Listen to all the silly nonsensical commentary in the media and you will quickly find out what the eyeball test will get you.
Not much.
http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weekly...14MBArpi1.html
2014 NCAA Men's Baseball RPI
Through Games of May 24, 2014
Generated: Sunday 05/25/14 06:05 AM
------- Division I Only --------
Rank Prev Rank Name Conf W-L-T Road Neut Home Non-Div I
1 1 Virginia Atlantic Coast 44-13-0 13-7-0 2-3-0 29-3-0 0-0-0
2 2 Florida Southeastern 40-20-0 12-8-0 5-1-0 23-11-0 0-0-0
3 4 Florida St. Atlantic Coast 43-15-0 16-6-0 2-2-0 25-7-0 0-0-0
4 3 Indiana Big Ten 41-13-0 18-8-0 5-2-0 18-3-0 0-0-0
5 5 Oregon St. Pac-12 42-11-0 14-5-0 7-2-0 21-4-0 0-0-0
6 6 Louisiana Sun Belt 52-7-0 22-2-0 3-0-0 27-5-0 0-0-0
7 9 Vanderbilt Southeastern 41-18-0 13-7-0 2-2-0 26-9-0 0-0-0
8 8 Rice Conference USA 40-18-0 16-7-0 4-4-0 20-7-0 0-0-0
9 7 Texas Big 12 38-18-0 12-6-0 5-2-0 21-10-0 0-0-0
10 13 LSU Southeastern 43-14-1 10-9-0 4-0-0 29-5-1 0-0-0
11 10 Houston AAC 43-15-0 14-4-0 4-3-0 25-8-0 0-0-0
12 11 TCU Big 12 41-15-0 12-6-0 7-2-0 22-7-0 0-0-0
13 12 South Carolina Southeastern 42-16-0 9-9-0 1-2-0 32-5-0 0-0-0
14 14 Ole Miss Southeastern 41-18-0 15-7-0 1-4-0 25-7-0 0-0-0
15 16 Miami (FL) Atlantic Coast 41-17-0 17-5-0 1-2-0 23-10-0 0-0-0
16 15 Cal Poly Big West 45-10-0 18-7-0 0-0-0 27-3-0 0-0-0
17 17 Texas Tech Big 12 40-18-0 7-9-0 2-5-0 31-4-0 0-0-0
18 19 Oklahoma St. Big 12 45-15-0 13-4-0 10-3-0 22-8-0 0-0-0
19 18 Kentucky Southeastern 35-23-0 10-11-0 6-2-0 19-10-0 0-0-0
20 20 Louisville AAC 45-14-0 12-6-0 4-1-0 29-7-0 0-0-0
21 23 Indiana St. Missouri Valley 35-16-0 17-10-0 3-3-0 15-3-0 0-0-0
22 26 Alabama Southeastern 34-22-0 11-10-0 2-1-0 21-11-0 0-0-0
23 22 Oregon Pac-12 42-18-0 18-10-0 0-0-0 24-8-0 0-0-0
24 24 Maryland Atlantic Coast 36-20-0 11-12-0 4-1-0 21-7-0 0-0-0
25 21 Washington Pac-12 38-15-1 15-5-0 3-4-1 20-6-0 0-0-0
26 25 UNLV Mountain West 35-22-0 11-17-0 3-2-0 21-3-0 0-0-0
27 28 Nebraska Big Ten 40-18-0 14-7-0 7-3-0 19-8-0 0-0-0
28 29 Dallas Baptist Missouri Valley 40-19-0 16-10-0 4-1-0 20-8-0 0-0-0
29 33 Long Beach St. Big West 32-24-0 13-13-0 0-0-0 19-11-0 0-0-0
30 27 Liberty Big South 41-16-0 14-7-0 5-4-0 22-5-0 0-0-0
31 31 Mississippi St. Southeastern 37-22-0 11-6-0 4-4-0 22-12-0 0-0-0
32 30 Arkansas Southeastern 38-23-0 8-10-0 5-3-0 25-10-0 0-0-0
33 35 Pepperdine West Coast 39-16-0 14-9-0 3-0-0 22-7-0 0-0-0
34 39 Columbia Ivy 29-18-0 18-15-0 2-0-0 9-3-0 0-0-0
35 34 Georgia Tech Atlantic Coast 35-25-0 6-13-0 4-1-0 25-11-0 0-0-0
36 38 Old Dominion Conference USA 36-24-0 13-9-0 4-3-0 19-12-0 0-0-0
37 36 Sam Houston St. Southland 41-17-0 14-8-0 3-3-0 24-6-0 0-0-0
38 37 West Virginia Big 12 28-26-0 12-18-0 5-4-0 11-4-0 0-0-0
39 40 Texas A&M Southeastern 33-24-0 9-11-0 0-1-0 24-12-0 0-0-0
40 32 Arizona St. Pac-12 32-22-0 9-11-0 4-0-0 19-11-0 0-0-0
41 46 North Carolina Atlantic Coast 34-25-0 8-12-0 3-2-0 23-11-0 0-0-0
42 42 Bryant Northeast 42-14-0 26-8-0 4-1-0 12-5-0 0-0-0
43 48 San Diego St. Mountain West 41-19-0 13-13-0 4-1-0 24-5-0 0-0-0
44 41 UC Irvine Big West 35-22-0 14-10-0 0-0-0 21-12-0 0-0-0
45 43 Mercer Atlantic Sun 38-17-0 14-11-0 0-2-0 24-4-0 0-0-0
46 45 Kansas Big 12 34-24-0 11-13-0 11-3-0 12-8-0 0-0-0
47 44 Stanford Pac-12 28-23-0 12-12-0 0-0-0 16-11-0 0-0-0
48 50 UCF AAC 36-23-0 11-11-0 2-1-0 23-11-0 0-0-0
49 47 Clemson Atlantic Coast 36-23-0 11-9-0 3-2-0 22-12-0 0-0-0
50 51 UC Santa Barbara Big West 34-17-1 13-11-0 2-0-0 19-6-1 0-0-0
The problem with those people is they have never even seen the Cajuns play. I can guarantee you, there is not another team in the country as relentless as the Cajuns are offensively. Their whole philosophy is about to change the way college baseball is played. They stole what seven bases the other night? & had passed balls good for another three bases? Some ridiculously crazy number against a good fielding team with a catcher who had nice throw out percentage. Nobody in this country can put the pressure on the opposing team's pitching & fielding the way the Cajuns can. I mean, When you look at the losses they did have this season. It is conceivable that this squad could have gone the whole season with two losses. Now, unless there is a huge difference in the RPI number, I see no way a 20 loss team should have a higher seed nationally than a seven loss team unless that twenty loss team had the Yankees, Dodgers, & Rangers on their docket for a three game series each. UL had enough of a sample size against the SEC to prove those guys aren't all that.
