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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: March 18
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Aaron Fitt
1:40
Yeah I think it's a really good staff, and Micah is a really good pitching coach who has ton a tremendous job so far getting them ready to succeed and putting them in the right spots. If you go back and read my FSU fall report, you'll see how high I was on this staff's potential, and so far it seems like Micah has been able to harness that potential.
Matt McL
1:42
Do you think freshman Nolan Steven could potentially be a weekend starter for MSU this year? He was overpoweringly gross against LSU Friday night for 5+innings?
Aaron Fitt
1:42
Absolutely -- talking to the MSU staff, it sounds like they think Stevens definitely has weekend starter potential should one of the other starters struggle. I wasn't there Friday, but it sounds like a young Hagen Smith -- 91-94 from that low slot with an elite slider. He sounds like the real deal.
Raider Power
1:42
Is it time for TTU to start looking at a new pitching coach or what? It just seems like the last few years we have had the offense but pitching has definitely been lacking.
Kendall Rogers
1:42
I think Texas Tech as a whole has some soul searching to do. Yes, the offense is solid but it's not like the Red Raiders went to Waco and knocked the cover off the ball this past weekend. With that said, I think anyone with a pulse recognizes that Tech is not and has not gotten it done on the mound for a few seasons now. I'd like to see how the season plays out before making proclamations, but right now, I think Tadlock would be foolish not to examine that part of the team. With that said, I'm not going to just totally throw Matt Gardner to the wolves. It's not a singular issue with this team.
theguz66
1:45
How concerned are you about Beaver pitching moving forward?  I know Aiden May is due back soon and that will certainly help eat up innings. Some of the experienced arms in bullpen coming into the season have really struggled.  And the defense is not what one would expect from OSU either. Even with the injuries the offense is elite and getting healthy downright scary, but is that enough to make an Omaha run given what we have seen on the mound?
Aaron Fitt
1:45
Yeah, it definitely doesn't scream "Omaha-caliber pitching staff" to me, but it didn't in the preseason either, and we still ranked the Beavers in the top 8 because we thought the position player group is just that good. I do think getting Aiden May back will be an enormous difference maker, allowing other guys to slide back into less demanding roles and just making the whole staff deeper. That one key piece is just so critical for OSU's national title hopes, I think.
GeoDawg
1:46
What a week! From losing to South Alabama, going 11 innings against New Orleans, and learning that we were going to be without Dohm, to dang near sweeping LSU in the Dude. How can you not love baseball (blood pressure issues aside). If we could get Dohm, Simmons, and Kohn back later in the year, I could realistically see this team pushing! Finally showing some fight!
Aaron Fitt
1:46
Couple updates on these Mississippi State injuries: Dohm threw a bullpen pregame Sunday and I was standing right next to Lemonis when Dohm came up and told him he felt great after, so that's good. I'd expect him back this week. Kohn is also getting pretty close, it sounds like, but Simmons is out for the year.
trophy 1
J Gill
1:48
Pac 12: 3-bid league...Convince me otherwise
Aaron Fitt
1:48
eeeeee..... I think they find a way to get 4. But I have a hard time constructing a compelling argument to that effect. I just think Arizona is going to make a run as we get deeper into the season, kinda like their club, especially on the mound.
Aaron Fitt
1:48
All right, KR will take it from here. See you guys next week!
Mason
1:54
Kendall, how would you rate Southern Miss's season so far?
Kendall Rogers
1:54
Mason -- pretty good, IMO. I think the offense has finally gotten into a groove, and we already know the pitching staff is elite. I really like the way Oz scheduled this season. Missouri State and Indiana State are both solid teams and they obviously got a massive road series win over La Tech. Those are all series wins that will look good on Selection Monday, IMO. Really dangerous team that I think is Top 25 worthy - they barely missed this week.
Jacob
1:58
It's hard to quantify "better", but do you think the B12 or P12 is better right now and how close is it?
Kendall Rogers
1:58
JACOB -- I would lean the Big 12. I still think teams like Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State have a run in them as the season progresses. I also think Oklahoma and TCU are pretty good -- TCU is just going through a rut right now. The Pac 12 is Oregon State and .... ? I am somewhat bullish on Oregon, but outside of that, that league is a pretty hot mess. California would probably be my next club.
Terp in NC
2:01
In your preseason column on the B1G, you went with just two NCAA  tourney entrants: Iowa & Indiana. Have you changed your mind on the numbers and specific teams?
