D1Baseball Weekly Chat: May 8 • D1Baseball
Have questions about the latest Top 25 Rankings and the overall postseason picture? You have questions and we have answers.
You guys know how this work
Terpitude: I know that RPI reigns supreme in the selection committee's opinion (too bad D1Baseball doesn't make the selections). But if Maryland wins out, and wins the B1G Tournament, can they possibly grab a spot as a regional host?
Kendall Rogers: Maryland would have to win out the rest of the season just to have an RPI inside 32, so clearly it is approaching this thing from a position of weakness. However, the Terps could absolutely get into contention by A) playing well to end the regular season and B) racking up some wins in the Big Ten Tournament.
================================
(an interesting question in regards to midweek games and RPI)
Dave: Please explain the love for Coastal Carolina. All I see is a few good midweek wins which begs the question should these midweek games count in the same regard towards RPI as a weekend series? Appears to me different teams take different approaches to these games but it's mostly games with bad pitching and a guy or two resting.
Aaron Fitt: I mean, in addition to its midweek success, Coastal also has not lost a weekend series all year, has won quality series against Davidson (best team in the A-10), Texas State, at Old Dominion, vs. Southern Miss, at Louisiana-Lafayette. Coastal is No. 11 in the RPI with an 8-6 mark against the Top 50 -- it's a lot harder to be No. 11 in the RPI as a mid-major than it is as an SEC team that rolls out of bed and automatically gets a giant RPI bump before it even gets to the field every day. I think Coastal has flaws -- really not sold on the pitching -- but I have a ton of respect for the season they've had so far.
================================
Kyle: Iowa is 30-12 and sits at 41 in the RPI right now. How comfortable are they in terms of an at-large bid right now? what do they have to do in their final seven games to feel comfortable going into the Big Ten Tournament.
Kendall Rogers: Kyle -- if Iowa wins those two series to end the regular season as expected, it would be in solid shape to make the NCAA Tournament, IMO. The RPI is within range and there are some really nice wins on Iowa's resume.
================================
JimmyGeez: Tell me my Scarlet Knights aren't going to get screwed again this year! Rutgers has had such a rollercoater year with some awful series losses, but are playing well right now. Is this weekend's Illinois series a MUST win and what else do we have to do to get into the field?
Kendall Rogers: Rutgers would be a dangerous postseason team, but they are pretty clearly behind Iowa for me right now. The issue for the Scarlet Knights is that they're 2-7 against teams I feel like would be in the field of 64 as of today. Georgia Southern struggling this year has really hurt Steve Owens' club. With that said, I'd love to see them get the opportunity, I think they're a pretty solid club with that top half of the lineup.
