html
May 9th, 2008 at 1:44 am
The distribution of teams in the rankings also can give an idea what regions will be 6 team regionals and which will be 8 team regionals.
The New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Mideast all have 7-9 teams in the regional rankings. The Midwest has 5 teams. It is safe to say that unless there are a lot of Pool B and Pool C bids in one region, then the 8 team regionals are in New England, Mid-Atlantic and the Mideast. The Midwest looks like a lock for a 6 team regional.
I fully expect that with the number of pool A bids in the New England (7) and Mid-Atlantic (7) regionals, that each regional will have 8 teams.
The Mideast has 5 pool A teams, the west has 4 (I included the SCAC as Trinity will be playing at McMurry), The rest has 3 pool A bids per region, except the South (They have 2 is you take out the SCAC). Clearly the last 8-team regional will be in the Mideast or the West.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:48 am
Can you please explain to me how Methodist is ranked above NCWC? Though they have similar overall records, and they split during the regular season, doesn’t a 14-3 spanking in the conference tourney justify NCWC a higher seed? NCWC just seems to have way better talent and beat several teams that are ranked over them right now.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Central update…
Augie 6 Carthage 5
IWU 7, Wheaton IL 5 on the strength of a 6-run 8th including Pat Garvey’s Grand Slam.
Carthage to play Wheaton IL today in G3; Augie plays IWU in G4. Winner of G3 and loser of G4 play in G5.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Iowa IAC tourney. (6 team tourney; #1 and #2 get first round byes.)
Game 4 — #1 Wartburg beat #5 Loras in G4 by 5-2. Wartburg plays #6 Central at 4 pm CDT.
Game 3 — #2 Simpson lost to #6 Central 11-9 and now plays #5 Loras in G6 at 1 pm CDT.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:15 am
IIAC tourney link
http://www.iowaconference.com/men/baseball/tournament/2008.htm
May 9th, 2008 at 10:15 am
The CCIW results are important in the playoff scheme only in the defeat of Wheaton. A win by anyone other than Wheaton in the tournament has little impact on the playoffs. The top spots in the rankings are occupied by the CCIW big three and all are on target for a playoff bid.
The IIAC is also going well for those bubble teams. A win by Wartburg might keep Simpson out but a win by Simpson does not automatically take Wartburg out of the playoffs.
With this regional a projected 6 team regional there is room for only one more team (with the 3 pool A bids) if three CCIW teams are in. That spot could easily be Simpson or Concordia (Ill.) but each team has to win to advance.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Methodist is ranked above NC Wersleyan based on what looks like strength of schedule. Replace those 7 wins for NCW against Eastern Mennonite and Old Westbury and replace them Methodist’s games against Frostburg State and a few more ODAC schools and Methodist gets the edge.
Methodist also did a little better against common opposition than NCW. NCW could be lurking just off the regional rankings but this information is not known since only 54 teams are ranked.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:35 am
I’ve come around to the necessity of an eight-team Terre Haute Regional. That is going to be a weak regional.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:57 am
OR do just the five AQ’s (if Heidelberg and Mt. St. Joe win) and Wooster make up the Terre Haute field? A second ME team (Calvin or Adrian) could go to Rock Island and the HCAC bubble team stays home. If Heidelberg and Mt. St. Joe lose, I don’t see a way around eight teams in Terre Haute.
Just trying my hardest to make Terre Haute six teams and have it make sense.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
Actually Rose-Hulman might be able to squeeze into Danville. The NCAA would have to get out a tape measurer – not a map, according to MapQuest.
Wooster and the President’s AC winner might also be able to go to Danville, so keep hope alive for a six-team Terre Haute Regional.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:28 pm
I would think Hopkins (due to proximity) would be shipped to Danville, if someone from “out of region” is sent south at MU or NCWC’s expense.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
South Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Salisbury 38-2 34-2 (Lock for a Pool B)
2 Lynchburg 30-11 24-8 (Lock for a pool C)
3 Piedmont 33-12 31-12 (probable Pool B)
4 Emory 25-11-1 23-9-1 (possible Pool C)
5 Christopher Newport 28-12 21-11 (USASAC Pool A)
6 Methodist 28-15-1 22-12-1 (on the bubble)
* Randolph Macon (Pool A)
I don’t see an 8 team regional in the South. I see Methodist staying home so Emory can be in the playoffs (higher ranked than Methodist).
