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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: April 11
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Aaron Fitt
12:00
Hello friends, hope you had a great weekend. Let's dive in!
SECbaseball
12:01
Feels like the Vandy panic meter has risen significantly each of the last 3 weeks. Can the ‘Dores right the ship, and more importantly will they?
Kendall Rogers
12:01
SEC,
I still pretty confident that Vanderbilt will figure it out. They are well coached and that's an ultra talented team. With that said, they definitely have zero business being ranked right now. Ultra-light resume and the Commodores need to start winning ... now.  The good thing? They get Florida at home this weekend, and nothing brings out the best in Vandy like that rivalry series with the Gators.
Colin N
12:02
The way UCONN is playing, how do you like their chances of hosting a regional as of right now?
Kendall Rogers
12:02
COLIN -- Connecticut will have next to no chance to host because of its RPI, but that's not really its doing. That league is just not very good from an RPI standpoint. With that said, that's a really good team. Pat Gallagher is very much a legitimate front-line ace. I wouldn't want those guys in my regional.
Mitchell
12:03
What do you make of the SEC past Tennessee right now? It's nothing but a log jam, and with Auburn and Alabama entering the chat, 2-14 just got way more interesting.
Aaron Fitt
12:03
Yeah, logjam is right, Mitchell. I still think Arkansas will settle as the No. 2 team in the league, and certainly you have to like the way Georgia continues to trend, especially now with Liam Sullivan coming back. LSU's offense remains fearsome; in my eyes, those are the top four, the likeliest regional hosts. Then it's anybody's guess, and I think teams 5-12 or so are going to jostle each other for position all year. But I still believe Ole Miss, Florida and Vandy will make runs and separate from that pack a little bit by the end.
JD
12:03
The Beavers just keep scratching out wins!!! Any word on if we will see Jake Pfenning at all the rest of the year?
Kendall Rogers
12:03
JD,
The latest intel I've received suggests that it would be a surprise to see Pfennigs back in the weekend rotation, but we will see. Not having Jake or Will in that rotation the rest of the year would be brutal for the Beavers. We will see how things shake out, though.
willyamking
12:04
How about that red hot DBU offense?! Missouri Valley looks prime for the taking
Aaron Fitt
12:04
Certainly the Patriots remain the team to beat in the MVC, and I think we've been waiting for the offensive outburst we saw this weekend -- felt like only a matter of time before those bats got hot, given the track record of some of those players. And I still like their pitching the best in that league too. Indiana State and SIU look like contenders, and this will probably wind up being a two-bid league, but I like DBU best.
LATechReport
12:05
How is Louisiana Tech not ranked higher after sweeping Rice?
Kendall Rogers
12:05
Louisiana Tech is still lacking high-end wins right now. And BTW, Rice is 9-24 right now, so what Tech did was pretty much expected.
The Real UT Fan
12:05
How good can Tennessee be and how hard is it for Vitello to keep guys happy when there are guys not getting at bats with .400 averages and 4-5 homeruns and guys in the bullpen with sub 2 eras not getting innings?  I know tough place to be.
Aaron Fitt
12:05
I think winning cures all of those sorts of playing time concerns, and this team is winning at a historic clip. But it's great to have the depth they do, gives them a security blanket should injuries strike. I mean heck, just look at how they handled not having Tidwell for half the year -- just absurd how good they are.
Sam Smith
12:07
Which team do you think would give Tennessee the biggest challenge in a three game series
Aaron Fitt
12:07
The way Miami is playing right now, I'd say the Hurricanes feel like the answer. They're one of the few teams out there that can almost match up with Tennessee on the mound, and the Miami offense has gotten so much better as the year has progressed. Feels like a pretty complete club, and red-hot. Would love to see a series between those two teams right now, while both are playing at such a high level.
Chase
12:08
Just curious to what the reason being was to leave Texas but move osu up one and gifting Arkansas 6 after losing badly over the weekend I mean Texas beat tcu osu who moved up once struggled with ou? Logic please….
Kendall Rogers
12:08
Chase -- We think Arkansas should be ahead of Texas, and the better team at this point. Also, the Hogs lost the series finale, on the road, 9-7. I wouldn't really call that 'losing badly', but our definitions could differ. As for the Cowboys, they've been ultra-consistent since that Gonzaga series.
Horn Fan
12:08
Seems like Ok State, Tech, Texas and maybe WVU (I’m not convinced they have staying power) are going to be the class of the Big 12. As of today, who do you think wins the league and how many top-8 seeds are realistic for the Big 12?
Aaron Fitt
12:08
I'm sticking with my preseason pick of Oklahoma State to win the league, though I think Kendall was leaning Texas Tech as of last week, not sure if he has changed his mind on that. Feels like two top-eight seeds and four hosts are real possibilities.
