Baseball postseason -

[Trojan1998]

Our baseball team is likely to suffer the same fate as our fastpitch squad if the guys don't win the A-Sun tournament. The baseball team has struggled big-time against our non-conference, instate foes this season, and last night's game against JSU would have been a much needed win that we could have used to get a possible at-large bid. The only way that I see the A-Sun landing two teams in the NCAA baseball tournament is if somebody besides UCF wins the conference tournament, and that team plus UCF will get bids. In other words, if UCF wins the A-Sun tournament, they will probably be the only representative from the A-Sun in the field of 64.

[Hector]

Why do you supposed that UCF could get an at-large to the NCAA , but we wouldn't? We are a better team with a better record.

[Trojan1998]

UCF has a higher RPI than Troy, and I've been hearing many college coaches this season talk about "our RPI and how we should get an at-large bid because of our RPI." UCF also has a better reputation than Troy in baseball and a team's past history plays a factor in getting bids (see Florida State in this year's softball tournament). UCF's baseball coach used to serve on the NCAA selection committee and he helped snub Troy in 1998 when we should have gotten an at-large bid after falling to FIU in the championship game of the TAAC tournament.

[Trojan1998]

I should have mentioned in my previous post that UCF has a better overall record than Troy. UCF is currently 39-14 and their RPI is at 36. Troy's RPI is 51. FAU's RPI is 48.

[TroyTrojanMan]

Plus I hate to say this because I have enjoyed listing and watching the baseball team, but the out of conference record is not impressive at all. Out of conference record is 13-12, UCF is 21-5 out of conference. When you are in a smaller conference out of conference record means a lot. That's why the Auburn game was big, we went 0-2 against them and they might not even make the SEC tourney. We also lost big twice to Winthrop. Auburn might not even make the conference tourney but there RPI is way higher than ours.

[Trojan1998]

Troy's record this season was 3-7 against Auburn, USA, UAB, BSC, and JSU - not good. And TroyTrojanMan, you are right on target with your analysis.

[TU/JSU Fan]

There was an SEC team a couple of years back (Mississippi State I think...) that made the NCAA tournament and actually hosted the regional... AND DIDN'T EVEN MAKE THEIR CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT...

Shouldn't that be a freaking part of playing in the big dance? I mean.. Really do you see anyone making the NCAA basketball tournment and not making their own conference tournament? NO!! YOU DON'T.

Screw the majors thinking that everyone else is less than "mid major". If you aren't in a BCS Conference it doesn't automatically mean you suck.

Michael

[JSU_Alum]

The level of baseball in the SEC and the A-Sun is a little different.

I think that if you guys get snubbed in baseball, it will be a shame, but UCF is a nationally recognized program, as is FAU.

The NCAA will take a look at Troy, but if you don't win the tourney, you're going to be at home...very similar to JSU's plight entering the tourney.

[tsufl]

the ncaa will kiss the ass of the SEC and anyother major conf. a couple of years ago SEC teams with losing records got in. If we dont at least get to the champ. game, we will get screwed.

[TROYgirl128]

What was the softball team's out of conference record?

[TroyTrojanMan]

30-18 Was their out of conference record. Their out of conference schedule was a lot stronger that the baseball team. They played: Miss State, Alabama, Auburn, Maryland, Va Tech, FSU, Ga Tech. Alabama, Auburn, and Ga Tech are hosting regionals. I still can not believe they did not get in, but that's what happens in smaller sports. With NCAA basketball you have so many experts and people paying attention that they can not play up to the major conferences. When you get to softball and baseball where the press is not as much they will do anything they can to get the major conferences as many teams as possible. They do not want a smaller school to do good, or have to give that smaller conference more money because they got two teams. It is unbelievable that FSU got in with a 28-25 record. In baseball they say 10 SEC teams will make it.

[TROYgirl128]

That was my point. There was some discussion about our out of season baseball record possibly being the reason that we may not get a bid. The softball team's record sure didn't help them, and I think that 30-18 is pretty darn good.

Who is "they" who are saying that the SEC will get 10 teams in? Only 8 SEC teams even make the SEC tourney, correct? I agree with TU/JSU fan, if teams who didn't even qualify for their conference tourney are getting in the NCAA tournament, and teams with a GREAT record and second-place in their conference tourney (1st place in the regular season) aren't getting in, then...something's rotten in the state of Denmark.

[littlebittyschool]

Last year, 9 SEC teams got in the NCAA tourney. The only ones who didn't make it were Aubbie, Bammer, and KY.

Miss State got in and didn't even go to the SEC tourney. It happens all the time.

