The Western Athletic Conference baseball coaches are concerned their league does not receive recognition for having sent a team to the College World Series three of the past five years. WAC baseball coaches
seek better RPIBy Al Chase
achase@starbulletin.comThe WAC finished the 2001 season with a Rating Percentage Index that was 10th best among the 29 Division I conferences. However, in 2000, the conference was No. 6 at the end of the season and that's about where the coaches think the league should be every year.
"We have to be in the top six again. That's where you want to be. Then, you would hope you would get three teams in the NCAA Tournament," Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso said.
"Then, if the teams make it to the Sweet 16 or the College World Series, it bodes well for the future. But, if teams go two and out, the NCAA Selection Committee will figure it's not worth taking three teams."
A couple of years ago, the WAC coaches decided to schedule as few games as possible against non-Division I opponents. Last year, the seven WAC teams played just nine such games.
However, the Atlantic Coast Conference (3 RPI) played none and the Colonial Athletic Conference (5 RPI) played one.
"It's easy for the Colonial to play midweek games against the ACC, but they never get to the College World Series. In theory, we should be rated over them," Rice coach Wayne Graham said.
"I think things are changing. Teams like Air Force and Brigham Young hurt us. Last year San Jose State and Nevada (WAC teams that did not receive an at-large bid) were better than Houston and Texas-Arlington, who went to the tournament.
"I think the key is to continue to schedule well and win midweek games. I think Louisiana Tech will help. That's a growing program. This league should always aspire to get three teams in."
Trapasso pointed out Louisiana Tech can play several marquee teams (Louisiana State, Tulane, Auburn, Alabama, South Alabama) located within a couple hours' drive from the Ruston campus.
Nonconference games, road games, strength of schedule and opponent's strength of schedule are components of the RPI.
"Each WAC school has to do a better job of promoting their program. If they have a potential All-American, then information must be sent to everyone," Fresno State coach Bob Bennett said.
"If Hawaii has a good team, don't just tell the people in Hawaii, tell the people in Fresno, go national. We have to toot our horn the way we do with football and basketball.
"Everyone has perked up their schedule. I think we've done enough on the field. The sports information people and the WAC office have to promote the notion that we're a pretty good baseball conference. We all have good parks. Win and the people will come out."
Graham says he tries very hard to schedule only teams that are in the top 100. A check of the 2002 WAC schedules indicates just about every team is serious about playing quality opponents out of conference.
"Each school's administration needs to push the guys in Denver (location of the WAC office) to start plugging the WAC as a quality baseball conference that is better than a 10 RPI," said Trapasso.
"The (sports information) people and WAC office has to perpetuate the notion that we're a pretty good baseball conference," Bennett said. "I think we've done enough in the field. Now we have to tell the story more often and to a larger audience. We have to tell all of America.
"Ask any coach what it's like to play Fresno State, San Jose State, Hawaii or Rice. They know we play quality baseball."
Trapasso would like to see more representation from schools west of the Mississippi River on the NCAA Baseball Committee. He also knows the RPI addresses road wins and he would like to see the Rainbows in a mainland tournament before the WAC season starts in the future.
When Trapasso was a graduate assistant at Missouri, head coach Gene McArtor was NCAA Baseball Committee chairman and Trapasso listened in on the conference telephone call as selections were being made.
"There is no question it is a tough job, especially when the committee gets down to the final four or five teams," Trapasso said.
"The question is, is it the best 64 teams or the best 64 teams that give you the best representation of college baseball across the country? If you took away the automatic berths, some conferences wouldn't even sponsor baseball."
For the WAC to receive a fair share of the at-large berths, the consensus is everyone has a job to do from the coaches to the sports information offices to each school's administration.
In past years, the WAC has been represented on the selection committee. Coach Rich Alday was a member when New Mexico was in the WAC and WAC commissioner Karl Benson was on the committee until he resigned to be on the NCAA Basketball Committee.
"Any decision the committee makes they will be able to justify. I think our conference office needs to address this," Trapasso said. "The only way schools can address this is to play the best nonconference competition we can and win as many games as we can."
That's why Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Cal State Fullerton, Wichita State, Florida International, UCLA and other teams of that caliber will be on future Rainbow schedules.
When: Today and tomorrow, 6:35 p.m.; Sunday, 1:05 p.m. Gameday
Where: Murakami Stadium
TV: All games live, KFVE (Ch. 5)
Radio: All games live, KCCN, 1420-AM
Internet: kccn1420am.com
Tickets: $6 Orange, Blue levels. $5 Red level. $4 Seniors, children age 4-18, UH students in the Red level.
Parking: $3
Probable starting pitchers
HAWAII (7-9)
W-L ERA K RHP Bryan Lee (Jr.) 2-1 4.14 17 RHP Chris George (Jr.) 0-0 6.75 16 LHP Aaron Pribble (Sr.) 2-1 3.60 26 RICE (12-4)
W-L ERA K RHP Phillip Humber (Fr.) 2-1 4.03 30 RHP Steven Herce (Jr.) 3-1 3.86 26 Sunday's starting pitcher to be announced
Notes: Rice holding a 13-5 advantage in games against the Rainbows. ... Last year the teams split six games with the home team losing two out of three. ... The Owls lost three pitchers in the early rounds of the 2001 first-year player draft. Right-hander Kenny Baugh was the 11th overall pick followed by right-hander Jon Skaggs (42nd) and Philip Barzilla (116th). ... Rice has appeared in the last seven NCAA Tournaments. ... Top Rice batters are A.J. Porfirio (.385) and Vincent Sinsi (.366), sixth and 10th in the WAC, respectively. ... UH's Brent Cook and Lane Nogawa are tied for eighth with .371 batting averages. ... Opponents are hitting just .221 against UH reliever William Quaglieri. That is the fourth best mark in the WAC. ... Rainbow left-hander Matt Le Ducq has yet to surrender a run in five relief appearances covering 6 2/3 innings.
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