JotCast | D1Baseball Weekly Chat: Feb. 23

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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: Feb. 23

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Aaron Fitt

2:02

Hello gang. Thanks for bearing with us this week with the schedule change -- let's dive into this rare Tuesday chat!

Wesley Wells

2:03

How close are Arkansas and Ole Miss to that top spot and what was ultimately the deciding factor in going with the Rebels over the Hogs?

Aaron Fitt

2:03

It wasn't too much of a debate -- they both went 3-0 against the same opponents, so we moved up the team that was already a couple spots higher in the rankings (deferred to poll mechanics in this case). Obviously both teams were as impressive as can be, and either one would be a worthy No. 1.

Phil

2:06

What's your outlook on Miami this year after that series win vs. #1 Florida?

Aaron Fitt

2:06

I still feel like the Canes will be part of that huge clump of teams jockeying for position in the top half of the ACC, along with the likes of NC State, Virginia and Georgia Tech. I saw pretty much what I expected from Miami: a very dangerous, explosive offensive team with plenty of depth and exciting young talent on the mound, but I can't say I walked away convinced that this will be an elite pitching staff. Carson Palmquist is a rock star at the back end -- I think he's got a chance to be as good as any closer in the country. The other bullpen arms didn't really show me knockout stuff but they competed. Victor Mederos has the best stuff of the starters, and I think he's a future ace, maybe sooner rather than later. I'm somewhat concerned about the corner infield defense; feels like a flaw that will get exposed.

Guest

2:09

I know the season has just begun and it’s very early... but now after the first weekend, has anyone national championship predictions changed?

Aaron Fitt

2:09

I picked Florida, and I'm certainly not backing away from that one. Gators have to do a better job throwing strikes, plain and simple -- but I trust in Kevin O'Sullivan to get that piece straightened out; his track record speaks for itself. And I still believe it will be the best offense in the country. Credit Miami for winning a huge series on the road against a Florida team that is still going to be really, really good.

Mitch

2:10

What team impressed you this weekend that nobody is talking about? Maybe an under the radar series win.

Aaron Fitt

2:10

Kendall Rogers like to say "nobody ever talks about FAU" -- I think that's a load of bunk, and lots of people recognize that Florida Atlantic is a really consistent winning program (sorry KR!). But you might have missed that quality series win for the Owls against UCF this weekend. That could wind up looking very good on FAU's resume.

Drew Shimek

2:11

Who was more impressive this weekend Arkansas or Ole Miss?

Kendall Rogers

2:11

Drew -- Great question. I actually liked Arkansas a smidge better, but it's really really close. Ole Miss has the better starting pitching for now, the Hogs have the better bullpen -- and I think Arkansas has a slightly better offense. WTS -- Ole Miss is riding high and that rotation is insane right now. Derek Diamond's emergence is particularly noteworthy. You can't go wrong either, IMO.

Will

2:16

Thoughts on Texas Tech after this weekend? Going 0-3 any weekend is tough no matter how tough the competition is. Should expectations be adjusted?

Kendall Rogers

2:16

So, I'm going to be critical of Texas Tech for the first time in a while. I'm a full believer in the offense, and I think the starting rotation will be fine in due time -- Monteverde was good and Mason Montgomery was solid. But the bullpen has to step up -- right now it's a bunch of throwers, and defense has to be better. Overall, I didn't particularly like Tech's body language throughout the weekend, and I think Tadlock probably picked up on that. He said he didn't have his team ready to play. Tech will be fine ... but looked uncharacteristic all the way around.

Heel

2:17

Thoughts on UNC-UVA this weekend? Big chance for a young UNC team to get a signature series win

Aaron Fitt

2:17

I thought it was a very encouraging opening weekend for the Tar Heels -- great to see Austin Love back in top form, and it looks like Max Carlson is the real deal, so that's a nice one-two punch in the rotation. I also wasn't sure what to expect from Max Alba, and he pitched well in the finale. Justice Thompson appears to be a stud, giving UNC the jolt it needed in the middle of the lineup. UVa is a much older, more experienced team, and its starting pitching also showed well this weekend -- I love having Andrew Abbott atop that rotation instead of at the back end. Should be a great test for the young Heels.