Landon Colloso
12:09
As a pac 12 and Stanford homer, I’ve seen most of the stadiums in the pac 12 but planning two weekend trips to SEC and ACC stadiums. What are your top 3 college baseball environments?
Aaron Fitt
12:09
In no particular order, I'd say Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas and Ole Miss are my four favorites for atmosphere, can't whittle it down to 3.
WC_Drew
12:09
Hey guys, outta curiosity was there a discussion about having Vandy in that #25 spot? And what where the deciding factors that led to Ole Miss being ranked, but not Vandy?
Kendall Rogers
12:09
WC -- Very easy answer on this one. Ole Miss has a road series win over a ranked team (Auburn), a road series win over American leader UCF and a road series win over Kentucky. Vanderbilt? I'm still looking for one decent series win at this point.
JT
12:10
Will Southern Miss be a host In your next regional projection?
Kendall Rogers
12:10
We will see what happens this weekend (our next projections are NEXT week), but USM is up to 11 in the RPI. So, yep, as of right now, the Golden Eagles would no doubt be a host.
JP
12:11
What does @d1baseball see as Southern Miss’ path to a national seed with 24 games & The CUSA tourney (in Hattiesburg) remaining on the schedule?
Aaron Fitt
12:11
To get a top eight, they definitely need to win the C-USA regular-season title and have a strong showing in the conference tourney, because I don't expect their RPI to remain where it is (in great shape at No. 11) based on the overall RPI issues of C-USA. But right now it feels like they're in great shape to host. Really good team that has definitely gelled, and they can pitch with anybody. Plus there's legit power in the order, and I love the defensive personnel. Complete club, and a potential Omaha team for me.
Rod
12:13
Rutgers now 25-6/8-1 in B10, leading a Power 5 in pitching, fielding and hitting. Presumably they are sitting outside top 25 since B10 has had a bit of a down year, but why does northeast neighbor UConn continue to get rewarded for a similarly soft schedule? (Without referencing RPI SOS which we all know is flawed)
Kendall Rogers
12:13
Rod -- Good question. We discussed Rutgers for the Top 25 this week, but I definitely wouldn't say its resume sniffs UCONN. UCONN has a win over Louisville (on the weekend), a road win over USC, a road series win over Pepperdine, who is decent this season. Rutgers' marquee win so far? I'm trying to find it ... and oh yeah, there's a little series loss at Omaha. RU is damn good but clearly behind UCONN in the pecking order and resume wise.
JP
12:13
Who makes the tourney at the end of the season Ole Miss or Mississippi State? If either make it (because both likely won’t as of now) are they sent to Hattiesburg as a #3 seed?
Aaron Fitt
12:13
As of today, I think Ole Miss will still get hot and cruise into a regional, but certainly there are reasons to be concerned with the pitching. I just think the position player group is too good to be denied. I'm a little more concerned about Mississippi State, they just have not been able to string together any kind of sustained success, and it's starting to feel like maybe this just isn't their year. I bet Ole Miss winds up as a 2-seed, and quite possibly in Hattiesburg.
Bama 1957
12:14
Is parity in the SEC affecting the Top 10? I can’t remember the last time that the Big 12 and the ACC BOTH had more teams ranked in Top 10 than the SEC. Tell me Wake Forest was #26 in your debates.
Aaron Fitt
12:14
I think that's a fair assessment -- parody, but also some expected marquee teams simply under-achieving to this point. Wake Forest was right there on the cusp, I think they may have been team 26 in our debates, yes.
Guest
12:15
What is going on with Tristan Stevens? He has been roughed up 2 of his last 3 outings and UT has lost all 3 big 12 games where he pitches. Seems to me Texas could be in trouble if he can't figure things out.
Kendall Rogers
12:15
Guest -- You are right, Texas needs to get Tristan Stevens right. The problem with Steven is that if he's not clicking on absolutely all cylinders, he can be hit, and be hit hard. But when his command is on, he's very tough to establish offensive production against. Right now, he's the guy who holds the key for this team moving forward.
TomD
12:16
Any updated thoughts on Creighton's postseason chances? They have won 14 straight at home and are slowly moving up in the RPI - with huge series coming up against Arizona and UConn. Top 20 in the country in team ERA and up to .274 batting avg as a team.
Aaron Fitt
12:16
Still an uphill battle for an at-large bid, and I wouldn't count on it -- just too many bad RPI weekends ahead in the Big East that will drag them down more than the Arizona and UConn series can really help them. But the Bluejays do sound good, and have a chance to beat out UConn for the Big East crown. Certainly Creighton feels like UConn's biggest challenger.
Jim from ACC Land
12:18
How about my boys at Pitt?  Getting back on track with three straight ACC series wins.  Explosive Offense, fun to watch.  Big week ahead at home vs. Virginia.  Are the Panthers getting close to the Top 25 discussions?
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