valley standings

[gosmsgo]

MISSOURI STATE...... 5 1 0 .833 18 10 0 .643
BRADLEY............. 7 2 0 .778 14 14 0 .500
CREIGHTON........... 5 4 0 .556 20 8 0 .714
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS... 3 3 0 .500 21 14 0 .600
EVANSVILLE.......... 4 5 0 .444 19 15 0 .559
ILLINOIS STATE...... 4 5 0 .444 10 19 0 .345
WICHSUCKATA STATE... 3 6 0 .333 24 11 0 .686
UNI................. 2 4 0 .333 16 15 0 .516
INDIANA STATE....... 3 6 0 .333 13 16 0 .448

[MikeKennedyRulz]

Cheeseburgers for all!!!!

[MoState417]

Someone please inform me about the cheeseburger jokes so i know why we are being made fun of.

:bears: :valley:

[MikeKennedyRulz]

I would have taken Go more serious if he wouldn't have referred to WSU as Wichsuckata State. The cheeseburger jokes are in reference to your larger than life pitching coach.

[JJClamdip]

Paul Evans holds the record for cheeseburger combinations consumed at Ty's diner in one setting.

Hence the name "Cheeseburger" for the fat boy SWOMOSTU pitching coach.

Here is a picture of Paul http://www.crazylegsconti.com/userImages/press/6-entWeek.jpg in a recent eating contest.


Notice the wig as he tries to hide his identity.



Here he is in blackface http://hometown.aol.com/beautifulbrian43/images/book77.jpg getting ready to chomp on some grub.

[JJClamdip]

Here is another of Paul and gosmsstou after http://inch-aweigh.com/images/fat_guys.gif a rousing bike ride through the Ozarks.

Two guys riding in tight pants and those cute little tops, pretty gay if you ask me.

[fontleroyjr]

Did they flip the correct standings upside down or something?

[redbirdtim]

Either way...the Birds are currently in. We just need to take a few series and we should be safe!

I will say though, WSU will not stay down...they are 3-6 in the conference but still 24-11 overall.

[Webersback]

Since the Shocks host the Tournament, they get in regardless of where they finish.

[MikeKennedyRulz]

Shocks won't need the charity of hosting the tourney. They will finish in the top 6.


:shockers:

[BBallDad02]

:aces: Question: If the Shockers finish 7th or lower, will they knock out the 6th place team for a spot in tournament, or will there be 7 teams??

[Divergence]

Whoever hosts the tourny gets a automatic bid. If they finish worse than 6th, then the 6th place team is bumped from the tournament.

[redbirdtim]

I am assuming that WSU will pick it up, but if they don't, is there an argument for abolishing the hosting rule? Basically a team like WSU in baseball or formerly MSU in women's basketball can/could have a very crappy season but still make the conference tournament. Two things might happen if this does happen:

1.) Rule gets abolished.
2.) All teams get let in to the conference tourney (which probably isn't the best idea).

[Born2Shock]

So where would you have the tourney site be? We all saw how well other sites draw fans. And this all boils down to money...

[Divergence]

I am assuming that WSU will pick it up, but if they don't, is there an argument for abolishing the hosting rule? Basically a team like WSU in baseball or formerly MSU in women's basketball can/could have a very crappy season but still make the conference tournament. Two things might happen if this does happen:

1.) Rule gets abolished.
2.) All teams get let in to the conference tourney (which probably isn't the best idea).

I believe the hosting rule was put in play to try and get other schools/sites to bid on hosting the tournament other than WSU.

Some schools were hesitant to put in a bid because they were afraid that their team might not make the cut and that would be a financial disaster for already risky proposition.

I don't think the #6 team has ever got bumped before, but If I recall correctly the last time Evansville hosted the tournament they were on the bubble and it went down to the last weekend before they secured the No. 6 slot.

[Canevision]

So where would you have the tourney site be? We all saw how well other sites draw fans. And this all boils down to money...

MO St. draws just fine and has the best stadium. The rotating way is ok, and they should probably just continue switching it from Hammons to Shockville every other year.

[BearsChiefsFAN]

As long as the Gov in town (Springfield Cardinals) doesnt try to keep it out because it has to be their way.

