JotCast | D1Baseball Weekly Chat: March 13

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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: March 13

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Aaron Fitt

1:04

Hey everybody, let's dive in!

Guest

1:04

what do you think of Texas Tech offensively?

Kendall Rogers

1:04

I definitely like what I'm seeing right now after the very, very strong showing against Iowa. I know people got up in my arms about my comment about Gavin Kash and building the offense around him. But here's the deal, he has been a massive surprise, and he has been terrific. He's exactly what that team was missing coming into the season, and he's accepting that role quite nicely. As for the offense as a whole, two things are true: The sun will come out and Tim Tadlock will have his offense ready by conference play.

Blayne Butler

1:06

Is Jac Caglianone the best player in college baseball right now?

Aaron Fitt

1:06

Heck, at this point I think you can make a pretty strong argument that he has provided more value than any other player in the country. Hitting over .400 with 13 homers, and also 3-0, 1.77 on the mound? That's nuts. He might wind up in that rarified Brendan McKay/AJ Reed category of true two-way superstars that we just don't see very often.

Guest

1:06

What’s your analysis on Florida and prediction on a good Alabama team coming into Gainesville this weekend?

Kendall Rogers

1:06

Guest,

We will have a lot more from Gainesville with our Joe Healy headed there, but I think that's a really tough series for Alabama given the way Florida's rotation is and the sheer punch in the lineup. With that said, 'Bama is likely going to catch a break if Wyatt Langford can't go this weekend because of that gruesome injury over the weekend, but if he can play, that changes things. With that said, I have zero doubt Alabama is way better than it showed in the series finale against Columbia. The key for me? Bama needs to get into that UF bullpen. That's where I think Sully's club is most vulnerable.

OppoTaco

1:08

SC goes 5-0 this week against less than stellar competition and moves up multiple spots? How do you see them against stacking up against better competition? Obviously, they have a ton of arms and some power but their non-conference schedule has been putrid.

Aaron Fitt

1:08

Always important to point out that the rankings aren't conducted in a vacuum -- whether a team moves up or not is often heavily influenced by what the teams ahead of it do. In this case, a bunch of teams ahead of the Gamecocks had losing weekends, so the door was open for SC to make a move -- and it's not like South Carolina has done anything so far to prevent it from moving up. It's been a light schedule, certainly, but at least the Gamecocks are dominating it. That's encouraging to see, reinforces my feeling that they'll remain a major contender in SEC play.

Chris

1:08

How do you see the LSU/Texas A&M matchup this weekend?

Kendall Rogers

1:08

Chris -- good question. I actually think I like the Aggies a bit more on the mound AFTER Paul Skenes on Friday. With that said, I don't want to discount Aggies righty Nathan Dettmer too much. He's erratic at times but when he's on, he's All-American caliber. I lean LSU in this series, but with a stiff north wind and cool temps expected, that favors the Aggies a bit. LSU is the better team to me, but I just have a feeling Schlossnagle will have A&M ready.

Bryan….THE university of mississippi

1:11

Daughterty is looking pretty good on fridays for the Rebs so far, minus the first time against Maryland. Any word on hunter Elliott, and can the current staff carry this team thru SEC play?

Kendall Rogers

1:11

Bryan -- Yep -- he has been very solid. I wasn't sure if he'd able to make that transition and hold his stuff, but it seems like he has been doing it. I subscribe to the idea that I'll just be pleasantly surprised if Hunter Elliott returns. With that said, looking at this team from a 36,000 foot view, I think the offense is so loaded that the Rebels can easily host with even an average pitching staff. It might be the best year possible for this team to be short on the mound.

BiloxiBound

1:11

With Mississippi State hitting their stride and Kentucky on a tear in the early season, who do you have favored this weekend? This series has a feel about it, that it could be an indicator for which of these programs is still playing come the postseason.

