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Oswego State was the best team I’ve seen so far, this season, but I haven’t seen close to all of the best teams
@3and2Fastball posted:Oswego State was the best team I’ve seen so far, this season, but I haven’t seen close to all of the best teams
I watched my son's team play against Baldwin Wallace (ranked one spot behind Oswego State) and Trinty Texas (ranked 2 spots higher), and my son's team went 3-1 against them. Baldwin Wallace was very tough. I've watched them play Denison 2x and split, they are ranked about 6 spots behind Oswego at #20. I thought Wooster was exceptional, but they are not ranked or getting votes nor is my son's team. Wheaton has excellent pitching, so they are a team to watch, they are getting votes but prob ranked next week. That's my D3 run down from what I have seen. I've seen some great baseball this year, but D3 is not all like the teams I just mentioned. If his team loses the conference tournament tomorrow, they still might get an at-large but possibly too many other losses. Finals are over. He is awaiting an MRI on his shoulder - his season is over.
Regional Rankings Musings
I don't understand the thing with the Texas and Centenary teams. Why not just add four more teams to fill out the regionals? Why those teams?
Why not add one more to pool C and have that team and one of the three SCIAC teams go there?
BTW nice to see the SCIAC not get screwed for a change.
@anotherparent posted:I don't understand the thing with the Texas and Centenary teams. Why not just add four more teams to fill out the regionals? Why those teams?
I'm not an expert on the selection process, but I think these are the main factors:
- start with the total count, which is based in large part on the NCAA budget. the number seems to vary from year to year in D3. this year it's 60. the NCAA only wants to pay for hotels, meals, travel, etc for that predetermined number of teams.
- D3 uses "600 miles" as the magic number for travel by bus. I'm guessing that no teams are flying in this round, but I haven't checked closely.
- they start with the 60 teams that deserve a bid, and then the teams who deserve to host.
- then they look for teams who can travel (by bus) to those hosts while trying to avoid matching teams from the same conference or region.
- they only play in 4-team and 2-team formats. I don't know why.
- which brings us to Trinity and Texas-Dallas. I guess Centenary is the only other school within 600 miles of them, so not enough teams for a 4-team playoff.
- I guess with LaGrange hosting Centenary, Birmingham Southern was the only other school near them.
I'm sure you'll find exceptions to all of the above since it's not an exact science. For instance, Birmingham Southern is the #1 seed but is traveling to Lynchburg.
Interesting regarding Centenary/Trinity:
Once you get below D1 ball the seeding logic is based on distance, (cost) and trying not to get teams that are in the same conference playing each other again in the regional. Since going to the super regional format the only thing I can assume in the Centenary/Trinity placement is that they are thinking they will need to get through the super regional to get to the CWS. Regardless that is a huge benefit if they are thin in pitching depth. I guess this makes up for the times that the NCAA put 3 top nationally ranked teams in the West Regional.
I'm trying to understand these brackets also. I'm not a linear thinker (comes as a shock, I know) but I too don't understand:
-why does a conference winner like Eastern Conn have to travel to a Pool C team's site?
-why doesn't the NCAA just accept that geographic issues are gonna cost the organization from time to time.
Some factors about D3:
First of all a school needs to submit in advance that they will host, and meet all the NCAA requirements for hosting including press box, lodging, volunteers, field specs, etc.
If a top seed does not submit to host, or does not qualify, they travel. May be the issue with ECSU and other higher seeds.
The West Region is massive-pretty much all D3 West of the Mississippi. There are fewer schools in the massive region. On the other hand, teams from the West have dominated D3 winning nearly every Championship except one, I think, since around 2013.
As others noted, cost and travel distances are important factors.
As a result, one Regional in Chapman is 3 SCIAC schools plus Pacific from the NWC.
In addition, that 4 team at Chapman left UT Dallas and Trinity with huge SOS factors or conference automatic as an obvious match up, all factors considered. Even then , Trinity is the higher seed but Dallas hosts.
Very helpful, Infield Dad
One thing I've been wondering all year is, why are Boyd's and Massey's strength-of-schedule ratings so different from the NCAA's? Their overall rankings sort-of line up with what the NCAA does (and the coaches' polls), but not entirely.
@anotherparent posted:One thing I've been wondering all year is, why are Boyd's and Massey's strength-of-schedule ratings so different from the NCAA's? Their overall rankings sort-of line up with what the NCAA does (and the coaches' polls), but not entirely.
Specifically for D3 baseball, the SOS is only based on in-region games and 2 levels of opponents' winning %. Massey and others are not limited to region and not limited to 2 levels of OWP. I think Massey also adds some weight for quality of win (e.g. score differential).
Today is Day 1 of Regionals. a few scores already posted.
After a single game of baseball, the scores make it seem like the football teams are playing in Texas...
Trinity (Texas) 7 Texas-Dallas 4 (duration 2:41)
Trinity (Texas) 18 Texas-Dallas 13 (duration 3:36)
Texas-Dallas 32 Trinity (Texas) 9 (duration 3:22)
If that's what's left of pitching - today's games could be vewwwy intewesting ;-)
Super Regional match-ups begin Friday.
Go Gulls.