[shocker3]

I believe the hosting rule was put in play to try and get other schools/sites to bid on hosting the tournament other than WSU.

Some schools were hesitant to put in a bid because they were afraid that their team might not make the cut and that would be a financial disaster for already risky proposition.

I don't think the #6 team has ever got bumped before, but If I recall correctly the last time Evansville hosted the tournament they were on the bubble and it went down to the last weekend before they secured the No. 6 slot.


As I recall, UE hosted as the number 7 seed in 1998.

[MikeKennedyRulz]

MO St. draws just fine and has the best stadium. The rotating way is ok, and they should probably just continue switching it from Hammons to Shockville every other year.

This is the second straight year it will be in Wichita, so it isn't exactly rotating year-to-year. It is in Wichita because that is where the Valley can make the most money because it will always be packed.

[BBallDad02]

To earn 6th place, and then be bumped out by the host school that places 7th or lower is BS. It should be a 7 team tournament at that point.

[kutch]

Speaking of the conf. tourney, has there been any discussion about going to a 8 team field like some of the other conferences do?

[Canevision]

This is the second straight year it will be in Wichita, so it isn't exactly rotating year-to-year. It is in Wichita because that is where the Valley can make the most money because it will always be packed.

No, it's in Shockville this year because MSU didn't bid on it. Remember, the idea was for them to have it this year and, due to their lease issue, they pulled their bid out.

[Divergence]

Speaking of the conf. tourney, has there been any discussion about going to a 8 team field like some of the other conferences do?

The league is not good enough to warrant 8 teams. Just with 6 teams, the pitching is getting pretty diluted. With 8 teams it would be absolutely runny.

[redbirdtim]

I agree with BBallDad. There should be a play-in game then against the 6 seed. It would be really unfair for a team to work its butt off to make the tournament and then get bumped out because another team bought its way in.

[Divergence]

I agree with BBallDad. There should be a play-in game then against the 6 seed. It would be really unfair for a team to work its butt off to make the tournament and then get bumped out because another team bought its way in.

The point is there won't be. Evidently it didn't matter to anybody in the league when Evansville supposebly bought their way into the tournament in 1998 because they didn't change the rule.

I wish there was not a Valley Tournament. That is why you have a regular season. But nobody will listen to me anyway.

[iSASO]

Ironic thing is, WSU could finish last in the conference, win the tourney at home and take the league's only bid to NCAA Regionals.

Wouldn't that be a kick in the shorts?

[shocker3]

The point is there won't be. Evidently it didn't matter to anybody in the league when Evansville supposebly bought their way into the tournament in 1998 because they didn't change the rule.

I wish there was not a Valley Tournament. That is why you have a regular season. But nobody will listen to me anyway.


As I recall in 1998, they didn't bump anyone. They just played a seven game tourney with the #1 seed getting a first round bye. :valley: :shockers:

[iSASO]

STANDINGS (as of Apr 14, 2006)

Conference Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
BRADLEY............. 8 2 0 .800 17 14 0 .548
MISSOURI STATE...... 5 2 0 .714 19 11 0 .633
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS... 4 3 0 .571 23 14 0 .622
CREIGHTON........... 5 5 0 .500 20 10 0 .667
EVANSVILLE.......... 5 5 0 .500 20 16 0 .556
WICHITA STATE....... 4 6 0 .400 25 13 0 .658
ILLINOIS STATE...... 4 6 0 .400 11 21 0 .344
INDIANA STATE....... 3 6 0 .333 14 18 0 .438
UNI................. 2 5 0 .286 16 18 0 .471

Why is the Crown Prince in second place?

[BeeLine]

Why are the self annointed Gods of baseball in 6th.

[Divergence]

Just checking out how the common folk live and toying with everybody before they take the rightfull place.

