JotCast | D1Baseball Weekly Chat: March 3

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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: March 3

MasonK

1:08

Thanks for doing this as always - whats your take on how Southern Miss has looked this year and how do you see the Sun Belt shaking out?

Kendall Rogers

1:08

Mason -- Great question. I've been really impressed with the Golden Eagles so far this season. The offense is producing at a high level when it needs to -- for instance, Paetow and Russo both had big games over the weekend in that big TCU series win. But what has impressed me the most is just the elite pitching Oz's staff has consistently gotten. if that continues, this is not only a team that I believe can contend to host a regional -- they can most certainly end up in Omaha in June as well.

Guest

1:10

Why is UCI not ranked?

Aaron Fitt

1:10

Anteaters are on the board, that's a really nice first three weeks, obviously a loud sweep vs. Louisiana and a good road series win in Lubbock, even though the Red Raiders are struggling. Also a good win vs. Nebraska. But they also have a loss to USC, which is another team in our Top 25 mix, so I might put Irvine just behind USC in the pecking order. Both teams are knocking on the door.

Boone

1:11

How far out of the top 25 is Louisville? How far did the loss to St. John put them back?

Kendall Rogers

1:11

I am not the type to really freak out much over a singular loss on a 56-game college schedule, so the Cardinals are right there on the cusp of the Top 25. I would actually have U of L as my 26th team in the pecking order. Not sure if the rest of the staff would agree, but that's where I have it. I've continued to like the improvements the Cardinals have made offensively. One guy in particular who has my attention is freshman Tague Davis. He got off to a slow start the first weekend, but he's now up to .355 with three homers and 12 RBIs. That's massive for Dan McDonnell's club.

Matt M

1:12

Between A&M, Oregon State, and Virginia - who is in the most trouble? Still like all three as hosts?

Kendall Rogers

1:12

Man -- that is a fascinating question. I'm not sure I'd consider any of the three to be in 'huge' trouble just yet. It's still early March. I would probably say A&M, but the Aggies did look infinitely better offensively last night (maybe it was Rice? TBD), and we know those guys historically can hit. It also helps that the Aggies have elite starting pitching. I think someone like OSU has more pitching question marks than the Aggies. I would probably still lean A&M just because its SEC schedule is ruthless.

Ryan

1:12

UCLA has won every weekend so far, but is still outside the top 25. Did they simply schedule too weak in non-con for a team moving into a weaker conference?

Aaron Fitt

1:12

Another West Coast team that's in the Top 25 mix -- kind of a sneaky-strong start for the Bruins, 9-3 against a solid schedule. The win against Michigan State in Week Two is starting to look like it will be a nice one, and obviously the two wins this weekend vs. UConn and USC should help build the resumé, even though UConn hasn't gotten off to a great start, they'll be there in the end. USC and Irvine and UCLA all right there neck and neck for a Top 25 spot.

foozly

1:14

Should Arkansas and Matt Hobbs consider moving Root to Friday and letting Gaeckle start Saturday? It creates a L-R-L rotation like last year plus doesn't put the Friday night pressure on GG whose just learning how to become a starting pitcher. Root has looked much better to start the year.

Aaron Fitt

1:14

I like that idea, your reasoning makes sense to me. Root is an establshed three-year starter, and he looks as good as any pitcher in the country to my eyes, I say run him out there on Fridays to set the tone, and let Gaeckle settle in as the No. 2.

Brandon

1:15

What’s wrong with Texas Tech?

Kendall Rogers

1:15

I've never a told you so kind of guy, but I was sounding alarm bells on Texas Tech a while back. If you look at this roster following fall workouts, it was not one that you look offensively or pitching-wise and go 'wow, this looks like a contender'. It looked like a club with a ton of holes. I'm not counting Tim Tadlock yet. That would be foolish. But in an offensive friendly environment over the weekend, Damian Bravo is the only guy who hit for some serious power. That's an issue when your home ballpark is Rip Griffin Park. It also doesn't help that Mac Heuer, the staff ace, once again struggled. Tech has certainly played a stiff schedule, but this does not look like a Big 12 contender right now. Far from it. We'll see if that changes.

Mark

1:16

How do you evaluate a team like FSU after 11 games? Undefeated, albeit a weak schedule, yet still taking care of business nonetheless. Are Link Jarrett’s Noles legit amongst the nation’s elite teams?

Aaron Fitt

1:16

The fact that FSU has been so utterly dominant on the mound is loud to me, regardless of the level of competition. Yes, we'll learn more about the Seminoles in a couple of weeks when conference play begins, but there was a reason we had that team in the preseason top 10 -- we were already very high on the talent of that roster. So far, they've given us every reason to believe they are indeed a top national title contender.