I'm sorry, but if a 22-2 road record doesn't carry serious weight, I don't know what does. Only other top 20 close to that is Houston at 14-4. Not to mention THE ONLY TEAM WITH SINGLE DIGIT LOSSES!!!!!!
I know that the national seeds are handed out using RPI, and that the small amount of delineation usually involves conference championships, etc. But there also has to be at least a small amount of human element. As BWK said, the eyeball test has to come in at some point. And there will always be P5 conference bias. But it made me think, as far as perception goes, is there any way that the showing the softball team has had this year could have a small amount of influence if anything comes down to perception?
I know the SB-C was a pretty decent league this season, but again, we are talking perception here. And the perception is that the SB-C is a nothing conference (which, if you judge by administration tems, it absolutely is). But having our Ragin Cajun ladies on ESPN two days in a row, listening to the mediots talk up our P5 opponent, and our team just cruching their faces, could there be a little help there as far as perception of UL?
"This baseball team has a great record and all, but they play in the Sun Belt"
"Well, I heard someone say that about their softball team too, and I just watched them SPANK a mighty Arizona team. Maybe this baseball team has the same kind of potential"
I don't know. I'm just kind of thinking that if it comes down to it, any sliver of good could help us secure an "on the bubble" national seed. And it definitely cannot hurt.
Way to go ladies! And let's go guys, leave no doubt today. Bring home the title!!
GEAUX CAJUNS!!!!!!!
This Softball team is why you don't win on stats alone you have to play the game! Don't get me wrong Louisiana has some strong stats, but this stood out to me. Arizona and LSU both averaged right at 9 and 10 runs per game in the Tempe, Arizona Regional. Louisiana held Arizona to an average of 2 runs per game and averaged 6 runs per game against them in the Lafayette Super Regional that UL won!
There is no doubt the versatility of our offense is under rated by a lot of the media. I think the Baseball America guys get it and understand we win with gorilla ball and small ball unlike anyone else. As long as we get a national seed we have a short cut to Omaha. Today is important to lock dat up.
I don't think the non-Lafayette broadcast media understands what we do, based on comments from announcers, as in "They strike out a lot.", "Lead the nation in home runs last year and second this year", etc.
I think we'll hear more of it until we double squeeze two runs across in Omaha, to steal a game. With our speed and athleticism we will do very well there.
I don't think the term small ball is acceptable for what these guys do. I know that's the given term. But what they do has brought the concept to a whole new level. They play non-stop pressure on the pitcher, pressure on the catcher, pressure on the middle infield baseball every single inning. They do it like no one else I've ever heard of doing it. maybe others have that I haven't followed. But I never saw or heard of it like these guys do it. It's a combination of Bill Murray movies all happening at one time. It's What About Bob because the other team knows what these guys are going to be doing once one of them gets on the base paths but can't deal with it mentally. It's like Ground Hog Day because they're going to do it inning after inning after inning. It has to be extremely disruptive & disconcerting to any pitcher they face. The only solution is to keep them completely off the bases. That means you better have ace pitching. Because they don't just slam their way on. They bunt their way on, hit by pitch their way on, walk their way on.
I was listening the other day & Conrad wanted a base for getting hit by pitch. The umps conferred & I remember thinking dude your one of the best hitters in the country what do you even want a base like that for? Next thing I know, the guy has the pitcher throwing wildly to first & he's on third. By the time he was done screwing with that pitcher's head, UL was well on their way to a nice three run inning. I'd like to know if anyone made a complete game against them this season.
Al this crap about what they could or couldn't do against the SEC is BS. If they were in the SEC they'd have driven that whole conference RPI down dramatically because half of those pitchers would be in therapy by the time UL got done dealing lefts & rights to the side of their head. It's like death by a thousand cuts. And this team is a master surgeon. I don't care what league they're in this season. This team is the best team in the country.
I agree. Small ball is shorthand and watered down. They combine speed and power that does not exist anywhere else in college. I remember talking with some other former player parents in March, very astute, know the game very well. We were all basically sitting mouths agape at the ability and versatility of this team. When I asked former players early in the year, they said this was without a doubt a strong Omaha team. Nobody will be surprised to see a lot of the position players, maybe a few pitchers having productive pro careers.
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