Name the top D1 Baseball Programs in the Midwest!!

Notre Dame should be mentioned. UIC is an up and coming team from Chicago. Northern Illinois is also an up and coming program. Minnesota of the Big 10 is supposed to be good from what I see/hear.

Here is a question as far as Midwest schools..how come U of Wisconsin (Madison) dropped their program and is there any chance they would re-instate it?

Wisconsin lost their baseball program to the weather.

The HHH Dome used the field to play and begin their (UofMinnesota) season when it is 40 below. Minnesota and Ohio State are the best Big 10/11 D1 programs in the country. Have to give the Michigan program kudos for the attempt. Have to give them a chance.

ND has done well in the last couple of years. Not much for years before that. They had some seasons where they had 40+ wins and they didn't get into the NCAA tournament.

When has Northwestern been in the NCAA tournament?

ND is the one and only big time player right now. Northern is on the rise and best in illinois this and last year. the mac has several good teams. weather kills all of them. the outstanding paul manieri at ND has gotten everyones attention with his recruiting and ethics.

A program that I think is on the rise is Michigan!! They for some reason are beginning to put a ton of focus on their baseball program!! Not sure what that is about, but I have seen a ton of change and have read some articles by Baseball America on the subject!!

beenthere, was the weather comment a joke? I think they dropped baseball because of title 9. I might be wrong, but that was the word in 1990.

Soxnole - Do you think NIU has better team than UIC and SIU or are you going on 03 records. I've been on all 3 websites but can't recall the records - thought I saw last week UIC ranked near top 50

Michigan has a local product, Craig Murray from Maine South was a 1/2 combo with Mark Ori a couple years back.

NIU's coach is in his second year, Ed Mathey. Did a great job last year. Joe Mazzuca drafted in 12th round by the Marlins. They are doing a great job of recruiting the Chicago area. I think of their 8 or 9 signees for 05, all but 1 are from the area.

Wisconsin did not drop baseball due to weather as BT suggests....com'on JP do you think that the weather in Madison is that different than the weather in Chicago? The difference is negligable....

The reason is the dreaded title IX. WI opted to keep wrestling...a sport most schools axed to save baseball. Also a factor in WI is the hockey team which some schools dropped as a result of title IX...WI will never drop hockey.

I think some fringe sports such as crew and volleyball get in the way of a baseball offering as well.

Ball and blazer...When I went apple-picking and cheese-buying in Wisconsin some years ago, some of the locals complained that the Badgers dropped baseball because of the weather, i.e., they didn't want to spend money on the trips down South/West (2 or 3 weeks or weekends each season).

Apparently they were wrong and your explanation is much more plausible.

Now if we could only drop football in Champaign!

JP,

That just reinforces how clueless some in my home state are....now if I could just get them to understand that Legion Ball is a waste of time....

University of Evansville doesnt get alot of pub here. Are they as good as they used to be ?
Wichita state (14) ND (19) Nebraksa (24) in the nation per Baseball America.

Heck, i may as well keep going
D 2 = Central Missouri state (1)
D 3 = U of Wisc - Oshkosh (2)
NAIA = Bellvue - Neb. (4)

Did you guys forget Miami of Ohio and Kent State?

TRhit

TR great choice, Miami of Ohio, Good program. solid coach with a little edge.

I like M of Ohio

In addition to the MAC teams already mentioned (NIU, Kent State, Miami) Ball State, Ohio U., Bowling Green, and Eastern Michigan have good programs.

BB NIU would appear to be the strongest team in the state for 04. They have virtually everyone back after a terriffic 03.

Sorry BB, that last post was 4 Dennis400.

UW-Madison dropped the program due to title IX issues at least that was the official line. Football at the time was in the hole big time, the baseball complex sucked, there was little support from the Athletic dept or community, and Donna Shalala was the AD. A womens hockey team was the replacement sport and had what baseball was missing, support. The weather was an issue because the field located on the shores of lake mendota was not "spring freindly" and building a new complex was not finacially possible due to the budget problems.

They now have a respectable club team but I doubt a varsity sport will be re-instated any time soon.

The strongest D1 team in the State of Illinois for 2004 should be the Flames of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Should get their second consecutive NCAA bid.

There is "power-house-a-building" on Halsted Street, just West on Maxwell.

Top 3 stud pitchers back and the Player of the Year from Wisconsin for 2003. He's a pitcher, too. If they can score a run or two a game, they should go 63-0!

This is not your average "Navy Pier" Illinois!

I will agree that UIC is one of the top teams around, maybe the best. Probably one of the best college baseball venues around too...with that backdrop in center. 63-0 is a bit of a stretch. Although I maybe say 61-2 is doable.

NIU is not far behind.

Beenthere, I have to admit, just hearing those street names and "Navy Pier", gets the old Chicago blood a going again!! Gee, I guess I kind of miss the place, loved the Christmas parties at the 95th downtown, I don't even think that is there anymore!! UIC should be competitive this year, not so sure about the records you guys are throwing around!!

NIU wins the mac. UIC wins their very weak by comparison conf. and NIU will beat UIC again on the diamond. dont get me wrong i love the flames potential, but the 1st thing they need to do is step up in class. too many weak teams on that schedule. and miami will cruise in all 3 games.

How many NCAA tournaments has NIU been to?

--

BB...Consort Room on the 95th...Lots of great memories. Not sure if it still exists as a restaurant or whether it has been converted into a 2 story saloon?

Anyone know?

In the clouds memories with in the heavens prices!!!

if they were in the flames conference last year they would have won it. these two teams are good teams but the disparity in coference strength is signifigant. Ibelieve the Flames would fare poorly in the mac compared to NIU.

For you Illinois guys......what about the Illinois schools in the MVC? How do you think they will compare to UIC and NIU?

Blazer, You suggest legion baseball is a waste of time. What do you suggest for the average high school baseball player in the summer? I agree that the elite players should play at a higher level. But for most kids, legion is a way for them to play in the summer and improve.

soxnol,
UIC has Arkansas St, Michigan, St Louis, Arkansas, Miami, Ohio St on the schedule before the end of March. Thats a pretty competitive pre-season schedule. The conference may not be the strongest, but, everyone's shooting for you and you will only see the best they have to offer every game you play. Time will tell.

Rz...Not to mention the teams that now "don't want to play them" because they are no longer the doormat that they once were.

ccore,

I think Legion baseball is very important to developing the "average" HS player over the summer but most Legion coaches won't let their better players find out that there is more competitive ball out there...and that's a shame!

RZ + BTIL, I hope they will win all their games. Time will tell but only Miami is a top notch program of that group.OSU is a legit top 40 or 50 program and maybe Arkansas every once in a while. They should schedule more mac teams, beat them and jump into the mac 1st chance they get. BTIL, I don't think any top program would be concerned to schedule UIC, now the Big 11, they should be scared to death of them. By the way I.S.U. and S.I.U. have tumbled a little south. Only Wichita and SWMS are viable big timers anymore.Coaching has killed Creighton and I.S.U.(previous coach at ISU and existing and previous coaches @ Creighton)