Will Mid-Con Baseball Tournament Change Format With More Members

[ORUJason]

Since there will be 8 Mid-Con baseball teams for the 2007-2008 school year (correct me if I'm wrong), I would guess that there might be some schools who would prefer that all 8 schools make the post-season tournament by creating the equivalent of 2 4-team Mid-Con tournament regionals, with the winner of each of those regionals playing each other in a best of 3 Mid-Con tourney "super regional".

I would guess that the Mid-Con leadership would not be in favor of this type of approach, because it increases the chance that a lower-seeded team with a losing record might end up representing the Mid-Con in the NCAA baseball tournament.

However, because of the recent dominance of Mid-Con baseball by ORU, there might be some teams who would prefer any format which might make it more difficult for ORU to win the tournament.

I would certainly be in favor of keeping the current format, which rewards the best Mid-Con teams for succeeding during the Mid-Con regular season.  I think the current format makes the most sense, but I wonder if it would be frustrating for half of the Mid-Con teams to be left out of a chance at the NCAA tournament.

[tmh8286]

I really have no way on knowing what's going on behind the closed doors at Mid-Con HQ, but I'd be surprised if they changed the format of the Mid-Con baseball tournament. 

[tmh8286]

These are a month old (I'm too lazy to look up the current numbers  ), but these are the RPI's of the Mid-Con baseball teams:

#64 - ORU

#195 - SDSU

#222 - Centenary

#225 - Western Ill.

#251 - Valpo

#269 - NDSU

#274 - Oakland

#285 - Southern Utah

#287 - IPFW

Keep in mind that that is out of a field of 293.  I can't imagine that the Mid-Con would want to change the format to include teams with RPI's of 269 through 287. 

Watch them prove me wrong . . .

[TrueBlue82]

Why don't they change the tournament format to include only the regular season champion and any other teams in the RPI top 100?  It sure would save money from hauling three teams to a poorly attended tournament, only to crown ORU as champion.

[tmh8286]

I like your way of thinking, Blue!

[ORUJason]

One other thought on the baseball tournament format---

The Big 12 has 10 baseball teams (Iowa State and Colorado do not field baseball teams).  8 of those 10 teams make the Big 12 tournament.

They have changed their format this year into a pool format, where there are 2 groups of 4 teams (as in past years), and within your pool, you play each other team once.  Then the winners of each pool play each other in a best of 3 series (like a super-regional).

Of course, if you go 3-0 in your pool you advance.  I assume if 2 teams go 2-1, then whoever won the head-to-head game would advance.  But I wonder, what would happen if 3 teams go 2-1, 1 team goes 0-3, and each 2-1 team lost to one of the other 2-1 teams, and beat one of the other 2-1 teams.

Anyway, If I had to choose, for ORU's purposes, I would prefer the current double-elimination format, because as long as you don't lose 2 games, you win.  In the Mid-Con tournament, it would be highly unlikely that ORU would lose 2 games, but always possible that they could lose 1 game.

In the pool format, if ORU lost 1 game (and ended up 2-1), and the team that beat us went 3-0 or 2-1, then by tie-breaker, ORU would be eliminated.  It would be tough to miss out on the NCAAs by only losing 1 game.

[DConnor]

I'm not an expert on baseball, but my understanding is that in the Mid-con tourney (as well as in the regionals and superregionals) you are not out until you lose 2 games. So, here is how I think it works. Correct me if I am wrong about this.

Game 1: #1 seed vs #4 seed

Game 2: #2 seed vs #3 seed

Game 3: Winners of Games 1 & 2 play (one team gets first loss)

Game 4: Losers of Games 1 & 2  play -- loser out with 2 losses

Game 5: Loser of Game 3 plays winner of Game 4 -- loser out with 2 loses

Game 6: Winner of Game 3 plays winner of Game 5 - If Game 3 winner wins, the tourey is over. If winner of Game 5 wins, then these two teams play again, because they both still have only one loss.

[tmh8286]

FWIW, you can find the official bracket for the tournament here.

[Old Titan]

I'm not an expert on baseball, but my understanding is that in the Mid-con tourney (as well as in the regionals and superregionals) you are not out until you lose 2 games. So, here is how I think it works. Correct me if I am wrong about this.

Game 1: #1 seed vs #4 seed

Game 2: #2 seed vs #3 seed

Game 3: Winners of Games 1 & 2 play (one team gets first loss)

Game 4: Losers of Games 1 & 2  play -- loser out with 2 losses

Game 5: Loser of Game 3 plays winner of Game 4 -- loser out with 2 loses

Game 6: Winner of Game 3 plays winner of Game 5 - If Game 3 winner wins, the tourney is over. If winner of Game 5 wins, then these two teams play again, because they both still have only one loss.

The only correction in your scenario above is that the losers from Games 1 and 2 play the early game on Day 2, the winners of those first day games play the second game on Day 2.

I wonder who is responsible for the current conference regular season format of Friday night single game/Saturday double header/Sunday single game.  It should serve all the conference teams well that lose in the first round, because Day 2 will mirror that regular season format.

As for the pool format, I think if there is a 3-way tie of teams at 2-1 in their pool, the highest seed advances, but I'm not sure if that's how the Big XII is doing it...