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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: Jan. 18
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Aaron Fitt
1:01
Hello gang, it's time for the first chat of 2021 — finally! What a long, strange offseason it's been. Let's get after it -- and please welcome the great Mike Rooney to the chat room for the first time!
Mike Rooney
1:02
Let's goooooooo!!!!
John
1:05
How big of a factor was COVID in determining the rankings? I know LBSU and USC struggled with limited/no practice.
Mike Rooney
1:05
It wasn't a be all end all for me but those teams may get off to choppier starts I think..
Guest
1:08
Top big ten teams or pick to win conf?
Kendall Rogers
1:08
We will have our Big Ten preview out soon, but for me, it's Michigan and Indiana -- and then Ohio State and Iowa, probably in that order, though, you could make a strong case for Iowa over some of those teams. We'll see how things shake out soon!
SECbaseball
1:08
How would you rank the Friday night arms of the SEC west?
Aaron Fitt
1:08
Oh yeah, now THIS is the kind of high-powered question we need to kick off this chat! Not an easy one, but here's my best try:

  1. Connor Prielipp, Alabama
  2. Richard Fitts, Auburn
  3. Doug Nikhazy, Ole Miss
  4. Christian MacLeod, Mississippi State
  5. Jaden Hill, LSU
  6. Bryce Miller, Texas A&M
  7. Caleb Bolden, Arkansas

And I gotta tell you... I think you could rank those first five guys in any order you want. I'm all-in on Prielipp, but he's never even pitched an SEC game! Fitts and Hill have top-10-picks stuff, and Hill is the most electric of the bunch, but I have a little more faith in Fitts' current pitchability and I like his track record as a big-game pitcher in the bullpen, even he hasn't been an SEC ace. Nikhazy and MacLeod are both very safe, high-floor lefties who compete their tails off. If you wanted either one of those guys No. 1, I wouldn't argue.
Mike Rooney
1:08
I'll channel my inner KR here: UCF is intriguing and 2020 was super impressive but they lost some really good arms. The raw materials look good but it's hard to lose those types of pitchers and not miss a beat.
Danny
1:10
Is Arkansas’ lineup and pitching depth enough for them to get to Omaha even without an Isaiah Campbell or a Blaine Knight type guy on the staff?
Kendall Rogers
1:10
Danny -- Arkansas will one of the better offenses in college baseball this spring, IMO, so the offense isn't remotely a concern for me. Frankly, the only thing holding the Hogs back from a Top Five spot preseason is just the weekend rotation. I really like guys like Noland/Wicklander/Vermillion, etc, but all those guys enter the season with something to prove. WTS -- I believe in a guy like Matt Hobbs to have a solid rotation. I'm very confident in the bullpen with a stable of power arms down there.
Frank
1:10
I feel like I have a pretty good feel for the Florida infield. But who do you think is the most likely option to join Young and Fabian in the outfield?
Aaron Fitt
1:10
I think it comes down to Calilao and Sterlin Thompson. Calilao is the two-year starter who gives valuable, mature at-bats, so I'd bet on him to lead the platoon... but Kevin O'Sullivan was talking in the fall about how it's going to be near impossible to keep Thompson's bat out of the lineup, because he is just really special. That's a good problem to have, but man is it going to be hard to find at-bats for all those talented hitters. Thompson can also really, really throw, but he's a converted infielder who doesn't have much experience in the outfield, so maybe he sees more time at DH in the short term? Just speculating there.
HornFan
1:11
How much more do you guys think having a quality fourth starter will matter this year with conferences moving to a four game weekend model? Additionally, what teams do you guys feel like have the best situation to take advantage of the four man rotation?
1:12
There was supposed to be a tourney featuring #3 Texas Tech, #6 Ole Miss, #7 Miss State, #8 Arkansas, #9 Texas and #10 TCU. Have you heard anything on whether or not it will happen? If it does, how many people will D1 send to Arlington?
Kendall Rogers
1:12
Yes. The Globe Life Tournament and there has been no change at this point. It's fully expected to be played, and yours truly will be there. I can't wait for that tournament with six of our Top 12 teams in it.
John
1:14
Y'all are higher on West Virginia than other sites. What do you like the most about the Mountaineers?
Aaron Fitt
1:14
This is a Fitt Special right here -- I think I convinced Kendall and Roons to run them up, because I'm just in love with WVU's pitching. I'm not surprised we're higher on them than other outlets, but that's because we took the time to go see these guys in the fall, and I can tell you that their pitching is legit -- I think it will be one of the best bullpens in the nation, with all kinds of velocity and true knockout secondary pitches. But I also really believe the Jackson Wolf/Ryan Bergert duo might wind up being among the best one-two rotation punches in the nation, and they have a nice group of reliable strike-throwers behind in the rotation, guys like Tyler Strechay and Jake Carr. Position player group has plenty of veterans left over from the 2019 regional hosting team, and a nice blend of impact speed and some pop. It wouldn't surprise me if WVU even finishes ahead of TCU and Texas when the dust settles. But I recognize that I'm putting myself out there a little bit with this pick.
Benjamin Ficken
1:16
was Southern miss in the discussion for top 25 at all?? What do you like from this team coming into the year?
Kendall Rogers
1:16
Ben -- USM was in the discussion for sure and is a team I'll vouching for in our Next 10 discussion. I think if you look at the rotation with Stanley, Shepard and Powell -- that's a ton of experience, and some quality arms to boot. Furthermore, USM will hit and they love freshman Slade Wilks. USM is the very, very clear-cut favorite to win Conference USA for me.
