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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: Feb. 17
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Aggie
1:35
Have y'all heard anything about Jonathan Childress' recovery? He looked very good in his 3 starts last year before that season-ending injury.
Aaron Fitt
1:32
Take your pick! They all put up huge numbers against lesser competition. But they were all in the discussion for our inaugural AstroTurf Player of the Week award; stay tuned to see who got it.
Shaun
1:32
Who had the more impressive weekend? Heston Kerjstad, Nick Gonzales, or Nate Rombach.
Kendall Rogers
1:31
I honestly would have to go with Arizona State's offense. We talked about this offensive lineup as one of the top two or three in college baseball, and it did almost nothing against Villanova, and of course, Michigan. I am definitely not worried just yet -- but will be interesting to see if this becomes a trend in Tempe.
Eric F
1:31
Biggest surprise of Week 1?
Aaron Fitt
1:31
Definitely a huge weekend for the Big West. We've talked about this a lot over the past few years -- the Big West hasn't gotten many teams into regionals because it just hasn't taken care of business in nonconference play, so its RPIs have not been good. This weekend, the Big West flipped the script on that narrative -- this is exactly the kind of start this conference needed. Kendall will have more on the Big West's big weekend in his piece this afternoon.
Lloyd
1:31
Nice week for the Big West. Cal Poly beats Vandy while FullErton and Long Beach get series wins against Pac 12 schools.
Kendall Rogers
1:30
I think Zach DeLoach is the guy for me. Though DeLoach had a strong summer at the Cape, he really struggled in the fall, per my look and the look from several scouts. DeLoach showed a mature approach and hit .770 over the weekend against Miami Ohio. That definitely surprised me a little bit.
Clay Taylor
1:30
Who was your biggest surprise player over the weekend?
Kendall Rogers
1:28
Brock -- Really excited to see Texas Tech, and it looks like Tennessee played well over the weekend. You know Tony is going to have the Vols playing hard. Unfortunately for Stanford, Jacob Palisch will not pitch this weekend because of some lat soreness. But Stanford has the pitching to make some noise in that tournament. The offense will need to be better, however. Will also be interesting to see how UH bounces back from a surprising series loss to Youngstown State at home.
Brock
1:28
Thoughts on the Round Rock Classic this weekend?  Texas Tech and Stanford are the marquee teams, matching up on Saturday.  Looking forward to the step up in competition for my Red Raiders!
Aaron Fitt
1:28
I'll still stick with Mississippi State as the best team in the state, but I did like what I saw from Ole Miss. Obviously Cael Baker looks like he's going to be a difference maker -- he's got power, but I also like his simple setup and feel for hitting. Derek Diamond and Wes Burton both impressed me off the mound yesterday; they're going to have great careers for the Rebels. And Peyton Chatagnier is a dynamo, an on-base machine who can defend at a variety of positions and brings a ton of energy. I'll have more thoughts on MSU's newcomers after I see them this weekend.
Bobby
1:28
After this weeks games, who do you think is the best team in Mississippi and which new freshmen/transfers were you most impressed with from ole miss and state?
Aaron Fitt
1:24
Very encouraging season debuts for both MacLeod and Cerantola, and I'm really looking forward to getting a look at them in person this weekend against Oregon State. The talent is definitely there for them to be one of the SEC's better staffs — you've got a tall lefty with an 89-92 fastball that can touch better and a wicked breaking ball on Saturday, and a big horse of a Sunday guy who can touch high-90s. It's just a matter of gaining experience, and in Cerantola's case, proving he can be efficient and get deep into games. I feel pretty good about the bullpen depth too, lots of different looks they can mix and match with. I like their chances at home against the Beavers.
Cole
1:24
What are your thoughts on Mississippi State’s pitching staff after the first weekend? Do you think Cerantola and MacLeod have what it takes to make State one of the top staffs in the SEC? Also whats your prediction for the series next week vs oregon state?
Kendall Rogers
1:21
Michigan is fine where it is IMO. I wrote about just how good Michigan looked over the weekend, but it's also important not to overreact and take the first weekend of the season as the gospel, so to speak. With that said, I feel very good about Jeff Criswell and Steven Hajjar. Hajjar has a destructive FB with the angle it comes from, and the CB/CH are nice offerings as well, with the CH coming along. Michigan is getting contributions from a lot of guys right now, and I could definitely see it winning 45-50 games.