[shocker3]

STANDINGS (as of Apr 15, 2006)

Conference Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
BRADLEY............... 9 3 0 .750 18 15 0 .545
MISSOURI STATE.....5 3 0 .625 19 12 0 .613
CREIGHTON........... 6 5 0 .545 21 10 0 .677
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.4 4 0 .500 23 15 0 .605
EVANSVILLE.......... 6 6 0 .500 21 17 0 .553
WICHITA STATE.....5 6 0 .455 26 13 0 .667
ILLINOIS STATE..... 5 7 0 .417 12 22 0 .353
INDIANA STATE.......3 6 0 .333 15 19 0 .441
UNI...................... 3 6 0 .333 17 19 0 .472

[cpacmel]

WSU is going to get in regardless. Of their 4 conference series left they have:

Bradley (9-3)

Indiana State (3-6)

Illinois State (5-7)

UNI (3-6)

That's games against the first place team, the last place team (tie), the 2nd to last team and the last place team (tie)

[iSASO]

It's just too bad WSU can't score.

[shocker3]

With CU losing at SIU and the Shox beating the Bears today, the Valley race gets even tighter in the middle:

Conference Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
BRADLEY............... 9 3 0 .750 18 15 0
MISSOURI STATE.....5 4 0 .556 19 13 0
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.5 4 0 .556 24 15 0
CREIGHTON........... 6 6 0 .500 21 11 0
EVANSVILLE.......... 6 6 0 .500 21 17 0
WICHITA STATE.....6 6 0 .500 27 13 0
ILLINOIS STATE..... 5 7 0 .417 12 22 0
INDIANA STATE.......3 6 0 .333 16 19 0
UNI...................... 3 6 0 .333 17 19 0

[shocker3]

Speaking of the conf. tourney, has there been any discussion about going to a 8 team field like some of the other conferences do?


I think that an 8 team tourney would be good for a couple of reasons.

First, you could have one championship game for TV. Right now there is almost always the possibility of a 2 game championship, which means Fox has to do a game that they tape and may never show or they show the championship on a tape-delayed basis which isn't good either.

Second, the tourney would be more like the regionals. The regionals are 4 team events now. The 8 team tourney is like having two 4 team regionals and having the winners of those two regionals play each other for the championship.

:valley: :shockers:

[shocker3]

STANDINGS (as of Apr 22, 2006)

Conference
Team..............................W L T
BRADLEY........................ 9 5 0
WICHITA STATE...............8 6 0
MISSOURI STATE.............6 5 0
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.......6 5 0
CREIGHTON....................7 7 0
EVANSVILLE....................7 7 0
ILLINOIS STATE..............5 7 0
UNI.................................4 7 0
INDIANA STATE...............4 7 0

The amazing thing is that there isn't much distance between the top and bottom of the conference.

All nine teams could be in contention to make the Valley tourney right up to the last weekend.:valley:

[JJClamdip]

BeeLine
Why are the self annointed Gods of baseball in 6th.

Team..............................W L T
BRADLEY........................ 9 5 0
WICHITA STATE...............8 6 0
MISSOURI STATE.............6 5 0
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS.......6 5 0
CREIGHTON....................7 7 0
EVANSVILLE....................7 7 0
ILLINOIS STATE..............5 7 0
UNI.................................4 7 0
INDIANA STATE...............4 7 0

Looks to me like they are in 3rd place tied with SIU.

[outpost]

Loser of today's SIU-MSU game will fall into 5th place.

[shocker3]

Yikes!!!:valley:

[WSUbballer]

Loser of today's SIU-MSU game will fall into 5th place.
From first to fifth in a week's time...
Hello Bears.

[Coasterbill42]

You aren't in first yet.

[WSUbballer]

Now we are.:grin:

[Aargh]

Technically tied for 1st, but I believe WSU has the tie-breaker with an exclamation point behind it.

[redbirdtim]

They may be tied for first, but they are the hottest team in the Valley and have dominated two of the better teams in the Valley.

[MikeKennedyRulz]

Shox have scored 65 runs over the last two weekends on the two "best" pitching staffs in the league. That averages out to 10.8 runs per game. There is still alot of baseball to be played in conference though and the Shox have to come out the next three weekends and take care of business. I am optimistic, but this season has been very strange so far, so anything can happen.

:shockers: :valley:

[BBallDad02]

The "best" two pitching staffs in the Valley are WSU @ 3.23 and Evansville @ 3.39 as of Sunday. Bradley is in 4th and MSU sits in the 7th spot on team ERA.:aces: :valley: :aces:

[WuDrWu]

According to the MVC website, the best pitching AND hitting team resides right here in Doodah.