There is enough weakness in the New York region to accept the overflow from New England or Mid-Atlantic.
The one key to who gets off the bubble is the Mideast. No Pool A for 2-3 teams (Heidleberg, Thomas More, Mount St. Joseph) makes this the third 8-team regional and that fourth NJAC team is out, as well as 1-2 teams from the west.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
^^^ Heidelberg is in trouble in the OAC tournament. Marietta took them out this morning 8-4, and they must win three in a row to take the championship.
Marietta is playing great baseball right now, and I firmly believe that whoever ends up winning the OAC will be the favorite in Terra-Haute.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
AG, I’m just curious about your comment about moving Hopkins to Danville. I just can’t see how you could justify taking the number two team in a region out of that region??? Just curious!
May 9th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
The ‘Berg might be in trouble in the OAC but their playoff spot is pretty solid. I think that winning as many games as they can will only help their position. This is indeed bad news for those team on the bubble.
Marietta is playing great ball these days and knowing a win in the tourney is theri only playoff chance, they are making the most of it.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
^^ agree.
Along with Heidelberg in the OAC into the losing bracket, Thomas Moore in the PAC tournament lost their first game and need to win four in a row to secure the Pool A bid.
In the HCAC tournament, top seed Mount Saint Joseph is tied in the 12th inning in game one.
Lots of upsets in the Mideast regiona conference tournaments so far.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
And another little upset in the making is happening out east (Little East that is).
The third-seeded University of Southern Maine baseball team scored four runs in the fifth inning to erase a 1-0 deficit and went on to defeat top-seeded Keene State College 8-4 Friday morning in the third day of play at the 2008 Little East Conference Baseball Championship Tournament.
This is Southern Maine’s ticket and they seem to know it
May 9th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
bluejayfan…it was me simply mis-counting and I keep forgetting about Emory…even though their ranking is right in front of my face. You’re absolutely right about not pulling JHU out of their region.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
If the West rankings were somehow screwed up, isn’t it natural to at least question the others? If what was posted on the ASC board is correct, what’s up with the NCAA? We’ve always been the outcasts of the NCAA, but that would be inexcusable. Real people, real money, real opportunities, etc., are directly invested in the NCAA doing its job correctly. Again, IF, IF it’s true that the West rankings are wrong … but the news comes from a solid source.
On a side not, it makes me wonder how big of a deal it would be if there were no D3 network of sites.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
oshdude-
Do you know what happened with the West Region Rankings? Was there a post to a website? I checked ASC but couldn’t find anything.
Thanks.
May 9th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
This site. Check out the ASC message board.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
New York Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Cortland State 36-3 27-0 (SUNYAC Pool A)
2 Ithaca 27-11 23-5 Pool B E8 Hosts Montclair State on May 10, May 11
3 Rochester 27-11 26-11 LL Tourney May 9-11; G2 beats Clarkson 3-0, loses to RPI 5-3. Rochester plays St Lawrence/Clarkson winner Sat.
4 Rensselaer 30-10 26-9 LL Tourney May 9, 0930 HRS EDT. Beats St Lawrence in G1, 6-1. Defeats Rochester 5-3. Awaits elim.bracket foe on Sunday.
5 Brockport State 23-17-1 19-10-1 ECAC Upstate Tourney at Oneonta May 10-11
6 RIT 22-12 20-9 Pool B E8 ECAC Upstate Tourney at Oneonta on May 10-11
May 10th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Mideast Region Update
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Heidelberg 33-7 27-7 Competing in OAC tourney
2 Wooster 34-9 28-8 Pool C Season Complete
3 Adrian 29-9 24-9 Final 25-10 M-E region Pool C (No MIAA tourney)
4 Calvin 28-8 20-5 MIAA Pool A
5 Thomas More 25-11 19-5 Pres AC Tourney
6 Mount St. Joseph 24-15 20-6 HCAC Tourney
7 Rose-Hulman 28-11 23-9 HCAC Tourney
NCAC Pool A bid — Ohio Wesleyan Tourney winner
AMCC Pool A bid — Awaiting tourney winner
May 10th, 2008 at 12:33 am
6 Mount St. Joseph 24-15 20-6 HCAC Tourney Eliminated in losers’ bracket by RHIT today!
May 10th, 2008 at 1:07 am
NAC Update: Rockford defeated marian 6-2, Concordia defeated Benedictine 9-1 then Rockford defeated Concordia 10-8 to advance to the Championship games. Benedictine defeated marian 6-4 to advance against Concordia. Should they defeat Concordia or better yet defeat Benedictine for the Championship, do they have a shot at a pool B bid ?