Aaron Fitt

1:11

That was a nice get-right week for Mississippi State, and you're right that Kentucky has continued to cruise against modest but not terrible competition -- Indiana State and Southern Illinois are quality programs, albeit not outstanding teams in 2023. That is an intriguing series. I still like Mississippi State's roster more, and I do expect UK to face some adversity now that SEC play is getting started, but I'm also open to the possibility that I could just be wrong about Kentucky. There are so many new faces on that team that it's hard to know yet just how good they are, and how they stack up vs. the SEC. That's what makes conference play fun, we get to find these things out soon! For now, I'll still with MSU.

Noah

1:12

Any update on Cal’s Ian May? They really struggled without him this weekend.

Kendall Rogers

1:12

Noah -- I will check with Coach Neu, but he was in severe pain from the elbow and immediately left the OU game a couple of weeks ago. The body language tells me he's going to be out a long time at the least. But I will double check.

Guest

1:14

Why is 9-6 TCU ranked 11?

Kendall Rogers

1:14

I'm glad you asked that. Remember, not all schedules are created equally. TCU has played one of the nation's toughest schedules to date and it has wins over Arkansas and Vanderbilt on the weekend. It also won a series against a solid USD club without several arms because of injuries.

Travis

1:14

Now that we're about a month into the season, what do y'all make of what you're seeing out of Texas Tech compared to expectations heading into the year? Personally, I love the team's ability to get on base, their situational hitting, and their pitching depth. My biggest concerns are the mental lapses in fielding and defense and the tendency for their pitching to try and pitch around guys and how much it's leading to walks.

Aaron Fitt

1:14

I think your assessment feels pretty spot on, although I'll have a better feel for the pitching and defense after spending this coming weekend in Lubbock for that Oklahoma State series -- really looking forward to that matchup. But from afar, I've been particularly encouraged by what Tech's offense has done; there were fewer proven commodities in that lineup than in years past, but it doesn't seem like that offense has skipped a beat.

Rigsby

1:16

What mid-major program has stood out to you thus far?

Kendall Rogers

1:16

Obviously, Columbia has my attention after the terrific showing against Alabama over the weekend. I'll have more in the Rogers Review, but how about the job Tod Brown is doing at UNM right now? The Lobos are off to an 11-4 start after going 21-33 last season. Finally, how about my man Todd Interdonato at Wofford? Just a year removed from being snubbed from the NCAA tourney, the Terriers are in wash, rinse, repeat mode with a 14-1 overall record.

Will

1:20

Ole Miss is now 14-2 and hasn't shown much regression offensively despite losing the talent they lost from last season. However, their pitching still has question marks. How do you foresee this staff faring on the road in Nashville to start SEC play?

Aaron Fitt

1:20

Yeah, really love that position player group -- they did such a great job getting some key guys in the portal to plug some holes, and the returning core was awesome despite the big names they lost from last year. So far I've been impressed with how the pitching has held up without Hunter Elliott -- better than I expected, frankly. Xavier Rivas' performance has been very reassuring, he has shown us he can handle the step up to the DI level. And I know Dougherty gave up some runs this week, but I like him in the Friday spot, it seems like he's doing a better job maintaining his stuff deeper into games this year. I was a little concerned about the bullpen without Dougherty and Mallitz back there, but some other guys have stepped up forward like Tookoian and Quinn, two young arms they were very excited about, and obviously Mason Nichols is up for the back-end role. Feels like maybe this staff will actually be steady.

Mitchell

1:20

Thoughts on Arkansas? Their bats are what we thought they'd be. Pitching wise they may have found a temporary closer in Dylan Carter (2-0, 1 sv, 3.46 era in 13 innings)

Kendall Rogers

1:20

I might be closing in on my 40s, but one thing that has been a constant through all these years is that Dave Van Horn will find a way. He's incredible. I noticed over the weekend that Carter threw really well out of the bullpen against a very solid Louisiana Tech club. With Frank out and Brady out for a few weeks, he and McEntire (who was really good this past weekend, too) will be the keys to everything, IMO.

