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Let's talk about Iowa Baseball and where it's headed compared to the surrounding B1G teams

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icu81222

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Heller is on the verge of building something great. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the conference ends up going forward.

I thought it would be interesting to look at the teams surrounding Iowa and see how they compare IMO:

Minnesota: Anderson is a hall of famer and tremendous coach but his days are numbered. I do think that is a great job though. Minnesota has a TON of D1 talent and very little competition for them. Plus they have all of Wisconsin to go after too. They should always compete for the top of the conference. Iowa has a great weather advantage to sell as far as recruiting goes. but they really don't go head to head on players too often that I am aware of. Maybe on some Wisconsin and Illinois kids from time to time. I think Iowa can surpass them going forward as Anderson's time winds down.

Indiana: Lemonis did a nice job at Louisville but he just doesn't appear to be of the caliber to keep Indiana where they were under Tracy Smith IMO. I mean, just look at the guy? He doesn't take care of himself, how can recruits take that guy seriously? Once Smith's recruits filter through, I suspect IU will be above average to good with maybe a great season sprinkled in occasionally but I just don't think they will be knocking on the door for the CWS again anytime soon. Maybe that's wishful thinking on my part but I just don't see "IT" with Lemonis. Indiana is a great area and they are surrounded by tremendous recruiting grounds but there is a ton of competition they have to compete against for those players.

On the positive side, they are probably in the best climate in the B1G as far as baseball goes. They should always compete but can they be elite?

Purdue: While their new stadium is nice and they had a good run for a few years, they don't have the resources to keep up with the big boys IMO. Will be interesting to see who they end up with replacing Schreiber. I don't see them being more than average to a decent run once in a while with an occasional bottom feeder sprinkled in.

Illinois: This is a good job with fertile recruiting in most every direction. Their coach has been there a while. I think he is a good coach but not a "great" or elite coach.. They should always be solid. I really think Iowa can over take them if they haven't already.

Nebraska: Are they capped out? Very possibly. Their fans will come here and say "BUT we made a regional this year!" That was a freaking gift from heaven for them and they know it. Maryland EASILY should have been in before them. I'm not sure how good of a coach Erstad is. I know they thought they would be the new B1G power after the move from the mighty B12. However, I can see Iowa surpassing them too. I think Heller is a better coach and the support is growing every day. This will be interesting to watch Iowa over take them. Nebraska has great support, but as in football, their fans are unrealistic and live on history. They are not near great recruiting and now that they are playing in the northern based B1G, I think that hurts them.

Northwestern: Could be a bit of a sleeping (mini, mini) giant. I think they can maybe be like FB, solid to occasionally really good. Might get to the point where you have to come to play each game with them. Just like FB. Geeks can play ball and they are in a good position. New stadium. New coach replacing a guy that was just collecting a paycheck. They could be a real thorn in the side of many B1G programs. I don't think they will be a near lock as a sweep or at worst a series win in a few years.

So, looking at those 6 teams, I can certainly see Iowa as THE program in the midwest going forward. Sure, there is a bit of homerism in this but the momentum is there. Thoughts?
 
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icu81222 said:
Heller is on the verge of building something great. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the conference ends up going forward.

I thought it would be interesting to look at the teams surrounding Iowa and see how they compare IMO:

Minnesota: Anderson is a hall of famer and tremendous coach but his days are numbered. I do think that is a great job though. Minnesota has a TON of D1 talent and very little competition for them. Plus they have all of Wisconsin to go after too. They should always compete for the top of the conference. Iowa has a great weather advantage to sell as far as recruiting goes. but they really don't go head to head on players too often that I am aware of. Maybe on some Wisconsin and Illinois kids from time to time. I think Iowa can surpass them going forward as Anderson's time winds down.

Indiana: Lemonis did a nice job at Louisville but he just doesn't appear to be of the caliber to keep Indiana where they were under Tracy Smith IMO. I mean, just look at the guy? He doesn't take care of himself, how can recruits take that guy seriously? Once Smith's recruits filter through, I suspect IU will be above average to good with maybe a great season sprinkled in occasionally but I just don't think they will be knocking on the door for the CWS again anytime soon. Maybe that's wishful thinking on my part but I just don't see "IT" with Lemonis. Indiana is a great area and they are surrounded by tremendous recruiting grounds but there is a ton of competition they have to compete against for those players.

