Boilers miss chance to play
in NCAA tournament, again
By Keith Thomas
Editor
in Chief
For the second straight year, the Purdue baseball
team was not extended an invitation to participate in one of the NCAA
Regional Tournaments, despite its most successful season in decades.
The Boilermakers (32-24) finished the regular season
in second place in the Big Ten Conference standings, but were eliminated
from the conference tournament after only two games.
Similar to last year, when the regional bids were
announced, Purdue's season was not extended. The Boilermaker batsmen
haven't been invited to play in the NCAA postseason since the conclusion
of the 1987 season.
Unlike last year, when members of the Boilers (35-23,
17-11 Big Ten; No. 3 seed, Big Ten Tournament) thought they deserved
an at-large bid for the 64-team NCAA tournament, the Boilermakers are
assuming the bulk of the responsibility for not being selected.
"We have nobody to kick but ourselves," said assistant
coach Todd Murphy. "We didn't take care of business."
Purdue was 8-8 over the last three weeks of the
season, which included home losses against non-conference teams Evansville
and Xavier and a split series with the Indiana Hoosiers.
But even with these losses and being knocked out
of the Big Ten Tournament in two games — a 9-7 loss to Illinois
followed by an eliminating 10-2 to Michigan — the Boilermakers
may still have an argument that they deserved an invitation.
The NCAA baseball selection committee uses an equation
known as The Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) is a computer ranking system
that attempts to measure a team's win-loss record and its strength of
schedule. With only two coaches — Ohio State's Bob Todd being one
of them — on the selection committee, some were scared that members
would pick teams relying too much on RPI alone. Similar to the College
Football's BCS (Bowl Championship Series) equation — and seemingly
just as confusing — the RPI is to be used simply as a guideline
or factor that helps committee members assess a team's strengths and
weaknesses.
Last year, the Boilers held an end-of-season RPI
of 45. This year, Purdue finished in the low 60s.
"It just looks like this year they went solely
off RPI (rankings)," said Murphy.
If that was the case last season, Purdue should
have been playing ball in late May, long after the Big Ten Tournament.
Of course the Big Ten showing by the Boilers didn't
help their case, but that, according to Murphy, shouldn't be the sole
reason for the lack of consideration.
"When you’re the second seed, if you don't
win the tournament, then you don't do anything but hurt yourself," Murphy
said. "But, tough teams and kids that persevere in tough situations
find a way to do it and we didn't get it done."
Or did they?
Purdue's overall record is better than a number
of teams. Most shocking is Houston's invitation despite its 29-28 record.
Justification: the Cougars went 20-9 against Conference USA teams, while
losing 15 games to tough teams like Baylor, Cal State Fullerton, LSU,
USC and Rice. Houston like Purdue, however, went 0-2 in its conference
tournament. The University of South Florida and its 32-28 overall record
was also a surprise, especially considering the Bulls went 16-11 in
the same C-USA that Houston dominated.
A record eight SEC teams were selected to participate
in this year's tournament, two more than their previous high of six.
Purdue is not alone in feeling left out. Southwest
Missouri State won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title,
ending a 14-year reign held by Wichita State. But the Bears lost their
final four regular season games and went 1-2 in the conference tournament
— proving that regular season titles simply weren't enough to get
invited. The Shockers too were left out — first time since 1986
Wichita State hasn't received a regional bid — as the Missouri
Valley Conference received only one invitation.
The Bears' story is just one of several that feel
left out from postseason play this year. Northwestern State won the
Southland Conference regular season title, but not the tournament championship;
therefore being left out of NCAA regional play. The same thing happened
to Eastern Illinois, despite its 35-20 overall and 19-1 Ohio Valley
Conference record in the regular season. They too were seemingly snubbed
due to a 1-2 postseason tournament performance.
Murphy, who joined Purdue's staff with head coach
Doug Schreiber in 1998, said that although it would be easy to blame
others for selection snubs, tournament-hungry teams can do only one
thing and that's win. That goes for his Boilermakers as well.
"Somehow we have to be that team that doesn't allow
a committee to determine your fate," Murphy said.
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