Big format change in MSL

This has already been a baseball season of significant change with the IHSA mandated use of less-livelier BBCOR bats.

Another big change occurs Monday in the Mid-Suburban League when its 16-game schedule gets underway. Teams will now play the same division opponent in Monday-Wednesday two-game series and then play a crossover against the other division on Fridays.

In the past, the 16-game schedule was broken up into three parts — five division games, six crossovers which count in the league standings and five more division games. So, even though the number of games remains the same, the path to a division title and berth in the MSL title game will be much different.

Barring a crazy series of rainouts — which seems to happen almost every spring except this one so far — teams won't see someone else's ace twice or even three times if they met in the postseason. That's one aspect which coaches liked because the new format puts an emphasis on pitching depth.

The MSL's 16-game, Monday-Wednesday-Friday format always made coaches analyze whether to go to two- or three-man rotations in certain weeks based on the opposition.

Now the question for coaches will be whether or not to use an ace or a No. 2 for a Friday crossover which counts in the standings. However, the in-division games do carry a little more weight because of their use toward the seemingly inevitable tiebreakers used to determine who plays in the MSL championship game.

No schedule format is perfect, however, and one of the best aspects of the old setup was having to finish with games against division opponents. It always added some drama to the division races as it gave the pursuers head-to-head chances to gain ground on the leader or leaders.

Now, it's conceivable the two best teams might play their two-game series at the start of the league schedule. The last two games to finish the schedule are crossovers.

But the schedule changes also increase the likelihood of seeing the aces in a title game. There will now be a three-day gap between the end of the MSL schedule and the title game, which will be on a Friday and will also provide more rest for pitchers before the start of the postseason.

No matter how the schedule is set up, the means justifies the end of continuing one of the best MSL traditions since division play started more than 40 years ago.

The obstacles to a division title may be different. But the reward for the two division-race survivors, a spot in the league's championship showcase, remains the same.

mmaciaszek@dailyherald.com

Mid-Suburban League predictions

East: 1. Rolling Meadows, 2. Hersey, 3. Prospect, 4. Elk Grove, 5. Buffalo Grove, 6. Wheeling.

West: 1. Fremd, 2. Schaumburg, 3. Barrington, 4. Palatine, 5. Hoffman Estates, 6. Conant.