(04-26-2015 08:23 PM)CISDuke2014 Wrote:  Just some knowledge to put the winning streak into perspective from our friends over at JMU Sports Blog:
@JMUsportsblog

JMU softball's streak is so long, that the last loss came on a weekend that men's hoops was in action.

That is amazing. The girls just clinched the regular season title today AND the right to host the CAA tournament May 6th-8th, these ladies deserve our support so let's get out there and show them we're behind them. And just maybe we'l be lucky enough to cheer them on during the NCAA's from the comfort's of our own stadium as well when we host a regional :-)

I've stated this several times, we need to win out. We need to promote the double header on Wednesday vs. VPI. Let's show the Gobblers we are a force and give them something to talk about as they head south on 81 Wednesday night.

In reality I know we've got to win out but my mind most definitely does not reside in reality! As far as Wednesday I know JMU has some signs up around campus but more could be done. Either way I'll be there with a friend who'll be in town.

(04-20-2015 07:02 PM)Start_Wearing_Purple Wrote:  

(04-20-2015 05:36 PM)Dante Wrote:  Is our softball complex up to snuff that it could host an NCAA opening round?

Our complex is better than most ACC stadiums and our playing surface is top of the line. Infield is a polymer covered clay, which drains better than natural dirt. Our outfield is artificial turf.

Seating is right in line with other stadiums outside of the SEC.

Our lighting seems sufficient, but that would be the only part I don't know about.

Forgot that we have a new softball complex right next to the new Veterans Park. Thought it was still up on the hill by the convo.
It's been a while since I've been back thataway....

Either way, so regionals are hosted by the top 16 teams. We are sitting at 17 on the polls now. If we end up at 16 or above, are we guaranteed to host, or does the selection committee have their own ranking criteria?

(04-26-2015 08:38 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 08:23 PM)CISDuke2014 Wrote:  Just some knowledge to put the winning streak into perspective from our friends over at JMU Sports Blog:
@JMUsportsblog

JMU softball's streak is so long, that the last loss came on a weekend that men's hoops was in action.

That is amazing. The girls just clinched the regular season title today AND the right to host the CAA tournament May 6th-8th, these ladies deserve our support so let's get out there and show them we're behind them. And just maybe we'l be lucky enough to cheer them on during the NCAA's from the comfort's of our own stadium as well when we host a regional :-)

I've stated this several times, we need to win out. We need to promote the double header on Wednesday vs. VPI. Let's show the Gobblers we are a force and give them something to talk about as they head south on 81 Wednesday night.

Haha.....Remember those names from my youth. Dead generational giveaway.

But to your point, if we have designs on validating our standing and making some noise in the Tourney, we need to whoop up on VT. They have a good solid record and have a victory over us earlier in the season. Time to make a statement.

(04-26-2015 09:23 PM)Dante Wrote:  

(04-20-2015 07:02 PM)Start_Wearing_Purple Wrote:  

(04-20-2015 05:36 PM)Dante Wrote:  Is our softball complex up to snuff that it could host an NCAA opening round?

Our complex is better than most ACC stadiums and our playing surface is top of the line. Infield is a polymer covered clay, which drains better than natural dirt. Our outfield is artificial turf.

Seating is right in line with other stadiums outside of the SEC.

Our lighting seems sufficient, but that would be the only part I don't know about.

Forgot that we have a new softball complex right next to the new Veterans Park. Thought it was still up on the hill by the convo.
It's been a while since I've been back thataway....

Either way, so regionals are hosted by the top 16 teams. We are sitting at 17 on the polls now. If we end up at 16 or above, are we guaranteed to host, or does the selection committee have their own ranking criteria?

The selection committee determines host. They rely pretty heavily on RPI in the selection process, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll just take the top 16 teams in the RPI and give them the 16 seeds. Now, they have done that the last two seasons, but one thing I know about the NCAA is that as soon as you think you have figured out their selection criteria is exactly the time they decided to switch things up.

VT struggled with NC State yesterday, offensively they were simply not effective. Our pitchers should continue their futility, I think we win 2 lower scoring affairs but by comfortable margins.

As far as hosting the regionals I am sure the NCAA Committee will do whatever is needed to insure that the P5 teams are taken care of,
particularly if any TV money is involved. OK rant over.

Wife and I were at the game yesterday as we had some free time before the younger daughters Concert Band concert. Chilly overcast day turned into a sunny but chilly day. More like football weather!! The Dukes looked good. Tight game for the first 5 innings, 3-0 Dukes and Megan Good had an OK outing. She pitched out of a jam or two and got the outs when needed. The Dukes then put 5 up in the bottom of the 6th on a couple hits and a bunch of walks, including the game winner.

Team is looking simply great. Great pitching, timely hitting and good D in the field.

Looking forward to seeing how they do against VT on Wednesday and in the CAA Tournament. having the games at JMU has to be a sizable advantage.

Go Dukes!!

Brian

(04-26-2015 09:48 PM)DaDukes Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 09:23 PM)Dante Wrote:  

(04-20-2015 07:02 PM)Start_Wearing_Purple Wrote:  

(04-20-2015 05:36 PM)Dante Wrote:  Is our softball complex up to snuff that it could host an NCAA opening round?