May 10th, 2008 at 1:18 am
I just to clarify if Rockford still has a chance. They easily defeated carthage 19-2 last sunday. as of today, they are 26-16 ( 23-11 in Region)
May 10th, 2008 at 2:29 am
Yes, both Rockford and Concordia have a chance, albeit remote.
There are lots of good Pool B teams this year, and the Pool C’s are filling up with the likes of Wooster, Adrian, a WIAC runner-up, George Fox and maybe a Heidelberg.
I refer you to the Handbook for any questions about the criteria.
May 10th, 2008 at 5:36 am
Some of you are crying about the rankings and why UT-Tyler is ranked below McMurry and Concordia. First things first, Ut tyler plays no one and when they do the lose. Their schedule is weak. They are 2-3 against Concordia and 0-1 against McMurry. All but one loss is in conference. In my opinion Ut-Tyler deserves to sit at home and Concordia-Austin deserves to get an at large bid. McMurry’s owned Concordia this year!! But it really is a mute point b/c McMurry won the all important conference tournament and are in
May 10th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
lonestarhowie………. I admit that I am new to this game, and I am a Texan and therefore anytime a Texas team does well, I’m a happy camper, but I will say this. Don’t forget to add into the mix about UT-Tyler that this is only their 1st year in accredited competition. I followed them a little bit last year, before they were eligible for anything other than their pride, and I think they earned a lot of respect which will probalby make them one of the “feared” teams until they prove otherwise. All of this hype makes me very glad that my “baseball connection” plays his college baseball out of my state. True, I don’t get to see him play very often, and I regret that, but at least, I don’t have to worry about divided loyalty among Texas teams. I can be happy for all of them. This is quite an experience for these young men. Some of them may be future Rangers or future Astros, after all !!
May 10th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
^^ true, the UT-Tyler team is new to Div III baseball, but the kids who are playing aren’t new to college baseball in general. The majority of the roster is made up of Junior College, or other college, transfers. Something that isn’t very common among DIII rosters, although Vilvade did the same thing while at Dallas a few years ago when he built their program.
May 10th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Mideast Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Heidelberg 33-7 27-7 Wins OAC Pool A in tourney
2 Wooster 34-9 28-8 Pool C NCAC
3 Adrian “30-10 25-10″ Pool C MIAA
4 Calvin 28-8 20-5 Wins MIAA Pool A bid
5 Thomas More 25-11 19-5 eliminated in Pres AC Tourney
6 Mount St. Joseph 24-15 20-6 eliminated in HCAC Tourney
7 Rose-Hulman 28-11 23-9 already has one loss in HCAC tourney. No Pool C bid for RHIT.
May 10th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
# Ralph Turner Says:
May 10th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
My bad…Ignore the previous post. Wooster and Adrian look strong, but I am not committing yet.
Mideast Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Heidelberg 33-7 27-7 Wins OAC Pool A in tourney
2 Wooster 34-9 28-8 Pool C Candidate NCAC
3 Adrian “30-10 25-10″ Pool C Candidate MIAA (No post-season tourney)
4 Calvin 28-8 20-5 Wins MIAA Pool A bid
5 Thomas More 25-11 19-5 eliminated in Pres AC Tourney
6 Mount St. Joseph 24-15 20-6 eliminated in HCAC Tourney
7 Rose-Hulman 28-11 23-9 already has one loss in HCAC tourney. No Pool C bid for RHIT.
May 10th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Ralph-
What do you think the loses by Adrian, Thomas More and Mount St. Joe do to the mideast region?
Do you agree with Dixon that it will be the third eight team region?
Also, do you think Rochester has any shot at a Pool C bid after being eliminated in the Liberty League Tournament?
May 10th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I think that Adrian looks strong, Wooster is probably in and TMC, MSJ and RHIT probably played themselves out of the tournament.