Cody Thrasher
1:21
Michigan seems to be ranked a little low after wins against Vandy and Arizona State. I watched the game against Vandy, and that was a great game to start the college baseball season. Are they a possible 45 or 50 win team?
Aaron Fitt
1:19
Yeah, TCU and Texas were both right there, and if we had more spots I think both of them have the look of Top 25-caliber clubs after the first weekend. Very encouraging, dominating series sweep for TCU. A major key for this team is how those very talented newcomers perform on the mound, and so far, so good.
CC
1:19
Was TCU in the discussion for the Top 25 this week? I realize Kentucky is not the elite of the SEC and made a lot of errors this weekend, but the Frogs were able to capitalize and take advantage of those errors and the pitching felt really solid.
Aaron Fitt
1:17
Yeah, I like him as a Day One guy, with a chance to be a first-rounder. I mean, he's a 6-foot-3 lefthander with a 90-94 fastball and the makings of two above-average to plus secondary pitches in the changeup and breaking ball -- what's not to like? Plus he had a ridiculous K rate last year, so I think the analytics guys will actually feel OK about his track record. He's really good.
Wolfer
1:17
Nick Swiney had a great opening weekend. If he has the kind of year he is capable of, is he a first round/day draft pick?
Kendall Rogers
1:16
How about that weekend from the Texas Tech freshman? It's almost kind of funny that Nate Rombach had a huge Opening Weekend, because Tim Tadlock LOVED this kid in the fall. Tech has so many good options offensively, and I feel very good about the pitching staff as well. I'm pumped to see Tech in Round Rock this weekend.
Guest
1:16
Glad we are back! Guys, did Nate Rombach have a good weekend? Texas Tech may have their best team yet....
Aaron Fitt
1:15
Fantastic weekend for the Tigers -- looked like they played very well in all phases in a dominant four-game sweep of a solid UIC club. One of the things I liked most about Auburn in the fall and entering the year was the pitching depth, and that was on full display this weekend; they used 14 different arms, and only three of them gave up a run (including Tanner Burns, who allowed 3 of UIC's 7 runs on the weekend). And certainly it was a great start for the lineup too. Tyler Miller is the one guy who wasn't as much on my radar in the fall, looks like he could be a nice piece of this lineup.
josh
1:15
Thoughts on Auburn and their opening weekend?
Kendall Rogers
1:14
Taylor -- I don't think Miami is a bad team at all. The Hawks have a good ace in Sam Bachmann and I actually like the top of the MAC. We'll see how A&M does against much better competition in Frisco in two weeks, but the offense certainly seems better. A&M would not have hit MOH like that last season. Zach DeLoach hit .778 over the weekend, and that's a potential huge development to watch. Logan Sartori also had a nice weekend for the Aggies. I would not be surprised to see A&M hit .260-270 as a team, which would be a huge improvement over 2019. First thought? Looking good. Second thought? Let's see what they do against UCLA/OK State/Illinois.
Taylor
1:14
Small sample size, but what are your thoughts on A&M's offense? It also included some pretty poor pitching from Miami (Ohio), but night and day difference from last 2 years.
Aaron Fitt
1:10
I didn't see any of the Florida games last week, but Mace's final line was solid enough, and I still feel like he's going to have a nice year. Leftwich pitched great, which was encouraging, and they have so many options for that Sunday job; I still feel like Barco winds up there when the dust settles. They're definitely capable of winning that series in Coral Gables; I think it'll be a very competitive series that could go either way.
Gary
1:10
Curious about this UF-Miami series from a UF perspective. Mace gave up a ton of hard contact on Friday after being mediocre last year. Sunday pitching looks like a mess. Leftwich was good, but I'm struggling to come up with a path to a UF series win in Coral Gables against that pitching staff. What am I missing?
Kendall Rogers
1:09
Wally -- Still too early to predict how many postseason teams the Big West will get, but certainly am impressed by the league's weekend. I heard great things about Fullerton -- the offense and pitching seem to be much improved, and Cal Poly absolutely looked like an NCAA tournament team to me. Taylor Dollard is so hard-nosed and knows how to utilize his FB and young RHP Drew Thorpe impressed me against Vandy yesterday. I like CSF and Cal Poly for sure -- and we'll see if LBSU/UCSB can establish consistency.
Wally
1:09
The Big West had a fairly strong weekend overall.  What are the chances that we may see 2 or 3 teams in the post season?
Aaron Fitt
1:07
Hi gang, hope you all enjoyed opening weekend. Let's dive in.
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