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D1Baseball 2020 Preseason Rankings Chat
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Eric Simmons
1:02
What team that's not in your Preseason Top 25 will surprise?
Kendall Rogers
1:02
Eric -- Texas is kind of the team outside of the Top 25 that I could see being very good if everything clicks. The Longhorns will start three freshmen in the infield. And while I think Trey Faltine and Dre Duplantier will be good, expecting all three to be productive as freshmen is a tough ask. WTS -- The outfield is in strong shape, getting DJ Petrinsky back is massive and I still like the pitching staff with Bryce Elder and Ty Madden leading the way. It would not shock me to see Texas finish in the Top 15 by season's end. Just too many ?'s right now.
Aaron Fitt
1:03
Hello gang, excited for another year of talking college baseball with you all. Let's dive in!
Russell Glenn
1:06
I noticed only one non power 5 team ,East Carolina, made your pre-season top 25.  Who are some other non 5 teams that could make a dent this year?
Aaron Fitt
1:06
Coastal Carolina is an obvious one that comes to mind for me. The Chants have some youth in their lineup, but I really like the talent of freshmen like Eric Brown and Brian Port plus juco transfers Fox Leum and Alex Gattinelli, who could provide some punch. Obviously there's a nice core up the middle with Parker Chavers and Scott McKeon leading the way. If Zach McCambley, Shaddon Peavyhouse and Garrett McDaniels can pitch up to their talent, the Chants have a chance to make plenty of noise.
Sam
1:07
what kinda season do you Ucsb will have
Kendall Rogers
1:07
Sam -- UCSB is a huge ? this season. There's no doubt the Gauchos will be a confident club after what they did last season. And while I love Rodney Boone on the front end and Michael McGreevy at the backend, there are just too many question marks right now. The good news? Pretty much the rest of the Big West is in the same boat.
Mac
1:09
Can't disagree with your preseason poll.  Louisville was a championship quality team last year and don't seem to have lost much.  Vandy also has a solid pitching returning from 2019.  How do the two pitching staffs compare considering the starters and relief/closer?
Aaron Fitt
1:09
I think the rotations are just about a push. Detmers/Miller/Smith has as much upside as any trio in the country... but Vandy still has two proven championship-caliber weekend starters in Rocker and Hickman, plus two premium talents vying for the Sunday job in Jake Eder and Jack Leiter. I like Louisville's bullpen too with Michael Kirian anchoring things, but I'd give Vandy a slight edge with Tyler Brown and Ethan Smith leading the way. But Louisville has the more experienced and proven lineup, which is why the Cards ultimately got the nod for the top spot.
Matt
1:09
What do you think will be the biggest keys for Arkansas to finally break that final barrier and hoist a national title trophy?
Kendall Rogers
1:09
Matt -- Arkansas will get there at some point. I have zero doubt. I don't think there's anything the Hogs could have done differently in the past. They had one bad play that spiraled everything out of control two seasons ago. That's pretty much it. Hogs will have an incredibly potent offense this spring. If Noland/Wicklander can take steps forward, the sky is the limit for this team. I'm also excited to see what Peyton Pallette is all about.
Guest
1:12
Probably not in the Top 25 discussion, but where would you rank the Cajuns?
Aaron Fitt
1:12
Definitely an interesting squad, I saw them play pretty well in Starkville this fall. I have some questions about the lineup outside Hayden Cantrelle and Brennan Breaux, but there's upside there, especially if athletes like Alex Hannie, Gavin Bourgeois and Jonathan Windham can continue to make strides. I think the top five or six arms are pretty good too, but I'm not sold on the overall pitching depth. Feels like a potential regional team, but not a slam dunk.
Guest
1:14
Wanna hear pitching preview of Wake Forest. I guess there's too poor SPs as #18 position. Will they be able to recover from awful 2019 rotation?
