You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Return toD1Baseball
D1Baseball Weekly Chat: April 7
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat
Aaron Fitt
12:43
Just to clarify your comment, Arkansas is the only one of those top five SEC teams that plays each of the other top five SEC teams -- and yes, that's a significant disadvantage. We've said it many times, but in these giant unbalanced super conferences, luck of the draw on the schedule plays a big part in who wins the regular-season title. I do think Arkansas is good enough to pull it off, but man is it a daunting road. The odds are certainly better that somebody with a more favorable path will win the league. Doesn't mean the Hogs CAN'T do it, but if they do, they sure as heck will have earned it the hard way.
Victor
12:44
What are Stanford's chances of making regionals?  Really slumping as of late
Kendall Rogers
12:44
Stanford actually still has a pretty solid RPI at 34, but that 5-10 league record is pretty rough right now. The Cardinal cannot afford to go on the road to Clemson this week and get swept. If you're sitting at 5-13 in the league with that remaining schedule, I j just don't see them getting back into contention. This is a team that oddly enough I wouldn't want to see in the postseason, but something seems off right now for sure.
Ryan
12:46
How is a team like Troy (24-9/25th RPI) ranked 20, when a Big 12 team like TCU (25-8/20th RPI) not ranked? Sun Belt at 7th in total conference RPI while Big 12 at 3rd. Seems like D1 is undervaluing Big 12 teams this year?
Aaron Fitt
12:46
I mean, we keep ranking Big 12 teams, and then they keep losing and dropping right back out! Last week we had Kansas State and ASU in, and they both promptly lost their series. We've had Arizona, Cincinnati, TCU, and Oklahoma State all ranked at various points, and none of them have been able to keep winning and hold on to their spots. The Big 12 is just beating each other up, and no clearcut favorite have emerged, unlike in the SEC and ACC. I mean there are six teams within a game of first place. I think we're probably going to keep seeing these teams beat each other up, and jump on and off the merry-go-round in the Top 25.
Aaron Fitt
12:46
All right, Kendall will take you home from here -- thanks for coming by, folks. See you next week.
cool 1
Hunter
12:54
Was there any discussions around UTSA for a top 25 spot? Pat Hallmark's squad is looking really good and has a RPI inside the top 30.
Kendall Rogers
12:54
Hunter -- The Roadrunners still have some work to do. I actually really like UTSA's offense overall, but getting run-ruled twice against DBU a couple of weeks ago kind of soured us a bit on UTSA from a Top 25 standpoint. That series sweep over FAU does look a little louder now after seeing the Mac's team did against ECU last weekend.
Frogball Fan
12:55
TCU came away with a sweep this weekend, and several injured players came back in the roster, with a weekend series with Kansas this weekend with BIG Big 12 implications, what do you think about TCU upside potential?
Kendall Rogers
12:55
FROG -- I really liked TCU's club a couple of weekends ago when I saw it down in Houston. Strosnider is obviously very good and we've written a lot about him, but the arms I saw that today were very good -- Caedmon Parker and Kade Eudy. I also loved Tony Silva and Co. up the middle. TCU is most certainly trending toward a Top 25 ranking if it wins that KU series in FTW this weekend.
Eric Simmons
1:02
How about the job Jim Schlossnagle has done at Texas! That guy can coach and has won everywhere!
Kendall Rogers
1:02
Schloss really has done a great job with this team. It's not easy to get a team to immediately buy into your way of doing things and culture, but it seems like the Longhorns' players were eager to see some improved structure. In addition to Jim, I feel like pitching coach Max Weiner once again is doing a phenomenal job with a pitching staff. He's the pitching whisperer, for sure. Really impressed with those guys across the board. They didn't skip a beat without AR and MB this past weekend.
Eric Simmons
1:04
What will it take for WKU to be ranked?
Kendall Rogers
1:04
WKU is in the discussion, but the resume is just a little light outside of that DBU weekend. Win that series at Liberty and beat Louisville and I think there's a very good case to be made for those guys to be ranked. Speaking of coaches who continue to do a great job, Marc Rardin is absolutely killing it at WKU. Check out WKU's pitching numbers when you get a second ... it leads the country in ERA. Very impressive!
Bob B
1:07
What do you think about Oklahoma State's post season chances?
Kendall Rogers
1:07
Bob -- RPI is in the 50s and league record still is subpar. The Pokes have a lot of work to do, but their fortunes could change dramatically with a road series win over Arizona this weekend. Not only would that greatly increase their RPI, but it also would put the league record and other metrics in a better spot. That 1-7 vs. Q1 for OSU is pretty ugly right now.
GoodKarma
1:11
Is K-State for real or a fraud?  Have the wheels come off in Manhappiness?
Kendall Rogers
1:11
I was really surprised to see Sean Youngerman, Harrison Bodendorf and Hunter Watkins handle Kansas State to THAT degree. I actually really like all three of those guys from a talent standpoint, but to be handled like that was a surprise. Let's see how Kansas State looks this coming weekend ... that will tell us a lot more than a single weekend sample size.
Chris
1:12
Do you think A&M can build off this past weekend, or do you feel like it was a one-day doubleheader aberration?
Kendall Rogers
1:12
Chris -- we shall see. I don't take much from the weekend other than A&M is still fighting and hasn't thrown in the towel. The one thing I did really like about A&M is that Bear Harrison is getting into a groove offensively and Caden Sorrell did Caden Sorrell things. If those two are going to hit like that, that lineup has very few holes now. Even Ben Royo is making some offensive strides.