JDL

2:19

Is it just me, or is there more arms sitting in the Mid 90’s than ever before. It seemed like every arm that came out of the pen this past weekend at global life could touch 95+ if they wanted

Kendall Rogers

2:19

JDL -- I think we said this in the podcast a couple of weeks ago, but with the layoff from the pandemic and the season ending earlier than expected, I fully expected to see more velocity than usual because of fresh arms. WTS -- I am hoping that kids can stay healthy moving forward. Injuries were my concern coming into the season.

Roll tide

2:20

Thoughts on Alabama's team and how close are they to cracking the top 25?

Aaron Fitt

2:20

Our buddy Mike Rooney made a strong push for the Tide at the back of the Top 25 this week -- they're definitely right in the thick of our discussion. There's a whole lot to like about that club, but I was a little disappointed to see Tyler Ras struggle and Antoine Jean fight his control a bit; those are two really key arms on that staff. I'm a big fan of the lineup, so if the pitching holds up, Tide will be very dangerous.

JACKSONSS

2:23

Thoughts and/or predictions on the Clemson-South Carolina series this weekend?

Aaron Fitt

2:23

Very interesting series. Definitely feels like Clemson is lying in the weeds a little bit, but I like the way they mixed and matched in the bullpen, and it was encouraging to see James Parker and Jonathan French get off to nice starts -- if those two guys can have breakout years, it really changes the outlook for Clemson. Cincinnati is a good club, so that's a nice sweep for the Tigers. Got to give the starting pitching advantage to the Gamecocks this weekend, but those two Clemson freshmen Olenchuk and Grice are both very talented guys with bright futures. Big test coming up for them early in their careers.

David

2:25

Oregon State’s offense looked really good this past weekend. Pitching was solid too. A potential sleeper team?

Kendall Rogers

2:25

Roons saw Oregon State this past weekend and came away pretty impressed. I was encouraged by what the offense did, and the pitching was strong for the most part. Cooper Hjerpe was good, as were Will Frisch and Brock Townsend. Encouraging weekend for sure.

TOAST

2:25

Is it too early to marked down Luke Hancock being a Golden Spikes Finalist?

Aaron Fitt

2:25

I mean, can we just give him the award already? Hell of a weekend. I've always liked his swing, and looks like he's ready to have a monster year for Mississippi State.

Big 10

2:27

Do you think more then one big 10 team will make the post season now that they are only playing a conference schedule?

Aaron Fitt

2:27

I still think they'll get two or three bids, assuming there's enough separation in the Big Ten standings between the top teams and the middle. But it might be tough to get four teams like we projected in the preseason. I do expect a lot of those teams to beat up on each other; I don't think there's a whole lot of separation between the top 6-8 teams in the league. And if they do beat up on each other, two bids might be how it goes.

Guest

2:27

After watching UConn at Virginia, both teams feel like they could be top 25 squads. Am I overhyping UConn's performance in a series loss?

Kendall Rogers

2:27

Not at all. We were pretty high on the Huskies coming into the season -- they were one of our first teams outside of the Top 25. So, it's no surprise that was a hard-fought, competitive series. I think UConn not only wins the Big East, I think it puts itself in position to be a potential two seed in a regional. That's a very solid club.

Kevin

2:29

In the opening weekend, Dylan Crews went 7/12 with a couple of HR (including a 419’ bomb to RCF). He looks so comfortable at the plate. Is he LSU’s best freshman since Bregman and do you think he should be hitting leadoff or 3-hole? Maybe flip Tre Morgan (who looks just as comfortable at the plate) and him?

