Softball - Out
- Thread starter Joe the Panther Fan
- Start date
When I saw Wisconsin was in I figured we were in trouble. Of all the mock brackets I looked at today I don't think one of them had Wisconsin in. A couple of them had them one of the first four out, some didn't even have them that high.
Wisky and ND were the 2 that screwed us. Neither should have been in over us IMO.
It shouldn't have mattered. This team proved that it could compete with top teams like FSU.
Does anyone know if Pitt was one of the last 4 out.....if there even is such a thing in this tournament?
Actually we didn't, which is the whole problem. Just like in baseball, you can't schedule as bad as we do and not eventually have it bite you in the rear end.
The committee chair just said that we were one of the last four out, and the difference between the teams that got in and the ones that got left out was strength of schedule.
Terrible!! Why does ND get their as# kissed in every sport? Do you really think if ND played FSU yesterday and lost in the same manner we would jump them? Exactly, we wouldn't have.So why does ND jump us in the real scenario?
The softball schedule wasn't that bad, not nearly like the baseball schedule. The softball schedule was 76th best prior to the ACC tournament, that is in the top 25% of the country.
Oh well...Still doesn't seem right.I hope they go down in flames..Or lose in the same manner Pitt did.That would be poetic justice.
Here's the problem with the schedule. These are our games against teams that made the tournament:
Cal-Fullerton (4 seed) - Loss
Wisconsin (3 seed) - Loss
Wisconsin (3 seed) - Win
Michigan (2 seed) - Loss
Ohio (4 seed) - Loss
Florida State (1 seed) - Loss
Florida State (1 seed) - Loss
Florida State (1 seed) - Win
Ohio State (2 seed) - Loss
Florida State (1 seed) - Loss
That's a 2-8 record. That's very few games and an awful record in those games. That's what the committee chair is talking about.
Cal-Fullerton (4 seed) - Loss
Wisconsin (3 seed) - Loss
Wisconsin (3 seed) - Win
Michigan (2 seed) - Loss
Ohio (4 seed) - Loss
Florida State (1 seed) - Loss
Florida State (1 seed) - Loss
Florida State (1 seed) - Win
Ohio State (2 seed) - Loss
Florida State (1 seed) - Loss
That's a 2-8 record. That's very few games and an awful record in those games. That's what the committee chair is talking about.
Technically it's just outside the top 25%, but I agree that it is not near as bad as the baseball team's schedule. But it's not like 76th is all that good. The fact is that unlike baseball, we don't get any sort of boost from the conference we play in. You have to go out and find good non-conference games.
Our biggest problem is the ACC's perceived weakness when compared to the Big 10. The Big 10 got 5 teams compared to the ACC's 2. However, the ACC has kicked the Big 10's ass in the ACC/Big 10 challenge each of the last 2 years. Now the ACC does get home field advantage, but they did also go 26-14 this year against them.
Yeah, but is it just perceived or is it real? RPIs heading into this week:
FSU - 6
Ohio State - 27
Minnesota - 28
Michigan - 30
Northwestern - 38
Nebraska - 40
Notre Dame - 43
Louisville - 44
Wisconsin - 46
Pitt - 48
BC - 53
Illinois - 58
If you are an organization that highly values the RPI it seems pretty easy to decide which of those is better.
Pretty even when you consider that FSU is much better than the rest. ACC went 16-14 in games between these teams in the challenge.
Either way it is a close call. I do believe we should have got in over Wisky and ND. However, part of it is history too and we have never been a softball power.
I think when the RPI's come out tomorrow, we'll be higher than Wisky.
After Florida State the next five on the list are all Big Ten schools. We might wish that makes us even, but it doesn't.
The most surprising thing to me is that the ACC isnt a very good softball league. I figured it was a dominant league like in most other olympic sports. Its basically just Florida State and a bunch of mid-majors, maybe similar to A10 basketball.
I dont understand how ACC baseball can be so good but softball isnt. I am confused as to why a cold-weather league like the Big Ten is usually better, given that softball starts even earlier in February than baseball does.
I dont understand how ACC baseball can be so good but softball isnt. I am confused as to why a cold-weather league like the Big Ten is usually better, given that softball starts even earlier in February than baseball does.
It's too bad, but Pitt could have made it all moot by beating FSU when the table was set. Leadoff walks kill, and Pitt's pitcher walked at least two in the crucial bottom of the 7th.
In watching Pitt, it was obvious we did not have a dominant pitcher, which is pretty essential to making noise in big time softball. We had a couple of girls who pitched to spots, but didn't have the power to blow people away. When it is all said and done, girl's softball comes down to pitching. If you have the ACE you always have a chance.
Hopefully this helps Pitt's recruiting and we can get a horse or two on the mound. We have a nice facility, a good coach, and a decent league to brag about. There is a decent talent pool in WPIAL and local travel ball. Pitt should be able to stay relevant.
In watching Pitt, it was obvious we did not have a dominant pitcher, which is pretty essential to making noise in big time softball. We had a couple of girls who pitched to spots, but didn't have the power to blow people away. When it is all said and done, girl's softball comes down to pitching. If you have the ACE you always have a chance.
Hopefully this helps Pitt's recruiting and we can get a horse or two on the mound. We have a nice facility, a good coach, and a decent league to brag about. There is a decent talent pool in WPIAL and local travel ball. Pitt should be able to stay relevant.
We did end up with a higher RPI than Wisky. We stayed at 48 and they dropped to 50.
Every one of the first four out ended up with a better RPI than Wisconsin. They were 50, we were 48, Nebraska was 45, Louisville was 44 and Florida Gulf Coast was 38.
