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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: March 24
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Aaron Fitt
1:36
It does feel that way. And normally I'm the guy trying to talk you into taking your hand off that button... but not sure I'm feeling it. The next three weeks are clearly critical, with tough road series at LSU and Alabama, sandwiched around a home series against South Carolina that is probably a must-sweep. Not sure I have the confidence in MSU to won either of those road series, which means I think this team might find itself in too big of a hole to dig out of.
James
1:40
Basketball fans got a taste of what baseball fans experience every year with the whole UNC AD on the committee debacle. Do you think the NCAA will move towards a selection process that’s more unaffiliated to schools or do they care enough to do that? Also, what improvements would you suggest for the selection process?
Aaron Fitt
1:40
Yeah, it's just never made sense to me for this process to be determined by people who have inherent interests in the outcome. And I get that all human beings have some sort of biases -- but not every human being is actually employed by a university to run an athletic department that has a vested interest in what is best for its own programs. I don't know what the answer is, but the status quo sure doesn't feel like it. I've been saying this for two decades, and nothing has really changed. Will keep banging the drum.
Daniel
1:42
Of the three 0-6 SEC teams, which one stands the best chance to make it to NCAA Regional action?
Aaron Fitt
1:42
Missouri.

Nah, just seeing if you were paying attention. I think it's the Gators. They'll get healthier eventually, and in the meantime, at least they're not below .500 overall like A&M is, somehow. At 18-8, Florida is starting from a better position here. I still think the Gators will find a way to get to at least 13 or 14 SEC wins. Lot of work to do, and it needs to start now, but they are better than this.
Billy Gersh
1:44
Is UCLA a real player in the top 25 this year, or is their placement this week a short lived stay?
Kendall Rogers
1:44
Well, UCLA hasn't had a losing weekend to date, so it's hard to call them remotely a fraud considering its consistency. The UCLA bullpen, in particularly, definitely looks very good right now.
Izzo
1:45
How many B1G teams ultimately make the tournament?
Aaron Fitt
1:45
Hmm... I'm starting to get concerned about some of the mediocrity I'm seeing in the overall records in the Big Ten. A bunch of teams have not done as well as I expected in nonconference play, and as a result they have RPI problems that feel like they are most likely to compound as they play each other more and more. So I'm going to say four bids, ultimately. A few weeks ago I was thinking more like six, but it just doesn't feel like it's trending that way. Long way to go though, could certainly wind up with more than four.
Eric Simmons
1:45
What's wrong with Texas A&M and Florida?
Kendall Rogers
1:45
Eric -- Both teams have some injuries, but it's abundantly clear that Florida has very limited, reliable options, at this point, outside of Peterson, King and maybe a couple of others. The talent is there for sure, but the proof is in the pudding as they say. As for A&M, 49 strikeouts in a three-game series is only acceptable if Paul Skenes is pitching all three games of the series for the other team. The starting pitching continues to get it done for A&M.
Kyle
1:47
Is Kyson Witherspoon the Golden Spikes frontrunner?
Aaron Fitt
1:47
I don't know about the front-runner, but certainly he's looking like a leading contender. That 58-7  K-BB mark in 35 IP is very loud. Of course, I don't know that there's any other clear-cut front-runner at this stage; the race feels more wide open than ever. Liam Doyle and Witherspoon are definitely two of the first names that come to mind for me.
John
1:50
Why the sudden change in philosophy this year dropping teams that win their weekend? I don’t necessarily disagree, but UNC (just as an example) in prior years would have never dropped that far after winning a series on the road.
Aaron Fitt
1:50
I think you're probably over-simplifying it -- yes, we generally keep teams that win their weekends from dropping, but there have always been exceptions. In this case, the poll mechanics were awkward because UNC just lost head to head series against Louisville and Stanford, and both of them lost their weekends and needed to drop, but still probably needed to stay ahead of UNC. And it's not like UNC had a great week -- 2-2 with a home loss to UConn and winning 2 of 3 at BC is just kinda meh. That said, if Louisville and Stanford had won their weekends, UNC might well have stayed where it was. People always roll their eyes at "poll mechanics," but it gets tricky once you have recent head-to-head results to balance against the current week's developments. It's not as clear-cut as it might seem!
Buzz Aldrin
1:51
Thoughts on GT and the early season success?  The schedule has not been a gauntlet but they have been consistent for the most part.  Competition steps up this weekend with Clemson coming to Russ Chandler - do you think GT can win that series?
Kendall Rogers
1:51
Buzz -- I've actually been pretty impressed with Georgia Tech's start. Sure, it hasn't played the toughest schedule, but let's not forget that GT was not beating some of these teams the past couple of seasons at times. GT is one of the top hitting teams in the country, has Drew Burress, and also has done some really nice things on the bump. In addition to Tate McGee being a front-line ace type, Mason Patel has been outrageously good out of the bullpen. They can def win the Clemson series at home, IMO.
