NCAA Baseball Tournament

[FredJacket]

So if ND wins tomorrow that puts 3 ACC teams in the CWS and only 2 SEC teams (one of which was guaranteed since LSU and TN played each other). Does anyone think that the narrative will change about the ACC being mediocre? Not a chance....they will just come up with excuses like "the SEC wore themselves out playing each other all season" like they do with football.

With a win tomorrow by ND, it would be 3 ACC teams, 2 from the SEC, 2 from the PAC 10 (or whatever they call themselves now) and 1 from the Big 12. So the ACC would have the most representatives in all of college baseball. It would be nice if any of the talking heads recognized that but smart money says we will never hear that during the entire CWS.

Both ND & UVA need to win today for 3 ACC teams to get there. If both lose, NCST is it for ACC & SEC would have 3.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

I am happy NC State beat Arkansas, but there is something wrong with the tournament format, the seeding, or how teams are assigned to regions when the #1 seed is knocked out 21 straight years.

NC State was one of the hottest teams in the country and should have been a 1 seed. Just 1 example out of probably 10 floating around. And the home team not batting last every game.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I am happy NC State beat Arkansas, but there is something wrong with the tournament format, the seeding, or how teams are assigned to regions when the #1 seed is knocked out 21 straight years.

Hard for me to figure out.

But it IS baseball which often comes down to who is hot in the moment.

Don’t see as much of this in the pros because you don’t have 60+ teams playing double elimination. And they are professionals so hitting streaks and pitching slumps and poor nights fielding are smoothed out a little more.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

So if ND wins tomorrow that puts 3 ACC teams in the CWS and only 2 SEC teams (one of which was guaranteed since LSU and TN played each other). Does anyone think that the narrative will change about the ACC being mediocre? Not a chance....they will just come up with excuses like "the SEC wore themselves out playing each other all season" like they do with football.

With a win tomorrow by ND, it would be 3 ACC teams, 2 from the SEC, 2 from the PAC 10 (or whatever they call themselves now) and 1 from the Big 12. So the ACC would have the most representatives in all of college baseball. It would be nice if any of the talking heads recognized that but smart money says we will never hear that during the entire CWS.

Best to let the games be played. It's baseball. My phone got a lot of texts from NC State fans last night. They are very happy, obviously and humble about it too. Really good school where I wouldn't have minded my kids going.

I am happy NC State beat Arkansas, but there is something wrong with the tournament format, the seeding, or how teams are assigned to regions when the #1 seed is knocked out 21 straight years.

It's baseball. What is the stat? The #1 team of all the seeds knocked out? Most (~50%+) of the #1 seeds i.e. top 8 teams usually make it through. So just a curse. But this was the first series Arkansas lost all year. Unbelievably good.

And of course I can't help but say that Slow Hook or his cousin Overuse is a bad thing. If you have to use one pitcher this much, then you aren't balanced. But you should be rated #1 in the country if you haven't lost a series all year and won your #1 rated conference championship game.

 

[eokerholm]

185 Pitches in 4 days. I'd be beyond livid.

Cool Bracket on the NCAA Page... Hope ND and UVA make it in

2021 Division I Baseball Official Bracket | NCAA.com

The official 2021 College Baseball Bracket for Division I. Includes a printable bracket and links to buy NCAA championship tickets.

www.ncaa.com

 

[4shotB]

I am happy NC State beat Arkansas, but there is something wrong with the tournament format, the seeding, or how teams are assigned to regions when the #1 seed is knocked out 21 straight years.

That's an interesting tidbit. This is just a guess or theory, but is it possible that the lack of scholarships in the sport spread the talent around more evenly than in the revenue sports such that an Eastern Carolina or Dallas Baptist type school have equivalent talent to a school from the ACC or SEC? IOW, the gap between #1 and #45 in FB is massive. But maybe not much difference between similar ranked teams in baseball as recruiting is on a more level playing field?

 

[MWBATL]

That's an interesting tidbit. This is just a guess or theory, but is it possible that the lack of scholarships in the sport spread the talent around more evenly than in the revenue sports such that an Eastern Carolina or Dallas Baptist type school have equivalent talent to a school from the ACC or SEC? IOW, the gap between #1 and #45 in FB is massive. But maybe not much difference between similar ranked teams in baseball as recruiting is on a more level playing field?

I believe this is some of the explanation. But, it is baseball. Since 1969 in MLB, the team with the best regular season record has won the World Series only 12 times, So that is 12 times in 50 years. So, it is a sport where the "best"team is often not a tournament winner.

That is why in Europe they give two "trophies" each year...one to the regular season winner, the other to the tournament winner. It is prestigious (and unusual) to win both, and it's called a 'double' when you do so.

 

[SoMsJacket]

In football, I'd agree with you. But it's baseball. Notre Dame should have home field advantage, but the committee shat on the ACC. They beat MSU 6 or 7 times out of 10 on a neutral field, if not more. D1Baseball has Notre Dame as 6, Mississippi State as 11. I trust D1Baseball over any NCAA committee any day. Go Irish! Go ACC!

