Milwaukee leads the Horizon League in team ERA at 4.85. That isn't a glowing endorsement for the current group of men on the mound in the HL.
When scrolling through Milwaukee's stat page on their website batting statistics are placed first. The Panthers top three batters all have an OPS over 1.000. That's incredible offense, even for college. With that type of offense you don't have to scroll too far down the page to see why this is a 15-16 team. Milwaukee has one pitcher on their entire staff with an ERA below 4.47. Only one pitcher on the team has a K/BB ratio above 2:1. In fact, Milwaukee has struck out fewer batters than anyone in the league. This team is a conference contender. Why? Because the rest of the league struggles to get outs as well.
ERA Team Leaders
1. Wisconsin-Milwaukee – 4.85
2. Wright State – 5.76
3. Valparaiso – 5.95
4. Youngstown State – 6.48
5. Butler – 7.55
6. Cleveland State – 8.73
7. UIC – 9.01
Those numbers are ugly. UIC was in the league championship game last year. So why is each team in the HL struggling to get outs?
Well, simply put, the Horizon League isn't known for its baseball. They're currently 26th out of 32 Division I conferences in RPI. Another reason for all of the offense is aluminum bats and smaller fields. It's also easier to get in the cage and hit batting practice for hours than it is to develop a changeup. Strict pitch counts and concern for arm injuries can make it tough to get the innings necessary to develop good pitching.
The lack of great pitching could make for an incredible HL baseball tournament in late May. Valpo, currently leading the league at 5-1, hosts the tournament with a chance to get their first HL baseball championship. With so few pitchers in the HL getting strikeouts it could be defense that determines the league winner.
Whatever happens, expect plenty of fireworks and high-scoring games at the Steel Yard. Dimensions for the U.S. Steel Yard include 320 feet down the left field line. I'd get a seat in the outfield. There will probably be some souvenirs hit.