BaseVols
1:53
Andrew Fischer. Taunts and angers every Alabaman from here to Hallelujah. Slow saunters back to plate and slams a home run. Cinema. Jersey boy was born a Vol. Show that to anyone who ever says baseball is boring. 🎭😎
Kendall Rogers
1:53
This may be unpopular, but I'm actually OK with the slow, majestic trot, as long as you're not yelling obscenities at the other team. He's certainly having a great year thus far.
Lovesbaseball
1:55
When your team is on a losing streak, does it hurt a player's individual draft value?
Kendall Rogers
1:55
I don't think it hurts your stock unless you are struggling, too. For instance, Jace LaViolette entered the season as the No. 1 overall college prospect, and he has dropped a few spots because he's not hitting for quite the power he was last season, and also hasn't been consistent. He has looked very tense at the plate at times. With that said, I would not bet against that guy to finish the season sizzling hot.
Peter
1:56
Any reason Texas only jumped one spot? UTSA loss that bad?
Aaron Fitt
1:56
UTSA is certainly not a bad loss, and the weekend was nice -- but it was still just a 2-2 week. If teams ahead of them had lost, you might have seen the Longhorns jump more, or if they had gone 3-1 they might have leapfrogged over some others, but at 2-2, they just didn't do enough to jump over teams ahead of them that also won their weeks.
James
1:56
Hey guys how about that freshman sawyer strowsnider. Also how about TCU's impressive 8 - 1 record on the road and a huge road series win in a tough place.
Kendall Rogers
1:56
James - Yeah, that was a big road series win despite the fact Tech isn't the normal Tech team. Another series loss like that combined with the Arizona State series loss, etc, and TCU would have some making up to do. Coach Saarloos was ultra excited about Strosnider in the fall, and you're seeing why. A 450 foot home run over the weekend. Are you kidding me? I will get a good look at Strosnider and the Frogs down here in Houston on Saturday night at UH.
EagsBy10
1:58
Can southern miss put together a top 8 seed resume?
Aaron Fitt
1:58
It doesn't feel like their schedule is going to be strong enough for them to build a top-eight case. They do play a road series at Troy late, but they don't get a chance to play another marquee conference series against Coastal, and that probably hurts them, if we're talking about them as a potential top eight. I think they can be a host, but I don't see top-eight materializing.
Lovesbaseball
1:58
Rice won a game on the road to open conference play. The boys look happier, more free and Pierce is beaming and this is before the win. Do you think Pierce can really turn things around?
Kendall Rogers
1:58
I don't think DP is totally flipping the script this spring, but I think he can set the foundation for a much better Rice program moving forward. It looked like the Owls (Rice) actually played much better overall against a good FAU team over the weekend.
Andrew
1:59
Pencil in one of these “mid majors” to get to Omaha. Southern Miss, DBU, or UC Irvine?
Kendall Rogers
1:59
Out of those three teams, I personally have the most conviction in USM for now.
Clemson Fan
2:01
What was your favorite part of the environment at Doug Kingsmore this weekend? Who do you think can take the Sunday starter position at Clemson? Is there bullpen even deep enough for a run this year?
Aaron Fitt
2:01
I'll tell you what, it's a tough place to play -- always feels like the visiting team is really in the cauldron there. The constant music might be annoying as hell, but that's the point, really. I don't know that I'd want to cover an entire season of games there, I'd probably lose my mind -- but I certainly respect the impact it all has on the opposition. It is a fierce home field advantage. As for the Sunday starter, I think once Michael Gillen gets back in a couple weeks, he would make the most sense to me, although it also sounds like Talan Bell is getting closer and he's another talented option. But Gillen is nasty, and he's experienced; I like him as the guy if he can get healthy and build up his endurance. The bullpen depth seems solid, not exceptional, but good enough, anchored by two very good pieces in Titsworth and Mahlstedt.
Aaron Fitt
2:02
Speaking of Clemson -- I should have a takeaways piece on Clemson and Wake Forest coming later this afternoon, so keep an eye out for that. Tons of great content on our site all weekend, I'd encourage folks to scroll back through and check it out.
That'll do it for me today, see you next week!
Nate F
2:03
Is DBU playing in a one-bid league in C-USA? Is hosting out of the question?
Kendall Rogers
2:03
C-USA definitely looks like a one-bid league right now outside of DBU. DBU could be in the hosting mix, but an RPI of 26 right now? I'm curious to see how that RPI swings as the season progresses.
Lovesbaseball
2:05
This is going to be considered a soft take, but Earley. Yes coaches get paid a lot, yes coaching is brutal, etc. etc. But he is such a nice guy it seems with a lovely family and young children...just hate what is happening in College Station. Could this rough start end a head coaching career that just started? In real numbers (terms of wins and losses) what will it take for him to keep his job?
Kendall Rogers
2:05
I have a great relationship with Mike, but it's also our job to be honest. I do think if A&M fails to make the NCAA tournament and stinks down the stretch, they will cut bait after a season. That's my educated take at this point. With that said, there is a VERY long way to go to get to that point. I'm not throwing the towel in on those guys just yet. That's just foolish at this stage.
Eric Simmons
2:06
If Arizona wins the Big 12 are they a Regional Host? I think they very well could be
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