College World Series and impact of the Coastal Carolina win

[Original Mountaineer1]

The NCAA chose to include 10 ACC teams and I think 8 SEC teams in the baseball tournament this year. It was stupid from the beginning and even more stupid when you saw the final 8 and especially the last 4 standing. The same goes for the basketball tournament when conferences get large numbers or percentages of their teams into the dance...many of which can't even win a game in their conference tournament. Too much parity in DI men's sports these days to assume that because a team is .500 in a power conference that they are superior to good teams from conferences perceived to be weaker.

I hope this changes the philosophy of the NCAA going forward on tournament selection. Maybe I am alone in this view but I'd rather see 2 teams from "minor" conferences that historically get a single bid than 7-10 teams from any single conference in any sport.

 

[WVex-pat in GA]

I think Baseball and Golf are the two NCAA sports where conference size doesn't mean much.

 

[Cuyahoga Falls Eers]

The goal should be, whether it's baseball, football, golf or basketball, to get the best teams possible in the tournament. If there are 64 spots, the top 64 teams in the nation. If there are 4 spots, the top 4 teams in the nation. Regardless of conference affiliation. But the Power 5 conferences will get the 4 football places because they DO have the 4 best teams every year. Need an 8-team playoff, and soon. They have more than 4 teams for all the other levels in football. Why not in D-1?

 

[Fingon]

I wish more folks on this board actually looked at the team and record instead of the name in men's baseball...lots of uninformed bashing from folks who have probably never set foot in MCB.

 

[Original Mountaineer1]

The goal should be, whether it's baseball, football, golf or basketball, to get the best teams possible in the tournament. If there are 64 spots, the top 64 teams in the nation. If there are 4 spots, the top 4 teams in the nation. Regardless of conference affiliation. But the Power 5 conferences will get the 4 football places because they DO have the 4 best teams every year. Need an 8-team playoff, and soon. They have more than 4 teams for all the other levels in football. Why not in D-1?

As you know, the difficulty is determining who the top 64 really are. Whether basketball or baseball, the fact that you are a member of a “power” conference naturally boosts your RPI. Using baseball as an example, would Coastal Carolina even have received a bid had they lost in their conference tournament? Maybe but not guaranteed.

 

[coalcountry52]

I wish more folks on this board actually looked at the team and record instead of the name in men's baseball...lots of uninformed bashing from folks who have probably never set foot in MCB.

If that's a shot at me, I have been there multiple times. I admitted my harsh (still warranted in context) criticism and ate my crow.

That being said, Coastal has been a beast for years and finally hit the right formula to a title. They had great pitching and defense, with a solid core in their lineup. WVU isn't far behind the Chanticleers. We're 1-1 in our last two meetings. I remember under Van Bunts the annual woodshed beatings that we'd get from Coastal. It wasn't a baseball equivalent of Jimmy V's team. They are a southern school with a beach location, and a guy running it who knows his baseball. All we lack is consistency. We have the talent in the lineup, on the field, and in our bullpen. We just haven't hit a level of consistency over 50 games that breaks us into the next level. That means we need to show up in our weekday games. Beat teams we are better than. Defend our home turf and make it hard for any team to come in and win.

Baseball is a game that rewards consistency. Coastal Carolina showed what consistency can do. Came back from elimination four times to win a title, and they did it because they did what they always do in a consistent fashion.