Son’s team was 3-1 against current D3 World Series teams and could end up 4-2 if Wooster sneaks in but Salisbury is clearly the real deal and Wooster needs to win 2 in a row against them. His team just missed the regionals. Next year they should be stacked at pitcher, just need to replace some hitting and just need to be more clutch. Son should be back from surgery to help (in pen).
D3 CWS brackets:
BOF, congrats to your son’s alma mater!!
I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the '22 College Season thread. My son's team is headed to Cedar Rapids tomorrow! They started their season with a couple of blowout losses and the morale was not great. Then they started winning but lost in their conference tournament. When they lost in the first game in the Super Regional, I thought the season was over. The final game was a blowout in our favor and the coaches were able to put in three senior pitchers to close out the game.
I reported earlier that my son is not on the travel roster but they took everyone who wanted to go to both the Regional and Super Regional and I believe they are doing the same for the World Series. My son is not going - he is taking a class this summer and even though it's online, he would be "in class" for the game on Friday. The assistant coach said "this is going to be the most expensive spring ever" boy was he right!
@VA_Mom posted:
I reported earlier that my son is not on the travel roster but they took everyone who wanted to go to both the Regional and Super Regional and I believe they are doing the same for the World Series. My son is not going - he is taking a class this summer and even though it's online, he would be "in class" for the game on Friday. The assistant coach said "this is going to be the most expensive spring ever" boy was he right!
I'm pretty sure they have wifi at Perfect Game Field. 
@VA_Mom posted:I wasn't sure if I should post this here or in the '22 College Season thread. My son's team is headed to Cedar Rapids tomorrow! They started their season with a couple of blowout losses and the morale was not great. Then they started winning but lost in their conference tournament. When they lost in the first game in the Super Regional, I thought the season was over. The final game was a blowout in our favor and the coaches were able to put in three senior pitchers to close out the game.
I reported earlier that my son is not on the travel roster but they took everyone who wanted to go to both the Regional and Super Regional and I believe they are doing the same for the World Series. My son is not going - he is taking a class this summer and even though it's online, he would be "in class" for the game on Friday. The assistant coach said "this is going to be the most expensive spring ever" boy was he right!
I know no one says team names but I need someone to pull for here..........
@Gunner Mack Jr. posted:I know no one says team names but I need someone to pull for here..........
I don't think we have any family connections here, but I'm sure LaGrange would appreciate your support. A horribly sad tragedy for the team to deal with on their first trip to the D3 World Series.
@Gunner Mack Jr. posted:I know no one says team names but I need someone to pull for here..........
I have to think Salisbury is solid favorite with runner position going to Catholic.
I feel the same way about LaGrange. I don't even know what to say.
Aside from that, my son says Marietta was the best team he played against this year, by far.
Eastern Conn knocked his team out of regionals and its coach recruited both my oldest sons before he left Amherst for Eastern Conn so I've got some interest there.
I know there's strong sentiment on the board for Trinity and, apropos of nothing, Trinity has the best d3 broadcasts I've seen and maid service in the dorms. Tough to root against that.
Heck, it's 5pm somewhere, it's 2022, let's just give everyone a trophy.
@old_school posted:I have to think Salisbury is solid favorite with runner position going to Catholic.
I think the seeding looks pretty accurate. #1 Marietta and #2 Eastern Conn are both very strong teams. Marietta hasn't lost a game since 5/8, and the date is 4/23 for Eastern Conn. Both teams pretty much rolled through their conference tournaments, regionals, and super regionals.
The subject of D3 HA comes up here all the time. I think Trinity is the only team in the group who would be considered HA.
Catholic's first trip to the World Series. Pretty cool for a team who has been consistently good for years.
Salisbury returns much of the 2021 championship team. The stage won't be too big for them.
Should be a fun year.
@MidAtlanticDad posted:I think the seeding looks pretty accurate. #1 Marietta and #2 Eastern Conn are both very strong teams. Marietta hasn't lost a game since 5/8, and the date is 4/23 for Eastern Conn. Both teams pretty much rolled through their conference tournaments, regionals, and super regionals.
The subject of D3 HA comes up here all the time. I think Trinity is the only team in the group who would be considered HA.
Catholic's first trip to the World Series. Pretty cool for a team who has been consistently good for years.
Salisbury returns much of the 2021 championship team. The stage won't be too big for them.
Should be a fun year.
my Salisbury / Catholic was in reference to VAmom sons team...that being said
Salisbury is very good.
Catholic isn't tight enough on def and the after Alk the pitching goes down fast. They can mash and get them on a hot day it can be very long! I don't believe they are any threat to win.
Thanks Smoke.
The beauty of baseball is its unpredictability. I frankly never thought the current Trinity team would get through the Supers, and from what I have heard they is nowhere near the pure talent of many of the 2010-2016 teams, yet they are a scrappy bunch who go out and outslug the competition, so here they are. In the who would have thought department, Coach Scannell previously went 17 years of fielding very, very, competitive teams and never broke through to the CWS and now he has done it 3 times in the past 6 years....
How can you not root for LaGrange.
Great to see Marietta back in it. BTW they have an excellent engineering program.
I don't have a dog in the hunt, so will be pulling for the Pointers of Stevens Point!