Oral Roberts & Bball KEY to NDSU!

[lakesbison]

talked to Tom Douple at presser.

He said "mr roberts spent 5 minutes at Newman Outdoor Stadium and said, NDSU has my vote, period!"

I think Mr Roberts is VERY VERY influential to say the least..

SO give some props to Baseball program for cementing this MID CON DEAL!!

[sambini]

How about ERV INNIGER HE RAISED THE MONEY TO GET IT BUILT.

[NDSUstudent]

Getting into the Mid-Con is really big for the baseball program, it should ensure NDSU has a fair amount of home games and I have got to believe the Mid-Con will hold the conferene tourney at Newman quite often.

[valpotx]

Getting into the Mid-Con is really big for the baseball program, it should ensure NDSU has a fair amount of home games and I have got to believe the Mid-Con will hold the conferene tourney at Newman quite often.

This may be, but don't count on winning many/if any baseball tournaments with ORU in the mix. They are a national power (I hate to admit, having played against them for 4 years in baseball myself), that is typically in the top 20 every year for the bulk of the season.

It boils down to the north/south difference, where they can practice outside every day for pretty much the whole year, and receive many southern players who are top notch (don't know about anyone's knowledge of college baseball, but players down here tend to have more success in baseball, much like the north does with basketball). You typically only see one northern/midwest team in the top 25 each year, with that being Notre Dame, who we happened to beat when I was playing, when they were #1 in the nation!

[NDSUstudent]

Getting into the Mid-Con is really big for the baseball program, it should ensure NDSU has a fair amount of home games and I have got to believe the Mid-Con will hold the conferene tourney at Newman quite often.

This may be, but don't count on winning many/if any baseball tournaments with ORU in the mix. *They are a national power (I hate to admit, having played against them for 4 years in baseball myself), that is typically in the top 20 every year for the bulk of the season. *

It boils down to the north/south difference, where they can practice outside every day for pretty much the whole year, and receive many southern players who are top notch (don't know about anyone's knowledge of college baseball, but players down here tend to have more success in baseball, much like the north does with basketball). *You typically only see one northern/midwest team in the top 25 each year, with that being Notre Dame, who we happened to beat when I was playing, when they were #1 in the nation!

I know of the North-South difference in college baseball and I would be pleased just to play ORU in the conference finals and be competitive. The program has a ways to go but just getting into the Mid-Con should give NDSU a big boast at being a competitive DI baseball program.

[ORU_sisko]

Alot of us (oru baseball guys) were pulling for both Dakota schools....
the schools (dakota's) seem to take pride in the baseball programs, and will give ORU more legitmacy while playing (and beating hopefully!) a school that takes baseball as serious as we do. Playing chicago state every year was a killer, because the administration leaves these guys out to dry with no resources...
it always left us with a lower seeding in the NCAA then we deserved....
Welcome to the mid-con...
look forward to some quality ball games...
(and FYI, one of our top administators is from either NDSU or SDSU( not sure which one but she tutored me few summers back)

[mikelsch]

I hope the NDSU administration will take baseball more seriously and fund it appropriately to put a winning product on the field. *With a conference in place, one would think the clock is ticking on the current coaching staff. *

[BisonBacker]

I hope the NDSU administration will take baseball more seriously and fund it appropriately to put a winning product on the field. *With a conference in place, one would think the clock is ticking on the current coaching staff. *

You commented before I could on this one. We have the facilities now lets get the players some help with coaching. The current staff just isn't getting it done period.

[ORU_sisko]

You guys could hire Joe Torre and it wouldn't prevent the inevitable from happening to you when we roll into town!!!!!!
(Just playing, but we might as well get the smack talking going now!)

[BisonBacker]

You guys could hire Joe Torre and it wouldn't prevent the inevitable from happening to you when we roll into town!!!!!!
(Just playing, but we might as well get the smack talking going now!)


I think the move to the Mid-Con and with competition and fans like this I believe our Baseball program will take on a new attitude and if we don't compete fairly quickly I can see some coaching moves being made. With the Redhawks in town the fans here know what quality baseball is all about and won't continue to accept what we have been getting in results from this coaching staff.

[lakesbison]

HOW TRUE THAT WAS.


NOTICE THE SMACKTALK IN THIS THREAD FROM ORU.. gotta love that!

[exdaryl3rd]

Oral Roberts has earned the right to talk a little smack to conference newbies like NDSU, especially since we've had a few down years. Beyond ORU though, there are not a lot of teams in the Summit League that NDSU can't compete with, especially if they end up with some sort of a budget.

[Overgrown]

The reason NDSU has had down years is because they always open up against tough teams that are already a series or two into there season and have been outside all winter practicing and seeing live pitching. Thats why they get off to a 0-12 start. So Gene needs to give the team more money to head south and play northern teams down in Florida or out in Cali. And with ORU they aint no better than any other team NDSU plays and competes with, you cant tell me ORU is better than K-state or creighton. we will do just fine in the Summit League and i believe we shouldnt have a problem competing for one of the top seeds our first year in the conference

[bisonpride2k]

The reason NDSU has had down years is because they always open up against tough teams that are already a series or two into there season and have been outside all winter practicing and seeing live pitching. Thats why they get off to a 0-12 start. So Gene needs to give the team more money to head south and play northern teams down in Florida or out in Cali. And with ORU they aint no better than any other team NDSU plays and competes with, you cant tell me ORU is better than K-state or creighton. we will do just fine in the Summit League and i believe we shouldnt have a problem competing for one of the top seeds our first year in the conference

ORU is equally as good as K-State and Creighton! We will have our hands full. ORU was in the Super Regionals in 2006. Something that Creighton and K-State havent done recently.

[bisonpride2k]

HOW TRUE THAT WAS.