Kevin R
1:15
This weekend notwithstanding, the formula in Baton Rouge on Fridays and Saturdays is Kade Anderson/Zac Cowan and Anthony Eyanson/Casan Evans. How sustainable is that given that Evans is a freshman, and each game, Cowan and Evans are going multiple innings. With a backloaded SEC schedule (Arkansas, Tennessee, TAMU) transitioning to post season play, do you think LSU can ride just those 4 pitchers to a title? Because outside of them, it's pretty inconsistent.
Kendall Rogers
1:15
Great question, K. Obviously the weekend was a big step in the right direction, but let's see how they do this weekend and moving forward. I know throwing pressure on the back of Gavin Guidry, who has yet to throw a pitch, is tough, but I do think his potential return opens up a lot of different options for Jay. It takes pressure off Cowan, Evans, et. al, IMO. Let's see is GG can come back and be effective. If so, it's game on.
Wes
1:19
Thoughts about the C-USA race? Is DBU done after a pathetic week?
Kendall Rogers
1:19
Pretty wide open at this point with 5-6 teams within a game and a game and a half of each other. It'll be fascinating to see how it all plays out because you have at least four teams with 'regional esque' RPIs right now.
Brendan
1:22
With Southern Miss' most recent series loss to Marshall (shouts to Bryce Blevins) evening the field in the league standings, how would you stack up the pecking order in the Sun Belt regarding hosting as well as who you believe will win the league?
Kendall Rogers
1:22
Coastal Carolina has the edge RPI wise 11 vs. 25 -- but given that Troy won the head to head and the RPis are at least somewhat comparable, I'd probably give the edge to Troy as of *today*. It's really close for me. USM is at 46 in the RPI and will need to go scorched Earth the rest of the way to get the RPI into hosting contention.
Jeff M
1:24
Can we talk about Georgia Tech for a moment? The hitting is no surprise. But the pitching has really begun to gel over the last few weeks (now second in the ACC). However, the fielding was a plus early in the season and has been a liability the last two weeks (arguably losing that rubber match against Clemson). With all this being said, how far do you think GT “could” go, and how far do you really see them going?
Kendall Rogers
1:24
Jeff -- we just talked about GT at length in our weekly podcast. As much as we consistently talk about GT's offensive ability, I've been most impressed thus far with the job Matt Taylor has done as pitching coach. Not only is GT ranked in the Top 30 in terms of strikeouts per 9 and strikeouts to walk ratio, it also ranks SECOND in the ACC in team ERA. When's the last time that has happened?! I think GT is pretty scary.
trophy 1
Brendan
1:25
If, and BIG if, we get to the point later in the season where Kansas is in the conversation to be a regional host, is Hoglund Ballpark big enough to meet the critera for hosting?  I'd assume Lawrence would, but that ballpark maxed out at a record 2660 on 3/28 vs Oklahoma State.
Kendall Rogers
1:25
If someone can host a regional at Pepperdine and UCLA, you can host a regional at Hoglund Ballpark. Period.
Ryan
1:26
UCLA continues to win games, but their RPI is going to take a hit coming up with so many teams in the 100s and 200s on their schedule. Assuming they win and weak opponents cause them to drop anyway, how low in the RPI can they be and still be a top 8 seed? Top 16?
Kendall Rogers
1:26
The bad news is you're going to play crappy RPI teams. The great news is that UCLA only has a chance to lose one, maybe two series the rest of the way. If the Bruins only lose one series the entire year, it's 100% going to be a Top 16, seed, IMO. That Cal Poly series sweep looks very very good right now, too.
Kaleb
1:28
Is Oklahoma a regional host? Or are they finally getting exposed for a weak schedule?
Kendall Rogers
1:28
OU is not out of the hosting mix, but it really needs to win that series against Vandy. Sitting at 5-7 in the league, if you win that series, you gotta feel like you'll do well against Missouri the following weekend. So, this series for me is a swing series for the Sooners. RPI is still in a good spot at 18 -- but league record, as of today, is an issue.
Thomas P
1:29
Ole Miss has been climbing up the rankings the last several weeks so I’m  trying to be confident this team can actually win something this year. However the bullpen seems like a real problem to me with the walks and inconsistency. Do you see it as a big problem or do they have the starters and hitting to overcome it?
Kendall Rogers
1:29
Thomas -- We pinpointed that on our weekend preview podcast weekend. I felt like with the issues the bullpen has had at times, that they might lose that series at Kentucky. Instead, the Rebels found a way to win that series. It's getting to the point of being difficult to doubt these guys despite having some warts ... who doesn't, though?
Marc
1:30
Does Michael Earley lose his job if the Aggies somehow make it into the postseason?
Kendall Rogers
1:30
If the Aggies make the NCAA tournament, I would be willing to bet money he's back. That would mean the Aggies likely won series against two of Arkansas, Texas, LSU and Georgia. That would be a pretty strong way to finish the regular season and make the NCAA tourney. I'm still not a believer until I see much more from the Aggies outside of one day.
Griffin
1:32
What are your thoughts on Iowa and the B1G race as a whole? Iowa's got a bad RPI but will finishing in the top 3-4 of the B1G be enough to get a bid?
Kendall Rogers
1:32
RPIs are an issue for the Big Ten right now, but I still believe the league will find a way to get 3-4 (likely four bids) by the end of the season. UCLA, Oregon and two more teams find their way in.
cool 1
Connecting…