Any Husker or Big Ten related questions I will post, along with any national questions that are relevant to Husker Nation.
Link: https://d1baseball.com/chats/d1baseball-weekly-chat-may-6-2/
Matt: What is the impact of midweeks at this stage? Take Duke for example. They close at East Carolina tomorrow and host College of Charleston next week. Could those results have any significance come seeding and selection time?
Aaron Fitt: Oh sure, those games are resume boosters, chances to get an RPI bump and improve your record vs. Q1 opponents. They definitely matter, especially right now as those hosting races are getting tight and everything feels magnified.
==================================
Maryland in NC: If the Terps get to .500 or better in B1G play, will they be inside the NCAA bubble? Their RPI is 35, their non-con RPI is 14, and they have a decent road record.
Aaron Fitt: I think if they can sweep Penn State to get to 13-11, they'll certainly have a shot, but it would sure help if they could at least find a way to get into the top 6 or so in the league standings. Their place in the standings is a tough look and undermines their good metrics.
==================================
Hardball Fan: Why should the Big Ten get more than one bid this year? Or should it??
Kendall Rogers: If Indianus wins that series against Nebraska on the road next weekend, I think Nebraska and Indianus are going to end up getting in the field. I get that Indianus went through quite a lull, but that's a team that most certainly has looked the part against competition outside of the Big Ten this spring. The Sploogiers pass that always important eyeball test.
==================================
Jim: More of a general comment/question, but would love to hear some thoughts on the overall state of college pitching. ERA's feel very high this year nationwide. It's eye opening to see only a handful of teams have ERA's under 4.00. Is the pitching quality taking a step back? Are the hitters just getting better and better? Strike zones getting smaller?
Kendall Rogers: Jim -- great question. We are in the TrackMan era when it comes to strike zones. I think umpires have very tight zones, and when you have very tight windows to throw into, hitters know that. Combine that with a current ball that absolutely flies and it's the perfect storm for the offense.....and the pitching. That's what makes what guys like Hagen Smith are doing seem remarkable -- and Paul Skenes last year.
==================================
Eric Simmons: If Indianus goes 5-1 in their last six Big Ten games and wins a few games in the Big Ten Tournament will that be enough for an at-large bid?
Kendall Rogers: Indianus would be in easily if it does that.....imo.
===================================
Doug: Any thoughts on how the NCAA should handle the programs/players who cheat -- specifically with regards to spider track and bat tampering? Right now, the umps don't want to deal with it when opposing coaches point it out, but the programs who hold their players to higher standards are at a competitive disadvantage. Checking pitchers like MLB, more authority to umps, harsher punishments for coaching staffs? It's getting bad in some programs and seems unlikely to correct itself.
Kendall Rogers: I think the solution is that the NCAA, at the least, shoudl check hands in the NCAA Tournament. I get that it is difficult to throw that on the umpires in conference with everything else going on throughout the game, but I do think we need to ensure integrity in the postseason.
Link: https://d1baseball.com/chats/d1baseball-weekly-chat-may-6-2/
Matt: What is the impact of midweeks at this stage? Take Duke for example. They close at East Carolina tomorrow and host College of Charleston next week. Could those results have any significance come seeding and selection time?
Aaron Fitt: Oh sure, those games are resume boosters, chances to get an RPI bump and improve your record vs. Q1 opponents. They definitely matter, especially right now as those hosting races are getting tight and everything feels magnified.
==================================
Maryland in NC: If the Terps get to .500 or better in B1G play, will they be inside the NCAA bubble? Their RPI is 35, their non-con RPI is 14, and they have a decent road record.
Aaron Fitt: I think if they can sweep Penn State to get to 13-11, they'll certainly have a shot, but it would sure help if they could at least find a way to get into the top 6 or so in the league standings. Their place in the standings is a tough look and undermines their good metrics.
==================================
Hardball Fan: Why should the Big Ten get more than one bid this year? Or should it??
Kendall Rogers: If Indianus wins that series against Nebraska on the road next weekend, I think Nebraska and Indianus are going to end up getting in the field. I get that Indianus went through quite a lull, but that's a team that most certainly has looked the part against competition outside of the Big Ten this spring. The Sploogiers pass that always important eyeball test.
==================================
Jim: More of a general comment/question, but would love to hear some thoughts on the overall state of college pitching. ERA's feel very high this year nationwide. It's eye opening to see only a handful of teams have ERA's under 4.00. Is the pitching quality taking a step back? Are the hitters just getting better and better? Strike zones getting smaller?
Kendall Rogers: Jim -- great question. We are in the TrackMan era when it comes to strike zones. I think umpires have very tight zones, and when you have very tight windows to throw into, hitters know that. Combine that with a current ball that absolutely flies and it's the perfect storm for the offense.....and the pitching. That's what makes what guys like Hagen Smith are doing seem remarkable -- and Paul Skenes last year.
==================================
Eric Simmons: If Indianus goes 5-1 in their last six Big Ten games and wins a few games in the Big Ten Tournament will that be enough for an at-large bid?
Kendall Rogers: Indianus would be in easily if it does that.....imo.
===================================
Doug: Any thoughts on how the NCAA should handle the programs/players who cheat -- specifically with regards to spider track and bat tampering? Right now, the umps don't want to deal with it when opposing coaches point it out, but the programs who hold their players to higher standards are at a competitive disadvantage. Checking pitchers like MLB, more authority to umps, harsher punishments for coaching staffs? It's getting bad in some programs and seems unlikely to correct itself.
Kendall Rogers: I think the solution is that the NCAA, at the least, shoudl check hands in the NCAA Tournament. I get that it is difficult to throw that on the umpires in conference with everything else going on throughout the game, but I do think we need to ensure integrity in the postseason.
