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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: March 28
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Aaron Fitt
12:01
Hello gang, hope you all had a nice weekend. Let's dive in!
Traviis Entrop
12:04
Travis from Super Acquaintances' Podcast  - I'm at Georgia Tech grad and former pitcher. The u(sic)ga Bulldogs looked pretty lackluster against Kentucky this weekend, but Georgia Tech has been giving up SO many runs in ACC play. Does your ranking of them just above Georgia reflect that you think the lineup can get hot enough to carry the less than stellar pitching staff as ACC play intensifies?
Aaron Fitt
12:04
I would say GT is ranked ahead of Georgia primarily because of the head-to-head result there -- Tech won two of three when they played. But I do agree with your premise, the Yellow Jackets have a relatively high floor because their offense is going to mash all season long, and will only be that much more dangerous when Simpson gets back. But in order to reach their ceiling, the Jackets need to pitch and defend much better than they have been, I think that's pretty clear.
Walter
12:06
Can Tennessee keep up this level of domination for the full season?
Aaron Fitt
12:06
As good as the Vols are -- and at this point I think it's obvious to everyone that they are really, really good -- I think it's almost impossible to sustain THIS level of play over an entire season. Arkansas managed to win every one of its weekends last year (even though its nonconference schedule was a lot more challenging)... but even the Hogs ran out of gas in super regionals. Baseball is such a long haul, almost everybody has at least some kind of lull along the way. It's just a matter of peaking at the right time in June.
Mnozil
12:07
Lots of volatility in your LSU ranking the last few weeks. Dropped heavily to 21 after losing series to Texas A&M but then rocketed up to 13 after beating Florida. Is LSU really closer to a top 10 team than a top 20 team? Might be nitpicky, but I don't think the pitching can support that high of a ranking moving forward
Kendall Rogers
12:07
Extremely fair question. Yeah, LSU did jump up a few spots. But here's the thing: LSU has a powerful offense, and I'm extremely encouraged by how much better the defense was the last two days of the UF series. We'll see if that actually becomes a trend, but LSU played markably better in all phases the last two days of that series. We all know LSU can hit. But they just need to be more consistent in other areas. They were over the weekend, and that's why it bludgeoned Florida.
Mnozil
12:09
Is Texas still a top-10 team because of their early season success? Since returning from Shriners, the Longhorns are only 8-6 and five of those wins are against teams outside of the top 100 in RPI. Hard to believe this is even the same team that showed up in Houston
Kendall Rogers
12:09
Aaron/Roons/myself discussed Texas' ranking at length. Yes, Texas is playing a little different right now than it was when it had Tanner Witt and was easily the top team in college baseball, along with Tennessee. However, they've been more beatable since. With that said, let's not forget that Texas did beat LSU and Tennessee handily at Shriners, swept a decent Alabama team and also lost two of three games in Lubbock this weekend on walk offs, while also blowing out Tech in the final game. Texas isn't as good as it was with Tanner Witt, but it's still damn good.
Ninerfan
12:10
What does Charlotte have to do to get ranked? They took two from ODU on the road!
Aaron Fitt
12:10
Charlotte vaulted back to the cusp of the rankings by winning that series at ODU. Right now we have the Niners right there with La Tech and Southern Miss as perhaps the top three teams just outside the rankings, maybe a couple others in that mix too. We like all of those clubs -- we like ODU too, for that matter -- and all of them are building solid resumés, but all of them have a few warts as well. But if Charlotte puts together another good week, I would imagine that team will have a shot to enter the top 25 next week. And if not, certainly they'll have a big chance to make hay in two weeks against USM (a series I plan to catch).
Gilly
12:11
Arkansas keeps finding ways to win series, and it feels like they've consistently held down a top-three spot in the poll from the start without doing anything too sexy. What do you make of the Hogs?