Aaron Fitt

2:29

Yeah, I think the best freshman since Bregman comment is spot on -- and Daniel Cabrera, to name one, was a pretty darn good freshman too. But Crews was the top-ranked high school hitter in the country who showed up on a college campus; he is the ultimate blue-chipper, and he sure looks the part early on. I don't have any strong opinion on the lineup construction question; there are lots of different schools of thought there, and honestly I think it's far less important than a lot of fans think it is.

Mike

2:29

The SEC West is stacked almost every single year but this year looks to be special. What do you make out of that division and (though early) how many teams from the SEC-W do you predict to make to Omaha?

Kendall Rogers

2:29

I honestly think there are three Omaha caliber clubs in the West, and I think all three will be national seeds, so give me three SECW teams in Omaha this June and either Florida or Vandy out of the East in Omaha as well for four total.

Troy

2:31

So I know DBU hasn’t played a top 25 team this year, but they did score 36 runs and give up 6 in their sweep of Austin Peay. They also lead the nation with 11 homeruns and Jones was named Collegiate baseball D1 player of the week with 4 homers. AND they finished in the top 25 last year and only lost two guys to the draft. How are they not in your top 25 now???

Aaron Fitt

2:31

They're knocking on the door! But we only had one open spot, so we went with the team that won a series against a quality opponent on the road (Duke, who took two of three at Coastal). Both teams were in our "next five" in the preseason, but Duke was essentially No. 26, so it just made sense to slide the Blue Devils in. DBU will get there soon. That looks like a very good club -- what else is new? Dan Heefner has built a machine in Dallas.

Guest

2:34

With Ball State splitting the series with nationally ranked Arizona, does Ball State become the favorite in the MAC conference (previously ranked 3rd)?

Aaron Fitt

2:34

I think you can make that case. I don't think there was a huge gap between the top three teams in that league; you could have made a strong case for Ball State in the preseason, because they've got some very solid veteran pieces back. I still like Kent State's top-end talent a bit more, but after one weekend it's hard to argue with the team that won two of three at Arizona, while the Flashes went 0-2 at Virginia Tech. That's not to say I'm giving up on Kent State -- I'm certainly not -- but I think this will be a fun race to watch.

Guest

2:34

I think TCU proved that we have the pitching talent and depth to make a run. Not so sure about our lineup. Hard to tell if our lineup is that bad, or the pitching was that good. Thoughts on the Frogs’ ceiling this season?

Kendall Rogers

2:34

I was really encouraged by TCU's pitching staff -- Russell Smith and Austin Krob were excellent. But the offense was below average. I do think when you look up and down that lineup, I don't think anyone expected TCU to be some offensive juggernaut this season. But I do think they'll be average or above average, which is all that is needed. Let's get a few more at bats for guys like Elijah Nunez, Brayden Taylor and Luke Boyers and then reassess where this offense is. Remember, you're talking about three first-year players in a lineup against three Top 10 teams. Not easy.

Lounger

2:36

Hey guys, I was surprised this morning to see Mississippi State had the best offensive statistics in Arlington this weekend. Other than Rowdey and Hancock, it seemed to me that the offense was struggling a bit, especially the top of the order. Maybe that perception is skewed by the TCU game, but curious to hear what y'all thought of State's lineup over the weekend.

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Dillon

9:27

Thoughts on the Oregon State? They had a pretty solid weekend and were a couple uncharacteristic errors away from finishing 4-0 in Surprise. How far away are they from the top 25

Dillon

9:36

Thoughts on Oregon State and how far they are from the Top 25?

Jason

3:22

After a good showing at a reduced capacity this weekend, where do you rank a healthy Mississippi State pitching staff? Top 5? Top 3? Top top?

Jacob

3:59

If there had been any indication the Razorback pitching staff would look like what they looked like this weekend where would you have had them preseason?

TOAST

4:38

After the weekend some of the top 10 teams had. What is the justification for Louisville being #4 after beating a team in their first year of D1 ball?