Aaron Fitt
1:14
I am really intrigued by the upside of that Wake Forest pitching staff -- Tom Walter thinks it's the deepest and most talented staff he's ever had, comfortably nine or 10 quality arms deep. There's no question about the arm strength of likely weekend starters Jared Shuster, Ryan Cusick and Will Fleming -- those are all guys who can work in the mid-90s and miss bats with their secondary pitches... they've just got to do it for a full season. I believe that staff is going to be very good, but it's still a bit of an unknown right now, so it makes sense to be a little cautious with our projections. But that should be one of the best offenses in the country, without question.
HawkTalk
1:17
How would you break down the top starting pitching rotations in the nation?
Aaron Fitt
1:17
I already broke down Vandy and Louisville -- those are very clearly two of the three best rotations, in my opinion. I think the other rotation in that same category is Georgia, with flame-throwers Emerson Hancock and Cole Wilcox plus a proven lefty in C.J. Smith. I think you could rank those three rotations in any order, really -- but I think there's some separation between those three and the other best rotations. Florida, Miami, Auburn, LSU and Florida State would be the next tier for me, in some order. Lots of very exciting arms in that group, but also some more question marks.
Tony
1:17
UCLA has to fill a lot of holes in its lineup this year. What's your level of confidence in guys like Schwartz, Moberg, Perez, Curialle, etc.?
Kendall Rogers
1:17
UCLA definitely has some holes to fill from an offensive standpoint, but I also think there's a decent nucleus there with the return of Garrett Mitchell as the obvious big-time bat, while I think a guy like Matt McClain takes a sizable step forward in 2020. Kevin Kendall also is back. In essence, there are offensive options here. Do I expect UCLA to be great offensively? Nah, but I also don't think it has to be with the pitching as good as it will be.
Will
1:22
What is your biggest concerns with Texas Techs squad?
Aaron Fitt
1:22
We always give Texas Tech's offense the benefit of the doubt, because those guys always hit... but there are a lot of less proven faces in that lineup this year, and no more Josh Jung and Cam Warren to anchor everything. I suspect this year's Raiders will have some growing pains offensively, but certainly the talent remains intriguing. And while they've got some big-time power arms expected to work in the rotation, I need to see guys like McMillon and Bonnin establish themselves as consistent strike-throwers in starting roles. I'd say overall there's a little more risk with the Raiders this year than usual. But obviously we still really like the potential and we believe in the coaching staff, that's why Tech is still ranked as high as it is.
JoshW2571
1:22
Most interesting early series matchup?
Kendall Rogers
1:22
Louisville at Ole Miss opening weekend is outstanding. But the one for me is Florida at Miami. Miami is ranked slightly ahead of Florida and that's a huge series for the Hurricanes in terms of just setting the narrative for the season in that state.
Guest
1:26
Who are the teams in the B1G that could make some noise far into the post season similar to what Michigan did in 2019?
Kendall Rogers
1:26
Guest -- The Big Ten has several teams that could make some noise with Michigan and Minnesota standing out to me. Michigan is the obvious one and we won't dive into them too much. But Minnesota looks really strong with a very good weekend rotation with Max Meyer and Patrick Frederickson leading the charge. Sam Thoreson is another high-quality arm. If the Gophers hit -- they can be an Omaha quality club. I also think Ohio State has a strong one-two punch on the mound with Lonsway and Burhenn. Keep an eye on Indiana and Nebraska as well, while Iowa, as usual, should be on anyone's radar.
Josh
1:28
How does Mississippi State matchup with Oregon State and Texas Tech early in the season?
Aaron Fitt
1:28
I'm really high on Mississippi State this year -- I think you could make a strong case for the Bulldogs as high as No. 4 or 5 in the rankings, and there's very little separation between teams 5-12 in my mind -- you could line those up in a lot of different orders. So I think MSU will be a heavy favorite against a much less experienced Oregon State team in Week 2. MSU and Tech are pretty comparable in my mind, but the Bulldogs have a few advantages. Very few teams in the country have four players anchoring the lineup who are as good as Rowdey Jordan, Justin Foscue, Jordan Westburg and Tanner Allen. And JT Ginn should be one of the best aces in the country this year, but he won't be pitching in a midweek game against Tech. Both teams have pitching depth, but Tech probably has the more experienced bullpen, which could loom large in a two-game midweek set. Should be a great early-season test for both teams; if MSU's talented freshmen arms mature quickly, they could be very good in the midweek.
