answers to the age old shockernet question.

[SB Shock]

The word has been out on WSU for quite a while. A guy that can get the ball over the plate in the low 80's can beat WSU. A lot of Valley teams recruit pitchers specifically to pitch against WSU.

A lot of pithing staffs in the Valley are loaded up with guys who throw 70's breaking stuff and 80's fastballs. Everybody else in the Valley sees that every day in practice and their batters rock those guys. WSU's batters don't see that in practice and it can take them some time to figure out when the ball is going to get there and where it's going to be when it gets there.

Junk ballers always look good against WSU. Pitchers that WSU wouldn't recruit tend to be effective against WSU.

Southern Illinois had pitchers who were throwing in the mid to upper 90's.

[SB Shock]

MVC Stats Only Comparison

Team Batting
1. EU 0.322
2. Bradley 0.302
3. ISU (R) 0.300
4. ISU (B) 0.290
5. WSU 0.282
6. SIU 0.269
7. MSU 0.260
8. CU 0.248

HR
1. ISU (R), EU - 13
3. SU 12
4. BU, WSU, CU - 11
7. MSU - 9
8. ISU (B) - 4

Offensive Runs Per Game
1. WSU 7.1
2. EU 6.7
3. ISU (B) 6.6
4. ISU 6.3
5. CU 5.6
6. BU 5.4
7. SIU 4.9
8. MSU 3.9

Team Pitching
1. ISU (B) 3.82
2. CU 3.83
3. MSU 4.51
4. WSU 4.59
5. ISU(R) 4.67
6. SIU 4.95
7. BU 6.16
8. EU 8.04

WHIP

1. CU 1.22
2. ISU (R) 1.36
3. ISU (B) 1.46
4. MSU 1.49
5. WSU 1.50
6. SIU 1.56
7. SU 1.73
8. EU 1.96

[wsushox1]

I have also been told by a guy who played D1 baseball that almost any varsity High School baseball player can play College baseball at some level. Whether it be Juco, DII, DIII or whatever. The guy is very adamant about this.

[William]

I have also been told by a guy who played D1 baseball that almost any varsity High School baseball player can play College baseball at some level. Whether it be Juco, DII, DIII or whatever. The guy is very adamant about this.

probably true, but division 1 is a whole different story.

[Aargh]

A couple of posters have quite legitimately, and with solid basis in fact, attacked this point of view.

The word has been out on WSU for quite a while. A guy that can get the ball over the plate in the low 80's can beat WSU. A lot of Valley teams recruit pitchers specifically to pitch against WSU.

A lot of pithing staffs in the Valley are loaded up with guys who throw 70's breaking stuff and 80's fastballs. Everybody else in the Valley sees that every day in practice and their batters rock those guys. WSU's batters don't see that in practice and it can take them some time to figure out when the ball is going to get there and where it's going to be when it gets there.

Junk ballers always look good against WSU. Pitchers that WSU wouldn't recruit tend to be effective against WSU.

Hmmm. That was the only spin you could possibly put on WSU's ongoing inability to hit crappy pitching.

That leaves either overconfidence or being overly aggressive and swinging at bad pitches - or both. Maybe that's not the case this year. This year it seems that the players get into some kind of a funk that affects everybody on the team and then they all struggle - plus this isn't the most talented htting team we've had at WSU.

If you throw out the spin, there's nothing left but coaching. That's not going to change, so sometimes I just go with the spin.

[Rosewood]

I have also been told by a guy who played D1 baseball that almost any varsity High School baseball player can play College baseball at some level. Whether it be Juco, DII, DIII or whatever. The guy is very adamant about this.

probably true, but division 1 is a whole different story.

Depends on the school. If you went to NDSU and showed some basic athletic ability and the desire to play I bet you would be set.