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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: April 24
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Spencer
12:07
What was the reasoning behind Wake staying above SC? I understand not dropping a team after winning a series, but Wake doesn’t seem to have as good of a resume as SC after this weekend
Kendall Rogers
12:07
Spencer -- Wake is a very good baseball team, who, after losing a Friday game, proceeded to score 40 runs in the final two games to win the series. You can look at Wake's club and there's not really a weakness at all. In addition, Wake's club is finally healthy again with the return of Nick Kurtz and some others. The margin for the top three is very much razor thin, but to say SC is 'clearly' ahead of Wake is incorrect IMO.
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Baron
12:09
A lot has been made recently regarding Texas Tech's poll ranking vs. their RPI. You guys have them #14 in the poll vs an RPI of #65 today. Will the committee look further into their resume than just what the final RPI says? RPI has definitely benefitted Tech in the past, so its hard for Red Raiders to complain about the RPI metric... But it seems like this year the RPI is giving them fits despite them having taken care of business 8 of the 10 weekends they've hit the field this year. They lost 2 of 3 in Houston at the Shriners (both losses by a combined 3 runs)... and were swept in Austin (two losses on walkoffs). Outside of that, they've taken care of business every other weekend out... Which includes series wins over OSU, TCU, Iowa and Oklahoma. Personally, I feel Tech maybe isn't quite as good as the #14 ranking... But is nowhere near as bad as the #65 RPI.
Kendall Rogers
12:09
Baron - I think you could have Texas Tech ranked anywhere from 12-22 and I don't think any of those rankings would be inaccurate. To answer your question, they might look beyond the RPI a little bit, but think about TCU last season. The Frogs won the Big 12 regular season title and did not host a regional. I expect Tech to pretty much be in the same position if it wins the league title. It stinks for sure because we as the human polls like Tech, but the RPI is the RPI. WTS - let's say Tech finishes strong and rolls through the Big 12 tournament. Maaaaybe there's a pathway?
Power Major
12:11
The preseason saw just 2 Power Majors represented in the Top 25 (ECU, Southern Miss), but we are now looking at 6 with 3 inside the top 10. Are you ready to stamp Coastal, Campbell, UConn, & ECU as hosts, and is DBU more likely than a 2nd Pac school?
Kendall Rogers
12:11
Power -- I feel pretty good about UCONN and Coastal Carolina as hosts right now. I have concerns about ECU staying within range with its American record suffering and that league being awful from an RPI standpoint. ECU's margin for error is zero moving forward. Same goes for Campbell and margin for error. DBU is the intriguing one to me. With Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State all not host-worthy at the moment, DBU would be a natural host at this point. Not only is the RPI in range, but it would help geographically as well.
Brad
12:12
What are the chances Coastal Carolina hosts and actually gets out of a regional with their pitching. I love your coverage!
Kendall Rogers
12:12
Brad -- I will let Aaron expand on this since he was in Conway this past weekend, but that's a serious concern of mine. Yes, Coastal can hit with pretty much anyone in the country, and Potok is a quality starter. But this is a team that could be in big trouble in a regional if it doesn't just win out through the entire thing. WTS -- perhaps Coastal will get it together on the mound down the stretch, but yes, that's a concern of mine.
Roberto
12:14
Is Clemson in for y’all at this point?
Kendall Rogers
12:14
Clemson would be in for me at this point. The RPI is up to 22 and it's sitting at .500 in the ACC right now. Certainly not out of the woods just yet -- but sitting in a pretty solid spot. What a nice turnaround as of late by Erik Bakich's club.
Kevin R.
12:15
Does the way in which LSU is winning games alter your view on them at all? For example, they "barely" beat Ole Miss (albeit, a sweep) while Wake Forest is scoring a gabillion runs. Does that matter at all to you? Or just the fact that they won is good enough for you.
Kendall Rogers
12:15
KR -- I think I feel more confident about Wake Forest just because it's just crushing people. But sometimes it really builds character and strength in a team when you're just clawing your way past teams. Look at Tennessee last year -- the Vols obliterated a bunch of teams, but when the dust settled in the postseason in a close game, they didn't handle it especially well. Getting obsessed with how teams are winning in baseball is very much overrated IMO.
cool 2 crying 2
FittsMagic
12:17
How murky is the case for Big 10 at-large bids? Maryland sits at #72 on Boyd's and has IU (#24) this weekend. Is this a play-in series for the Terps?
Kendall Rogers
12:17
Fitt -- I think the league is going to get three bids at the moment. Right now, Indiana is clearly a very safe bet, and I think Iowa would get in as of today. That leaves you one more spot for Rutgers or Maryland. So, yep, a Terps series win this weekend would likely vault them in my eyes. Three is certainly not a guarantee, but that's where I'm leaning as we sit here on Monday.
Jay
12:19
How should Notre Dame be feeling about their at-large chances after a weekend sweep of Virginia?
Kendall Rogers
12:19
I am feeling better about the Irish after the sweep of Virginia. I don't particularly like the H2H series loss to North Carolina, but ND is two games ahead of North Carolina overall in the ACC and is 11 spots higher in the RPI. For those two reasons, I would have ND ahead of UNC in the pecking order.
FittsMagic
12:20
It would appear that Eddie Pellagrini Diamond (BC) has a "fixed capacity of 1,000, but is expandable to 2,500 for championship events." Is this enough room for a regional and how do we get the Sox to leave town so that Fenway is open? The potential of having Northeastern & Harvard in the mix might be too New England for Aaron to go elsewhere that wekend!
Kendall Rogers
12:20
That is enough to host a regional. UCLA hosts all the time and plays in a tiny stadium from a capacity standpoint. If BC hosts, it will be on campus -- it will not be at Fenway (at least that is what I've been told).