There are 15,500 reasons Miss State has the super regional in Starkville. That's the game 1 attendance.

 

[forensicbuzz]

I am happy NC State beat Arkansas, but there is something wrong with the tournament format, the seeding, or how teams are assigned to regions when the #1 seed is knocked out 21 straight years.

Nothing surprising. It's called baseball. There's a reason MLB has Best of 5 and Best of 7 series to determine the champions. In baseball, anything can happen in a single game (or even two games).

Edit: I'm glad to see so many similar responses as I scrolled down after posting. It shows me that GT Baseball fans get baseball.

 

[griffin mizell]

185 pitches over 4 days is obscene,and I thought my son was overpitched.

 

[CTJacket]

Best to let the games be played. It's baseball. My phone got a lot of texts from NC State fans last night. They are very happy, obviously and humble about it too. Really good school where I wouldn't have minded my kids going.



It's baseball. What is the stat? The #1 team of all the seeds knocked out? Most (~50%+) of the #1 seeds i.e. top 8 teams usually make it through. So just a curse. But this was the first series Arkansas lost all year. Unbelievably good.

And of course I can't help but say that Slow Hook or his cousin Overuse is a bad thing. If you have to use one pitcher this much, then you aren't balanced. But you should be rated #1 in the country if you haven't lost a series all year and won your #1 rated conference championship game.

View attachment 10712

The way NC St finished, there's also probably a case to be made that they were underseeded. I'm happy they knocked off the Razorbacks though.

 

[Deleted member 2897]

The way NC St finished, there's also probably a case to be made that they were underseeded. I'm happy they knocked off the Razorbacks though.

It would be hard to argue they should have been seeded higher than Notre Dame, but I definitely would have ranked them the 2nd best team in the ACC, at minimum and given them a 1 seed. I forget, but they went something like 29-8 the last couple months, and like half of those losses were in 1-run games or the last inning.

 

[Squints]

I am happy NC State beat Arkansas, but there is something wrong with the tournament format, the seeding, or how teams are assigned to regions when the #1 seed is knocked out 21 straight years.

That's what happens when you take a sport filled with randomness and boil it down to a handful of games. Tournament baseball is super fun but the results are not typically indicative of who the best overall team is.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

The way NC St finished, there's also probably a case to be made that they were underseeded. I'm happy they knocked off the Razorbacks though.

Then you get into the argument of whether you reward the last weeks/ months of the season or the whole season.

With close to 300 teams who largely don't play each other and play at different levels through the year, it's impossible to make everyone or even most people happy. This isn't MLB with 160+ games and a limited number of teams.

As for me, I'm still a fan of the committee stopping at 40 RPI and leaving uGag at 41 out. Perfect judgement there.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Grand Slam UVa to take a 5-2 lead B7 - 2 outs. Cleared wall by 4 feet.

Oh yeah, UVa was 0-12 to that point RISP.

 

[senoiajacket]

That makes two for the ACC!

 

[GTNavyNuke]

And then there were two ACC team the CWS.

I'll be glad to root against Miss State tonight.

 

[FredJacket]

And then there were two ACC team the CWS.

I'll be glad to root against Miss State tonight.

Nuke... I know you read Fitt's D1 article on NCST win. Good read for lots of reasons, but Coach Avent is a guy I will gladly get behind.

Also... related to a reason to pull for Notre Dame. Link Jarrett's son plays for NCST. So... would be another feel good cool story for the Jarrett father/son combo to be together in Omaha.

 

[billga99]

Nuke... I know you read Fitt's D1 article on NCST win. Good read for lots of reasons, but Coach Avent is a guy I will gladly get behind.

Also... related to a reason to pull for Notre Dame. Link Jarrett's son plays for NCST. So... would be another feel good cool story for the Jarrett father/son combo to be together in Omaha.

Interesting to see CWS entries by conference:

Pac 12 - 2 (Stanford, Arizona)
SEC - 2 (Tennessee, Vanderbilt) possible 3 w/MS State
ACC - 2 (Virginia, NC State) possible 3 w/Notre Dame
Big 12 - 1 (Texas)

So 4 of the 5 Power Conferences will have all 8 entries. College Baseball has consistently had outliers attend College World Series...but not this year. Of course, if Notre Dame can beat Ms. State, that would give the ACC the most representation without hosting a single Super-Regional Site (though Virginia did get a neutral site), while the SEC hosted 4 Super Regionals and had 6 of the final 16.

 

[FredJacket]

I'd be pretty pumped for an all ACC national championship series (UVA v NCST). Personally have quite a few ties to both schools.

Looks like NCST got a decent draw in Bracket 1...
Vandy v Arizona
NCST v Stanford

Feels a little familiar... win Game 1 & face Vandy (Leiter).