M SB Jumps to #27 RPI
The Michigan Softball Team jumped 2 spots to #27 this week after 2 convincing victories over Wisconsin. Illinois is the second highest rated Big Ten team at #46, Wisconsin is now #49.
ND dropped 1 spot to #29. They swept Pitt over the weekend. Now they head into the Big East Tournament. Barring a complete sweep dominating performance, it is safe to say we can stay ahead of ND with a good showing this weekend against Purdue at Alumni Field.
This is important because it is possible (but not likely) that a #2 mid-west team could host a regional. Regionals are set up by geography to limit excessive travel. So a team like Hawaii will probably not get a home site unless they are in the Top 5 or so. Currently Hawaii is ranked #20.
It is also possible that we could end up traveling to Louisville or Tennessee. Mizzou is the third closest #1 seed but this might be a little far for us.
We need to take care of business against Purdue this weekend. Then we should have a better picture of what the tournament will look like.
no chance of hosting a super-regional?
some very strange things would have to occur. If we were matched up with the Tennessee Regional for example, and Western Kentucky won the Regional at a #3, we would get a Super at #2 seed. Basically the #1 seed in the other Regional would have to lose and we would have to win our Regional of course.
Last year Kentucky came in to AA at a #3 seed behind us, #2 ND and #4 WMU. Kentucky won the Regional and we were matched with the Regional that California won as a #1 seed but they traveled.
The kicker was that in the Supers, Califoria was going through renovations to their football stadium which is nect to the softball/baseball complex so no games were allowed. So California was the #1 seed at the #3 seed Kentucky.
Down year for softball
Last year we were ranked #1 for a week and ended the season at #5 but we fell apart in the tourney. This year, we started out slow, got into a good groove then stumbled. Now we seem to have it together.
We could very easily make the World Series with a few lucky bounces. Our pitching is World Series worthy, so if we get the bats hot: look out.
and she's confident that an NCAA berth is only a few days away. Sadly she didn't get to shut out State this week, given the weather up in Lansing. I'm finally feeling confident about their chances, hopefully coupled with M hosting (I'll have to send Brian's guide to eating in Ann Arbor to her coach, with some footnotes of course). That would truly be the event of a lifetime, until it happens next year and the year after.
Alton was saying in your last thread that there have been two Big Ten sites each of the previous five years, so if they stick with that M should be close to a lock for hosting (even if ND gets thrown in as "Big Ten") with two more wins. I hope Northwestern could be the second, since they're the only other Big Ten school I come close to liking, but I'm 99% sure Iowa or Purdue have a better shot at getting to host a regional at their school.