(05-08-2021 08:54 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Look at how the conference lays out the format rules for postseason play for both baseball and softball. Clearly, the baseball rules are a little less clear.

SOFTBALL - The championship's eight (8) team field will include the top three teams (by winning
percentage) in the East Division standings and top three teams (by winning percentage) in the West Division standings, as well as two Wild Card teams from either division (with the next- best winning percentages outside of the six automatic-qualifying teams). Tiebreaker protocols, for teams with the same winning percentage, will be used if necessary. The first day will be single elimination, with seeds three and four receiving a bye. The top two seeds earn a double- bye to advance to the second day, when it becomes double-elimination until the final two teams are determined. Those two will be in the single-elimination championship final with the winner earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

BASEBALL - The top eight teams following the regular season will advance to play a double-elimination tournament with a single-elimination championship game.

I’ve not seen this but don’t doubt it’s accuracy. However, curious why the division format in regular season without having divisions mean something (like SEC etc). I know this was to reduce travel due to COVID issues but still think the divisions have some say in the format. Doesn’t really matter overall as we need to win tomorrow and, I think, take minimum of 3 from Charlotte to get in. That still might not be enough but would at least give us a shot.

I'm not sure everyone knows this, but Russ Anderson was the Assistant Commissioner of C-USA and basically ran the baseball operation for the conference. I spoke with him a couple of weeks ago and he was intending to be a the Rice-Southern Miss series last weekend.

Unfortunately, Russ passed away very unexpectedly two weeks ago. Russ was the backbone of the C-USA office and a very well-respected member of the college baseball community. I'm sure the Conference will be clarifying the procedure for the baseball tournament shortly as they begin to recover from the difficult situation.

Series finale is underway. Deskins on the mound for Rice (I'll assume Garibay is the first guy out of the pen if it's close since he's not starting again today).

Rice takes a 1-0 lead in the 3rd on a Karp single.

FIU vs La Tech gets rained out today so they end up only playing two of their four games this weekend. It's going to be a mess for the conference to figure out that 8th spot (unless someone goes on an extended win streak and it becomes a moot point).

1-1 now.

Garibay now in for Deskins (who must have been on a pitch count).

1-1, bottom of the 4th.

Gneiting 3 run HR! 4-1 Owls in T5

3 additional doubles (Karp, Cruz, Hughes) make it 6-1 Owls!

Adding to the lead in the 7th - it's now 9-3 after a 2-RBI single by Edwards. Garibay still on the mound for Rice.

In T7, Owls grow lead to 9-3. Offensive efficiency is better today with 9 runs on 10 hits.

Make that 10 runs on 10 hits. 10-3 going to B7.

Now 10 runs on those 10 hits.

Garibay kind of hits the wall in the 7th after 1 out but he had a solid 3.1 innings. Wood now in relief. Two on, 1 out and still 10-3 at the moment. UAB scores 2 to make it 10-5. Heading to the 8th.

10-5 Owls headed to the 9th.

Owls win 10-5. Take the series 3-1.

When is the last time the Owls won a conference series?

(05-09-2021 01:07 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Garibay now in for Deskins (who must have been on a pitch count).

1-1, bottom of the 4th.

He pitched 2 shutout innings on Friday, so I'm presuming 3 innings was his limit.

(05-09-2021 03:13 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  Owls win 10-5. Take the series 3-1.

When is the last time the Owls won a conference series?

Did we win one in 2019?

(05-09-2021 03:16 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(05-09-2021 03:13 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  Owls win 10-5. Take the series 3-1.

When is the last time the Owls won a conference series?

Did we win one in 2019?

Yes. Last on was against USM in May 2019.

So I'm assuming MTSU loses (they're down big at USM currently). If that scores holds true, here are the conference standings heading into the final week (with next week's matches as well). One of those four will be the 8th and final seed at the conference tournament.

MTSU 10-17-1 (host FIU)
Rice 9-18-1 (host Charlotte)
UAB 9-18 (at Marshall)
FIU 9-17 (at MTSU)

(05-09-2021 03:27 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  So I'm assuming MTSU loses (they're down big at USM currently). If that scores holds true, here are the conference standings heading into the final week (with next week's matches as well). One of those four will be the 8th and final seed at the conference tournament.

MTSU 10-17-1 (host FIU)
Rice 9-18-1 (host Charlotte)
UAB 9-18 (at Marshall)
FIU 9-17 (at MTSU)

We'll need to win at least 3 of 4, given the opponents the others play (and the fact that we have the tie-breaker against only UAB), and I just don't see Charlotte laying down like that when they have so much to play for (#1 seed, possible NCAA host).

I almost wonder if the conference changes the format at the last moment (which they did in men's and women's basketball too if you recall just about a week prior to the tournament). Instead of an 8 team, double-elimination tournament, they could give the 1-4 seeds a bye and make those 5-12 games the first day a single elimination right off the bat. That would get everyone into the tournament, and give the 1-4 teams 1 less RPI-killer meeting.

But if they were going to do that, they probably would have done the same for softball and that didn't happen. So probably it will stay just 8 teams in baseball too.