League strength helps build playoff resumes
Editor’s note: This column is part of a continuing series examining how the current CIF playoff seeding system came to be and how that formula is applied to the athletic programs in Imperial Valley.
The strength of the Imperial Valley League’s seven baseball teams comes into focus as we look at how relative league parity equals “winwin” games when it comes to power rankings and playoffs.
Previously, we discussed how higher division teams in certain sports can struggle to build up their power rankings when they compete in leagues made up primarily of lower division teams.
In an era when divisional assignments and playoff seeding are based almost exclusively on competitive strength, wins against lower-division league opponents count for nil, and losses are disastrous.
Conversely, when the league is more competitively balanced, both in terms of power rankings and divisional placements, teams benefit.
Last week we cited the example of the seven IVL softball teams, four of which are in Division II and none in Division V, to illustrate this point. For instance, the D-II Imperial softball team this season has eight “win-win” league games versus only four of the “no-win” variety. By comparison, the Tigers D-I girls basketball team played 10 “no-win” games.
By “no-win,” we are not dismissing the victory but rather describing the dilemma it represents.
A similar situation exists in IVL baseball where three teams are in D-II, led by division returnee Brawley; Imperial, runners-up in last year’s D-III championship, and Southwest.
The IVL in baseball isn’t quite as balanced as it is in softball, with Holtville in D-III and Calexico, Central and Palo Verde all in D-IV. That disparity, however, is related more to 2018 statistics than current ones. For most of this season, all the IVL baseball teams have had positive power-rankings, something we have not seen in any other sport this year.
Attribute those high power-rankings to a competitive league and playing strong nonleague schedules, both of which were true of softball as well.
With the playoffs still a few weeks away, Southwest and Imperial are in solid positions for the D-II playoffs as Southwest (17-4, 10-0 IVL) currently ranks fifth (12.6 power ranking) while Imperial (16-7, 8-2 IVL) ranks 10th (9.6).
Similarly, the IVL’s D-IV teams appear to be riding a wave of “good wins” against each other and “good losses” versus higher division opponents.
All three D-IV teams are strong candidates for the playoffs, with Palo Verde (4.4) ranked fifth, Central (3.6) sixth and Calexico (0.2) ninth.
Meanwhile, the IVL’s only D-III team, Holtville (711, 1-7 IVL), is caught in the middle of the IVL and CIF, benefitting from the “good losses” to the D-II teams (their strength-of-schedule is 2.2), but with “bad losses” to D-IV teams, their power ranking of minus-1.8 finds them currently ranked last in D-III.
A look at the predictability of Holtville’s baseball team not making the playoffs will be examined along with other baseball-related issues next week.
Updating IVL softball, Central (D-III) won two IVL games last week, and enters spring break leading the IVL standings at 7-1 (10.1 power ranking).
It will be interesting to follow the remaining IVL softball games as D-II teams Brawley (6-1), Imperial (7-2) and Southwest (5-4) all have legitimate championship hopes.