RCS
1:28
Do you see the Aggies making an improvement at the plate this year? If they do, will they be a top 10 team?
Kendall Rogers
1:28
RCS -- That's the million dollar question. The Aggies will have the pitching to do some very special things, but you still have to hit. I tend to believe Chad Caillet will change the dynamic of the A&M offense enough to make it much more productive. A great lineup? Not at all, but definitely more dynamic. I look for guys like Cam Blake and Mikey Hoehner to having strong years, while I'm intrigued to see if Bryce Blaum builds off last year's incredible finish from an offensive standpoint.
Adam
1:30
With Miami at 3, do you see McFarlane developing this year as a midweek starter? Also do you see this team getting back to Omaha for the first time since 16?
Aaron Fitt
1:30
Yeah, I'd expect McFarlane to cut his teeth as the Tuesday guy this year, with Van Belle, McMahon and Cecconi holding down the weekend spots. That's some serious talent on the mound for Miami, and having an elite talent like McFarlane for those critical midweek games against quality Sunshine State competition is a very nice luxury. Yes, I think this is an Omaha team -- I have a lot of conviction in that pick.
Sparky the Sun Devil
1:31
How do you see the Pac-12 playing out this year? Also is this the first season they will have a conference tournament?
Kendall Rogers
1:31
Sparky -- the conference tournament isn't coming this year. Potentially next year, but it's far from a done deal at this point. I like Arizona State, UCLA and Stanford on paper, while Oregon State is probably right there behind those teams. The team that might intrigue me the most is Arizona. The Wildcats are going to hit, hit, hit -- if Nate Yeskie can work some wonders with the pitching staff, Arizona has a lot of upside, IMO.
Alan
1:33
I saw Kendall's comment on Twitter about Florida having a very good weekend rotation. Even as a Florida fan, I'm pretty surprised by that comment. I like the depth of the overall staff, but I actually see the rotation as the weakest point of the team. There's no All-American type like usual and Mace/Leftwich seem like just average at best guys in the SEC. What am I missing?
Aaron Fitt
1:33
If you're looking only at last year's numbers, you're right -- Mace and Leftwich struggled last year. But they both have serious potential -- it's legit Friday night talent for both of these guys, and I expect them to blossom into reliable frontline starters as juniors. It takes some guys longer than others to get there, but we've seen other power arms come into their own as juniors before at Florida (Dane Dunning comes to mind -- these guys might follow a similar trajectory). I also love Hunter Barco, I think he's gonna be a stud from the outset of his career. And guys like Nick Pogue, David Luethje and Ben Specht all have obvious weekend starter ability as well, giving the Gators plenty of other options if somebody falters. Those are all power-armed sophomores that should take big steps forward this year. In sum -- yes, there's still some risk with that rotation, those guys need to prove themselves. But I think it's the deepest pitching staff in the country, and Sully will find a way to put the right guys i
Cap
1:35
what Preseason (non league) tourney or matchup are you most looking forward to this spring?
Aaron Fitt
1:35
Kendall's going to two very good early tournaments in Round Rock and then Shriners, but I'm going to the Frisco Classic in Week 3, and I'm very excited about that field: three Top 25 teams (Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and UCLA) plus a quality Big Ten team in Illinois. That's gonna be fun.
MsStateBaseballFan
1:36
Kendall, when do you plan on visiting the New Dude? Arkansas Series will be the best home series we have unless Oregon State surprises.
Kendall Rogers
1:36
My plan is to make Arkansas my first series at the new Dude. Aaron hogged the Dude all to himself last year. :)
southernbeav
1:38
Where did Oregon State fall just outside of the top 25? I know it's a complete rebuilding year for the Beavs with the coaching staff and then pretty much of every position, except for a couple of players. Know the talent is there, just unproven.
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