Brock

1:23

Do you see the WAC finishing with another season of two tournament teams or do you view it as just the conference tournament winner? Who do you view as the projected regional team from the WAC at this point in the season?

Aaron Fitt

1:23

Kinda feels like one bid is still most likely, because I think Grand Canyon is the only team that is building an at-large caliber resumé in the nonconference. But if the Lopes fail to win the automatic bid, I could see them potentially winding up in at-large territory and making the WAC a two-bid league. Abilene Christian is off to a great start and looks like a contender, but the teams they've beaten won't help them make an at-large case.

CHANDLER

1:24

HOW DO YOU THINK THE B1G IS SHAPING UP? WHAT TEAMS ARE SLEEPERS?

Kendall Rogers

1:24

Chandler -- that league actually looks pretty damn solid to me right now. You have Iowa at the top, Illinois has played really, really well at times this season, and Nebraska has woken up from its California trip and is playing good baseball. Also, as Fitt astutely said would happen a couple of weeks ago, Rutgers has suddenly figured it out after sweeping AND no-hitting Georgia Southern this past weekend. The league is shaping up to be pretty solid, and that's without even mentioning Maryland, which will certainly be in the postseason mix as well.

Matt

1:25

Was BC just on the outside of this weeks rankings?

Aaron Fitt

1:25

Yes, BC was team No. 26 for us this week, and if we had a third open spot we certainly would have brought the Eagles in. I think BC's body of work is definitely Top 25 caliber, particularly when you consider the fact that the Eagles have had to play every single game on the road, and they've now beaten Tennessee (once) and won a weekend series at Virginia Tech. We had a lengthy discussion in our meeting about BC vs. Southern Miss for our last spot, and ultimately we decided that we should be consistent in our approach that don't usually drop teams out of the Top 25 after they win their weekends. BC has greatly improved its stock -- that might have been our unofficial team 80 or 90 in our preseason pecking order, but they've jumped all the way to the edge of the Top 25.

HardBall Fan

1:27

Thoughts on the American Conference? Two-bid league this year with UCF playing so well and ECU being ECU as usual? Memphis started strong but has lost 5 or 6 straight. Think Kerrick Jackson is going to build something there in the future. Houston looks bad. Tulane struggling. How strong is the conference top to bottom?

Kendall Rogers

1:27

Hardball -- the American is looking extremely pedestrian at best right now. I agree that Kerrick will have Memphis consistently competitive soon, but man, the rest of that league has scuffled like no other. I actually think UCF is a solid club, but losing a pair of series to Sun Belt teams (Geo Southern and Troy) out of conference will really hurt them if they're status is remotely in question on Selection Monday. Houston and Tulane have been massive disappointments. ECU is clearly elite, however.

Terpitude

1:28

Has Maryland's Nick Lorusso entered the list of potential draftees? He's s senior, but he's playing at an extremely high level. Also, RSO Nigel Belgrave has taken a giant step in terms of his control, and he's striking out hitters at an incredible pace.

Aaron Fitt

1:28

Belgrave has definitely boosted his stock, I think he's one of the guys David Seifert has on his upcoming list of early draft risers. Age is definitely working against LoRusso, as a fifth-year senior, but the fact that he's controlling the strike zone better as well as hitting for power and average could make him more appealing to an analytics-driven club. He's a really good college player, would be cool to see him get a shot in pro ball.

Guest

1:30

How high do you see Campbell moving up the rankings this season. Appreciate the love for the Camels!

Aaron Fitt

1:30

I think the Camels are really good -- a deep, powerful and versatile lineup, and a nice collection of power arms on the mound with two bona fide dudes bookending the staff in Kuehler and Cummings. Feels like a team that could keep on steadily climbing in the rankings because I don't know who on their schedule is going to trip them up. Campbell is going to completely dominate that league.

Jim

1:30

Lot of talk about the increase in home runs. On the other hand, the Heat Sheet is filling up equally as fast this year. Is the increased velocity from an increase in quality pitching contributing to the home runs? You barrel one up at 96 and it's going to fly.

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