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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: Feb. 17
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Kendall Rogers
2:19
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2:18
All right, gang. That's all the time we have today.
Kendall Rogers
2:17
Walt -- I'm just not on Rice this year, and you probably know that. I think they can finish fourth or around there in C-USA, but that's a far cry from what this program is accustomed to. The problem Rice has is the talent level is so low compared to where it has been in the past. For instance, Comeaux, Edwards and Gneiting are nice players, and Cruz and Collins are certainly studs. But after that? It's slim pickens. And the pitching talent that Cory Barton has to work with right now is rough. I'm not writing off Rice one weekend into the season, but I have serious concerns about its viability this spring, for sure.
Walt
2:17
Owls hit .224-2-7, gave up 16 runs and led for half an inning in three games. How far does Rice have to go to compete with the best teams in the region? By your own admission they made Texas look like a top 25 club, will they win a series before C-USA play?
Kendall Rogers
2:15
MW -- Very impressed with what Oklahoma did over the weekend. After losing the series opener, Levi Prater put together a quality start and the bullpen performed at a high level. Like I said in our preseason podcast, OU has so many pitching weapons with power-armed Zack Matthews, Jason Ruffcorn and so many others. Love where OU stands right now.
MW
2:15
What were your thoughts on the OU/UVA series?
Kendall Rogers
2:12
Bob - I said in the fall that it was highly unlikely that Kevin Abel pitches again for the Beavers. I stand by that. My guess is he'll rehab this spring, get drafted decently high and sign a pro contract this summer. Anything but that happening would surprise me.
Bob
2:12
I see that Abel for the Beavs is no longer on the roster.  Any words on what his plans are?  Any change he decides to come back next year. Would be great to have two Abels in the pitching rotation.
Kendall Rogers
2:07
Honestly? I'd give Lemonis a solid A. He inherited a situation with some drama attached to it and navigated it like an absolute bro. Does that surprise me at all? Nope. Chris was an outstanding assistant, good head coach at IU and he's continuing that trend at Mississippi State.
Andrew
2:07
After a year on the job, how would you grade chris lemonis on the work hes done at mississippi state?
Aaron Fitt
2:02
Lots of great questions left, but that all I've got time for today. Lots of content on the way at D1Baseball this week, so make sure to check back! Thanks folks.
Kendall Rogers
2:01
FF -- Honestly, that is kind of what I expect Arkansas to do against a team like EIU, but it does sound like Nolan's pure stuff was a tick better -- which is a great development for Arkansas, even though DVH said in the fall his stuff had been crisper/harder. As for the offense. Heston freakin' Kjerstad. What a beast.
FFEJ
2:01
What are your thoughts on how the Hogs looked this weekend? I know it was against lesser competition, but the starting rotation impressed and the lineup is deep.
Kendall Rogers
2:00
There are three that come to mind for me: DBU at UNC, Ohio State at Georgia Tech and Connecticut vs. Michigan. I think all of those series are highly intriguing.
FrogBall
2:00
Best series outside of Florida - Miami this weekend?
Aaron Fitt
1:59
I would guess that they'll stick with Mulholland in the rotation a little longer, but that's just speculation -- I know his debut did not go well. I still think his four-pitch repertoire would play well in a starting role, however. And yes, it looked like Claunch and McGarry got off to good starts -- those are the two most talented guys in that lineup, in my opinion, so they need to carry big loads this year. I'll have a lot more to say about the Beavers after sitting on them for three games in Starkville this weekend.
Ben
1:59
Hey guys! Great to have baseball back! I know, one start and all, but, do you think Jake Mulholland sticks in the rotation? Sidenote, nice little starts for mcgarry and claunch. Thanks!
Kendall Rogers
1:58
Brendon -- Stanford is going to take some time to get into a groove offensively. Christian Robinson needs to step up, and while Henry Gargus, Brock Jones, etc, are good hitters, they are still young guys who will go through the usual young player doldrums. Palisch is out for a TBD amount of time. It's nothing serious -- but with lat soreness, Stanford is not going to risk reaggravating the injury.
Brendon from Pebble Beach
1:58
Not the most encouraging start for  Stanford at the plate. We knew they’d rely on their work on the mound. With that said, where was Jacob Palisch against Fullerton? Is he hurt? When can we expect to see him? The freshman Williams struggled in his presumptive spot in the rotation.
Aaron Fitt
1:56
Solid start for the Chants, going 1-1 with a rainout. The most encouraging thing was the way they pitched, especially Zach McCambley, who has big stuff and looks like maybe he's ready to put it all together. Scott Kobos was good in defeat too, and he's certainly got solid stuff, a lefty up to 94-95. I'm a little concerned about the lineup with Parker Chavers out until May — they're leaning on a whole lot of unproven pieces there. We'll see how it comes together.
Alex Graboyes
1:56
How do you feel about Coastal Carolina's start to the season and how far do you see them going?
Aaron Fitt
1:50
Liberty certainly is a quality opponent -- they have a lot of pieces back from a regional team last year, so that's a great sweep for Clemson. I think that pitching staff is going to keep Clemson competitive all year, but I'm going to take a wait and see approach on the offense and the defense. They're well coached though, and they were able to scrap together enough offense against a very solid Liberty pitching staff this weekend.
