All the field equipment is put away, the first snowflakes have fallen, and the guys play indoor pickup every day at 4:30---it's late November and time to think back on some aspects of the year.
The schedule we played was set about this time last year and it was based on some assumptions I made about the team that would take the field this past fall. Unfortunately, and for a variety of reasons, that team never got to play. In the 2010 year there were 50 "starts" for graduating players out of a total of 198 possible (11 players starting 18 games) and that was a substantial, but not overwhelming turnover. What we never anticipated was that further attrition would eliminate players who made 42 starts last year, meaning we lost 92 and retained 106 starts. Apart from mere statistics, the loss of personalities was massive. This year we lose 18 starts to graduation and pray to lose no more than that.
I devised a schedule to challenge a veteran team in 2011. Teams we played this year outside of conference included:
Thomas More: Presidents Conference champions: 16-1-1: NCAA bid
DePauw: NCAC champions (beat OWU 4-2 at OWU) 16-2-1: NCAA bid
Ohio Northern: OAC champions (beat John Carroll 5-0 in title game) 18-2-2; NCAA bid
Case Western: UAA champions; 14-4; NCAA bid
Centre: SCAC runners up (beat #4 Trinity in semifinal) 14-5-1
That group's overall pre-NCAA tournament record: 78-14-5
No other team in the region played as many conference champions or NCAA teams. Can we be proud of starting the year 0-8, no, but we always knew we could play and eventually we were able to show people who we really were.
The schedule we played was set about this time last year and it was based on some assumptions I made about the team that would take the field this past fall. Unfortunately, and for a variety of reasons, that team never got to play. In the 2010 year there were 50 "starts" for graduating players out of a total of 198 possible (11 players starting 18 games) and that was a substantial, but not overwhelming turnover. What we never anticipated was that further attrition would eliminate players who made 42 starts last year, meaning we lost 92 and retained 106 starts. Apart from mere statistics, the loss of personalities was massive. This year we lose 18 starts to graduation and pray to lose no more than that.
I devised a schedule to challenge a veteran team in 2011. Teams we played this year outside of conference included:
Thomas More: Presidents Conference champions: 16-1-1: NCAA bid
DePauw: NCAC champions (beat OWU 4-2 at OWU) 16-2-1: NCAA bid
Ohio Northern: OAC champions (beat John Carroll 5-0 in title game) 18-2-2; NCAA bid
Case Western: UAA champions; 14-4; NCAA bid
Centre: SCAC runners up (beat #4 Trinity in semifinal) 14-5-1
That group's overall pre-NCAA tournament record: 78-14-5
No other team in the region played as many conference champions or NCAA teams. Can we be proud of starting the year 0-8, no, but we always knew we could play and eventually we were able to show people who we really were.
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