Kendall Rogers
12:11
Gilly -- It's funny. I still think Arkansas has the ability to tap into something pretty special, but you are definitely right, they are winning games left and right without exactly looking like Tennessee for instance. I think the Hogs are waiting for that moment to pounce in a big, big way. We'll see if that proves to be the correct assumption.
Johnny
12:12
Two series wins vs. teams in you rankings, tied for most top 10 wins in the SEC and 17 wins total and not ranked? Hmm..🤔
Aaron Fitt
12:12
We're talking about Kentucky here, of course. The Wildcats were in our discussion this week, but still a week or two away from having a Top 25-caliber resumé. They had lost 5 of their last 6 games before taking Saturday and Sunday this week, and they're still just 2-4 in the SEC. Some nice highs on that resumé, but not quite enough consistency. But this was a very big series win for UK, a team we all feel is dangerous in the SEC.
Benny
12:13
What does LaTech need to do to get some love?
Kendall Rogers
12:13
Benny -- LA Tech was in the discussion for the Top 25 this week, but the resume is still just a little light. The two midweek wins over LSU are big, but the last three series wins are over HBU, UTSA and FIU. Win that series at USM this weekend and the Bulldogs will almost certainly be ranked. Damn good club, though. We were pretty high on them coming into the season.
Russ
12:13
With Louisiana Tech winning 11 out of their last 12 (with one being against LSU) do you see them cracking the Top 25 with another strong week this week?
Aaron Fitt
12:13
La Tech and Southern Miss play this weekend, and I think it's a slam dunk that whichever team wins that series will be in the Top 25 next week. I already feel like both teams are Top 25-caliber, they just both have a blemish holding them back (USM getting swept at DBU, and La Tech's little four-game skid... they are just light on quality wins, aside from the two midweek wins vs LSU).
Aaron Fitt
12:14
Dammit Kendall! Well there you go, we done answered that question thoroughly...
Walter
12:15
How were the Vols so underrated? They were picked to finish 4th in the East.
Kendall Rogers
12:15
I think everyone cautiously assumed that throwing two freshmen into the weekend rotation would probably cause some hiccups more often than not early in the season and throughout league play. I'd argue that Chase Burns and Drew Beam are the two most important players on this roster. IF those guys don't pan out like this, the snapshot of this Tennessee team is probably much different. WTS, we still had Tennessee as a Top 20 club. Georgia vs. Tennessee in our staff deliberations coming into the season was a fun debate. I went with UT, but absolutely saw the case for UGA in the pecking order.
Aaron Fitt
12:18
And I'll piggyback on KR's answer -- one reason we liked Georgia more was because we thought the Bulldogs had fewer questions on the mound... but that was before they lost Dylan Ross and Will Childers. Those are two big-time arms that Georgia sorely misses. But I do also admit that I under-estimated just how good Burns and Beam would be as true freshmen, and maybe even just how seamlessly Dollander would make the transition from the Sun Belt to the SEC. The Vols hit the jackpot on all of those things -- we always liked the talent of that group, but the lack of SEC experience was a legit concern. It is no longer.
Jordan
12:19
What do you see as Texas Tech's main weakness that could prevent them from being consistently ranked in the Top 5 and CWS contender?
Kendall Rogers
12:19
Jordan, I'm still not sold on Texas Tech's pitching as a whole, but let's be honest, how often ARE we sold on Texas Tech's pitching as a whole? They are getting it going offensively top to bottom in the lineup, and I think there are 'enough' arms to get to Omaha. After that, it's anyone's game.
LDC
12:20
Hey guys, Lupton Drinking Club here. Is TCUs @Texas (3) vs DBU (1) vs Tech (3) vs DBU (1) @OkSt (3) @FSU (3) the toughest stretch of schedule in the country?
Aaron Fitt
12:20
Goodness, that is a gauntlet. Probably comparable to South Carolina's four-week run there with Clemson, Texas, @ Tennessee, Vanderbilt... but the fact that three of those series are on the road for TCU probably makes that stretch harder. That is bonkers. Good luck, Frogs!
crying 1
Mnozil
12:22
Which mid-tier SEC team do you think could make a run this season? Probably comes from UK, TAMU, or Auburn, right? Unless you like South Carolina to figure things out?