TigerRag
1:50
Excited to see Clemson open with a sweep, even it came against a quality Liberty club. Where you surprised to see this?
Kendall Rogers
1:49
Scott -- not quite yet, but I did notice the weekend Tech had, including silencing Louisiana. I think I said this in the Preseason Podcast, but La Tech was close to being my non-field of 64 sleeper. I really liked the pieces it had back offensively, and I liked some of the pieces on the mound, too, with Follis and of course power armed Jonathan Fincher on the back end. Lane Burroughs is an absolute stud, IMO.
Scott
1:49
Was Louisiana Tech brought up in discussions this week? 3 huge wins over UL Lafayette and Southeastern with 2 shut outs and 2 one hit games.
Kendall Rogers
1:45
Cowtown -- I think the big name I'm pleased to see perform well is RHP Johnny Ray. There were some skeptics with Ray coming into his first start. After all, he had yet to prove anything at the D1 level. However, his arm was real when I saw him in the fall -- explosive FB, strong body, good stuff. So it's nice to see him get off to a fast start. I also wasn't surprised to see Charles King starting. I thought that was the best role for him coming into the spring. So far so good for the Frogs.
Cowtown Bill
1:45
TCU did sweep but admittedly Kentucky is not exactly a powerhouse in SEC baseball. I think you're correct to keep the Frogs unranked for now, but would you agree their start was better than expected-- especially the pitching?
Kendall Rogers
1:44
For me, Cal Poly was the team that I hated to leave out, and I also had strong marks for Pepperdine, Texas and TCU. CP has a solid one-two punch, and I really like the offense with Cole Cabrera, Tate Samuelson, Marinconz and others. Pepperdine looked solid as well -- watch out for SS Wyatt Young and power hitter Justin Lutes. Both stood out to me. And I thought TCU and UT both played very well over the weekend.
Wendell
1:44
What teams were on the cusp of making the Top 25 this week?
Aaron Fitt
1:43
I don't think we can learn a lot from this weekend based on the caliber of competition, but Kendall pointed out in the preseason that Tech always finds power from somewhere, and he's right. They have a lot less PROVEN power production this year, but clearly Rombach has juice, and I know Conley and Jung hit a couple homers this weekend too. The jury is still out on just how good this offense can be, but obviously it was an encouraging start.
Tyler
1:43
You stated at the beginning of the year you worried about power production for Texas Tech. After this last weekend has the question been answered or do we need to see them against better pitching?
Aaron Fitt
1:40
South Carolina was in the 26-30 range in the preseason, a team I really believed was Top 25-caliber and would find its way into the rankings pretty early on. They took care of business against the pride of Worcester County this weekend, but there were a few other teams that beat better competition this weekend and were ahead of the SC in the pecking order (Texas and TCU would have come in before SC). Anyway -- very encouraging weekend for a South Carolina team that I am convinced is dramatically better than a year ago.
Doug
1:40
There are 9 SEC teams in the top 25.  How close was South Carolina to being the 10th?  They were dominant this weekend and are clearly the best team in the conference left out.
Aaron Fitt
1:37
We knew we only had one spot available in the Top 25 this week, and Fullerton was the obvious choice after winning a road series against a ranked team, but Louisiana Tech definitely raised its profile this weekend. The Bulldogs were a team we debated quite a bit in our preseason field of 64 projections, and I think they wound up being one of the first teams out of our field. But we liked their team on paper, and boy, that was a heck of a first weekend, allowing just one run in three games against quality opposition.
Ryan L
1:37
Louisiana Tech had a nice opening weekend with strong starting pitching performances in wins over Louisiana-Lafayette (twice) and Southeastern. Did you guys have them in consideration for the top 25 or do they still have a lot to prove before consideration especially with so many quality teams already in the top 25?
Kendall Rogers
1:36
Guest -- Coming into the season, I felt very good about LSU's pitching staff, granted they could stay healthy. So far so good there. And then the offense had a solid weekend for the most part. I had heard outstanding things about Doughty well before he showed up in the fall, so not really surprised he made a loud first impression. I don't think this LSU offense will be one of the program's best, but it can be solid with Beloso/Cabrera/DiGiacomo and Garza, among others. No doubt.
Guest
1:36
Cade Doughty and Zack Mathis really looked comfortable against a decent Indiana pitching staff this weekend. If they continue to swing it well, what's the best the LSU offense can be?
Aaron Fitt
1:35
I agree with you, J Rod. I'm a big Zach Lew fan, and he was a force atop the lineup this weekend; just a winning ballplayer who really has a knack for getting on base and playing sound defense. And of course you have to be encouraged by what the Titans did on the mound, holding Stanford to 4 runs in 3 games, on the road. That Bibee-Luckham-Magrisi trio looks like a strong rotation.
J Rod
1:35
As disappointing as last year was for Cal State Fullerton, Titan fans should be excited. They have a young team, but they look like their pitching is back to Titan standards and Zach Lew looks like an All American. What are your thoughts on CSUF?
Kendall Rogers
1:35
Last I had heard on Childress is that he was looking very good and on track to return sometime in mid-to-late March. We'll see. The Aggies have a ton of pitching weapons, so I don't think you'll see A&M remotely rush him back into action.
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