TOAST

4:41

Is Mississippi State the biggest what if from the College Baseball Showdown. They did not throw their #2 and #3 starters and still won 2 games. Should have won all three.

TOAST

4:45

Is it surprising that most of the #1 pitchers on all 6 staffs looked underwhelming? TCU's #2 pitcher, Russell Smith and Ole Miss's #3 Derek Diamond, looked to be the 2 best pitchers in the Arlington tournament.

Jackson

4:47

What does ECU have to do to this season to get a top 8 seed? Do they have what it takes?

Dillon

4:49

Oregon State had a good all around weekend defensively and with the bats. The pitching looks pretty elite as well. A couple uncharacteristic errors prevented them from going 4-0 on the weekend. What is your take on the Beavs and were they in the conversation of entering the top 25, and far out are they from entering?

Aaron

5:00

Kendall, 3 biggest takeaways from the college baseball showdown in Arlington?

Mitchell

5:20

What is your assessment of Arkansas pitching? Saturday versus Texas Tech was rough, but then they rebounded by two hitting Texas and TCU. We didn't even see Connor Noland or Patrick Wicklander at all this past weekend.

Kevin

5:43

LSU came back against AF on Sunday only to lose it in the Top of the 9th. Rather than going with Fontenot or leaving in the veteran, Veitmeier, PM went with his freshman Floyd to start the 9th. We all know what happened after that. How do you weigh giving a freshman in-game experience early in a season and possibly losing over going with the veteran pitcher and, most likely, a better chance at winning?

Caleb M.

5:55

I’m sure that this will be asked multiple times, but in the event that it isn’t, why do y’all have Ole Miss as the #1 team over Arkansas? I’m just looking for some insight on the thought process there since they both swept the same three teams. Thanks for all of the work that y’all do for this sport!

Chris

6:04

Texas A&M obviously had a rough start to the season. What are the biggest keys to look for this weekend for them? Thoughts on how likely a turnaround would be for them?

Bobbruinbear

6:20

The thinking from the Bruin staff is that pressure has been removed after the two losses to San Francisco.

Tyler

6:49

With Miami winning the Florida series, do you guys see Miami as the favorite to win the Coastal in the ACC?

Randy

7:03

With the Palmetto Series on deck this weekend, which team has the more impressive opening weekend? USC sweeping Dayton or Clemson eding out a series win in extras over Cincy?

Randy

7:04

With the Palmetto Series on deck this weekend, who had the more impressive opening weekend? USC sweeping Dayton, or Clemson edging out a series win over Cincy? And who has the edge going into the weekend?

Concerned Hotty Toddy

7:15

This Weekend the Razorbacks had two outstanding pitching performances and 1 subpar game. All of that was without both Conner Noland and Patrick Wicklander(weekend starters the last two seasons). Did other pitchers develop that much more or did I miss something y’all may know?

HailState17

7:21

Great coverage of the weekend tournament in Fort Worth, and great baseball! Curious as to your thoughts on MSU pitching given they were without 2 of 3 weekend starters, and, according to Lemonis, were without 5 of their top 12 pitchers. Thanks, and keep up the great work.

Solo

7:36

Week 1 comes with reactions and overreactions. As a MS State fan, the 14 walks Monday to go with the 7 on Sunday are a bit concerning but when you’re missing two starters I suppose these things can happen. How good do you believe Bednar and Cerentola to be? Also across the state, Diamond for Ole Miss was electric! Gonna be a lot of great baseball down in the Magnolia State this year.

Fustrated Aggie

7:56

Yes its only 3 games into the season, but you cant come out and play that poor at home. That is simply unacceptable for an SEC team vs Big East basketball school. The A&M brass needs to move on from Rob Childress he is clearly not the coach to move the Aggies into the upper tier of the SEC and College baseball on a year to year basis. He is also getting out coached and recruited by in state rivals, Texas, TCU, Texas Tech and Sam Houston regularly.