Kendall Rogers
12:22
Well, that's a great question. I would lean toward UK because I actually like a lot of the pieces the Wildcats have. Sure, losing Cole Stupp for the year hurts, but they have some legitimate dudes offensively. Estep has been a beast, Jump and Harris are good and Rubalcabra is coming off a monster weekend against UGA. I have zero conviction in A&M or Auburn right now, and slightly more than that in South Carolina. For me, South Carolina's ability to finish strong hinges on getting a guy like Bosnic back.
Ross O’Keefe
12:22
Maryland baseball, 1-2 this weekend vs DBU, despite the series loss, is competing against a program like that still a net positive for an emerging baseball program like Maryland?
Aaron Fitt
12:22
Yeah certainly no shame in going on the road (again) and losing two of three to a Top 25 caliber club like DBU, a team that was in a super regional last year. Love the way Maryland scheduled -- road trips at Baylor, Campbell and DBU plus a trip to the LeClair Classic at ECU. That's a grown-man schedule, and the Terps have handled it very well.
cool 1
DAW
12:24
Will USM have to win out to Sniff the top #25 like every year?
Kendall Rogers
12:24
DAW -- I actually think USM is really good, but what exactly on that resume screams 'slam dunk ranked' team? USM's toughest weekend opponent to date is DBU, and the Golden Eagles didn't win a single game in Dallas (granted the weather was atrocious). Win that La Tech series this weekend and we'll talk. I think they'd be in the T25 at that point. I have something coming on Slade Wilks a little later today.
Guest
12:25
Tennessee vs. Virginia CWS right now, who would you be taking ?? On a broader scale, how do you see UVA competing against SEC baseball?
Aaron Fitt
12:25
As of today, I think you'd have to give Tennessee the edge, because its weekend rotation is dominant all the way through, whereas UVa has had some hiccups on Sundays. And as good as Gursky has been (and as great as Jake Berry did filling in for him this week), those guys do not have the kind of stuff Tennessee's starters come at you with. More broadly -- UVa's position player group would probably compete with the best of the SEC, and the pitching staff would probably be in the top half of that league as well. There isn't really a lot of premium pitching anywhere this year.
Chris
12:26
Do you guys think almost winning 2 against FSU and then sweeping GT is a sign that NC State is finally getting its act together?
Kendall Rogers
12:26
Chris -- I'll let Aaron speak for the Pack since he saw them over the weekend, but conventional wisdom suggests that if guys like Highfill/Willadsen/Villaman/White, etc, stay healthy, NC State will be in the mix as the season progresses. I just think there's too much talent on that roster to struggle the duration of the season. They definitely seem to be playing much better.
Aaron Fitt
12:30
Yes, I think the Wolfpack is back on track now. Remember it was week 6 a year ago that NC State's turnaround began, with that sweep of UNC. This year they did it with a sweep of Ga Tech. A huge key is getting Highfill back to 100 percent, because he's clearly not close to that right now. Elliott Avent said Friday they would have to reassess his status, but it wouldn't surprise me if they shut him down for a couple weeks, just speculating here. And the Highfill/Willadsen/Villaman trio was supposed to be the bedrock that NC State could count on, while its lineup (with 7 new starters and just 2 returnees) found its footing. But at least now it feels like that lineup has settled in just fine; there is still a lot of firepower there, and I think that unit can carry the load until Highfill gets back to form.
Tony
12:27
Hey guys, with a lot of Texas fans thinking its doom and gloom lately.. how do you y'all feel about Texas at this moment? Still a top 8 seed?
Aaron Fitt
12:27
Oh I definitely still expect the Horns to finish as a top 8 seed. Heck, they almost won that series in Lubbock this weekend -- two pretty weird endings in those two losses. Horns will be just fine.
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