Hookem2147

I'm assuming this is who we will see today from Cincy. https://gobearcats.com/sports/baseball/roster/tommy-boba/11988

So all along this tournament was just meaning

Meaningless probably isn't the best word to use and I know I've used it before. There is a lot of middle ground between meaningless and meaningful and the conference tournament falls somewhere in there. Winning is always better than losing and I don't think anyone here is saying to purposely throw games. But in a sport like baseball with so many moving parts/players, there is a fine line you have to walk at this point in the season. Conference tournaments are unpredictable, with varying motivation factors among teams. Some need to win it, some are indifferent, some are ready to go home. Some pitchers need to throw, some need rest, some need film for the portal opening next week. Some teams have guys who could use a few days of extra rest while some need to reps for players who may have recently entered the starting lineup. We had Jared Thomas and Peyton Powell fighting through pretty significant back injuries last year at this time, and the full week of rest did wonders for their regional/super-regional performance. Similar to the conference tournament in basketball, there is very little evidence that winning or losing foreshadows what is to come, assuming you already have a postseason bid locked up. If we can accept that while still hoping for wins, it makes this week less stressful as the buildup for the real tournament starts.

Could be as few as 1 west coast regional and as many as 3. I don’t know what the committee will do with UC Santa Barbara. #10 in the RPI but their schedule and conference are a joke and they have a whopping 3 Q1 wins. Arizona won the regular season Pac12 title but their RPI is 29 which isn’t hosting range. Second place Oregon State seems to be in a better spot with a RPI of 13.

It’s called “regionals” for a reason. The committee doesn’t do the tournament snake style where the worst 1 seed gets the best 2, best 2 seed gets the worst 3, etc. They do have to fill holes sometimes when a team from the West Coast hosts or there is a northern team like Indiana State or things like that. 4 teams in this “region” will likely host: OU, Arkansas, A&M and maybe one of DBU/OSU. Other at large teams who will be in are Texas, TCU, LSU. Considering two teams from the same conference can’t be in the same regional, it would make logical sense that LSU probably goes to OU/OSU as the 3 and if DBU doesn’t host they go to OU/OSU as the 2. That leaves TCU and Texas for College Station/Fayetteville unless they want to ship one of them to Indiana State or to one of the coasts.

There is no evidence playing well gives you a more favorable matchup. The committee has hinted in the past the bracket is largely set heading into this week. 0-2 last year rewarded us with a very favorable trip to Miami when many thought we were headed to Fayetteville or Baton Rouge.

Doesn’t play in Omaha either (which plays like a MLB park with the wind usually blowing in). Always been my fear these last few years. Lots riding on the long ball for offense.

I’m assuming Hurley is starting tomorrow (later today, I guess).

Lower seed won all 4 games today

Thursday is the earliest they would use Boehm. He is going to get a break (as he should).

How on earth did that stay fair

Postseason O’Dowd. Can’t be explained.

Ahhhhhh so close

If we want to avoid extras we need to get Cody Howard warm immediately

Dre getting stretched out to 3 innings ahead of the postseason feels big.

The Porter Brown experiment needs to end

Globe Life curse is on the line. Come on fellas!

Runners at the corners 1 out twice tonight and didn’t score either time.

If there was ever a time to bunt it was right there with a guy who hasn’t made contact tonight.

Here comes the Gasparino bunting adventure

Bad decision that should have still worked out because the bag was stolen.

Been hammering the ball all game.

If that Thomas ball doesn’t go out neither does that one!

This ballpark sucks ass