Season Review and Final Week Preview
Season Review
At this point last season we were 25-24 and our RPI was 57. This year we are 27-24, due to having played 2 more non-conference games than last year and our RPI is 51. Our conference record at this time last year was 11-10; this year it is 10-11. In my opinion, this year's team is measurably better than last year, due largely to the quantum leap forward by the entire conference. Last year at this point the conference raw RPI was .52895 [ranked 7]; this year it is .55596 [ranked 5]. The RPI range of the conference last year was 42-230 with 7 top 100 schools; this year it is 27-137, with 11 schools in the top 100. Last year, we were hitting .293 with 76 extra base hits, 229 runs and 196 RBI. This year those numbers are .307, 130, 279 and 260. Our team ERA was 3.79 last year, 3.84 this year; WHIP was 1.61. last year, 1.58 this year, so pitching is substantially unchanged, and is an area that needs to be addressed this off season. Fielding percentage fell from .969 to .967, so that is another area of concern.
This Week
This week we are playing USA in Mobile. The Jags are 11-10 in conference, one game ahead of us, and their RPI is 54. In order to guarantee no worse than 6th in the conference regular season and get a first round bye in the conference tournament, we must win 2 of 3 in this series. JMU is also at 11-10. If we win 2 over USA and JMU gets swept by Marshall, we will be 5th; if JMU wins one or more games in Huntington and we do not win the series in Mobile, we will be 7th and would have to win 4 games to win the conference tournament.
At this point last season we were 25-24 and our RPI was 57. This year we are 27-24, due to having played 2 more non-conference games than last year and our RPI is 51. Our conference record at this time last year was 11-10; this year it is 10-11. In my opinion, this year's team is measurably better than last year, due largely to the quantum leap forward by the entire conference. Last year at this point the conference raw RPI was .52895 [ranked 7]; this year it is .55596 [ranked 5]. The RPI range of the conference last year was 42-230 with 7 top 100 schools; this year it is 27-137, with 11 schools in the top 100. Last year, we were hitting .293 with 76 extra base hits, 229 runs and 196 RBI. This year those numbers are .307, 130, 279 and 260. Our team ERA was 3.79 last year, 3.84 this year; WHIP was 1.61. last year, 1.58 this year, so pitching is substantially unchanged, and is an area that needs to be addressed this off season. Fielding percentage fell from .969 to .967, so that is another area of concern.
This Week
This week we are playing USA in Mobile. The Jags are 11-10 in conference, one game ahead of us, and their RPI is 54. In order to guarantee no worse than 6th in the conference regular season and get a first round bye in the conference tournament, we must win 2 of 3 in this series. JMU is also at 11-10. If we win 2 over USA and JMU gets swept by Marshall, we will be 5th; if JMU wins one or more games in Huntington and we do not win the series in Mobile, we will be 7th and would have to win 4 games to win the conference tournament.
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