On the positive side, they are probably in the best climate in the B1G as far as baseball goes. They should always compete but can they be elite?

Purdue: While their new stadium is nice and they had a good run for a few years, they don't have the resources to keep up with the big boys IMO. Will be interesting to see who they end up with replacing Schreiber. I don't see them being more than average to a decent run once in a while with an occasional bottom feeder sprinkled in.

Illinois: This is a good job with fertile recruiting in most every direction. Their coach has been there a while. I think he is a good coach but not a "great" or elite coach.. They should always be solid. I really think Iowa can over take them if they haven't already.

Nebraska: Are they capped out? Very possibly. Their fans will come here and say "BUT we made a regional this year!" That was a freaking gift from heaven for them and they know it. Maryland EASILY should have been in before them. I'm not sure how good of a coach Erstad is. I know they thought they would be the new B1G power after the move from the mighty B12. However, I can see Iowa surpassing them too. I think Heller is a better coach and the support is growing every day. This will be interesting to watch Iowa over take them. Nebraska has great support, but as in football, their fans are unrealistic and live on history. They are not near great recruiting and now that they are playing in the northern based B1G, I think that hurts them.

Northwestern: Could be a bit of a sleeping (mini, mini) giant. I think they can maybe be like FB, solid to occasionally really good. Might get to the point where you have to come to play each game with them. Just like FB. Geeks can play ball and they are in a good position. New stadium. New coach replacing a guy that was just collecting a paycheck. They could be a real thorn in the side of many B1G programs. I don't think they will be a near lock as a sweep or at worst a series win in a few years.

So, looking at those 6 teams, I can certainly see Iowa as THE program in the midwest going forward. Sure, there is a bit of homerism in this but the momentum is there. Thoughts?
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Re. MN: Iowa may have better weather to sell but that won't matter once US Bank Stadium is finished and the Gophers aren't forced to travel every weekend at the beginning of the season. There is a great amount of talent in Minnesota but you don't see the high-end guys staying home. I would argue Heller is much better at keeping talent at home -- it helps having top JUCO programs nearby.

Re. IU: Lemonis has done a pretty good job so far, albeit with Tracy Smith's guys. It took Tracy four or five years to make it to the NCAAs, Lemonis did it in his first season.

Re. Neb: Iowa has a long way to go to surpass Nebraska. While I don't think the Huskers are a power program like the 2000s, they still draw 4,000+ per game and recruit at a very high level.

Unlike other sports, I don't think the goal should be to "surpass" other programs in the B1G. From a baseball perspective, the conference has grown leaps and bounds since the beginning of the decade. I'm hopeful the league is no longer a one bid league moving forward.
 
US bank stadium? They building an indoor facility for baseball? Wasn't aware of this
 
I agree that I don't think Iowa's goal should be the "surpass" teams in a sense. I think the B1G is becoming a more respected league and a multi-bid league each year. Iowa needs to keep doing what they are doing and let the chips fall where they may. Heller has changed the culture of this program and it is showing. It will continue to show.

Iowa was only a handful of wins away from another regional. I think even if they had picked up one each against Dallas Baptist & Missouri State, one more vs SIU, hadn't lost to Seton Hall & Nebraska-Omaha then Iowa would've had a Top 50 RPI.
 
Any idea on the 2017 schedule yet? I know it takes time to come out, but we already knew at this point last year we were headed to Dallas Baptist and Missouri State for three games each.
 
icu81222 said:
US bank stadium? They building an indoor facility for baseball? Wasn't aware of this
Click to expand...
US Bank Stadium is the new Vikings stadium. Gopher baseball will be playing some of their home games there, it sounds like. They used to play several games at the Metrodome when that was still around. Definitely an advantage from a weather standpoint, but the atmosphere at those games will be terrible.
 
