For someone who is better versed in college baseball, how is the Big Ten trending as a conference? I think in the latest projections, I see 4 teams in the tournament (IU, Nebraska, Michigan and Illinois). My question is, with the BTN money, have we seen this conference rise in stature at all?
From an IU only perspective, I would imagine we would need to see the conference rise up more to help us with recruiting to grab some top kids. I went to a site that had the top 100 players in high school this year and they had 2 kids from Indiana on there. Those 2 kids are going to Louisville and Vanderbilt. Both of those programs have been consistent top 10-15 over quite a few seasons. They both happen to play in a higher caliber conference with the ACC and SEC. I'm content with our program overall, but it would be great to see if we can put together another squad to make it to the College World Series. In a weird way we are almost like Butler in basketball. A school that has sustained some level of success through coaching turnover, but also playing in a league that is good, but not considered the top of the country.
From an IU only perspective, I would imagine we would need to see the conference rise up more to help us with recruiting to grab some top kids. I went to a site that had the top 100 players in high school this year and they had 2 kids from Indiana on there. Those 2 kids are going to Louisville and Vanderbilt. Both of those programs have been consistent top 10-15 over quite a few seasons. They both happen to play in a higher caliber conference with the ACC and SEC. I'm content with our program overall, but it would be great to see if we can put together another squad to make it to the College World Series. In a weird way we are almost like Butler in basketball. A school that has sustained some level of success through coaching turnover, but also playing in a league that is good, but not considered the top of the country.