Kendall Rogers
2:01
Right now, I'm at about 3 or 4 bids for the Big Ten. I feel pretty solid about Nebraska and Maryland at this juncture, and I do feel like either Iowa or Indiana will be a third team. But the question is on a fourth team? Iowa is so far behind the eight ball from non-conference play, but if it rolled throughout conference, I could see the committee giving them somewhat of a mulligan to some extent for having a very difficult non-conf weekend schedule. I think 4 is your best-case scenario as of TODAY.
DAWGS
2:10
How about that for an opening statement to start SEC play by the Dawgs?! Bats really got going and I think if you can figure out how the utilize the roles going forward getting Dohm back, I think this team has a real shot to keep stacking Ws. Thoughts?
Kendall Rogers
2:10
I wrote this in my column earlier today, but I watched all three games over the weekend, and I thought State just looked like a team with a lot better psyche than last season. Even in the game the State lost, it battled back and almost won. I'm excited to see them a little later this week in College Station.
Guest
2:13
What do you think about K-State and the next few weeks for them?
Kendall Rogers
2:13
I feel like Kansas State has played much better the past couple of weeks, but there's no doubt the next four weeks are gut check time with three of four series being on the road -- and the one home series being Texas, who will certainly be tough. That midweek trip to the South was a gut punch, but Pete Hughes' club has responded pretty well. I should get out to see the Bat Cats this weekend down in Houston.
Aldy
2:27
How impressed are you with Ole Miss at this point? Lege looks much improved from last year, Ross and Fischer look great - and Hill hasn't really gotten going yet. What does their ceiling look like?
Kendall Rogers
2:27
Aldy -- A lot like Mississippi State, I'm really impressed with how Ole Miss recovered from a slower start. They didn't look very good at all at Hawaii, but that's a tough road trip to make. Then, they lose the Arkansas State game and the High Point opener, and it's frankly been a much different team since that point. I think I'm buying a bit more stock in MSU right now - I think the pitching potential is greater. But definitely like the direction the Rebs are headed right now.
The Corn Dude
2:30
Nebraska is 13-5 with the #2 SOS.  Please explain yourselves for not having them in the top 25 this week with four teams exiting.
Kendall Rogers
2:30
Corn -- I really like what Nebraska has both in terms of pitching depth and the offensive lineup. I thought the lineup had some impressive balance earlier this year when I saw the Huskers. With that said, if you look at what NU has done on the weekends, I'm not really sure how that's a slam dunk Top 25 team. In the mix? Sure. Slam dunk? Not remotely. But I do think this is a definite regional-caliber club.
Matt
2:34
What's the reasoning in putting Tennessee just ahead of Alabama when the Tide just beat them? I feel like we rely too much on who we think teams are instead of the actual results
Kendall Rogers
2:34
Matt -- Good question. Alabama did have a 2-2 week -- and on top of that, Tennessee lost a road series on the final pitch of the game. It's not one of those scenarios where Alabama just dominated the Vols or anything like that. I still think the Vols are the better overall team, personally. Time will tell.
Guest
2:36
How close are the Canes to cracking the Top 25?
Kendall Rogers
2:36
Guest -- The 'Canes are pretty close. They lost that series at home Florida but have responded brilliantly with those series wins over UVA and North Carolina. Miami is right there with USM in my pecking order, and another big weekend would probably put them in. Love what these guys bring to the table in terms of 'clutch' hitting on the weekends.
Eric Simmons
2:36
Florida or LSU who do you think wins the series? I think LSU wins since its in Baton Rouge?
Kendall Rogers
2:36
I think I like LSU at home in this one.
Marc S.
2:37
Vanderbilt is kinda laying in the weeds right now. Corbin never really has a loaded team on paper but still gets them to perform well as a unit. Do you see them making a serious run to Omaha this year?
Kendall Rogers
2:37
MARC -- It certainly looks like Vandy will make a serious run. The pitching is solid, and Greysen Carter continues to emerge as a massive, improved weapon out of the bullpen. On top of that, the offense has been extremely productive with Alan Espinal breaking out, Cam Kozeal making an instant impact, etc. The 'Dores are checking a ton of boxes right now.
Josh
2:38
Am I crazy for having the Sun Belt as being better than the Big 12 thus having them as the 3rd best conference behind obv the SEC followed by the ACC?
Kendall Rogers
2:38
I would take the Big 12 over the Sun Belt right now, but the gap is not wide at all IMO. That's a great thing for the Sun Belt. That's sizable progress.
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