Jack
12:21
The Big 12 is crazy this year. Who, if anyone, has the best chance to host out of the Big 12? And who do you like the most come tournament time to make a run, if anyone?
Kendall Rogers
12:21
Jack -- I would say West Virginia right now followed by Oklahoma State. I think the two weekend stretch of TCU and Kansas on the road is going to be difficult for Texas, but I'm also not counting them out. I think OSU rights the ship a little bit once Nolan McLean returns and stabilizes things. It sounds like he's trending toward coming back soon.
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RollWave
12:24
Too many impatient forum fans in the SEC, so it is refreshing to see what Mark Kingston is doing at South Carolina this season a year after Ole Miss fans for calling for the head of a future national champion coach. In this Portal World, how vital is stability and what is the carousel landscape looking like for the summer?
Kendall Rogers
12:24
Stability is massive, but I would also say that if you have NIL dollars and know how to play the portal, the ability to turn the corner in short order is not as hard as it once was -- just ask Texas A&M and South Carolina, along with LSU and Arizona State. As for the carousel, I think the SEC will have one or two changes (probably one), and as for the other leagues, I would expect it to be about normal -- anywhere from 25-30 HC change nationwide.
Give ‘Em Hell Devils
12:25
Were you more impressed by ASU’s resiliency to overcome big deficits all weekend against Oregon State, or more concerned with all the sloppy play and walks by pitchers? As an ASU fan I’m going with the latter. Gotta figure that stuff out
Kendall Rogers
12:25
I think sloppy play is concerning, but it says something about a team when you can play like crud at times and STILL find a way to win a massive series against a good Oregon State team. Would I recommend that type of play in the postseason? Nah. But this ASU team is still growing. I was encouraged by their ability to fight back throughout the weekend. You cannot coach that.
Phil
12:29
What do you think of UNCW?
Kendall Rogers
12:29
Phil - I think they're a really solid club. As a matter of fact, I wrote about the Seahawks last week. Clearly, they have some really nice pieces at the plate with freshman Tanner Thach having a powerful freshman season and Jac Croom having a breakout season. But they also have some dudes on the mound with Jacob Shafer on the front end and fireballer Brett Banks at the backend. Really dangerous club, IMO.
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JB
12:32
What does K-State have to do in the month of May to make the tournament?  Love the site, you guys are the best!
Kendall Rogers
12:32
JB -- First of all, really nice road series win over a quality UCI club this past weekend. Second, it starts with this weekend's series in Manhattan against Texas Tech. KSU is right behind Tech in the RPI (68), so it feels to me like that's a must-win series at this point. Win that series and Kansas State has a pathway to making the NCAA tournament, IMO. This is a much improved team, but like Texas Tech, is being held down by the RPI to some degree.
Pirate
12:33
How does East Carolinas terribly lackluster road record affect their chances of hosting? I know Clark LeClair Stadium is one of the toughest places to play in the country, but they have to right the ship on the road record
Kendall Rogers
12:33
I said this earlier, but the conference record and that league as a whole being an RPI anchor concerns me about ECU. The Pirates are down to 15 in the RPI, and if I'm being honest, I don't see them holding that RPI moving forward. Being 5-8 on the road is an eyesore, too, especially when other host contenders like BC and UCONN have 14 or more road wins.
LATechReport
12:34
How can LA Tech justify all the money they spent on baseball with this awful season? Why did they extend Burroughs??
Kendall Rogers
12:34
LATech -- my long-term vision of a program extends well beyond one season. Let's not remember that friggin' Louisiana TECH hosted a regional a couple of years ago AND finished last season with 43 wins. if La Tech struggles next yeare, we can have this discussion. But for now, he's easily the most successful coach in La Tech history in my lifetime.
jay
12:36
Is the loser of the conference USA championchip (utsa/dallas baptist) will they still be in the field 100% and not even be on the bubble.(assuming they keep winning and playing how they are now for the rest of the season)
Kendall Rogers
12:36
Jay -- it would be a travesty right now if either UTSA or DBU didn't make the tournament field. DBU would for sure. UTSA would, too. I feel pretty comfortable about both.
Kyle
12:37
How does Chase Dollander's performance against Vanderbilt impact his draft stock? How much impact can one game really have on such a thing?
Kendall Rogers
12:37
Kyle -- I would still draft Chase Dollander very high just based on the potential and the stuff alone., You're still talking about a guy with an elite fastball and a devastating off speed pitch when it's on. I also love his demeanor and makeup. His stock hasn't changed that much for me.
Hammer
12:37
Duke Baseball - We do not only have to be discussing a Top 20 ranking but now hosting correct? Duke sits atop the Coastal Division now! 14-16 National Seed? I’m looking forward to your discussion on the ACC as it sits after the weekend. And I know the easy response is to say wait to after this week…Campbell & 3 at Virginia, I get it but these boys deserve some praise. They continue to find ways to win, a very scary team to face!
Aaron Fitt
12:37
Yeah I'm pretty amazed by what Duke is doing, without Luke Fox and Jonathan Santucci. I was really nervous about that club after Santucci went down, but they just keep on cobbling it together on the mound -- love the way that coaching staff has built the pitching staff from the back end forward. Right now I would definitely have Duke as one of the top 16 hosts.
Hoosier
12:39
Was Indiana close to being ranked? Also is there any chance both Indiana and Indiana State host?
Kendall Rogers
12:39
Hoosier -- Indiana was in the mix with about 8 or 9 different teams. It was a really tough week to debate the four new teams in the rankings. As for hosting, there's a possibility both Indiana and Indiana State host, but I wouldn't count on it. One of those two teams will fall down the pecking order at some point, IMO.
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