I guess it is still a great day to be a Shocker even when you are in a slump.

We really need Rob Musgrave to regain his form. If he does I LOVE our chance in any tournament form.

[shocker3]

Current standings straight from the MVC web-site:

STANDINGS (as of Apr 23, 2006)

Conference Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
WICHITA STATE....... 9 6 0 .600 31 14 0 .689
BRADLEY............... 9 6 0 .600 19 18 0 .514
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS... 7 5 0 .583 27 16 0 .628
EVANSVILLE.......... 8 7 0 .533 24 18 0 .571
MISSOURI STATE...... 6 6 0 .500 20 16 0 .556
CREIGHTON.............. 7 8 0 .467 22 14 0 .611
INDIANA STATE......... 5 7 0 .417 19 21 0 .475
ILLINOIS STATE......... 5 7 0 .417 14 24 0 .368
UNI......................... 4 8 0 .333 19 21 0 .475

:shockers: :valley:

[MikeKennedyRulz]

Current standings straight from the MVC web-site:

STANDINGS (as of Apr 23, 2006)

Conference Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
WICHITA STATE....... 9 6 0 .600 31 14 0 .689
BRADLEY............... 9 6 0 .600 19 18 0 .514
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS... 7 5 0 .583 27 16 0 .628
EVANSVILLE.......... 8 7 0 .533 24 18 0 .571
MISSOURI STATE...... 6 6 0 .500 20 16 0 .556
CREIGHTON.............. 7 8 0 .467 22 14 0 .611
INDIANA STATE......... 5 7 0 .417 19 21 0 .475
ILLINOIS STATE......... 5 7 0 .417 14 24 0 .368
UNI......................... 4 8 0 .333 19 21 0 .475

:shockers: :valley:

And the Shox last three series are against both ISU's and UNI. :innocent: Time to beat the teams you should and take care of business Shox. No time for a let down now.

:shockers:

[shocker3]

Six of the last nine Valley games are on the road.:shockers:

[redbirdtim]

Shox fans, would you consider sweeping UNI and InSU-then dropping 2 of 3 to us. We'd really appreciate it :innocent:
Redbirds have a chance to beat the teams ahead of them, so it all comes down to how the players play to see if we can get in the tourney. We play SIU and WSU at home and MSU and UE on the road.

[outpost]

Not always sure what to expect after last night. so if you told me we would win 8 of our last 9 league games, I think I'd settle for that.

[shocker3]

Updated standings going into Sunday's games:


STANDINGS (as of Apr 29, 2006)

Conference Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
WICHITA STATE....... 11 6 0 .647 33 15 0 .688
BRADLEY.................. 9 7 0 .562 20 20 0 .500
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS... 7 6 0 .538 28 17 0 .622
MISSOURI STATE...... 7 6 0 .538 22 17 0 .564
EVANSVILLE............. 9 8 0 .529 26 19 0 .578
CREIGHTON.............. 7 8 0 .467 22 15 0 .595
ILLINOIS STATE........ 6 8 0 .429 15 26 0 .366
UNI......................... 5 8 0 .385 21 21 0 .500
INDIANA STATE......... 5 9 0 .357 19 23 0 .452

[outpost]

WSU wins, MSU, UE and SIU all look to win as well.

SIU and MSU could both end up tied with us in the loss column at the end of the day.

A second game looms for MSU and Bradley.

[outpost]

UNI with a 2-run rally in the bottom of the 8th, going to the 9th with an 8-6 lead over SIU.

SIU's pitching and defense lets them down in the 8th.

[outpost]

SIU gets a 1-out baserunner, can't do anything with him.......

Final UNI 8, SIU 6.

UNI takes 2 of 3 from the Salukis.

[shocker3]

That surprises me. There sure is a lot of balance in this conference this year.:valley: :shockers:

[iSASO]

I think widespread mediocrity is a more apt description.

