Notes on the CWS and baseball tournament overall.
This year's field included, by conference:
SEC: 13 of 16 teams made the field - 8 regonal hosts - 6 top 8 seeds
results - 4 in Supers, 2 in CWS
ACC: 9 of 16 - 3 regional hosts - 1 top 8 seed
results - 5 in Supers - 1 in CWS
Big 12: 8 of 14 - no regional hosts
results - 2 in Supers - 1 in CWS
Big Ten: 4 of 17 - 2 regional hosts
results - 1 in Supers - 1 in CWS
AAC 2 of 10
results - 1 in Supers
Sun Belt: 2 of 14 - 2 regional hosts
results - 1 in Supers - 1 in CWS
Old Pac 12: 6 of 11 - 2 regional hosts - 1 top 8 seed
results - 3 in Supers - 3 in CWS
This year's field included, by conference:
SEC: 13 of 16 teams made the field - 8 regonal hosts - 6 top 8 seeds
results - 4 in Supers, 2 in CWS
ACC: 9 of 16 - 3 regional hosts - 1 top 8 seed
results - 5 in Supers - 1 in CWS
Big 12: 8 of 14 - no regional hosts
results - 2 in Supers - 1 in CWS
Big Ten: 4 of 17 - 2 regional hosts
results - 1 in Supers - 1 in CWS
AAC 2 of 10
results - 1 in Supers
Sun Belt: 2 of 14 - 2 regional hosts
results - 1 in Supers - 1 in CWS
Old Pac 12: 6 of 11 - 2 regional hosts - 1 top 8 seed
results - 3 in Supers - 3 in CWS
[Note - The old Pac schools were bunched in regionals. 3 was the maximum possible number that could have reached supers.]
Current Pac 12: 1 of 2 - 1 regional host - 1 top 8 seed
results - 1 in Supers - 1 in CWS
Observations:
- So far no Old Pac 12 team has lost to any team from anywhere else. Rather ironic that the "Pac 12" has this particularly strong showing after it no longer exists.
- I rather like the fact that the CWS has teams representing 7 different conferences. (Though OSU played as an independent this year - do they still represent the rump Pac 12?)
- It's true that the SEC is the top conference in baseball and ACC #2. But, it's a lot closer than most pundits like to believe. That plus the fact that a double elimination tournament isn't a particularly strong way to determine a "best" team in baseball leads to this kind of result.
- The SEC got 13 of its 16 teams into the tournament, fully half of the regional hosts, and 75% of the top 8 seeds. Rather poor performance versus that seeding. The SEC had the top 5 in the RPI, 9 of the top 13 - which is a comment on the utility of RPI. Still the 13 teams and the dominance of the RPI formula go a long way to explain how much the SEC has dominated recent champions (but not necessarily that they have the most recent champions).
- The pre-2025 Big Ten is not very good at baseball. Which is either surprising (given their resources and media attention) or not surprising (given the difficulties of fielding a good team when you basically cannot play at home for the first month or two of the season). The former Pac 12 teams were 4 of the top 5 in the conference standings. The only legacy Big Ten team in that group, Iowa, got there by having a soft schedule that only included two of the former Pac 12 teams (against which they went 1-5).
- Former Pac 12 teams in the Big 12 ended up tied for 4th/5th, and 14th (last), but Arizona is the only one still playing.
- While not the iffiest of those making it in, I am still not quite certain that either Miami or Louisville really deserved to make the tournament. But they both won their regionals and Louisville is now the only ACC team in the CWS.
- I'm cheering for OSU. They were never offensive as a Pac 12 rival and certainly not among those responsible for the death of the Pac 12.
Current Pac 12: 1 of 2 - 1 regional host - 1 top 8 seed
results - 1 in Supers - 1 in CWS
Observations:
- So far no Old Pac 12 team has lost to any team from anywhere else. Rather ironic that the "Pac 12" has this particularly strong showing after it no longer exists.
- I rather like the fact that the CWS has teams representing 7 different conferences. (Though OSU played as an independent this year - do they still represent the rump Pac 12?)
- It's true that the SEC is the top conference in baseball and ACC #2. But, it's a lot closer than most pundits like to believe. That plus the fact that a double elimination tournament isn't a particularly strong way to determine a "best" team in baseball leads to this kind of result.
- The SEC got 13 of its 16 teams into the tournament, fully half of the regional hosts, and 75% of the top 8 seeds. Rather poor performance versus that seeding. The SEC had the top 5 in the RPI, 9 of the top 13 - which is a comment on the utility of RPI. Still the 13 teams and the dominance of the RPI formula go a long way to explain how much the SEC has dominated recent champions (but not necessarily that they have the most recent champions).
- The pre-2025 Big Ten is not very good at baseball. Which is either surprising (given their resources and media attention) or not surprising (given the difficulties of fielding a good team when you basically cannot play at home for the first month or two of the season). The former Pac 12 teams were 4 of the top 5 in the conference standings. The only legacy Big Ten team in that group, Iowa, got there by having a soft schedule that only included two of the former Pac 12 teams (against which they went 1-5).
- Former Pac 12 teams in the Big 12 ended up tied for 4th/5th, and 14th (last), but Arizona is the only one still playing.
- While not the iffiest of those making it in, I am still not quite certain that either Miami or Louisville really deserved to make the tournament. But they both won their regionals and Louisville is now the only ACC team in the CWS.
- I'm cheering for OSU. They were never offensive as a Pac 12 rival and certainly not among those responsible for the death of the Pac 12.