Will

8:00

How impressed were you by Miami's pitching (both starters and the Pen)? We all know they can hit with the Del Castillo's, Toral, Morales, etc. but the pitching seemed to be the key in the series and they out pitched a tremendous Florida staff.

Southern Slams Baseball

8:05

How close is Alabama to being ranked? What about Georgia? Do you think either of those teams have a surprise postseason run in them?

Rodney irvin

8:08

I thought the tcu pitching was impressive but the hitting has to improve

Dillon

8:09

Thoughts on the Beavs! They had a pretty solid week and were a couple uncharacteristic errors away from finishing 4-0 in Surprise. How far away are they from the top 25

Paul

8:10

I think that TCU showed that we have the elite pitching talent and depth to make a run. The lineup looked pretty bad but can’t tell how much of that was the opponents’ pitching. Thoughts on the Frogs’ ceiling this season?

Eric Simmons

8:11

Who was more disappointing on Opening Weekend UCLA or Florida?

Jack

8:13

What do you think of the Big 12’s rather disappointing weekend in Arlington? Would you chalk it up as beginning of the season mishaps or a real season-long problem?

Dean

8:13

Thoughts on Northwestern and their standing in the big 10

Jack Beckham

8:13

What matchup(s) are you most interested in for the upcoming weekend now that the State Farm Classic is finished?

Derick

8:13

Arkansas obviously had a lot of Ks by their pitchers, but we also struck our fair share. I also seen others teams striking out early and often. Is college ball getting to the point of power and strikeouts, while contact seems to be getting less. Or is it a product of superb pitching just winning the battles? Seemed there was a LOT of swing and misses

Jack

8:14

How important do you think it was that MS State was missing two starters this weekend?

Drew

8:14

What are your thoughts on Cal State Fullerton and their performance against Utah this weekend? Do you think it is realistic that they can have a bounce back year after 2 poor seasons and they make it to the field of 64?

Craig

8:15

Do you see any smaller schools that have a shot to make a run in the tourney this year? Seems like the extra year of eligibility works in favor of the power conference teams.

Guest

8:15

how hard will it be for a Big 12 team to be a top 8 seed after the disaster in TX?

Hollis Gaines

8:16

How long do you think ole miss can hold on to the win streak?

Jack

8:21

Is the SEC West just basically a toss-up when it comes down to who is going to take the top spot ?

Hollis Gaines

8:23

Thoughts on Mississippi state? They had a huge chance to also go 3-0 over the weekend just couldn’t bring in the runs late in the game.

Colin

8:25

How much (primarily) of it is these kids going to these schools like SEC & ACC etc. to play there and all vs playing for a specific coach?

Derick

8:25

The amount of strikeouts seem alarming to me. Hog staff had 35 in last two games vs TX and TCU. But, we also had our fair share, as well as other teams. Is pitching gotten that much better, or are teams in college focused more on power than contact compared to years ago?

Hunter

8:26

Is it crazy to think state had the most impressive weekend at globe life? 2-1 and a couple feet left or right from 3-0. All without 2 borderline 1st round arms that will be back shortly.

Jacob

8:26

Will any of the D1Baseball crew be at any of the Clemson-SC series this weekend? If you had to pin point an edge/advantage by either team what would it be?

Hoya

8:27

What will it take for Georgetown baseball to be approved to play this year? The players haven't had a single practice together while the rest of the Big East has had dozens. Basketball has been playing for months while other spring sports like soccer and lacrosse have already played their first games.

Guest

8:29

Thoughts on the Sun Devils following series win over Sac St....

Eric Simmons

8:29

I think the start of the College Baseball Season should be pushed back to the end of March! What do you think?

Dawgs

8:30

With MSU going 2-1 on the weekend despite missing 2/3 weekend starters and according to Lemonis 5 of their best arms, how high are you on their pitching staff?

