Link: http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2017-conference-tournament-previews/#ohjXfxuXLbj9DxJk.97
BIG TEN
When: Wednesday through Sunday
Where: Bart Kauffman Field | Bloomington, Indiana
Participants: Eight teams (listed by seed): Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, Iowa, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue
Format: Double-Elimination
Top Seed: Nebraska. The Cornhuskers lost just one conference series all season en route to winning their first Big Ten regular season championship since joining the league five years ago. Nebraska is 8-2 overall this month and will carry momentum into the Big Ten Tournament. Junior outfielder/lefthander Jaye Meyers stars both at the plate and on the mound. He is hitting .298/.431/.348 with 18 stolen bases and is 8-1, 3.09 as their Sunday starter. With Meyers, Derek Burkamper (6-4, 3.05) and Jake Hohensee (6-3, 4.01) in the rotation and Luis Alvarado (0-0, 1.23, 10 saves) and Chad Luensmann (3-4, 3.66, 8 saves) in the bullpen, Nebraska has been formidable on the mound this season. Offensively, DH Scott Schreiber (.335/.383/.483) and shortstop Angelo Altavilla (.323/.419/.402) have been the Cornhuskers' most consistent threats.
Something to Gain: Michigan. The Wolverines are probably the Big Ten's best hope for hosting a regional. Michigan finished just a half-game behind Nebraska in the regular season and has an RPI of 29 to go with 42 wins, 19 of which have come away from Ann Arbor. If the Wolverines dogpile on Sunday, they could be rewarded by the selection committee.
Desperation Time: Indiana, Maryland. Indiana leads the Big Ten with its No. 28 RPI, while Maryland ranks third at No. 33. But the Hoosiers finished sixth in the conference standings and the Terrapins finished fourth. The Big Ten's unbalanced schedule and the tightness of the top of the standings (the top six teams are separated by two games) might mean that the exact order of the final standings isn't a significant factor, but Indiana and Maryland would probably breathe easier with a win or two this week. That's particularly true for the Hoosiers, who have home-field advantage in the tournament.
All or Nothing: Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue. Minnesota went into the regular season's final weekend in control of its own destiny, but saw the championship slip away from its grasp when it lost a series to Purdue. That dropped the Gophers' RPI to No. 81, outside of consideration for an at-large berth. Iowa is in the same range at No. 94 while Purdue (109) and Northwestern (194) are outside the top 100. All of them will need to win the conference's automatic bid to extend their season.
BIG TEN
When: Wednesday through Sunday
Where: Bart Kauffman Field | Bloomington, Indiana
Participants: Eight teams (listed by seed): Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland, Iowa, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue
Format: Double-Elimination
Top Seed: Nebraska. The Cornhuskers lost just one conference series all season en route to winning their first Big Ten regular season championship since joining the league five years ago. Nebraska is 8-2 overall this month and will carry momentum into the Big Ten Tournament. Junior outfielder/lefthander Jaye Meyers stars both at the plate and on the mound. He is hitting .298/.431/.348 with 18 stolen bases and is 8-1, 3.09 as their Sunday starter. With Meyers, Derek Burkamper (6-4, 3.05) and Jake Hohensee (6-3, 4.01) in the rotation and Luis Alvarado (0-0, 1.23, 10 saves) and Chad Luensmann (3-4, 3.66, 8 saves) in the bullpen, Nebraska has been formidable on the mound this season. Offensively, DH Scott Schreiber (.335/.383/.483) and shortstop Angelo Altavilla (.323/.419/.402) have been the Cornhuskers' most consistent threats.
Something to Gain: Michigan. The Wolverines are probably the Big Ten's best hope for hosting a regional. Michigan finished just a half-game behind Nebraska in the regular season and has an RPI of 29 to go with 42 wins, 19 of which have come away from Ann Arbor. If the Wolverines dogpile on Sunday, they could be rewarded by the selection committee.
Desperation Time: Indiana, Maryland. Indiana leads the Big Ten with its No. 28 RPI, while Maryland ranks third at No. 33. But the Hoosiers finished sixth in the conference standings and the Terrapins finished fourth. The Big Ten's unbalanced schedule and the tightness of the top of the standings (the top six teams are separated by two games) might mean that the exact order of the final standings isn't a significant factor, but Indiana and Maryland would probably breathe easier with a win or two this week. That's particularly true for the Hoosiers, who have home-field advantage in the tournament.
All or Nothing: Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue. Minnesota went into the regular season's final weekend in control of its own destiny, but saw the championship slip away from its grasp when it lost a series to Purdue. That dropped the Gophers' RPI to No. 81, outside of consideration for an at-large berth. Iowa is in the same range at No. 94 while Purdue (109) and Northwestern (194) are outside the top 100. All of them will need to win the conference's automatic bid to extend their season.
