Heavens to Betsy @silverblue, please show some restraint.
2 Likes
Baseball is an outdoor sport in the NCAA. Midwest programs are at a massive disadvantage since it starts in February and we have to go on a massive road trip to start every season. It is not simply an issue of dollars or commitment to make up for it.
The only real hope Michigan would have to be a top 20 program in the sport would be to have a massive NIL commitment that could snag top 5-10 recruiting classes consistently. Basically go out and pay for kids that would otherwise be 1st round draft picks.
2 Likes
Softball was even more regional and was a top 10 program for a long time. Weather has little to do with it, um was top 10 baseball program until the late 80s. Weather isnt what changed, other programs started committing more resources to it and um elected to not keep up.
1 Like
other programs just started caring. It wasn’t that they spent more resources than us, it’s that everybody else started trying and the natural handicaps we face began to hurt us more.
But yes, when we recruited future MLB All Stars we were better on the field. As I said, at this point a massive NIL cash infusion is the only way to fix that.
Bakich’s 22 class was 12th nationally and the 2017 class was top 10. The recruiting was getting better and better 23-25. Drawing talent to um is not an issue for the right coach.
1 Like
Surely there hasn’t been a major demographic shift in the Midwest generally and Michigan specifically since 1985
3 Likes
Midwest still puts a ton of talent in the majors
Like I’ve said repeatedly Bakich was rolling in recruiting, drawing talent to um is not an issue for the right coach. State of michigan produces a lot of talent, um’s a national brand, good baseball history, top academics and academic aid(big deal in baseball recruiting).
so do you think there’s just no downside to spending the first half of your season on the road and then coming back and playing outdoors in Michigan March and April?
And yet despite that, Michigan never won the regular season title and was not a for sure NCAA tourney team each season under our best coach since Bud Middaugh. Michigan would have to outspend southern schools significantly to match a middle of the road SEC program.
Carol Hutchins is probably a top 10 softball coach of all time to do what she did at a Midwest school. If she started coaching in a different era, Michigan would be a stepping stone job for her.
6 Likes
90 of the top 100 prospects in Bakich’s final year were going south of the Mason Dixon line (none to Michigan?):
You can’t say geography doesn’t matter
5 Likes
what on earth are you using for class rankings? Perfect Game listed Michigan as #22 for the 2017 class with not a single top 100 kid.
2 Likes
Bakich’s 22 class obviously fell apart.
2021: ranked 50th
2020: 42nd
2019: 61st
2018: 65th
2017: 22nd (highest ranked player #118 nationally)
Are you saying a top ten class in the big ten?
1 Like
Baseball America had bakichs 2017 class ranked top 10. Baseball recruiting rankings are weird because all the kids that go pro.
More broadly though
Tangibly: if you look at the top 50 travel programs in the nation 12 through 18u they are all Florida, Texas, California, some southeastern seaboard
Anecdotally: my 13 year old is an “A” player in one of the stinger Chicagoland programs, and top 10 or so in the state
When they go to national tournaments (Louisville, Ripken baseball in Pigeon Forge, Cooperstown) they are chum in the water for the Florida/Texas kids
A players here go D2, D1 kids all hail from sun and sandal states
2 Likes
And Smith’s first class coming in is 40th (2nd in the conference).
1 Like
So 6 of one 1/2 dozen of the other
Yeah it’s pretty shocking how bad the midwest is at baseball. Saw plenty of MAC caliber kids back in the day from the Chicago burbs and saw a Northwoods League game a week or two ago. Same dudes. They’re hardly bad or whatever but they’re just not overwhelming athletes in any sense.
This is obviously not true in football and, depending on your defn of “from”, basketball. Pretty confident the weather is a factor. Think culture of the sports you play matters too.
2 Likes
I mean, it’s just months less training it more than anything (ie, weather)
There’s nothing endemic in the air here stopping a kid from hitting 96 mph
Just less teaining
1 Like
Definitely think that’s a big piece. Can’t imagine it’s that football is pulling off more talent from the region. Demographics matter too tho.
Yeah I mean these states went from housing 23% of the US population in the 80’s to 18% now, SE is almost the inverse (ie, up that much)
That’s going to matter obviously
But like, my son spends November through late March mostly just hitting
Certainly absolutely no fielding during that time