Owen Deao

8:32

Due to the COVID impact on scheduling non conference games, do y’all think the committee will make non conference SOS less of a concern this year? I’m somewhat concerned that LSU’s will hold it back this year as has happened to Louisville previously.

Cocky

8:33

The Gamecocks showed a lot of encouraging signs in the opening series sweep. Wes Clarke was a force to be reckoned with and had a lot of protection behind him. Will learn a lot more this weekend, but can this line up make some noise in the SEC?

Ben

8:35

Do you think Ole Miss, my team, will be able to keep this up and hold the top spot for multiple weeks?

Ben

8:39

Hi, do you think Ole Miss will be able to keep this up as the top spot? Thanks

Jared

8:40

How legit is Wake with this talented pitching staff and probably best lineup in the country but really poor catcher and infield play so far?

8:41

What do you think of Charlotte? Could they be a tourney sleeper/top 25 team?

Hollis

8:43

How impressed were you with Jacob Gonzalez? He is a true freshman playing shortstop for the #1 team in the country and looked like one of the better players all around for ole miss.

8:48

Optimistic Tech fan here. Yeah, we sucked. But it gives me hope that despite being pretty lousy all the way around, we were: Leading Arky going to the 9th, Had a bases loaded opp in the 9th vs OM, and was down only one run to State heading to the 9th. Got 3 or 4 months to right the ship. In Tadlock I trust!

Trevor

8:49

If Ole Miss goes undefeated in its remaining non-conference games and wins it’s sec opener against Auburn it will have the longest win streak in D1 history. Do you think the Rebels have what it takes?

Clay

8:50

Top 5 teams we shouldn't be surprised to see cracking into the top 25 that aren't already there, based on their opening weekend?

Guest

8:52

Have taken a look @ the 15 year old Thomas White I've never seen a 15 year old dominate like he has. Mad Bum on steroids meets Max Scherzer 1:1 over Crewsin 2023!!!!

Dillon

8:56

Thoughts on the Oregon State? They had a pretty solid weekend and were a couple uncharacteristic errors away from finishing 4-0 in Surprise. How far away are they from the top 25

Swayzecrazie

9:00

Are any teams from the State Farm Showdown in Texas this weekend you think making it to the College World Series? Thanks

Griffin

9:01

What do you think of my boy Ryan Holgate as a prospect? the kid absolutely mashes

Austin

9:04

Incredibly tough weekend for Texas, but can't deny that a.) those were three omaha-caliber teams they faced, b.) Texas was coming off a horrendous storm that eliminated a week of practice, and c.) there's guys on the team that have been in this lineup before, so maybe they can adjust and turn around the hitting woes. However, Big 12 could be strong and Texas's remaining non-con is no creampuff. Is it too early to hit the panic button for the Longhorns?

Dillon

9:04

Thoughts on the Oregon State? They had a pretty solid weekend and were a couple uncharacteristic errors away from finishing 4-0 in Surprise. How far away are they from the top 25

Wildcat

9:13

What did you think about U of AZ play this weekend especially their pitching?

Will

9:14

Who are some of the freshmen who really impressed last weekend?

Hoya

9:18

What is your outlook on the Big East teams this year? What would be the scenario for two bids? How long will it take Thompson to turn around Georgetown?

Globe Life Field

9:19

Kendall-- How did you enjoy the games at my place? How cool was it to have actual live fans in attendance?

Griffin

9:22

What do you think Holgate on Arizona's ceiling is in terms of his draft position?

Alldayrazorbacks

9:27

Do you think Arkansas makes it to Omaha this year? And outside of the dropped routine foul ball out that cost them a national title what is the national perception of Arkansas baseball???

Jeff

9:27

Fully recognize it was the opening weekend, but I did not think GT's arms looked that great outside of Crawford on Sunday. So many walks and errors too. What were your thoughts on the weekend?

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