You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Return toD1Baseball
D1Baseball Weekly Chat: March 22
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
Poke
1:30
Is there cause for concern in Stillwater? Or did they just fall victim to playing two elite teams on back-to-back weekends?
Kendall Rogers
1:30
I actually still feel pretty good about Oklahoma State moving forward. The Pokes went into a very difficult venue in Lubbock and lost the series finale by a single run to lose the series. OSU will be fine in Big 12 play, IMO. Very solid club.
Guest
1:32
How is RPI factored into your weekly ratings and when/if does it become weighed heavier ?
Aaron Fitt
1:32
I can't speak for Kendall's process, but I personally don't even look at RPI when we're doing our Top 25. Obviously we do use RPI heavily with our field of 64 forecasts, because the committee uses it heavily so if we're trying to predict what the committee will do then we need to use it too. But I'm not in love with the metric and don't think it's a great evaluation tool for how good teams actually are. We place far more value on quality weekend series wins.
Guest
1:33
Is Stanford close to top 25?
Kendall Rogers
1:33
Guest -- Stanford was part of our Top 25 discussion this week for sure. WTS, the Cardinal hasn't had what I'd consider a stiff weekend test just yet. That'll come against UCLA in a couple of weeks. I've been really pleased with Nick Brueser and Christian Robinson offensively. Robinson has always been one of those guys I thought had a chance to be a really nice player. On the mound, Zach Grech has been phenomenal.
Pirate
1:35
ECU had a very weird week with lots of sloppy play, but still came out of it 3-1.  What do you see as the biggest area of concern for them right now? Also, with the conference being down this year, what would they have to do to be a National Seed? Lastly, how about that “bird cage”?!
Aaron Fitt
1:35
I'd just chalk it up as one of those inevitable weeks over the course of a long baseball season when a team just has to grind it out, and I think it's encouraging that ECU was able to grind out a 3-1 week when it wasn't playing its best. I really don't have any pressing concerns about the Pirates, I think they are a very good all-around club. National seed feels like a long shot to me because of your point about the AAC, but if they really dominate the league and can rack up some more nice midweek wins against the likes of North Carolina (they already have two good ones against Duke), then they have a shot. And I love the bird cage! Cracks me up.
Lubbock
1:37
What is your take on Tech’s pitching staff as a whole? Can it get them back to Omaha?
Kendall Rogers
1:37
Lubbock -- As you know, I've always felt pretty good about Tech's offense, but the pitching staff was a concern for me at Globe Life. Well, righthanded pitcher Brandon Birdsell has been much much better in the starting role the past two weeks, and Pat Monteverde continues to do Pat Monteverde things. So, what was a huge concern of mine now looks stabilized for the time being. If that keeps up, absolutely to your question.
Jon B
1:38
As an Arkansas fan, I have no issues with you guys ranking Vandy #1, they are playing better than us, but you guys have always stated you won't drop a team in the rankings if they win their weekend series, yet that is what you did to the Hogs. Just curious as to why you changed your philosophy this week?
Aaron Fitt
1:38
That's a guiding principle more than a firm rule, and occasionally if a team also loses a midweek game and somebody behind them just has a more impressive week, they will drop a spot or two after winning a weekend. I will confess that I made the case to keep Arkansas No. 1 this week, but it was a close call, and ultimately Kendall and Roons felt like Vanderbilt earned that top spot through the quality of their play. It's hard to argue with that.
Terry T.
1:38
Do you plan on issuing a revised Player Power Ranking summary mid-season?
Aaron Fitt
1:38
We'll have revised power rankings this week, and after week 10. We'll begin rolling those out tomorrow, so check back soon!
Corey81280
1:39
Gentlemen, my concern as always is about Arkansas. Do you see a possible shift in the weekend rotation to Zeb,Pallette, and then Lockhart. Pallette has massive upside, but using him as a Friday night starter in the SEC seems to be a daunting challenge. Just wondering if you feel a little shake up of the rotation is in order.
Aaron Fitt
1:39
Kendall has a better feel for those guys than I do, as I'll get my first look at them this weekend. But as I said earlier in the chat, I typically like to have a guy with more experience as my Friday night bell cow, especially in the SEC.
Purple4Life
1:40
Do you think the committee will ever seed 1-64 when it comes to regionals?
Kendall Rogers
1:40
Purple -- I don't think so. We're just now getting to the point where the committee knows enough about teams to rank 1-16. I would shudder at the idea of the committee ranking teams 1-64. It's not disrespect to them, it's just really hard to rank 1-64 when you still have conferences who aren't streaming, etc...
Beamer
1:41
Georgia, like all SEC teams, has a really tough schedule.  To make the postseason, they need to take advantage of series against middling teams like Tennessee, especially at home. They weren't able to do that this weekend.  It's early, but do you see them making the postseason?  I think it's going to be close.
Aaron Fitt
1:41
I liked the fight Georgia showed, and I think they'll be competitive.... but ultimately, gun to my head, do I think they'll make a regional? If I had to place a bet today, I would say no. I just don't see enough firepower on the mound or on the lineup, and not having C.J. Smith really hurts that pitching staff.