Baseball is the bastard sport of the NCAA. Most of the men's teams (even ones with good support) lose money. A lot of "major" schools don't even field baseball teams. Pretty much the enitre Northeast and Northwest don't participate. The NCAA needs to do several things to fix it:

1). Start the season later. When the southern teams start playing and practicing, the teams up north still have their fields covered in snow. The teams in the North have a big disadvantge so they either suck or don't play at all so there is little fan interest.

2). Make it a summer sport. Let the players go to school in the summer time and they can take the Fall off (or whatever). Compete head to head with major league baseball. With all the troubles they've had, college could gain some viewers and interest in what is pretty much a "dead time" in sports. Oh, and don't give me the line about students not being in school so attendence will be hurt. Attendence is already low at most schools and students don't show up anyway. The local yocals will show up for midweek games and people can travel in for weekend games if interest picks up. Either way, whatever revenue you lose from students not being there is nominal if any at all (seeing as how most have their tickets paid for (in one form or the other) anyway).

3). Get rid of the aluminum bats. PING!! No one wants to hear that. And don't give me the bunk about wooden bats being too expensive. If you can't afford to have wooden bats, you probably shouldn't have a Division 1A baseball team in the first place. If you don't want to use wood, drop down a division or drop out.

4.) Get a uniform schedule. In addition to a later start time, have a DEFINTE start time (opening day for baseball where everyone plays? How cool would that be) and have an absoulte stop time too. Get a set number of games to play. It's insane how some teams play 20 more games than others (I know, I know, rainouts and stuff, but you can have a rough minimum and maximum).

5.) Get the post season straightend out. Make it clear what you have to do to get in. Set it ahead of time where games will be played so you can promote it in advance. Get TV in place for the playoffs. Notice you didn't see any SEC baseball or sofball on ESPN this year. Wonder why? The greedy SEC tried to charge them to carry their games where no one else would. Didn't see any southern baseball or softball at all on. Greedy SEC idiots.

Do the above things and promote it some more and maybe it will quit being such a distant third.

[TROYgirl128]

I've seen several games on TV this season. I'm not going to promise that they were on ESPN because I really don't remember. But hey, they were getting airtime.

I agree with your post ittybitty. I don't know about other schools, but our baseball attendance is largely parents and people from around town. I've noticed that attendance hasn't really dropped drastically since school got out. If nothing else, the students who are here are going to the games because it's summer and there's nothing else to do...why not?!?!?

I agree that there should be like an "opening day" or something where everyone starts.

I don't think the players would be able to take summer classes. There's no way they would make it academically taking a full load in the summer AND playing. I guess some eligibility questions come in there. They have to be full-time students in order to be eligible, correct? Is 12 hours still considered full-time for summer classes? The way that the summer schedule is set up as far as having Fridays off, would be nice. If they miss 1 day of class, they've missed 2 hours which during the summer, could be multiple chapters. For science classes, a missed Tuesday or Thursday is 2 hours of lecture missed and 2 hours of lab missed each day.

Football is played in the snow. Somehow, those schools up north manage to clean their fields for that; why not for baseball too?

Just playing devil's advocate :D

Oh yea, and I'm all for wooden bats!

[TrojanWar]

3). Get rid of the aluminum bats. PING!! No one wants to hear that. And don't give me the bunk about wooden bats being too expensive. If you can't afford to have wooden bats, you probably shouldn't have a Division 1A baseball team in the first place. If you don't want to use wood, drop down a division or drop out.

NO WAY LBS! Aluminum bats are what make college baseball what it is. I love to hear that PING. As far as costs, the wood is much cheaper than the aluminum bats the guys at the college level are using. Keep in mind, the guys at the college level are not even close to as good as those at the Major League level, so they need the extra power from the aluminum bats. I like location hitting, but a HR every now and again is fun to see. If you gave college players wooden bats, HR's would be few and far between.

[JSU_Alum]

Baseball has been dominated by teams in the Southeast and mainly Florida for years and now the Big 10 and Big East are pushing for (and do believe have gotten) a March 1 for baseball to start next year (pushing the CWS to July I think).

With this change, you're going to see a lot of teams in the North (aka the Big 10) put an emphasis on baseball. Right now, Troy and Jax State can go in the Big 10 and contend for the title.

The games that you see on TV are b/c of no hockey this year. ESPN went to the SEC to see if they could get a deal for BB/SB and the SEC passed (I think b/c of their deal with Fox Sports South...not too sure) so they went to the Big 12 and ACC (and thus the plethora of basbeall on the air now).

What's interesting is that this all came about b/c of the NHL cancelling its season and ESPN has been drawing better ratings with replacement programming than the NHL had.

[tsufl]

the SEC presented ESPN with a package at an astronomical price, ESPN passed and went with the Big12 who didnt make ESPN a proposal, but rather accepted what ESPN offered. The arrogance of the SEC thinking they could get paid anythingthey wanted bit them in the ass.