As I follow this carefully, the double elimination formats of post-season tourneys add 2 losses to a team’s in-region total, and that probably knocks down the IN-Region Won-Loss (percentage).
I think that only the upper half of these regions have any chance at a Pool C bid, after losing in the Post-season tourneys. Maybe Concordia-Tx has played its way into a Pool C bid by eliminating UT-Tyler (beating them twice) and only losing twice to McMurry in the Post-season tourney. Concordia TX had a ASC tourney record of 2-2, all being against teams strong enough to remain regionally ranked after a post-season tourney, e.g., McMurry on the way up and UT-Tyler on the way down.
I don’t think that Rochester helped itself much, vis-a-vis the Pool C bids across the nation.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Ralph-
I’ve spent quite a bit of time over the past few days doing “bracketology” and this is what I have come up with:
Central
1. Illinois Wesleyan (Pool A)
2. Carthage (Pool C)
3. Augustana (Pool C)
4. Wartburg (Pool A)
5. Concordia-IL (Pool C)
6. SLIAC Winner (Webster most likely) (Pool A)
Mid-Atlantic
1.Kean (Pool A)
2. Johns Hopkins (Pool A)
3. Rowan (Pool C)
4.Montclair St. (Pool C)
5. Gwyned-Mercy (Pool A)
6. Messiah (Pool A)
7. DeSales (Pool A)
8. Keystone (Pool A)
Mideast
1. Heidelberg (Pool A)
2. Wooster (Pool C)
3. Calvin (Pool A)
4. Transylvania (Pool A)
5. Grove City (Pool A)
6. Ohio Wesleyan (Pool A)
Midwest
1. UW-Whitewater (Pool C)
2. UW-Oshkosh (Pool C)
3. UW-Stevens Point (Pool A)
4. St. Thomas (Pool A)…obviously hasn’t been completed yet
5. St. Scholastica (Pool B)
6. MWC Winner (Ripon, most likely) (Pool A)
New England
1. Trinity (Pool A)…again I’m assuming they don’t lose two tomorrow
2. Wheaton (Pool A)
3. Keene St. (Pool A)
4. Eastern CT St. (Pool C)
5. Western NE (Pool A)
6. Worchester St. (Pool A)
7. St. Joe’s Maine (Pool A)
8. Castleton (Pool A)
New York
1. Cortlant St. (Pool A)
2. Ithaca ( Pool B)
3. RPI (Pool A)…again I’m assuming they don’t lose two tomorrow
4. TCNJ (Pool C)…from midatlantic
5. Penn-State Behrend (Pool A)…assuming they beat Bradford tomorrow
6. Farmingdale St. (Pool A)
South
1. Salisbury (Pool B)
2. Lynchburg (Pool C)
3. Piedmont (Pool B)
4. Emory (Pool B)
5. Randolph-Macon (Pool A)
6. Christopher Newport (Pool A)
West
1. Chapman (Pool B)
2. McMurry (Pool A)
3. George Fox (Pool C)
4. Trinity-TX (Pool A)
5. Linfield (Pool A)
6. LaVerne (Pool A)
7. Cal State East Bay (Pool C)
8. Redlands (Pool C)
Ralph and Dixon let me know what you think.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Ohiobaseball…I like your south region but I think you need to flip-flop R-MC and CNU. What was your rationale for having R-MC seeded ahead of CNU?
May 10th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
OhioBaseball, good work on the brackets, but I have to take issue with one of your seeds.
Montclair State IMO does not deserve a Pool C bid before Suffolk. Suffolk has a markedly better in-region winning percentage (.703 to .686) and also beat MSU head-to-head 9-4. IIRC, these are the two main criterion when determining at-large bids, so why does MSU deserve one over Suffolk? Further, Suffolk is eligible for the mid-atlantic regional, so this just furthers their case.
Thoughts?
May 10th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Strength of schedule (OWP and OOWP) is usually high on the list, too.
.703 is not markedly better than .686. Over a 40-game season, .703 is 28.1 wins and .686 is 27.4 wins.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Alright, so perhaps I was a bit too generous with the adjectives, but still, when you’re deciding between teams that are this close, shouldn’t the figures be a bit closer? I’m sure there is a number of teams with winning percentages between .703 and .686 in contention.
