Predictions For Tourney?

[Guest Ozen]

Predictions?

1. UTSA vs. 6. SFA

2. Lamar  vs. 5. McNeese St.

3. Texas State vs. 4. SHSU

[AshlyHasBeen]

Here's what I think

1) UTSA over 6) SFA (Though this tournament has never been good to No. 1 seeds)

2) Lamar over 5) McNeese St. (Should be a very tough game for the Cards)

3) Texas St. over 4) Sam Houston St. (Bobcats have a team that can win it all)

I know I picked the higher seeds but this year things are really even. So with my picks here are the second round matchups I predict.

Thursday Games

11 am 6) SFA vs 5) McNeese St.

3 pm  1) UTSA vs 4) Sam Houston St.

7 pm  2) Lamar vs 3) Texas St.

[Bears]

ShlyKBMT, everything looks good except for that PNG helmet.......

As always in this tourney it is a curse to be the #1 seed, and really the hottest team going would be SFA after Taking 2 of 3 from Sam Houston.

Bearkats- I just cannot figure these guys out, should be the best with that lineup but just cannot get the job done on a consistant basis.

Game #1 Upset Special SFA over UTSA

Game #2 Lamar over McNeese St. only because the Cowboys will not have Kingrey

Game #3 Texas St. over Sam Houston

The SLC again will probably only receive the Automatic Bid.

[AshlyHasBeen]

I think the helmet looks fine  :

But back to the tournament. The SLC will for sure only get 1 bid that being the automatic which makes things even more exciting. The upset special isn't that far fetched it's amazing how far SFA has come since last year.

[JMay]

So NSU is still the host, even though they did not qualify?  I thought that was a requirement from a couple of years ago?

[AshlyHasBeen]

No the SLC will allow you to host even if you aren't qualified. Though they don't prefer it. If a team is eliminated from contention a couple of weeks before the end of the regular season the host has the option to give up the tournament and put it up for bid. I don't like this if you're not in you shouldn't host.

[LP78]

In the the 3 game series between SFA & UTSA this year. All 3 games was decided by 1 run. SFA taking 2 out of 3 @ home.

[JMay]

I'll take McNeese to piece it all together and come out of Natchitoches with the gold.

[Ruckdad]

I think that you could legitimately make an argument for any of these six teams to win the thing.  As a Lamar fan, I don't like the way we have pitched or played defense lately, but we definitely can swing the stick.  If we get a couple solid starts from our core group of pitchers, we can win it. 

I am going to go out on a limb though and say that SFA wins the tournament.

[JMay]

I am going to go out on a limb though and say that SFA wins the tournament.

Takes berries to make that pick.  That would be really great for a program in their second season of D-1 ball.  The thing is they have a pretty good chances, and have played UTSA close this season.

[DenisGScott]

I predict that whoever wins the SLC tournament then either goes to Houston to play Rice or Austin to play Texas and subsequently gets smoked.

[Guest coachacola]

I predict that whoever wins the SLC tournament then either goes to Houston to play Rice or Austin to play Texas and subsequently gets smoked.

Not necessarily, Texas State already has a win over Rice, and Lamar should have beat ULL, a top 25 team.  This is a down year for the SLC so I doubt any team will make it out of regionals.

[Guest Bulldog]

Hopefully Lamar pulls it out.....

[DenisGScott]

Not necessarily, Texas State already has a win over Rice, and Lamar should have beat ULL, a top 25 team.  This is a down year for the SLC so I doubt any team will make it out of regionals.

and of those mid-week wins where a top 20 school plays a Texas State or a Lamar etc how many time do they throw their top pitcher or two like they would in a NCAA tournament game?? 

[JMay]

When was the last time a SLC school came out of the Regionals? I know it hasn't happened since the current format was put in place.  SWTSU went pretty deep about 10 years ago at the Lubbock Regional.

[AshlyHasBeen]

In 2004 Lamar pushed Texas to the if game for the regional championship.

2004 Regionals

Arkansas-Won

Texas-Lost

Arkansas-Won

Texas-Won

Texas-Lost

[JMay]

I remember that.  SWTSU also went deep in Lubbock in the late 90's when it was still a 6 team Regional, just wondering if any SLC had made a run to Omaha.

[Guest coachacola]

Neither team throws their best pitchers out for those midweek non-conference games. 

[Bears]

I almost disagree, UT for most of the year had Austin Wood as there tuesday night guy, hell he pitched against Rice twice and went 1-1. But my point is he has performed so well that he started the 3rd game of the A&M series and beat the Aggies look for him to contribute in the regionals and supers.

The SLC is not strong enough in my opinion to win a regional, and the reason is they will be like a earlier post said sent to Austin or Houston were the #4 or #2 team awaits.

[AshlyHasBeen]

No SLC team has made it out yet......but Lamar has come close a couple of times. For the most part though the SLC has been able to compete in regionals. From what I'm hearing the winner of the SLC will likely head to Texas A&M with Texas and Rice also options. Though unlikely I've seen one projection having UL-Lafayette hosting with the SLC representative playing there as the 4 seed.

[AshlyHasBeen]

I will add that one year an SLC team will make it out just not this year. Pitching is key at regionals and the conference is a little thin there compared to past seasons.

[JMay]

I wouldn't expect to see the SLC rep go to Houston unless it was McNeese or SFA.  As a 2 national seed Rice would host the 2nd weakest 4 seed in the tournament.  UT would be the 3rd or 4th national seed and would similarly host the 3rd or 4th worst 4 seed.  Traveling to Lafayette would make a lot of since, or a trip to College Station would probably be in the cards.  Sometimes though geography place a huge role .  I would like to see the SLC rep in Houston since I'll be there anyway.  McNeese put quite a scare into the Owls back in 2003 and its always fun to watch teams you can relate to.  I personally love the current NCAA format and it makes for two great weekend of college baseball.

[DenisGScott]

no way atm gets a regional, their national ranking #11 is a joke to go 28-2 non conference while playing basically .500 ball in the big 12 should not earn a regional host site.  5th in your conference at 13-13 and you get a regional???   I doubt it.  TCU ranked 18th-24th with a 43-12 record and being in DFW has a better chance at a regional than CS.  You get one in Austin, one in Houston, one in Dallas, there wont be 4 regionals in Texas.  atm gets stuck as a 2 seed at a TCU or Arkansas is a better bet than getting a regional they dont deserve.

[JMay]

no way atm gets a regional, their national ranking #11 is a joke to go 28-2 non conference while playing basically .500 ball in the big 12 should not earn a regional host site.  5th in your conference at 13-13 and you get a regional???   I doubt it.

I agree totally.  The only quality wins they have OOC are Rice x2.  It seems that a lot of projections have ULL taking the regional that the Aggies seemed to have "wrapped up" a couple of weeks ago.  While the Ags are dangerous, there resume is suspect.  Outside of Rice they padded their schedule with weaker opponents.  But hey if they can play a weak schedule and win 40 games and luck into a regional then so be it.  I personally hope the NCAA sends it to Lafayette, but its hard to argue with the revenue from 7700 fans at Olsen.

[Bears]

Remember for the NCAA it is all about the Benjamins:

A&M can hold over 7,000 and TCU maybe 4,000 ULL maybe 3500 so who do you think will get it and forget about RPI and think about $$$

It really hurts that LSU is down because usually if you have a school in the SLC from La. they go to Baton Rouge,