RossWB said:
US Bank Stadium is the new Vikings stadium. Gopher baseball will be playing some of their home games there, it sounds like. They used to play several games at the Metrodome when that was still around. Definitely an advantage from a weather standpoint, but the atmosphere at those games will be terrible.
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I did not realize that it was going to be convertible to baseball use. That is pretty odd in this day and age.

Generally that is only the case if the MLB team is going to use the facility too. Will it be able to be used by the twins too?

or is it going to be used by HS and small colleges as well as occasionally by the U of M for things like the Hormel Classic as they used for the metrodome? That was great for upper Midwest small colleges in the spring
 
Didn't realize that was a link in your post at first.I just read about it. Sounds like that's exactly what they are doing. Their intention is to use it as a multi-purpose facility. I've never heard that before. That's great for them and the small colleges and high schools in the Upper Midwest
 
icu81222 said:
Didn't realize that was a link in your post at first.I just read about it. Sounds like that's exactly what they are doing. Their intention is to use it as a multi-purpose facility. I've never heard that before. That's great for them and the small colleges and high schools in the Upper Midwest
Click to expand...

It's a big deal. It saves the Gophers and many small schools in the region a lot of money on travel.

The rumor I saw this fall/winter is they are hoping to bring back the DQ Classic with teams from the ACC. Kinda like a B1G/ACC Challenge.
 
icu81222 said:
I did not realize that it was going to be convertible to baseball use. That is pretty odd in this day and age.

Generally that is only the case if the MLB team is going to use the facility too. Will it be able to be used by the twins too?

or is it going to be used by HS and small colleges as well as occasionally by the U of M for things like the Hormel Classic as they used for the metrodome? That was great for upper Midwest small colleges in the spring
Click to expand...
The Twins definitely won't be using it. They'll be playing all their games at Target Field, which is a great facility (and one where they get to keep all the revenues, which likely would not be the case for any games they played at US Bank).

It does sound like they intend to use US Bank Stadium for a lot of HS and small college games as well. They need to get as much use out of it as possible -- it cost a fortune and the Vikings will only be using it for 10 games a year (plus any playoff games).

I have no idea what it will look like for baseball, but I can just about guarantee the atmosphere for those games will be terrible. It's nice to have a place for those smaller colleges and HS teams to play for sure, especially given midwest weather, but sticking a few hundred (or a few thousand, if we're talking about the Gophers and being generous) in a 60K+ facility is not conducive to an energetic atmosphere. That was the way it was at the Metrodome (I went to a few Gopher games there) and I don't see why it would be any different at the new stadium. (The new stadium will have a lot more natural light than the Metrodome, though, which will be nice.) Target Field had the same lousy atmosphere issue when they hosted the Big Ten Tournament a few years ago. It was fun to see Iowa play a few games there, but putting a few hundred (or thousand) fans in a place that seats around 35-40K just isn't much fun.

Obviously the Big Ten Tournament is locked into Omaha for a while now, but if they do decide to take it on the road again, I hope they consider minor league ballparks. MLB parks are just way too big for college baseball, especially in the Big Ten. The St Paul Saints have a gorgeous new facility and it's around 8-10K capacity, I think -- that's a much more appropriate size for the Big Ten Tournament, IMO.
 
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I wonder if they would ever be able to hold it at principal Park? If Heller keeps doing what he's doing they would definitely be able to fill it. Minnesota and Nebraska and Illinois would probably travel decent too
 
icu81222 said:
I wonder if they would ever be able to hold it at principal Park? If Heller keeps doing what he's doing they would definitely be able to fill it. Minnesota and Nebraska and Illinois would probably travel decent too
Click to expand...
I'd like to see Heller get a nonconference series at Principal. That would be a great way to connect to the central Iowa fans like yours truly.
 
IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life said:
I agree that I don't think Iowa's goal should be the "surpass" teams in a sense. I think the B1G is becoming a more respected league and a multi-bid league each year. Iowa needs to keep doing what they are doing and let the chips fall where they may. Heller has changed the culture of this program and it is showing. It will continue to show.

Iowa was only a handful of wins away from another regional. I think even if they had picked up one each against Dallas Baptist & Missouri State, one more vs SIU, hadn't lost to Seton Hall & Nebraska-Omaha then Iowa would've had a Top 50 RPI.
Click to expand...
Iowa's goal should be to surpass everyone...........be the best why don't ya.

