Now Virginia joins North and South Carolina with four teams in the conference.
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This is tremendous news for VA players! And it sure sets up some wonderful rivalries going forward.
And it starts next year -- not way off in the future!
And it starts next year -- not way off in the future!
This is great news indeed. Good for Longwood!
Good news for Longwood, and great news for Longwood recruits. Big South is a very competitive conference placing 14th out of 32 Division I conferences according to the Warren Nolan Conference RPI. The only bad news is that Coastal Carolina is very,very good and they've owned the conference for a while.
This is obviously great news for Longwood, and for local baseball players. However, Longwood baseball is going to have really step up the way their program is run if they want to be remotely competitive in the Big South. Their current roster includes 21 players TOTAL. They have 10 players who list pitcher among their positions.
True, they've beaten some good D1 teams in recent years, but remember they largely play those D1 teams during mid week games when other teams are saving their best arms for conference action. Longwood didn't have to worry about conference games, so they could throw their best pitchers mid-week. Additionally, gone are the days of filling out the schedule with the likes of UMBC, NC A&T, NC Central, Coppin St, UMES, Buffalo and Cleveland State (21 games last year, 18 games scheduled this year). Seventeen of their 28 wins last season came against these teams.
I'm really not trying to rain on their parade, because this is outstanding news for their entire athletic department, but their baseball team simply is not ready to take this step. Major changes are needed, but some good things are in place. Longwood is solid academically but not a place where most guys are going to struggle to gain admission. In addition, their campus location is nice and their program has some history (though I will admit that I believe their "history" will work against them somewhat in taking the next step---read into that statement whatever you want). All in all, great news, but Lancers baseball is in for a wakeup call.
True, they've beaten some good D1 teams in recent years, but remember they largely play those D1 teams during mid week games when other teams are saving their best arms for conference action. Longwood didn't have to worry about conference games, so they could throw their best pitchers mid-week. Additionally, gone are the days of filling out the schedule with the likes of UMBC, NC A&T, NC Central, Coppin St, UMES, Buffalo and Cleveland State (21 games last year, 18 games scheduled this year). Seventeen of their 28 wins last season came against these teams.
I'm really not trying to rain on their parade, because this is outstanding news for their entire athletic department, but their baseball team simply is not ready to take this step. Major changes are needed, but some good things are in place. Longwood is solid academically but not a place where most guys are going to struggle to gain admission. In addition, their campus location is nice and their program has some history (though I will admit that I believe their "history" will work against them somewhat in taking the next step---read into that statement whatever you want). All in all, great news, but Lancers baseball is in for a wakeup call.
Wondering if this will affect their recruiting of their 2012 players.
this is wonderfull for all of the richmond area which has been a hot bed for Longwood baseball. Now start looking for a new coach Buddy needs to retire now before he is required, go out on your own termsm HAVE A BUDDY DAY he really been a huge assist to the school but it is time. Hopefully Longwood will be fully funded and up grade the field and get a indoor facilty. Very positive for the program go Lancers
This is great news for the program. Hopefully they continue to grow and stay on the upward path. Like previously mentioned, I hope they continue to grow the facilities as that will help bring in better talent then just the conference itself.
quote:Originally posted by Cycle31:
this is wonderfull for all of the richmond area which has been a hot bed for Longwood baseball. Now start looking for a new coach Buddy needs to retire now before he is required, go out on your own termsm HAVE A BUDDY DAY he really been a huge assist to the school but it is time. Hopefully Longwood will be fully funded and up grade the field and get a indoor facilty. Very positive for the program go Lancers
Very well said.
I really don't think Longwood will have all that tough a time adjusting.
For one thing, I think they are ahead of the curve on, say, Campbell, in terms of getting the program to Big South level. For another, while I doubt they'll overtake Coastal or Winthrop any time soon, there are 4-5 teams there that I think they should expect to take at least 1-2 games per series from right away.
Baseball rosters turn over quickly, and given that this move will be a huge shot in the arm to their ability to recruit, I don't think they will be long in getting to where they are in the middle of the conference standings or better.
As you say, they have a short roster right now. But that also means they could bring in a breakthrough class of players and load up on freshmen next year. JuCo transfers would also be a good fit, and a solid way to get experienced talent in the mix.
They are in great position to now have key rivalries on weekends, while taking on a more traditional mid-week schedule with games against UVA, Tech, Wake Forest, Richmond, VCU and others all being within easy driving distance. It shouldn't be too hard to sell it to players seeking D-1 opportunities.
For one thing, I think they are ahead of the curve on, say, Campbell, in terms of getting the program to Big South level. For another, while I doubt they'll overtake Coastal or Winthrop any time soon, there are 4-5 teams there that I think they should expect to take at least 1-2 games per series from right away.
Baseball rosters turn over quickly, and given that this move will be a huge shot in the arm to their ability to recruit, I don't think they will be long in getting to where they are in the middle of the conference standings or better.
As you say, they have a short roster right now. But that also means they could bring in a breakthrough class of players and load up on freshmen next year. JuCo transfers would also be a good fit, and a solid way to get experienced talent in the mix.
They are in great position to now have key rivalries on weekends, while taking on a more traditional mid-week schedule with games against UVA, Tech, Wake Forest, Richmond, VCU and others all being within easy driving distance. It shouldn't be too hard to sell it to players seeking D-1 opportunities.
quote:Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
I really don't think Longwood will have all that tough a time adjusting.
For one thing, I think they are ahead of the curve on, say, Campbell, in terms of getting the program to Big South level. For another, while I doubt they'll overtake Coastal or Winthrop any time soon, there are 4-5 teams there that I think they should expect to take at least 1-2 games per series from right away.
Baseball rosters turn over quickly, and given that this move will be a huge shot in the arm to their ability to recruit, I don't think they will be long in getting to where they are in the middle of the conference standings or better.
As you say, they have a short roster right now. But that also means they could bring in a breakthrough class of players and load up on freshmen next year. JuCo transfers would also be a good fit, and a solid way to get experienced talent in the mix.
They are in great position to now have key rivalries on weekends, while taking on a more traditional mid-week schedule with games against UVA, Tech, Wake Forest, Richmond, VCU and others all being within easy driving distance. It shouldn't be too hard to sell it to players seeking D-1 opportunities.
I concur and have always felt like the Big South was a good fit for Longwood.