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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: April 4
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Aaron Fitt
12:00
Hello friends, happy Monday. Let's get after it!
StanFan
12:01
Coach Esquer pulling some strings this week, moving Mathews from Saturday to the pen. Worked as planned, with QM getting the save Friday and going 7inn of 1-run ball in relief on Sunday while the bats got them back in it. Has DE said if they’ll continue using an opener on Sunday, or will QM start if not needed Friday?
Aaron Fitt
12:01
Loved that adjustment from Stanford, made a lot of sense to bring some stability to the bullpen, and find a way to maximize what they can get out of Mathews. I haven't heard what they plan to do going forward, but I kinda like this model for the time being.
Cody D
12:02
If Auburn has a 3-1 week with a series win over Vandy this weekend, how close are they to breaking into the rankings? What are your overall thoughts on the Tigers and how they stack in the SEC West?
Aaron Fitt
12:02
Yeah a 3-1 week with a series win over Vandy would definitely get Auburn ranked, I think -- they were a big part of our discussion in the Top 25 this week. That Middle Tennessee series loss is the only real blemish, and that probably kept them out of the Top 25 for one more week. But I like how they're playing, and feels like they are knocking on the door.
Guest
12:05
Ole Miss fan here. The Rebels and Commodores have both experienced a sweep at the hands of Tennessee in the last two weeks. Both have seen substantial drops in ranking and rightfully so. However, Oregon State loses a series to Stanford and sees only a mild drop. I haven’t seen the Beavers play, but I’d it fair to say that in each of those respective series losses, you saw more weaknesses with Ole Miss and Vandy than you did with Oregon State? Or is it possible that Tennessee is just that good?
Aaron Fitt
12:05
A number of factors at play here. One is that Oregon State did not get swept, while Ole Miss and Vandy did. This was also OSU's first stumble, but Vandy has lost three series and doesn't have a series win against anything close to an at-large caliber club. Ole Miss has a better resumé, with series wins on the road at UCF (a weekend that looks even better now after the Knights took down USF) and Auburn, but admittedly we were a little spooked by the state of the Ole Miss pitching staff last week, so we reacted a little more strongly there. Overall it does feel like the Beavers have a better body of work than the other two.
DrinkingMoreHeavily@LDC
12:05
As crazy as this sounds, is it wrong to feel ok about the Frogs moving forward knowing that a Krob Return and an inevitable (hopefully) rotation of Cornelio, Krob, and/or Savage, Perez, Bolden is in the near future?
Kendall Rogers
12:05
Drinking -- Ask me again about TCU after the weekend, but I actually still feel just fine about the Frogs. Krob is coming back soon, and the rotation is fine. The fact of the matter is that TCU lost the series because of a freak play in the series opener. It's not like it was ugly, ugly series loss, and frankly, WVU is a solid club. Looking forward to getting my eyes on Kirk's club this weekend.
Will
12:06
Is Jake Gelof the leader right now for player of the year?
Aaron Fitt
12:06
I would say he clearly is for me. Leads the nation in OPS, home runs and RBIs, and doing it for an elite team. Controlling the strike zone very well too. He's just blossomed into a superstar right before our eyes. Amazing hitter.
cool 2
waynie
12:07
When will regional projections come out? as of now who are 1-8 national seeds
Kendall Rogers
12:07
Wednesday is your lucky day, Waynie. I'd give you my eight seeds, but The Nerd In Chief Mark Etheridge would need to weigh in as well. I'll say this -- Tennessee would be my top seed. :)
JT
12:08
Stanford has a neutral site win over #2 Arkansas and two wins on the road at #5 Oregon State and that's not enough to crack your top 25 when everyone else has the Card ranked among their top 15. What gives, especially when the only thing Dallas Baptist has done of note is sweep No. 18 Southern Mississippi?
Aaron Fitt
12:08
We did strongly debate bringing Stanford back in this week, but they're still just 14-9 overall and 6-6 in the Pac. They've played some good opponents, but they're still a week away from having a Top 25 resumé, in our eyes. Good recovery from that 1-5 start in the Pac though -- definitely trending in the right direction.
RonDMC
12:08
With TX Tech struggling on Sunday the last 2 series, do you guys see that as a concern going forward in the season?
Kendall Rogers
12:08
So, Texas Tech is one of those really weird teams. I'm concerned about their ability to get to Omaha because their pitching drops off a bit after the first two days, but they sure are hitting the ball at an impressive clip. I'd say I'm worried, but I've learned by now not to doubt Tim Tadlock too much.
Derek
12:10
What impressed you most about Miami that made them jump to 8? How high in the rankings could they get with a series win against Virginia this weekend?
Kendall Rogers
12:10
Derek -- We just love the level that Miami is playing at right now. The Canes have some REALLY nice pieces. For instance, Carson Palmquist entered the spring as a proven commodity, but Karson Ligon has really blossomed as a top notch weekend starter as of late. And everyone knows the bullpen is terrific at the back end with Andrew Walters leading the way. I'm still not sure I'd put Miami's offense in some elite category, but frankly, I don't think Miami 'needs' an elite offense with some of the mound pieces.
cool 1
Tony Vitello
12:11
What am I going to do with blade Tidwell?
laughing 5
Kendall Rogers
12:11
You're going to use Blade Tidwell as a long relief, key bullpen piece. He's the absolute perfect security blanket in case someone has a bad start. But hell Tony, maybe you won't get a bad start this spring? Tell Mike Honcho we said hello please.
laughing 2
Guest
12:14
How did Texas State move up 10 spots?