Guest
1:20
How close was Clemson to cracking the top 25? Additionally, is Keshawn Askew on track to be our Sunday starter?
Aaron Fitt
1:20
We had Clemson a bit lower in our ACC pecking order — Duke would have been the first ACC team out of our rankings, and then probably Clemson and BC are neck and neck, both probably fitting in the 30-40 range somewhere. Wouldn't surprise me if Askew wind up as the Sunday guy; reports on him this fall were very good, though I did not get to see him. Davis Sharpe feels like the only sure thing for the weekend rotation, and Mat Clark seems like a good bet as well. Then it comes down to Askew, Carter Raffield and freshmen Caden Grice and Ty Olenchuk for the Sunday job, in my opinion.
Aaron
1:20
How close was Pepperdine to being ranked?
Kendall Rogers
1:20
Pepp was just shy of being squarely in the discussion. I did bring them up, however. I actually really like the Waves' chances in the WCC with Cooper Chandler and Gunner Groen leading the weekend rotation. That lineup is loaded, too, with the return of Modlin, power-hitting Lutes and my man Wyatt Young. Pepperdine is a 40-win type of team for me, and I think they'll be a regional two seed somewhere.
Mike Rooney
1:29
Gonzaga is another team to watch in the WCC.. Alek Jacob is a horse, Andrew Orzel (Wofford) was huge transfer pick up.. Gabe Hughes and Ernie Yake are WCC POY candidates. Really like the Zags!
Hank
1:22
your preseason top 25 is mostly southern schools (rightfully so), what teams from up north do you think could make some noise in the post season?
Mike Rooney
1:22
Hey Hank.. UConn is one for sure. They are deep and experienced. If Ben Casperius can be a true ace, and I think he can, they are really dangerous.
Heel
1:24
Thoughts on North Carolina this year? Off the radar for the first time in years going into the season.
Aaron Fitt
1:24
Definitely under the radar, with a chance to sneak up on people -- that's certainly an unfamiliar position for that program, and I bet they'll relish it. There are still things to like -- if Austin Love bounces back strong, he and Joey Lancellotti could wind up being a pretty darn solid one-two punch atop the rotation, but there are a lot of unprovens on the staff overall, so I'm in wait-and-see mode with their pitching. And aside from Danny Serretti, there aren't a whole lot of established commodities in the lineup either, though Angel Zarate was off to a great start last year before the season was canceled. They need their newcomers to hit the ground running, like Justice Thompson in CF and Mac Horvath at 3B. I am high on both of those players, but there's a lot riding on them, I think.
EagsBy10
1:27
Where is the love for USM? Weekend rotation is going to be stout and bringing back a lot of bats.
Aaron Fitt
1:27
Kendall touched on them earlier, but just to follow up -- I tweeted after I saw USM this fall that I thought the Eagles felt like a Top 25-caliber team, and I still feel that way. It's just that college baseball is stronger than it has ever been, and there were like 40 teams that we considered Top 25 caliber. I would definitely have Southern Miss in my personal top 30, though.
Mike Rooney
1:31
Agree with Fittsy here.. I'll add that Slade Wilks is a personal fave of ours. Should be a stand out true freshman hitter.
Guest
1:27
You guys aren't that high on the Big Ten (it seems). How the heck will the Big Ten get at large bids if they don't have non-con?
Kendall Rogers
1:27
That's a great question, and one of the concerns that coaches in that league have right now. With almost the entire country scheduled to play at least some non-conference games, committee members I've spoken with are perplexed at how to judge the Big Ten. This could be one of those years where the ranking of those teams by the regional advisory committee is massive. We'll see how things shake out.
Dave
1:32
What do you see it’s going to take for a Big Ten team to crack you top 25? Thanks
Aaron Fitt
1:32
As Kendall mentioned, we did look hard at the Big Ten in our Top 25 discussion, but the problem is it feels like there are seven very solid teams but no real obvious favorite. Michigan and Indiana feel like they're at the top of the pecking order, but the Wolverines lost a lot, and as much as I like Indiana's pitching I'm not sold on the lineup. And really, I think you can make a case for Iowa, Ohio State, Maryland, Nebraska or Illinois to win the league as well. It just feels like a big jumble without any clear-cut front-runner, but once a team or two starts to emerge in the top tier, we will be quick to rank the cream of the Big Ten crop.
Ben Royer
1:33
who do you think gets in the UCLA rotation this season? Lots of good options, but tough decisions. Maybe one replaces Powell in the pen? Savage has lots of luxury!
Mike Rooney
1:33
The Bruins are LOADED on the mound! Rotation will be Pettway, Nastrini, Bergin. The bullpen is arguably the best in the country with Townsend and Mora as the rocks. Sean Mullen is a power arm in the class of Powell.. he is the key. If he throws enough strikes as the closer, UCLA will be really difficult to score on.
Sean
1:34
What are your expectations for the Aggies of Texas A&M this year?
Kendall Rogers
1:34
Sean -- The Aggies could certainly be one of those teams that makes us look silly for not ranking them at the end of the season, but there are just too many question marks early on. For starters, Bryce Miller has a big-time arm, but he's moving from the closer role to the No. 1 starting job in the toughest league in America. That's not easy. Doable? Yes. But we want to see it. Dustin Saenz is a classic breakout candidate, and Chris Weber has a chance to be very good, assuming he stays committed to the weight room, etc. I actually think the Aggies will be improved offensively. So, for now, the pitching staff is kind of the question mark.
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