:cool:
 
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IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life said:
they just need to keep doing what they are doing is all I am saying.
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So what you're saying is..............................................................bau?



black-kid-oh-snap.gif
 
Iowa's 2017 B1G schedule is also more manageable (on paper) than this years IMO. Granted, that means nothing as I have no idea how the likes of NW, Rutgers, Purdue will be.

March 24-26: Purdue @ Iowa
March 31-Apr 2: Bye Week (will be an OOC series)
April 7-9: Iowa @ Northwestern
April 14-16: Iowa @ Nebraska
April 21-23: Rutgers @ Iowa
April 28-30: Penn State @ Iowa
May 5-7: Iowa @ Michigan State
May 12-14: Ohio State @ Iowa
May 19-21: Iowa @ Illinois
 
IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life said:
Iowa's 2017 B1G schedule is also more manageable (on paper) than this years IMO. Granted, that means nothing as I have no idea how the likes of NW, Rutgers, Purdue will be.

March 24-26: Purdue @ Iowa
March 31-Apr 2: Bye Week (will be an OOC series)
April 7-9: Iowa @ Northwestern
April 14-16: Iowa @ Nebraska
April 21-23: Rutgers @ Iowa
April 28-30: Penn State @ Iowa
May 5-7: Iowa @ Michigan State
May 12-14: Ohio State @ Iowa
May 19-21: Iowa @ Illinois
Click to expand...
They will be like those teams that give Iowa wins so that Iowa can be one step closer to winning a championship................that's what they'll be like.
 
Anybody know of any non-conference games for next year? I know at this team we already knew of the Dallas Baptist & Missouri State series. I'd personally like to see Iowa go out west to California or Arizona for some baseball. It seems we always do Florida or Texas. It's been since like 2007 since I remember them out in California and played four games in Fresno.
 
IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life said:
Anybody know of any non-conference games for next year? I know at this team we already knew of the Dallas Baptist & Missouri State series. I'd personally like to see Iowa go out west to California or Arizona for some baseball. It seems we always do Florida or Texas. It's been since like 2007 since I remember them out in California and played four games in Fresno.
Click to expand...
San Jose State. That'd be a good series for them. Then swing down to Northern Arizona for a weekend to beat up the Lumberjacks.
 
EvilMonkeyInTheCloset said:
San Jose State. That'd be a good series for them. Then swing down to Northern Arizona for a weekend to beat up the Lumberjacks.
Click to expand...

I'd actually prefer one of those "spring break" weeks in California.....

EXAMPLE
Weekend 1: Series vs UC-Riverside
Midweek Game 1: Cal State-Fullerton
Midweek Game 2: UC-Irvine
Weekend 2: Series vs UC-Northridge

Something to that effect

or two weekend series against the likes of Riverside or Northridge with one midweek game against a Fullerton or Irvine would work too.
 
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IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life said:
I'd actually prefer one of those "spring break" weeks in California.....

EXAMPLE
Weekend 1: Series vs UC-Riverside
Midweek Game 1: Cal State-Fullerton
Midweek Game 2: UC-Irvine
Weekend 2: Series vs UC-Northridge

Something to that effect

or two weekend series against the likes of Riverside or Northridge with one midweek game against a Fullerton or Irvine would work too.
Click to expand...
I'd rather face a school that people don't just know because of baseball.........
 
IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life said:
Iowa's 2017 B1G schedule is also more manageable (on paper) than this years IMO. Granted, that means nothing as I have no idea how the likes of NW, Rutgers, Purdue will be.

March 24-26: Purdue @ Iowa
March 31-Apr 2: Bye Week (will be an OOC series)
April 7-9: Iowa @ Northwestern
April 14-16: Iowa @ Nebraska
April 21-23: Rutgers @ Iowa
April 28-30: Penn State @ Iowa
May 5-7: Iowa @ Michigan State
May 12-14: Ohio State @ Iowa
May 19-21: Iowa @ Illinois
Click to expand...
So a 15-0 start is likely.......
 
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