Also, at last check Suffolk had the 3rd highest strength of schedule in New England, can MSU make that claim?
May 10th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I guess I was thinking that Christopher Newport was only in the regional rankings because they had already won their conference tournament. Maybe I was misguided there, my main goal with the brackets was to show the teams I thought would be in each region…after that I did my best to go by the regional rankings.
As far as Montclair goes, I just believe that the NJAC is such a strong conference that they deserve to go. Suffolk’s win against MSU was probbably their best win. They lost to Wheaton, E CT St, Worchester St. and St. Joe’s Maine four times. MSU has two wins over Kean and Rowan, a win over TCNJ, and wins over E CT St. and Keene St. That seems more impressive to me than what Suffolk has done.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I just don’t think the numbers agree. After all, that’s what the selection committee looks at first, and I think Suffolk has the edge in the first three categories (in-region winning percentage, head-to-head, SOS). Suffolk also has wins against WNEC, St. Joe’s twice, and Southern Maine. MSU has the more impressive wins no doubt, but taking into account all of the numbers, and I don’t see how the committee can justify taking MSU over Suffolk.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Edit - Suffolk actually beat Southern Maine twice, not once.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Lucky for you, I’m not on the committee.
Final Rebuttal:
Southern Maine isn’t a tournament team. Kean and Keene St. are; and Rowan, TNCJ and E Ct. St probably will get Pool C bids.
Suffolk is
2-4 against St. Joes
1-1 against Western NE
May 10th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
CNU has been in and out of the regional rankings since they were released…and I feel pretty sure they will be seeded ahead of R-MC. CNU won its regular season league title as well as the tournament.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:54 pm
AG-
Thank you for the info. I apologize for not being more thorough in my investigations for seeding purposes.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
And MSU is
0-1 against Suffolk with lesser numbers in all the important categories.
If they get a bid it will be purely on reputation. New England is just as strong as the Mid-Atlantic, and Suffolk posted better numbers in their respective region than MSU did.
Nevertheless, good work on the rest of the brackets, I appreciate you putting in the effort.
May 10th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
You’re welcome. It has certainly be fun and you’ll have to give me props if the actual bracket comes out like the one I made.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Now, i don’t know how all of this works, but the ECAC Upstate tournement is on its final day, and i know that an automatic bid will not follow the champions…
But Oswego (17-11) is in the championship round tomorrow against the winner of SUNY Brockport/SUNY Oneonta… and presuming they win in the first game, is there any chance they could get a Pool C bid?
They would have knocked off two of the top 6 (RIT and Brockport), plus St. John Fisher to get in (as a 5 seed in the 4-5 play-in game).
Thanks for input
May 10th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
AG,
With Wooster and Adrain not getting automatic bids, I think that the Mideast gets the 8 team regional.
The problem is really what to do with the West teams. If one is not afraid to put a Mid-Atlantic team in a New York regional why not take George Fox or Linfield and put them any where they might fit since they are flying anyway. George Fox acctually can through the Midwest bracket the year they won.
Also Ripon lost twice to Knox today and Knox is the MWC pool A recipient.
I am working with Ralph to get a list out once the contests on Sunday are decided.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Dixon-
I don’t think the Mideast will get the 8 team regional. I think Adrian if they make it will get moved to the Central and will bump Concordia-IL out there. That’s my bet if Adrian gets a pool C, but I don’t think they will.
Thanks for the update on Knox.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Thanks, Ohio Bsaeball.
I am at work and will review it more carefully when I get home.
May 10th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
I need to amend my West Region. I made it when the rankings were incorrectly listed on the website.
West Region
1. Chapman (Pool B)
2. George Fox (Pool C)
3. McMurry (Pool A)
4. Concordia-Austin (Pool C)
5. Texas-Tyler (Pool C)
6. Trinity Texas (Pool A)
7. Linfield (Pool A)
8. La Verne (Pool A)
May 10th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
I don’t think the Mideast will get eight teams. The South is a better travel option for the NCAA. When the Mideast was in Ohio, Pennsylvania teams could fill out the regional. Not many Penn or Mid-Atlantic teams can bus to Terre Haute. Unless Stevens Point goes to Terre Haute, I see six there. We’ll see.