NOTICE THE SMACKTALK IN THIS THREAD FROM ORU.. gotta love that!

Funny thing Mitch wasnt forced out and was asked to reconsider his decision to resign. Mitch deserved much better from the athletic department then what he was given not only funding wise but respect wise. He definately deserves respect for choosing family over his profession.

[sambini]

Funny thing Mitch wasnt forced out and was asked to reconsider his decision to resign. Mitch deserved much better from the athletic department then what he was given not only funding wise but respect wise. He definately deserves respect for choosing family over his profession.
Well said.

[exdaryl3rd]

Agree 100%.

[O-Rizzle 4-Shizzle]

Not too try to act Cocky, but just defending the achieved stature of my team. I don’t think it is accurate to compare us to K-state or Creighton. The last time Creighton won a game against the O was in 1996, I think we(ORU) were not even d-1, and we still took 5 out of 6 from them. We pummel them every time they schedule us, it’s not even close, the all time record against Creighton is 33-14!!!!!!!!!. Kansas also has a losing record to us. We don’t play Kansas state very much, but in all the years I was there, we never lost to them. We did pummel them the few times we played though. Notre Dame is another team people like to compare us with, though we have only played 13 times (with ORU taking 10 of those matches!) The all time record of 50 or so games against K-state, we won 35 against Kansas and the recent ones have been blow out wins.)

Not too sound arrogant, but those aren’t the programs that give us much of a challenge. Not too mention 10 straight Regional appearances, a Super regional, and CWS appearance, and regularly winning against top 25 & top 10 teams. Though as of late we have been dominating Wichita State, that is always a good rival, as is Arkansas and Baylor. Those are usually fun games.

We look forward to competing in good games with the Bison, but if you come in expecting to play on a level with K-state or Creighton you will end up with losing records against the O, like them.

Our record against a couple of schools of interest
Valpo 39-3
Oakland 32-2



Good luck on the upcoming season. Most of us ORU baseball guys were pulling for you guys to join the Summit!

[O-Rizzle 4-Shizzle]

I was actually trying to get some early trash talk in and nobody responded. Whats up with that?

(fyi- After looking at our history against Creighton, it really is extremely lop sided, so if you blew them out, you might be able to get through the 1st inning with us)


My last attempt at smack....

[jeffdaryl3rd]

With the records we've had the last few years we have no room to talk smack to just about any D-1 program. Hopefully over the next few years we'll get the commitment to our baseball program from the athletic department and be competitive in the Summit.

[ndsubison1]

The thing about NDSU's baseball program is that recently they haven't really recruited hard enough in North Dakota. With the program that they have, I think it needs to start with the homegrown talent. NDSU has missed out on some great talent the last few years: Tyler Lundy, Andrew Gudmunson, Tyler Liffrig, Andy Leer, Brian Solemsaas, James Hennessey (would have went to NDSU if they let him play two sports, big mistake), Tom Ebert, Tanner Lorenz, Kyle Carr, Jake Landry, Jacob Wurtz... Hopefully the new coach will change that.

[O-Rizzle 4-Shizzle]

I tottally agree. Homegrown talent is key. You will always have to fish in California and Texas, etc (due to the talent pool and year round playing conditions) but you always want to lock the Aces coming out of your own states. ORU recruits everywhere, but if there is a local star, an effort HAS to be made to capture that and also develope youth at mini camps who grow up wanting to play hometown ball. I think that will be easier for NDSU to do, if you guys start winning games. Every baseball program in Oklahoma sees regional action pretty much every year, OSU, OU, ORU, are uausally all in. Not too mention our close nieghbors Wichita State, Texas, & Arkansas, making the battle over local talent insane. As the d1 University in North Dakota, you guys should be dominating that scene.

[Bryan]

So is NDSU recruiting Zac Elgie. He's put up huge HR numbers and I think visited MN and NEB

[ndsubison1]

So is NDSU recruiting Zac Elgie. He's put up huge HR numbers and I think visited MN and NEB

Let's hope so!

[O-Rizzle 4-Shizzle]

So how do you guys think you will do this year? IS it a rebuilding year, a re-loading year, senior laden, full of transfers? I have a good feel for most Summit teams and who may be a challenge on the road, but with the addition of the Dakotas and IPFW, it shakes things up a little. Are you guys a pitching team or a hitting team (obviously both, but what are you consistently dangerous with?) Also, how good are the Rabbits? ORU has never played a game against NDSU or IPFW, so it is a new frontier.

(Surprisingly we have played South Dakota State from 1971 to 1994 a total of 13 times. So those were some of our NAIA years, so thats interesting that we have a little history. We also played South Dakota. We won 11 of 13 against SDSU and 2 of 2 against SD.)

I see a common opponent between ORU and NDSU was Creighton. You guys played them 16 times and won 3. We played them 47 times winning 33. So historically we have a couple of common rivals.

Also both of our programs likes to play Kansas & Kansas state when the chance is available.


Let me know more about your team if you have any info, we are excited for some new competition and good rivalry!

[bisonpride2k]

So is NDSU recruiting Zac Elgie. He's put up huge HR numbers and I think visited MN and NEB

Reportedly he has been contacted and is not intersted in NDSU at all. He will be going to a larger school in a warmer climate or to U of M where they play in the dome.

[ndsubison1]

I heard Elgie is thinking about Iowa Western so he can get drafted next summer.

[bisonpride2k]

I heard Elgie is thinking about Iowa Western so he can get drafted next summer.

Very likely. But he needs to work on his speed and hands to give himself the best chance to get drafted. Hits for power but needs to get his other tools to a similar level. I dont see him getting drafted (not just selected but a serious we want to sign you now selection) until after his sophmore year.