MVC Tournament

[WuDrWu]

I took this from the MVC website:

The 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship will utilize the following format:

The top six teams with the best winning percentage in MVC regular-season play will qualify for the tournament. Teams will be assigned by seed into two three team pods, and will play the two other teams in its pod and one team from the other pod. The team with the best composite record in each pod will meet in a single championship game. Ties will be broken based on head-to-head competition, with higher seeds advancing when head-to-head play cannot break ties. Games are played at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. each day, with the championship game airing on Fox Sports Midwest at 7 p.m.

I have 2 what-ifs to ponder and discuss:

1)Let's say we beat Indiana State, lose to CU and beat Illinois State. Indiana State loses to us, beats Illinois State and beats SIU. We're 2-1 and the Trees are 2-1. Who advances? We beat them head to head so we do, correct? But how can head to head NOT break the tie...and therefore why the higher seed advancing clause? Are they going to take into account the regular season games as well? If so, under this scenario, we would be 2-2 with Indiana State....then they advance based on higher seed. I would like to know what this lame brained pod plan actually is before we start play on Wednesday and it gets changed to fit someone's idea on Friday.

2)We beat Indiana State & Creighton and lose to Illinois State. Indiana State loses to WSU & beats Illinois State and SIU. Illinois State loses to Indiana State but beats Missouri State and WSU. Break that tie.

Head to head in tournament, tie. Pod play head to head all season? Just let ISU in on seed? I see problems ahead.......

[Ashockalypse]

Maybe the head to head rule is for permanent rainout?

[1979Shocker]

The only way the higher seed would come into effect would be if each team beat one other team in their pod. Then they would each have a 1-1 record inside their pod. As long as they all won or lost the game outside their pod (giving each team a 2-1 or 1-2 record), then the higher seed (ISU) would go.

ISU beats WSU
WSU beats ILS
ILS beats ISU
- each team is 1-1 inside the pod

or

WSU beats ISU
ISU beats ILS
ILS beats WSU
- each team is 1-1 inside the pod

At least that's how I see it.

[pogo]

I'm sure that if the mvc has laid out the format and rules for advancemant then nothing bad can come from it. After all look how well the mvc basketball tournament turned out for the Shox. :shock:

[ShockerFever]

Yes this format is a little funky. You can control your own destiny though by simply just winning all 3 games..

It does give more value to the regular season though, which in the past, we would be big beneficiaries of. So really, we can't gripe that much this year because, well, we finished 3rd. That's our own undoing.

I really don't see Illinois State winning more than a game (I know, shouldn't assume but..).. so really, just take out Indiana State and ISU Red and we're good to go... but beating sCUm again would add icing on to the cake.

Yes, definitely a little funky..

[SB Shock]

Re: MVC Tournament

I took this from the MVC website:

The 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship will utilize the following format:

The top six teams with the best winning percentage in MVC regular-season play will qualify for the tournament. Teams will be assigned by seed into two three team pods, and will play the two other teams in its pod and one team from the other pod. The team with the best composite record in each pod will meet in a single championship game. Ties will be broken based on head-to-head competition, with higher seeds advancing when head-to-head play cannot break ties. Games are played at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. each day, with the championship game airing on Fox Sports Midwest at 7 p.m.

I have 2 what-ifs to ponder and discuss:

1)Let's say we beat Indiana State, lose to CU and beat Illinois State. Indiana State loses to us, beats Illinois State and beats SIU. We're 2-1 and the Trees are 2-1. Who advances? We beat them head to head so we do, correct? But how can head to head NOT break the tie...and therefore why the higher seed advancing clause? Are they going to take into account the regular season games as well? If so, under this scenario, we would be 2-2 with Indiana State....then they advance based on higher seed. I would like to know what this lame brained pod plan actually is before we start play on Wednesday and it gets changed to fit someone's idea on Friday.

2)We beat Indiana State & Creighton and lose to Illinois State. Indiana State loses to WSU & beats Illinois State and SIU. Illinois State loses to Indiana State but beats Missouri State and WSU. Break that tie.

Head to head in tournament, tie. Pod play head to head all season? Just let ISU in on seed? I see problems ahead.......

I think the answer is if there is anyway that the MVC can screw WSU it will happen.