Oh, and there’s going to be a lot of moving among the regions IMO.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:31 am
New York Region
Rank Team Overall In-Region
1 Cortland State 36-3 27-0 (SUNYAC Pool A)
2 Ithaca 27-11 23-5 Pool B E8 Hosts Montclair State on May 10, May 11
3 Rochester 27-11 26-11 LL Tourney May 9-11; Goes 1-2. Hurts chances for Pool C
4 Rensselaer 30-10 26-9 LL Tourney Now the favorite to win it all. (Pool A)
5 Brockport State 23-17-1 19-10-1 ECAC Upstate Tourney at Oneonta May 10-11
6 RIT 22-12 20-9 Pool B E8 ECAC Upstate Tourney at Oneonta on May 10-11 Lost to Brockport (Really hurts Pool B chances)
Rochester is now 27-13 in-region (.675) with 5-2 record against what I think are the in-region ranked teams. Holds onto #4 in-region.
Brockport is 20-10-1 with a game versus Oswego tomorrow. May go 21-10-1 (.672) and a record of 3-4 versus in-region ranked teams.
May 11th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Rockford Defeated Concordia 8-3 for the NAC Championship. What effect does this have in the Central Region ? Is it possible that both Rockford & Concordia make it ?
May 11th, 2008 at 2:50 am
rc52b Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Rockford Defeated Concordia 8-3 for the NAC Championship. What effect does this have in the Central Region ? Is it possible that both Rockford & Concordia make it ?
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No, I think they knocked each other out.
May 11th, 2008 at 8:22 am
word on the street is that Carthages’ coach(Augie) is telling people he thinks they will be shipped out of the Central. Pretty hard to have 3 teams from 1 conference in a Regional.
May 11th, 2008 at 10:55 am
# iwubrion Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 8:22 am
word on the street is that Carthage’s coach(Augie) is telling people he thinks they will be shipped out of the Central. Pretty hard to have 3 teams from 1 conference in a Regional.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Great, if the bus trips and 500-mile radius rule works, then I like to see multiple bids from strong conferences dispersed!
May 11th, 2008 at 11:29 am
# iwubrion Says:
May 11th, 2008 at 8:22 am
word on the street is that Carthage’s coach(Augie) is telling people he thinks they will be shipped out of the Central. Pretty hard to have 3 teams from 1 conference in a Regional.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
The NCAA did it last season when Augie, IWU, and Carthage were all in the same regional so there is precedence. That being said….who can understand the things that the NCAA does!
May 11th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Anyone know what is happening between Penn-State Behrend and Pitt-Bradford? Game should almost be over.
May 11th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
If Augie travels, what are the projected teams to be in the Central region as of now ? What if they don’t travel ?
May 11th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I would expect all three CCIW teams to stay in the Central region.
All 34 Pool A bids have been awarded. No upsets today. Trinity (conn), Penn-State Behrend, RPI, St. Thomas all win. Webster get the bid as the tournament was rained out.
This is the first time in many years the games ended were all over this early on Sunday.
May 11th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
mwunder Says:
That being said….who can understand the things that the NCAA does!
I am sure that cost are involved. The 500 mile limit is very real so any team can be shipped around to minimize the number of plane flights the NCAA will pay for.
I favor this approach but my personal preference is to keep teams in the region they play if at all possible.
May 11th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
If all the games are over…why the heck will it take until Monday to officially announce the entire field?
May 11th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Get ready for a lot of movement. Don’t even try to project the regionals. Just try to guess the Pool C/B bids. Doing anything else will be futile IMO.
May 11th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
There are schedule what if games that would still be playing if the winners bracket winner did not win. The committee also needs time to get things together. I expect the conference call is scheduled and cannot be changed at the last minute.
May 11th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
Just a minor point for clarification - George Fox was in the Midwest Regional in 2002, not in 2004 when the Bruins won the D-III World Series. In 2004, the Bruins defeated Chapman, Linfield, La Verne and Trinity TX in the West Regional in Orange, Calif., before going on to the national title.
May 11th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I was trying to check on something on the NCAA website a couple of different times today, and each time, I get an error response. Is it my computer or is anyone else having the same problem?
I look forward to reading all your comments after the pool selections. Good luck to all of you with teams in the running.