[shocker3]

Updated Valley standings after todays games:

STANDINGS (as of Apr 30, 2006)

Conference Overall
Team W L T Pct W L T Pct
WICHITA STATE....... 12 6 0 .667 34 15 0 .694
MISSOURI STATE...... 8 6 0 .571 23 17 0 .575
EVANSVILLE............. 10 8 0 .556 27 19 0 .587
BRADLEY.................. 9 8 0 .529 20 21 0 .488
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS... 7 7 0 .500 28 18 0 .609
CREIGHTON............... 7 8 0 .467 22 15 0 .595
UNI.......................... 6 8 0 .429 22 21 0 .512
ILLINOIS STATE...... ... 6 9 0 .400 15 27 0 .357
INDIANA STATE.......... 5 10 0 .333 19 24 0 .442

[JJClamdip]

The King is in second place poised for the stretch run.

[iSASO]

So, everyone will start praying for WSU to lose. Check that, continue praying for WSU to lose. Otherwise, it will be impossible to overtake them. This could be the MVC record-smashing 8th conference title this year for The Shockers.

JJ, I wish WSU could be the King again.

[outpost]

It sure has gotten quiet on the Valleytalk baseball forum lately....

That routine 40+ win season that everyone outside of WSU hoped wouldn't happen......well, it's only 6 wins away from becoming a reality again.

Still 12 regular season games remaining. Then the MVC tourney. Then likely regionals. Even another 50-win season is possible.

[ColdShockin']

My respect for the baseball Gods compels me to say: It ain't over yet.

MSU has CU and Ill St. at home and then finishes @ Ind. St.

Win all 9 and they're 17-6

If the Shox win out, they'd still have 'em beat (18-6) ... but 5-1 wouldn't get it done.

I agree that that finish isn't likely, but MSU has good pitching and should at least be in every game.

Also within the realm of the possible ...

•*SIU could win out (9-0) and tie the Shox (5-1) at 17-7, then take the No. 1 seed due to the head-to-head.

•*Evansville's best finish is 16-8 (6-0). If the Shox were finish 4-2, EU would be in the hunt and own the head-to-head.

All the scenarios involve unlikely, big-time sweeps — MSU over CU, and a sweep one way or the other in the EU/SIU series — but stranger things have happened.

[shocker3]

The Shox control their own destiny. IF they can win out, nobody can catch them.

That's hard to believe considering the Shox were in last place a few weeks ago.:valley: :shockers:

[iSASO]

I just wish WSU could be the King of Valley again and not have to play second fiddle to MSU.

[1972Shocker]

I agree with ColdShockin that nothing is settled yet and we have a long way to go. Indiana State gave the Shocks all they wanted Friday night and the Shocks were very fortunate to win that game.

With the way the standings are bunched up everyone still has a shot at the Valley Tournament and a team can really move up or down significantly in the schedule with a sweep or if swept.

Creighton currently sits 6th at 7-8 with both UNI and ILS one game back and INS two games back. All have 9 conference games remaining. Creighton is #3 in pitching and #4 in hitting in the conference. They and MSU have a key series this weekend in Springfield. Creighton also has series remaining with INS and UNI so their destiny is pretty much in their own hands.

ILS has WSU, MSU and SIU left. UNI has BU, WSU and CU. INS has SIU, CU and MSU left. All tough ways to finish. ILS, UNI and INS really have their hands full in trying to move into the top six. I don't see it happening, but I think they will play very hard and their upper divisions opponents better be ready to play.

Every game is important when the race is this tight, but the key remaining series appear to be CU @ MSU this weekend, EU @ SIU the following weekend and BU @ Evansville the final weekend. These series will go a long way in determining tournament seedings.

WSU, BU and EU have played six conferences series and have only two series remaining.

MSU and BU have each dropped one game to weather which could come into play as close as things are.

I have to like the Shockers chances of running the table with Banwart, Shafer and a steadily improving Kris Johnson as our likely pitching rotation the final two series vs ILS and UNI plus a well-rested bullpen. However, its hard to totally forget the "Slump" in which we pitched as well as we could and started out 2-6 in the league. :fear: However, our hitting seems to be improving as the weather warms. Hopefully, it will continue. Our main issue now is the health of Damon Sublett.

