(04-14-2024, 04:22 PM)d4cohn Wrote: ... I know we want to keep NiJaree's innings and pitch count down, but RPI and record wise, losing to Oregon State is a bad loss. ... getting that top 8 seed is critical for making it back to OKC.
Of course keeping NiJaree's innings down means not pitching her against somebody. OSU would have seemed like a reasonable choice.
Losing to OSU is a bad loss generically (though losing to RPI #78 OSU on the road is not as bad as losing to RPI #91 Sac St at home).
However, for RPI purposes it doesn't matter in particular who one loses to. It does matter who one plays, and overall record, but trading a win vs good team/loss vs bad team for the inverse doesn't change the RPI.
A top 8 seed is important. At the moment, Stanford stands at #3 in RPI. It appears they're likely very close to #4 Duke as Warren Nolan has them inverted. However, Stanford likely has a little room over #9 Tennessee (including a head to head win). Also, it's probably important that they have some clearance from RPI #16 UCLA as top team in the west. Taking 2/3 in the upcoming series with UCLA would help a lot in keeping a position as a top 8 seed.