Next Years Lineup

[shox1989]

I posted something similar to this in another thread but it seems more appropriate here. Everyone is talking about how bad our record was and how we finished 3rd in the MVC. The thing we haven't factored in is that the MVC is gaining ground on Conference USA and poised to take over as the 5th best conference in the nation (now only .0002 behind and gaining). We all know the team is loaded with Fr. and So. and finished 3rd (2 games out of 1st) in the 5th/6th best conference in the country. How does that compare to going 43-17 and finishing 1st in the 12th or 15th ranked conference? It may be about the same, heck it could even be better...

To me the biggest negative was laying an egg in the MVC Tournament when we need 1 or 2 wins to grab an at-large bid. This team probably could have easily won 7-9 more games this year had they just executed and not made stupid mistakes. What if they had won half that many? We would be talking about a 40 win season with one of the best SOS we have ever had...

According to Warren Nolan, the Valley has now passed up C-USA and has moved into 5th place by .0003.

[shockfan89_]

The point is there is so little difference its almost meaningless. I want to know what people think. Is finishing 2 games out of 1st in the 5th/6th best conference better than 1st in the 12th best conference?

[shox1989]

The point is there is so little difference its almost meaningless. I want to know what people think. Is finishing 2 games out of 1st in the 5th/6th best conference better than 1st in the 12th best conference?

Yes finishing 2 games first out of the 5th best conference IS better than 1st in the 12th best.

[shox1989]

Warren Nolan now has the Valley in 5th place, .0006 ahead of C-USA.

[shox1989]

and WSU is back up to #43 and Indy St is at #44, MoST is @ #38.

The Shox SOS is @ #33 right now.

[ShockTalk]

Yes finishing 2 games first out of the 6th best conference (or 5th) IS better than 1st in the 12th best.

Do you know where to find conference baseball RPI histories? I believe the NCAA has been doing it for baseball since 1984.

[shockfan89_]

Warren nolan goes back to 2005.

[shox1989]

I believe Boydsworld goes back to 1997.

[WSUwatcher]

Warren Nolan now has the Valley in 5th place, .0003 ahead of C-USA.

Very impressive -- I didn't see that coming. The margin was big enough a few days ago that I thought there was no way the Valley could possibly move ahead. Maybe they'll stay 5th, maybe not; maybe Nolan's version of the RPI matches the NCAA's and maybe not, but the bottom line is that in the current version of college baseball, this was a good league . And the keys were two things -- playing decent schedules (greatly helped by the Dallas Baptist contribution), and not having any really awful teams. Even Creighton, by far the league's biggest regular season disappointment, worked its way into the RPI top 150 by getting hot at the right time.

Getting back to the topic -- how is it so easy to get distracted around here? -- there's certainly plenty of reason to believe that Bayliff will be an excellent offensive player if he stays healthy; Gillaspie got better and showed more power as the season progressed before running out of gas a bit at the end; Doggett is already a better offensive player than Kevin Hall was, despite also fading a bit late; and Parker, Green, and Mucha all showed considerable promise. Josh Halbert also came on strong late. Gillaspie, Parker, and Halbert also had very respectable K/W ratios for newcomers.

So, yes, there is no Coy -- but I expect the offense next year to be improved, not weaker.

[shox1989]

Do you know where to find conference baseball RPI histories? I believe the NCAA has been doing it for baseball since 1984.

Baseball didn't start using rpi until 1988. Men's Basketball started using it in 1981 and women's basketball in 1984.

Other Division I sports committees now using the RPI are men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s volleyball, field hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, and women’s water polo.

Men's hockey uses their own rating system but it is also based on the rpi and then they make some adjustments to it. The interesting thing about hockey, is that they only use their rating system to pick the at large teams. There is no human factor anymore. It is based soley on the numbers.

[shock10]

You left out Johnny Coy and Cale Elam

Why not?

Doggett CF
Harbutz SS
Gillespie 1b
Bayliff DH
Green RF
Parker 2b
Muka LF
Baker C
Halbert 3b

Gardner
Ladwig
Minnis
Mcgreevy
Berringer

Vielock
Mataycheck
Bouman
Labrie

[shock10]

Starting Lineup:

38 JR Eric Harbutz SS
11 JR Dayne Parker 2B
25 SR Johnny Coy 1B
16 SO Casey Gillaspie RF
28 JR Garrett Bayliff DH
32 JR Micah Green LF
8 SO Mikel Mucha CF
17 SO Tyler Baker C
9 JR Josh Halbert 3B

Bench:

31 JR Bob Arens C
3 JR Sean Moore INF
21 SO Taylor Doggett OF
7 SO Connor Knight OF
6 SO Cody Bobbitt INF
35 FR Parker Zimmerman C
2 FR Tanner Kirk INF
1 FR Tanner Dearman INF
18 FR Daniel Kihle OF
36 FR Joe Haddox OF
41 JR Chase Simpson INF*


Weekend:

15 JR Tobin Mateychick RHP
4 JR Cale Elam RHP
13 SO Kris Gardner LHP
23 SO A J Ladwig RHP

Mid Week:

42 FR Austin Sanders LHP
12 JR Brandon Peterson RHP
26 FR Garrett Brummett RHP

Bull Pen:

40 SR T J McGreevy RHP
33 JR Albert Minnis LHP
14 JR Foster Vielock RHP
19 JR Aaron LaBrie LHP
22 JR Drew Palmer LHP
27 SO Zach Beringer RHP
7 SO Connor Knight RHP
18 FR Daniel Kihle LHP

*Chase Simpson may not play this year*

[1972Shocker]

Albert Minnis might work his way back into the starting rotation although he was certainly much more effective in long-relief his year.

[WSUwatcher]

Well, shock10, it's probably a little overreach to count Knight, Baker, Bayliff, and Matuszak as pitchers too, but that's 35, so you've covered the entire roster except for surprise departures and possible late replacement pickups.

[shock10]

As you can see I left a space between the 4 and the bull pen but in fall ball last year they were listed as possible pitchers and Matuszak is listed as a 1B/LHP. Just playing.

Well, shock10, it's probably a little overreach to count Knight, Baker, Bayliff, and Matuszak as pitchers too, but that's 35, so you've covered the entire roster except for surprise departures and possible late replacement pickups.