[ShockerFever]

Re: MVC Tournament

I took this from the MVC website:

The 2009 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship will utilize the following format:

The top six teams with the best winning percentage in MVC regular-season play will qualify for the tournament. Teams will be assigned by seed into two three team pods, and will play the two other teams in its pod and one team from the other pod. The team with the best composite record in each pod will meet in a single championship game. Ties will be broken based on head-to-head competition, with higher seeds advancing when head-to-head play cannot break ties. Games are played at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. each day, with the championship game airing on Fox Sports Midwest at 7 p.m.

I have 2 what-ifs to ponder and discuss:

1)Let's say we beat Indiana State, lose to CU and beat Illinois State. Indiana State loses to us, beats Illinois State and beats SIU. We're 2-1 and the Trees are 2-1. Who advances? We beat them head to head so we do, correct? But how can head to head NOT break the tie...and therefore why the higher seed advancing clause? Are they going to take into account the regular season games as well? If so, under this scenario, we would be 2-2 with Indiana State....then they advance based on higher seed. I would like to know what this lame brained pod plan actually is before we start play on Wednesday and it gets changed to fit someone's idea on Friday.

2)We beat Indiana State & Creighton and lose to Illinois State. Indiana State loses to WSU & beats Illinois State and SIU. Illinois State loses to Indiana State but beats Missouri State and WSU. Break that tie.

Head to head in tournament, tie. Pod play head to head all season? Just let ISU in on seed? I see problems ahead.......

I think the answer is if there is anyway that the MVC can screw WSU it will happen.

I definitely can agree that the MVC likes snubbing WSU in pretty much every sport, but to be fair, what if we had finished 1st or 2nd?...

[Rosewood]

I'm just glad that when we no longer qualify for the first round bye, there no longer is a first round bye.

[SB Shock]

I'm just glad that when we no longer qualify for the first round bye, there no longer is a first round bye.

What is funny about the baseball coaches complaining about No. 1 and No. 2 having to much of advantage, just take a look at the softball bracket:



The No. 1 and 2 seeds only have to win 1 game to get to the champtionship game. [/img]

[WSUwatcher]

Tiebreakers

Doc, your scenarios are easy; don't make them harder than they need to be. In the case where WSU and InSt tie at 2-1 with the Shocks winning their game, the Shocks advance. In the case where all three teams in the group are 2-1 (which requires that they split against each other and all three win their crossover games against teams from the other group), the highest seed, namely InSt, advances.

The Shocks are well placed right now. Kelley and Cooper will face teams they just silenced, and if they can get past those two games, it's possible because of the tiebreakers -- and if IlSt loses its first two games, which are against the top two seeds -- that WSU could already have clinched a spot in the championship before game three, in which one would hope that neither Lowell nor Flynn would pitch against the Redbirds.

Meanwhile, just for the heck of it, who can't enjoy seeing Creighton and their band of whiners go from a 14-3 league leader to a 14-9 fourth seed in two weekends? If teams take on the personality of their coach, they've probably lost their collective heads by now. What a shame.
:yahoo:

[Shocker85]

Ok, it is now official ... this tournament format blows.

Meaningless games being played. Teams that lose early have absolutely zero control over their own destiny because they have to rely on certain teams beating certain other teams.

0-2 teams play each other for "pride".

Pitchers being held back for more important games. The most important game in any tournament should always be the next one being played.

I don't give a damn about ensuring at least 3 games. I don't give a damn about playing 6 games in 4 days. There's no sense of urgency.

Come up with something else - THIS SUCKS!

--'85.

[William]

Agreed, this format is an attempt to ward off the shockers traditional superior pitching depth, just another example of people trying to legislate equality.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

pod play is cool for little leage and all.

But yeah they should really stick to a "traditional" format

[ShockBand]

With next year only having eight baseball playing schools, do you think we'll go to a different format? They could go to two true four team pools and play the pool winners off in the championship, or like Gene keeps saying, just have the tournament be your top four and play it off in a four team double elimination tournament. The only nice advantage from a fan perspective with the pool play is you know exactly when you play.

[SB Shock]

With next year only having eight baseball playing schools, do you think we'll go to a different format?

No. The MVC is not about doing what is right for MVC baseball. They are for doing the little as possible to minimize the cost. The MVC does not care about baseball (IMO).