[shocker3]

The updated RPI after the weekend games. (from warrennolan.com) The Valley has dropped to #16 right behind the Big 10 at #15.

Conference RPI
Rank Percent
16 0.5039





Conference Overall RPI
# Team W-L Pct GB W-L Pct Rank Pct vs 1-50 Last 10 Streak
1 Wichita State 12 - 6 0.667 - 33 - 15 0.688.. 55 0.5540 6 - 5 8 - 2 3 Wins
2 Missouri State 8 - 6 0.571 2 23 - 17 0.575... 66 0.5439 2 - 1 4 - 6 3 Wins
3 Evansville 10 - 8 0.556 2 26 - 19 0.578...... 102 0.5215 0 - 2 7 - 3 1 Win
4 Southern Illinois 8 - 7 0.533 2½ 29 18 0.617 98 0.5260 0 - 2 6 - 4 1 Loss
5 Bradley 9 - 8 0.529 2½ 17 - 22 0.436......... 216 0.4617 0 - 0 3 - 7 2 Losses
6 Creighton 7 - 8 0.467 3½ 22 - 15 0.595...... 108 0.5194 1 - 3 2 - 8 2 Losses
7 Northern Iowa 6 - 9 0.400 4½ 21 - 21 0.500 204 0.4707 0 - 0 6 - 4 1 Win
7 Illinois State 6 - 9 0.400 4½ 13 - 26 0.33..3 188 0.4761 1 - 4 4 - 6 1 Loss
9 Indiana State 5 - 10 0.333 5½ 19 - 24 0.442 215 0.4619 0 - 2 5 - 5 3 Losses

[shocker3]

Updated rpis after Tuesdays games. WSU moves up to #50. The Valley stays at #16.



Conference RPI
Rank Percent
16 0.5041

Conference Overall RPI
# Team W-L Pct GB W-L Pct Rank Pct vs 1-50 Last 10 Streak
1 Wichita State 12 - 6 0.667 - 34 - 15 0.694 50 0.5582 7 - 5 8 - 2 4 Wins
2 Missouri State 8 - 6 0.571 2 23 - 18 0.561. 69 0.5408 2 - 4 4 - 6 1 Loss
3 Evansville 10 - 8 0.556 2 26 - 19 0.578.... 102 0.5208 2 - 3 7 - 3 1 Win
4 Southern Illinois 8 -7 0.533 2½ 29 18 0.617 97 0.5265 2 - 3 6 - 4 1 Loss
5 Bradley 9 - 8 0.529 2½ 17 - 22 0.436....... 215 0.4624 0 - 3 3 - 7 2 Losses
6 Creighton 7 - 8 0.467 3½ 22 - 15 0.595.... 103 0.5206 3 - 4 2 - 8 2 Losses
7 Northern Iowa 6 -9 0.400 4½ 21 -21 0.500 204 0.4700 0 - 0 6 - 4 1 Win
7 Illinois State 6 - 9 0.400 4½ 13 - 26 0.333 189 0.4762 1 - 4 4 - 6 1 Win
9 Indiana State 5-10 0.333 5½ 19 -24 0.442 217 0.4616 0 - 5 5 - 5 3 Losses

[iSASO]

WSU really needs to sweep the remaining conference series just to mitigate the impending RPI hit from games with Illinois State and N. Iowa.

I'm not even sure a sweep of the USC series can counteract the effects of 6 games with #189 and #204.

[JJClamdip]

I'm not even sure a sweep of the USC series can counteract the effects of 6 games with #189 and #204.

Northern Colorado in here at # 240 does not help any either.

[shocker3]

OUCH!! We really do need to sweep all of those games just to keep from falling too much.

[1972Shocker]

Northern Colorado in here at # 240 does not help any either.

Despite a 240 RPI ranking NoCo can be dangerous as they have wins over both Nebraska and Arkansas this year.

[outpost]

NoCo gave us fits last year.......We better come ready to play 'em all from this point on.

[1972Shocker]

NoCo gave us fits last year.......We better come ready to play 'em all from this point on.

Absolutely, it's always important to go into the post-season with positive momentum, but perhaps even more so this year for the Shox with the MVC RPI being down and the team slump we endured earlier in the year.