Baseball in the Pac-10 looks a little different this year.
In past years, teams such as USC, Stanford and defending champs
No. 5 Oregon State have dominated conference foes and reaped the
postseason benefits.
This year there is a lot more parity in the conference, with
teams bunched closer together. Four and a half games separate the
last place team, Arizona State, from the first place team, Oregon
State. As a result, teams such as Stanford that are yearly
postseason selections are on the postseason bubble.
“I think the conference is the strongest it
has been from top to bottom as long as I can remember,â€
Stanford coach Mark Marquess said. “I
don’t think it’s ever been
this strong since there’s been nine teams
involved. It’s indicative of how bunched it is,
so I think it’s the strongest
it’s been since we’ve been a
conference.â€
Before this weekend’s play, six of the nine
teams had overall records over .500. California was at .500; only
Arizona and USC were under by five games and one game,
respectively.
The balance is good for the reputation of the Pac-10, but puts
pressure on specific teams. The last time Stanford did not make it
to NCAA Regionals was in 1993.
“You’re talking about a
program that literally goes every year,†said UCLA
coach John Savage. “Stanford’s
history the last 30 years has been remarkable on not only their
regional history but their Omaha experience.
They’ve been in Omaha a lot.â€
A chance to go to Omaha for the College World Series is no
guarantee for a Stanford team that had to battle back from a rough
start in conference play to even be in contention for the
postseason.
“I think everyone was surprised on where they
started in conference,†Savage said.
“They turned it around and now
they’re a legitimate contender to be in the
regional. Their (Ratings Percentage Index) is in the 30s, so I
would think both (UCLA and Stanford) would be
going.â€
The RPI rates the level of competition a team faces, and is
factored in when regional bids are handed out. Both UCLA and
Stanford have high RPIs, which is due in large part to the
toughness of the conference schedule.
In past years Stanford never had to worry about needing its RPI
to help it get into the tournament — its
conference record was enough. If the Cardinal make it in, their RPI
will be a large factor.
Asked what their regional hopes were, Marquess responded,
“I really don’t know. We had
five teams last year from the conference (make it) and I hope to
God we have at least five, maybe six (this year). We play very
demanding schedules and our league suffers. The problem is that
we’ve beaten each other up so
much.â€
Over the weekend, Stanford and UCLA were evenly matched until
the Bruins pulled away with a walk-off home run in the bottom of
the ninth from junior Tim Stewart.
With the win, the Bruins put themselves in position to receive a
bid for regionals. The series reflects a growing movement for
parity in the conference, as does Stanford’s
conference record. From 1994 to 2004, Stanford finished at least
eight games over .500 in the Pac-10. Last year the Cardinal
finished at 12-12 and qualified for regionals, and this year they
finished the year at 11-13 and have their fingers crossed for the
postseason.