Kendall Rogers
12:14
Guest -- It was about time the Bobcats made a move given their amazing consistency. Texas State has yet to have a losing weekend, it has a marquee road series win over Arizona, and Coastal Carolina was another quality series win. Texas State can really, really hit, and I actually like some of the pitching pieces, too, with Levi Wells/Zeke Wood, along with my man Tristan Stivors. They are legit.
Peter
12:16
What are your thoughts on the C-USA this year? They had four sure-fire regional teams last year but I don’t see that happening again. How many do you guys think the conference will realistically put into a regional?
Aaron Fitt
12:16
It still feels like a four-bid league to me. Between Southern Miss, La Tech, FAU, ODU, Charlotte and maybe even UAB and UTSA, still feels like you've got 7 viable contenders for 4 spots.
Derek
12:17
With the season now half over, what have been the biggest surprises? Both good and bad.
Kendall Rogers
12:17
Biggest surprise? Texas State as a Top 10 team in April. I think I would've pegged 40-50 teams as a Top 10 team before the Bobcats if you had asked me in the fall.

Biggest disappointment? East Carolina or Mississippi State, but I hesitate because taking Landon Sims and Carson Whisenhunt off any team would be crippling.
Sam Smith
12:17
Will Aaron Fitt finally predict the vols to win a series this weekend? In seriousness how close is anyone to Tennessee right now? Biggest problem this weekend from a Tennessee perspective was that they couldn’t get Blade or Joyce action out of the pen because the starters were too good. It’s just absurd what Tony has built.
Aaron Fitt
12:17
It is absurd; they are just absurdly good. I continue to be dazzled by how well those two freshmen and the sophomore transfer Dollander are pitching in the rotation; you just don't see that kind of dominance from an all-new weekend rotation very often. I thought they might get tripped up on the road against two teams that I still think are very good in Ole Miss and Vandy -- but it was just smooth sailing. Incredible. I am definitely a believer now.
Austin
12:19
Has the bloom come off the rose a bit for two of the ACC's hot starters, UNC and Clemson? What's your level of concern with those two right now?
Aaron Fitt
12:19
Yeah for sure, they've kinda fallen back to earth, particularly Clemson. We regarded both of them as fringe regional teams heading into the year, and it feels like maybe that's where both might wind up, those hot starts notwithstanding. I probably have more confidence in North Carolina's staying power as a back-of-the-top 25 kind of team, however.
Guest
12:21
How close is Auburn to being ranked? I thought a 2 out of 3 series win on the road in Baton Rouge would've done it.
Kendall Rogers
12:21
Guest -- I responded to someone on Twitter earlier this morning, but Auburn is right on the cusp. Frankly, if not for that MTSU series loss, we'd have Auburn ranked right now. But AU has still lost two of its last four series, and that was a pretty bad series loss. WTS - I'm impressed with the way they're playing on the road. Win that series this weekend and AU will be ranked. In terms of the team, I really like some of the pieces Auburn has on the mound. I keyed on Blake Burkhalter when he entered game this past weekend, and that cutter/fastball combo is pretty nasty -- almost Kevin Kopps' esque.
Jon
12:21
Hey Guys, your thoughts on the AAC this year? Seems to be an open race with a bunch of just solid ball clubs. Houston looks improved as well.
Aaron Fitt
12:21
Yeah, it feels like a classic free-for-all in the American, as it is many years. I don't see a clear-cut favorite at the top, and it feels like all those teams are just going to keep beating up on each other all year long, which probably doesn't bode well for the league's chances to get more than two regional bids. You need some separation at the top to get some at-larges. Maybe Tulane or UCF or Houston can separate from the pack a little, right now those feel like the top three teams, but ECU, Wichita and USF all still feel dangerous to me too. I think it's going to be a roller coaster ride.
WC_Drew
12:24
Hey guys, how do you make sense of the Wild (Big) West? Aside from the UC Santa Barbara & Cal Poly looking like the top teams and UC Riverside & UC Davis being terrible, seems like the rest of teams are around the same quality (given this weekend’s topsy-turvy series). Is that a fair assessment?
Aaron Fitt
12:24
Yeah, like the American, this feels like a race that is going to be a wild ride. Good to see Cal Poly get hot after a sluggish start, that team has the talent to make a real run. I still think Irvine and Long Beach will make runs as well, and of course the Gauchos are probably the favorite right now in my mind. But then you've got Bakersfield off to a strong start in Big West play, and Northridge is frisky... Buckle up!
Mikey
12:25
UCLA has had a big last couple of weekends against two good teams in Arizona and Oregon.  The Bruins are 7-1 vs the top 25 rpi , and the pitching seems to be consistently good, and just recently they returned Karros to the lineup which provides some power, what do you see as the long term upside for UCLA?
Kendall Rogers
12:25
Mikey -- UCLA hits just enough, but I've been particularly impressed with the Bruins' pitching against two very very offensive teams in Arizona and Oregon. Those are the two-best offensive teams they will face in conference, and they handled both with ease. Jake Brooks has been a true ace, and others like Kelly Austin, Alonzo Tredwell, etc, have stepped up. The only caveat is that Thatcher Hurd is having X-rays today after he left Saturday's game with an injury. That would be such a tough loss if has a bad injury. He's been terrific.
Ben
12:28
Obviously the rankings sort of show this, but what are your thoughts on the tiers in the ACC? UVA & Miami alone at the top - anything concern you with either (UVa's pitching seems to maybe be coming back down to earth...)? Then a huge group of ND, FSU, Lvl, UNC, NCSU, and maybe even GT, Wake, & Clemson? How do you break out that second group? (or do we just have to wait till they all beat each other up?).
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