They’re 0-6 to start off the year — and they’ve played Texas State, Presbyterian, Gardner-Webb, and USC Upstate. Outscored 75-22. Yikes 😳
Baseball program in chaos
- Thread starter LakefillLobster
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Hopefully it reinforces his decision for him to stick with football! He wouldn’t have had 53 RBIs or pitched 6 near shutouts.
No comment, but there's a lot going on here that hopefully will come out soon.
My lord what is going on? The season just started and to lose all those coaches this early is really bad. Gonna be a really rough year for NU baseball.
Something definitely not right with the program.
Something definitely not right with the program.
I'll bet, of all the athletics programs, baseball would be the one where NIL money gives the most bang for its buck. There are so few scholarships to share amongst all the players, but an infusion of NIL money could give the athletes the "full athletic scholarship" experience that the football and basketball players get.
"Come play baseball at Northwestern, where your full tuition will actually be taken care of!"
"Come play baseball at Northwestern, where your full tuition will actually be taken care of!"
What do we do with that baseball field that NU accepted a $5 million gift to renovate?
Whoa, this is not good. I assume the coaches resigned because that is only slightly less odd than firing the entire staff six games into the season. If that assumption is correct, what happened so quickly to make the three coaches decide to leave? It must have been really bad because this is so extreme. I can’t think of another recent example of coaches bailing so soon in any sport at the major college level.
Give it to the City of Evanston in exchange for permission to rebuild Ryan Field.
That stadium is a sunk cost. Makes no difference to the decision to continue to play (bad) baseball going forward.
The renovation is already complete.
I'd be pissed if NU accepted and used a $5 million gift from me (not that I have anything near that amount to give) and then shortly thereafter disbanded the program.
Your premise that NU will continue to play "bad" baseball going forward is unproven. I don't accept it on its face. And I think NU has a responsibility to that donor to at least make an attempt to turn things around.
Not sure about this history of northwestern baseball. How long have them been around and what’s their highest big ten finish?
Feral had already posted on the thread here, so I didn't want to exclude him from participating in the conversation.
NU has played baseball since 1871 (!). They won the B1G in 1957. The highest recent finish was 2nd in 2006.
Baseball Archives - Big Ten Conference
2023 Season News Releases Statistics Standings Schedule/Results Record Book 2022 Season News Releases Statistics Standings Schedule/Results Record
bigten.org
I think @lunker35 may be on to something here. Due the sensitive nature of the subject…it might make sense to move this back to the Rock. Posters may be more inclined to post insider info behind the paywall.
Let's leave this thread here, and just start a new one on the Rock should any inside information come out. Right now, what's been tweeted out is public info.
We've had some success and have sent some good players to the Bigs. Joe Girardi, Mark Loretta, JA Happ, etc.
Mike Huff too! I was friends with those guys back in 1983-4! Girardi was All American and we took second in BT! Tom Hildebrand and Bob Jeski were tough too! Fun guys!
The transfer portal cost us players who are major contributors at UVA, Mississippi State, Wake Forest, and Duke. I don't blame them for leaving, I'm just saying ... DEEP programs probably couldn't absorb that. It decimates ours. The pitcher who went to Wake Forest may have been the best pitcher in the Big Ten this year.
Again - certainly do not BLAME them - just saying that ... we're really short on quality, experienced players.
Again - certainly do not BLAME them - just saying that ... we're really short on quality, experienced players.
Even without NIL $'s, playing for these contending programs is not hard to understand. Living here in Winston-Salem, the Wake baseball program gets huge support. Much better than pitching in Miller Field even post-renovation.
Agreed - I don't think NIL $ was the difference in ANY of these situations. I'm not saying those schools don't have better NIL collectives than we do. I'm sure they do. But they left because they could with no deterrent (sitting out a year). No brainer decision. Just a sign of what college sports is these days.
Thanks. Playing in the ACC or SEC is objectively more fun than playing in the B1G.
And baseball has been transfer-crazy since the dawn of time.
Baseball to the B1G is what ice hockey is to the SEC.
That’s not true. We have two top 25 teams right now. We’re not a powerhouse but we’re competitive.
You're right - for some reason I thought it was Mississippi State. I mean, they were the 2021 natty champs .... but yes ...... deep teams couldn't handle losing 4 of their best players. We ... yeah.
Uh, one, Iowa. And the fact that such a paltry stat is quite notable and unique says it all. It's silly to pretend that the Big Ten isn't a second rate baseball conference at best. As others said, it simply isn't as big a sport in the region, like hockey isn't in the south.
It will be interesting to see what happens with USC, UCLA, and maybe more west coast teams joining in plus the addition of NIL potentially making the conference powers more interested in poneying up to compete with So Cal.
No offense, I know you were on the team. My point is because of weather, the Big is at a huge disadvantage for the sport.
Two thoughts:
1) I hold Notre Dame in low regard but recall that they have been pretty successful at times in baseball. Didn't they make it to CWS at least once? (I may be mistaken about that.)
2) If weather prevents NU or other Big Tenners from doing well in baseball, how do we explain the Cats' very strong softball program? Weather shouldn't be an excuse that disqualifies NU from having a competitive baseball program.
11.7 at a private school on top of it -- bigger disadvantage.
1) Yeah, but that was almost 9 months ago ... I mean what have they done SINCE last June
2) Weather is a factor, but not within the Big Ten. And less of a factor with facilities improvements.
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