THE IUP Football Thread

[iupgroundhog]

If we would have been told at the beginning of the school year that one IUP sports program was going to make the final four, nobody would have picked baseball. I would have probably said tennis. What an amazing run. This is the grittiest team on campus. For Jake Black to toe the rubber today in that spot and yield just three baserunners for eight inning was unreal. The diving stop by Pontoli was clutch and should be a Sports Center Top 10.

I wouldn't have said Final 4 but I kinda did expect vast improvement for the program. When you hire somebody like Kline with his baseball connections and his persona ... well, we see the results.

[iupgroundhog]

If we would have been told at the beginning of the school year that one IUP sports program was going to make the final four, nobody would have picked baseball. I would have probably said tennis. What an amazing run. This is the grittiest team on campus. For Jake Black to toe the rubber today in that spot and yield just three baserunners for eight inning was unreal. The diving stop by Pontoli was clutch and should be a Sports Center Top 10.

Pontoli had to react and stretch just right to catch it and then hold onto it. That was some play. If it gets by him the runner on 1st might have made it to 3rd base.

[EyeoftheHawk]

If we would have been told at the beginning of the school year that one IUP sports program was going to make the final four, nobody would have picked baseball. I would have probably said tennis. What an amazing run. This is the grittiest team on campus. For Jake Black to toe the rubber today in that spot and yield just three baserunners for eight inning was unreal. The diving stop by Pontoli was clutch and should be a Sports Center Top 10.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

6 runs in three games and it’s enough to make the final four. Incredible pitching and defense. A freshman closes two straight one run games in the World Series. Absolutely amazing.

Those are some nasty lineups they just shut down, too.



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[Chuck Norris]

6 runs in three games and it’s enough to make the final four. Incredible pitching and defense. A freshman closes two straight one run games in the World Series. Absolutely amazing.

[iupgroundhog]

IUP wins, 1-0

Wow

Wow is right. Unbelievable. And really good baseball.

[EyeoftheHawk]

FINAL FOUR! Nobody on Earth saw this coming, let alone a 1-0 shutout in this spot. Unbelievable!

[IUPbigINDIANS]

IUP wins, 1-0

Wow

[iupgroundhog]

Update: Heading into the 9th inning, IUP still up 1-0. Unbelievable catch by second baseman Pontoli to end Point Loma's 8th.

[iupgroundhog]

Game is moving right along. After 5 innings, IUP up 1-0.

[EyeoftheHawk]

Poor decision by Kline right out of the gate. Two on, no outs with a struggling pitcher in the first inning and he takes the bat out of his 3 hitter’s hands asking him to bunt twice. I think you stay patient and make the pitcher show he can throw strikes instead of bailing him out. As it turns out they get the big two out hit to put a run on the board but they darn near ended up with nothing.

[IUPalum]

FYI, they moved the first pitch of the IUP game up until 11 a.m.

I'm assuming this was weather related.

Glad I just read this.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

FYI, they moved the first pitch of the IUP game up until 11 a.m.

I'm assuming this was weather related.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

So then the IUP/Point Loma winner will have to beat Angelo State twice? I’ve never watched any level of college baseball, this is all new to me.

Winning on Day 1 is massive. The 'days off' end today for the winner of tomorrow's game. For instance, if IUP were to win tomorrow, they'll keep playing daily until they lose for the rest of the week.


I suppose there are two schools of thought on throwing the ace back out there tomorrow. On one hand, Point Loma struggled with him, and, in reality, tomorrow is the only game that matters. Lose it and having a saved arm does you nothing. It will also be (5) days' rest.

Downside to tossing the ace back out there is they've already seen him.


This is solely my opinion but after having seen both, I personally thought Point Loma had a much more dangerous lineup than Central Missouri (even though, yes, I'm aware Central Missouri was the top-ranked offense in all of D2).


Diving deep in to the metrics, that stadium is gigantic. I haven't seen any HRs hit yet. The OF gaps are huge. If you had a real 'ground ball' pitcher, that would be an intriguing option.

The sun is a real witch there in the afternoon. Hopefully it's not such a factor tomorrow.

One item I have found interesting is teams are terrified of IUP's CF (Au'Sean Owens). He's only about 5'7" and 160 lbs but is an extremely tough out at the plate. Once he's on base, he's a legitimate nightmare to deal with. He has blazing speed. I'd like to see him return kicks for Tort.

[iupgroundhog]

So then the IUP/Point Loma winner will have to beat Angelo State twice? I’ve never watched any level of college baseball, this is all new to me.

I haven't followed it before, either. But I believe that is the case. Looking at the NCAA bracket it isn't real clear how it works. From what I can see, though, the winner tomorrow would have to beat Angelo St. 2x since they have not lost yet. I don't want to get ahead of the situation, though. Let's just enjoy the game tomorrow