Our complex is better than most ACC stadiums and our playing surface is top of the line. Infield is a polymer covered clay, which drains better than natural dirt. Our outfield is artificial turf.

Seating is right in line with other stadiums outside of the SEC.

Our lighting seems sufficient, but that would be the only part I don't know about.

Forgot that we have a new softball complex right next to the new Veterans Park. Thought it was still up on the hill by the convo.
It's been a while since I've been back thataway....

Either way, so regionals are hosted by the top 16 teams. We are sitting at 17 on the polls now. If we end up at 16 or above, are we guaranteed to host, or does the selection committee have their own ranking criteria?

The selection committee determines host. They rely pretty heavily on RPI in the selection process, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll just take the top 16 teams in the RPI and give them the 16 seeds. Now, they have done that the last two seasons, but one thing I know about the NCAA is that as soon as you think you have figured out their selection criteria is exactly the time they decided to switch things up.

They'll take a bcs program hosting that is ranked 27th in rpi before letting it come to Harrisonburg. The bias is strong for the power teams, even more so outside of MBB.

Check out the latest RPI! http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weeklyrpi/...Brpi1.html

If that ain't the sh!t, I don't know what is. Go Duuuuuuuuuuuuukes!

Is there a chance that "hot place filled with evil" the NCAA would allow two non-P5 teams to host???

JMU at #13, OMG, OMG, OMG, breathe deep......

Wednesday, there is supposed to be a student tailgate before the game. Anyone have any info on that?

Let's make sure we have a home field advantage versus VPI.

We'd be in the top 10 had we not lost to VPI, GA, or Alabama. We could get there yet if we win out.

(04-27-2015 06:39 AM)JMUSteeler Wrote:  VT struggled with NC State yesterday, offensively they were simply not effective. Our pitchers should continue their futility, I think we win 2 lower scoring affairs but by comfortable margins.

They more than struggled. I think State blanked them in two gamess. Maybe VT was looking ahead to their match up with the Dukes.

(04-27-2015 12:56 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  Is there a chance that "hot place filled with evil" the NCAA would allow two non-P5 teams to host???

I know it is probably hard to believe, but the NCAA doesn't care who hosts these regionals (in year's past Hofstra has hosted a regional or two). All they care about is that your facility has lights (JMU does). The one thing the NCAA cares about is travel distance and its ability to bus as many teams as possible to save on travel costs. This works to JMU's advantage, since their are no other Northeast/Mid-Atlantic teams that are in the RPI range to host. So even if JMU were to slip to say 17-20, the NCAA may nudge them up to the top 16 just so they can bus a few more teams.

Hypothetically a JMU Regional could look like this

1-seed JMU RPI 13
2-seed Kentucky RPI 22
3-seed NC Sate RPI 33
4-seed any number of Northeast conference winners, I'll pick Lehigh RPI 67

This would probably be considered a loaded regional, but I wouldn't expect anything else.

I think NC State is probably going to wind up as a 2 seed, but that is certainly a possibility. And like you said, a loaded possibility.

That's also true, even if we do get a regional, you better believe they'll give us a loaded one that we won't likely make it out of.

(04-28-2015 12:27 PM)Potomac Wrote:  That's also true, even if we do get a regional, you better believe they'll give us a loaded one that we won't likely make it out of.

That's just not the way the selection committee works for softball. They do it based on geography and who they could bus to Harrisonburg.

Another thing you need to keep in mind is that the SEC is probably going to get 11 teams in (maybe 12 depending on what you think of Ole Miss, right now I'd say they are on the outside). With 16 regional sites that means that 11 different regional sites will end up with an SEC team. Which is why it is likely the Harrisonburg regional would end up with Kentucky (assuming they don't rebound enough to host a region) or South Carolina since both those teams fall within the radius where the NCAA could bus a team to JMU. South Carolina is more likely to end up at Florida State would be my guess, but they could send them to Harrisonburg. Either way, whatever SEC they ended up with would likely be the 2 seed in their regional.

Now if you look at the teams in the range to be three seeds, teams that are within the busing radius that could end up as 3 seeds in a region, you end up with Virginia Tech, North Carolina and North Carolina State. Now JMU has already played Virginia Tech and North Carolina, which doesn't rule them out, but it would make sense for them to send Tech to Tennessee and UNC to Georgia.

As for a 4 seed, it would depend on who ended winning some of the Northeast conference, but they'd end up with someone who was the champion of the Patriot/MAAC/MEAC/IVY conferences.

Thus you are likely to end up with a regional that looks like:

1. JMU
2. Kentucky/South Carolina
3. NC State/North Carolina/Virginia Tech
4. Some Northeastern/Mid-Atlantic conference champion

All of this is just to illustrate all the thought that the NCAA would put into its selection before it even considered "screwing over" a mid-major with a loaded regional.

And of course this is only conjecture since there will be a considerable amount of movement in the RPI top 50 over the final 2 weeks.

The first game is at 5:00 and it will be on Madizone. Remember, its a double header.