Items that pertain to the B1G. I included one item on umpiring at the end of this which pertains to all conferences.
Kyle: Two questions. First, you guys said about a month ago that you felt Iowa would make the NCAAT as the Big Ten regular season champion even if they had an RPI in the 60’s. They are 65th right now and it’s almost impossible for them to not move up if they do win the title. Do you feel that they would be pretty close to a lock if they shared it or won it outright? Second, how dangerous can a team like Iowa be in a regional with the starting pitching that they have?
Kendall Rogers: I do think if Iowa won the regular season title and had an RPI in the 55-60 range, it would be in the field no matter what. I just think the committee typically has some leeway for the northern teams who have a lot of obstacles to deal with. With that said, a team like Washington, who has the H2H and keeps slowly scaling the RPI, would scare me a little bit if I’m Iowa.
Daniel: What do you think the ceiling is this year for the USC Trojans? I feel like they could get to Omaha if they got the right matchups the 1st 2 weekends of the postseason.
Kendall Rogers: Daniel — I would say Super Regional for now. I’m never going to sit here and say in mid-May that a postseason caliber team has no shot at A&M. I do think with Hunter and Aoki in the weekend rotation, it gives the Trojans a bona fide, strong one-two punch in the weekend rotation. That will give the Trojans a leg up on plenty of postseason teams depending on the matchups.
Dom Dolla: What are your thoughts on a team with an identity like Oregon heading into the last month or so? Seems like they tend to play to the level of their opponent a lot of the time, 19-10 in Q3 which isn’t all that impressive, but 9-1 in Q1 which could be argued as the best in the country. Does that bode well for postseason play where the competition will be intensified?
Aaron Fitt: Yeah we’ve noticed the same thing, Dom — as Roons has put it, Oregon had a tendency to “play with its food” a little bit earlier in the season and kinda sloppily win 2 out of 3 against teams it felt like the Ducks should have swept. Personally, I think part of that was just a product of first-half identity stuff, trying to find the right combinations and find their stride on the mound. Feels like the pitching has really come together, and I think they’ve been much more consistent of late, and certainly their performance against the best teams they’ve played has been loud, as you mentioned. I think that’s an Omaha team, and I expect them to play like it in June.
Kenny L: Hey guys, barring a crazy 5-1 or 6-0 stretch against the Oregon teams, is Iowa’s only chance at making the tournament by winning the Big Ten tournament?
Kendall Rogers: I think Iowa is in if it wins those series, but if it loses both of those series, I think the Hawkeyes will need to do something in the conference tournament to solidify their chances. I’m not sure they’d have to win the whole thing, but they could ill afford to struggle in Omaha.
Andy G: What RPI does Oregon need to be in hosting consideration?
Kendall Rogers: I think the Ducks would be a host for me today. I don’t love the fact the RPI is 24, but win those final two series against Washington and Iowa, and I’m very confident UO will be hosting on Selection Monday barring a meltdown in the conference tournament. 9-1 vs. Q1 is very loud.
Kevin R: Is the SEC going to do anything over how poorly the umpiring has been? Are they even aware that their umpires are calling strikes on pitches that cross into the opposing batter’s box? I’m an LSU fan and loved that 9th inning strikeout that Eyanson got, but the ball was literally in the other batter’s box. It was such a terrible call at such a crucial point in the game.
Kendall Rogers: I hope the SEC does, and I hope all leagues do. You guys know me — I don’t like to bitch and moan about umpires. Those guys have a really difficult job to do. But some of those strike zones that I have seen over the past few weeks are an absolute joke (and it’s usually for both teams playing the game).
Kyle: Two questions. First, you guys said about a month ago that you felt Iowa would make the NCAAT as the Big Ten regular season champion even if they had an RPI in the 60’s. They are 65th right now and it’s almost impossible for them to not move up if they do win the title. Do you feel that they would be pretty close to a lock if they shared it or won it outright? Second, how dangerous can a team like Iowa be in a regional with the starting pitching that they have?
Kendall Rogers: I do think if Iowa won the regular season title and had an RPI in the 55-60 range, it would be in the field no matter what. I just think the committee typically has some leeway for the northern teams who have a lot of obstacles to deal with. With that said, a team like Washington, who has the H2H and keeps slowly scaling the RPI, would scare me a little bit if I’m Iowa.
Daniel: What do you think the ceiling is this year for the USC Trojans? I feel like they could get to Omaha if they got the right matchups the 1st 2 weekends of the postseason.
Kendall Rogers: Daniel — I would say Super Regional for now. I’m never going to sit here and say in mid-May that a postseason caliber team has no shot at A&M. I do think with Hunter and Aoki in the weekend rotation, it gives the Trojans a bona fide, strong one-two punch in the weekend rotation. That will give the Trojans a leg up on plenty of postseason teams depending on the matchups.
Dom Dolla: What are your thoughts on a team with an identity like Oregon heading into the last month or so? Seems like they tend to play to the level of their opponent a lot of the time, 19-10 in Q3 which isn’t all that impressive, but 9-1 in Q1 which could be argued as the best in the country. Does that bode well for postseason play where the competition will be intensified?
Aaron Fitt: Yeah we’ve noticed the same thing, Dom — as Roons has put it, Oregon had a tendency to “play with its food” a little bit earlier in the season and kinda sloppily win 2 out of 3 against teams it felt like the Ducks should have swept. Personally, I think part of that was just a product of first-half identity stuff, trying to find the right combinations and find their stride on the mound. Feels like the pitching has really come together, and I think they’ve been much more consistent of late, and certainly their performance against the best teams they’ve played has been loud, as you mentioned. I think that’s an Omaha team, and I expect them to play like it in June.
Kenny L: Hey guys, barring a crazy 5-1 or 6-0 stretch against the Oregon teams, is Iowa’s only chance at making the tournament by winning the Big Ten tournament?
Kendall Rogers: I think Iowa is in if it wins those series, but if it loses both of those series, I think the Hawkeyes will need to do something in the conference tournament to solidify their chances. I’m not sure they’d have to win the whole thing, but they could ill afford to struggle in Omaha.
Andy G: What RPI does Oregon need to be in hosting consideration?
Kendall Rogers: I think the Ducks would be a host for me today. I don’t love the fact the RPI is 24, but win those final two series against Washington and Iowa, and I’m very confident UO will be hosting on Selection Monday barring a meltdown in the conference tournament. 9-1 vs. Q1 is very loud.
Kevin R: Is the SEC going to do anything over how poorly the umpiring has been? Are they even aware that their umpires are calling strikes on pitches that cross into the opposing batter’s box? I’m an LSU fan and loved that 9th inning strikeout that Eyanson got, but the ball was literally in the other batter’s box. It was such a terrible call at such a crucial point in the game.
Kendall Rogers: I hope the SEC does, and I hope all leagues do. You guys know me — I don’t like to bitch and moan about umpires. Those guys have a really difficult job to do. But some of those strike zones that I have seen over the past few weeks are an absolute joke (and it’s usually for both teams playing the game).