West Coast Guy
1:43
Its me again advocating for the WCC to be a two bid league! Do you think if Gonzaga and USD were to finish 1 and 2 in either order could they possibly both make it? Might be tougher with no conference tourney this year but what are your thoughts?
Aaron Fitt
1:43
You're preaching to the choir, my friend! I think I've been pushing for the WCC to get two bids for like 15 years now -- I'm sick of seeing good WCC teams wind up just on the other side of the bubble. Gonzaga and USD both feel like regional-caliber clubs, and I do think they both have a shot to make it. We have seen multiple bids from the WCC before.
KD
1:43
When will we see the next Field of 64? I feel like it usually starts around April but may just be getting antsy.
Kendall Rogers
1:43
We will do a Midseason Field of 64 here in a couple of weeks.
TOAST
1:44
Mississippi State rotation. Same to say now that Cerantola will not be in the rotation going forward. I expect MacLeod, Bednar, and Fristoe. Does this sound about right?
Kendall Rogers
1:44
That sounds about right to me, and I think that's a very very solid weekend rotation. I really like Fristoe at the State Farm Showdown Opening Weekend. He's going to be a really good one.
Red Raider Coming at ya
1:44
Who had the more impressive opening series win Texas or Tech? Tech played a Top 15 team at home Texas went on the road to an underrated Baylor squad. Tech came back from losing the 1st game UT lost the last game to miss the sweep. Who do you have?
Aaron Fitt
1:44
I'm gonna go with Tech, even though they were at home and didn't sweep. I believe Mike Rooney when he says Oklahoma State is really good, so that's a real high-quality series win for the Raiders.
JimmyGeez
1:47
How bout them Scarlett Knights! Solid start to the young season for RU! How do you guys think the committee will evaluate the Big 10 this year without OOC games? Does it make it easier for schools to host?
Aaron Fitt
1:47
Love some Rutgers talk in the chat! Really impressed with their first three weeks, that's a loud series win against an Ohio State club that I like quite a bit, following a nice split against a Maryland team that I also expect will be a major factor. Harry Rutkowski and Ben Werenski were great this weekend -- I think that one-two punch gives Rutgers a chance to win a lot of series. And Steve Owens can really coach, as we talk about often -- he'll get the most out of that lineup. As for the committee's approach to the Big Ten -- boy, that's a huge question and we don't have an answer yet. I think it probably makes it harder for teams to host, because you really need to put together a strong record in the league, and that won't be easy with how deep the Big Ten appears.
Husker Red
1:48
I can see why Max Anderson was going to Texas A&M. What a start for the freshman. Will Bolt and company have Nebraska in good hands. What do you think?
Kendall Rogers
1:48
Husker -- When Nebraska hired Bolt, it was a good one for it at the time. Why? Because Bolt played there and knows precisely what's needed to win at a place like NU. From what I'm told, he's also blocked out A&M and some other schools from the State of Nebraska in recruiting. That's extremely important to the Huskers' success.
cowtownBill
1:50
TCU had a good week and with Johnny Ray back in the rotation I feel more confident about the Frogs. I see good defense, average hitting and very good pitching. Is that combination sufficient for them to make a deep run this year?
Kendall Rogers
1:50
Yep. TCU has a lot of veterans in the offensive lineup, but its preseason ranking was predicted upon the pitching staff being elite with Krob-Ray-Smith, and the loaded bullpen coming back. For me, TCU's offense just needs to hit around .275 or so and this could be an Omaha caliber club. I was impressed with the Frogs after losing that series opener to Louisiana.
KT
1:53
Is the one time transfer rule still looking good on getting passes?  I hear the vote is now at the a final Four...can you confirm that?  Also hearing seniors may get another year.
Kendall Rogers
1:53
KT -- I'm not sure why seniors would get another year if they're playing a normal 2021 season? That'd make zero sense to me. WTS -- yes, one-time transfer rule will indeed pass no matter how much the D1 Council is trying to delay it.
FittsMagic
1:56
Power Major Talk: Wright State scheduled TOUGH to start the year (as always), and played Vandy & Bama very tough (three 1-run losses). They have now strung together 12 straight wins. This is a good club. Would another 4-game sweep bring them into consideration for Top 25?
Aaron Fitt
1:56
Yes, the Raiders are a very good club, Shooter! Nailed it as usual. Big fan of Tyler Black and Damon Dues, and have heard great things from scouts about Jake Schrand, who can run that fastball into the mid-90s and really competes. That's a team I would not want in my regional as a host. But long way to go for Top 25 consideration -- they gotta rack up a ton of wins considering all the rest of their games are against Horizon League teams, so there just aren't any more chances for marquee wins.
Guest
1:56
Is Southern Illinois one of those potential 50 win mid majors?  At what point are then in consideration for the top 25?
Kendall Rogers
1:56
Guest -- SIU is in the top 25 discussion right now, but the resume, despite the amazing record, is still pretty light. WTS, I do think Little Rock is a solid team and SIU has the Trojans this weekend. Lance Rhodes has done an incredible job this season, and they've got some big-time hitters. J.T. Weber, Vinni Massaglia and his power, and how about my man Tristan Peters? OBP well over .500. Terrific start!
Connecting…