TexasMom

1:18

Kendall, did you just sell your soul for free crawfish at the tailgate? Vols have a long memory and we 😡

Kendall Rogers

1:18

Free crawfish and bourbon are enticing, but no I did not sell my soul for anything. At the end of the day, the No. 1 spot in our rankings is a staff vote. I can just tell you that Tennessee looked fantastic for me over the weekend. Loved Doyle and Phillips, and Franklin, Snead, Loy were all really good. On top of that, Gavin Kilen looked like a superstar, Dean Curley was fantastic and Levi Clark looked like the freshman that we all expected coming into the season. UT checks all the boxes for me. One thing I also picked up on with UT is that Tony V seems very relaxed. I'm not sure if it's winning the national title last year or what, but he seems to be in the zone --- all in a good way.

Aaron Fitt

1:22

Check out KR trying to subtly throw the rest of us under the bus and imply he did not vote for LSU at No. 1! Kendall, subtlety is not your strength, my friend.

Honestly it felt like a coin toss for us this week. I just don't see how you jump anybody over LSU after the Tigers had a very good 5-0 week with three quality wins against postseason-caliber teams. LSU and Tennessee both pass the eye test with flying colors -- I don't think there's any wrong answer at No. 1 this week. So it made sense to me and others on our staff to just move everybody up one spot. It's fine that Kendall dissented -- we don't always agree on everything!

SmartMuffin

1:19

Based on the current Top 25, the Big 12 would be without a host. What are the odds this changes?

Aaron Fitt

1:19

I feel pretty confident that the Big 12 will wind up with at least one host, maybe two. Oklahoma State has played a tough schedule and has weathered it OK, which is why the Cowboys are back in the Top 25 with just a 6-4 record. I think that team is a very good bet to host, and the strong early schedule will pay dividends long term. Still like TCU and Arizona to make a run (and we're already seeing Arizona find its footing -- Chip Hale is a really good coach and always seems to get the most out of his gang). And really like what I've seen from K-State the last two weeks. I'm starting to believe the Wildcats are actually a bona fide Big 12 title contender, and a dark horse host candidate. They ran the gauntlet over these first three weeks, and going 6-5 against that slate should really help them build a strong postseason case.

Cowboy

1:23

What are your thoughts on this Oklahoma State team? Offense has been pretty good all things considered early, even with a slow start from Aidan Meola and injury to Avery Ortiz. However I cant help but feel the team will only go as far as Gabe Davis takes them, and he’s struggled as a starter this far, can the pokes make a deep run this year?

Kendall Rogers

1:23

Cowboy -- I will say this about the Pokes, I feel way better about them than I did opening weekend. I like a lot of the offensive pieces. For instance, if you have a guy like Garrett Shull -- a fab freshman - hitting the way he is combined with the Schubart, Brueggemann's, etc, of the world, that's a pretty good sign. I actually was encouraged by some of OSU's pitching over the weekend. Bodendorf was sharp against the Aggies, I thought Hunter Watkins and Drew Blake were solid, and Stormy Rhodes continues to be one of my favorite freshmen. He challenged a really good Tennessee lineup and showed some serious moxie. I'm bullish on OSU based on what I saw over the weekend.

WojBomb

1:25

Anyone going to be at Lindsey Nelson for the Bonnies' Michael Salina this weekend? 24 K to 4 BB so far this spring and the A10 season preview has him touching triple digits.

Aaron Fitt

1:25

I don't think any of us will be there, but I continue to hear those types of reports about Salina -- it's the real deal! Should be fun to watch.

Eric Simmons

1:27

Will Stanford be in the rankings if they win back to back series against Duke and North Carolina?

Kendall Rogers

1:27

If Stanford does that, yes, the Cardinal will absolutely be ranked, and probably pretty handsomely. Brady Reynolds has been a big-time bright spot for the Cardinal, while Rintaro Sasaki is hitting .360 with three doubles and 14 RBIs. Pretty good start for the phenom.

Bob

1:29

Simple question. Thoughts on the SunBelt depth?

Aaron Fitt

1:29

Obviously the Sun Belt is strong at the top -- Troy, Southern Miss and Coastal all ranked now, and looking like easy regional teams. Georgia State and Texas State off to good starts, but the Cajuns have been uneven; ultimately I expect them to make a run too. But feels like a bunch of decent but not great teams after that top three. Too early to tell on Georgia State, which has beaten up on lesser competition.

Larry

1:30

Any chance the southland could be a two-bid league? probably not but UTRGV, McNeese has impressed and Lamar will be solid

Kendall Rogers

1:30

Too early to talk in absolutes on postseason bids, but probably. not. With that said, this league does have my attention. UTRGV has a marquee win over DBU and is off to a solid start, SELA is 10-2 (by the way, go look at what Brennan Stuprich is doing on the mound. It's extremely impressive), Lamar is solid and McNeese is off to a 9-1 start and has won seven-straight games. Definitely a league on the rise.

MasonK

1:32

Whose winning the sun belt?

Kendall Rogers

1:32

I think Troy and Southern Miss are the most complete teams. I actually lean Southern Miss on the Sun Belt regular season winner as we sit here today, but that is really, really splitting hairs sitting here on March 3.

Tanner

1:32

South Carolina got swept, but it felt like all the games were tight and entertaining. How long will it take for Maineri to get enough talent to Columbia to contend? Is it possible given where the rest of the conference is?

Aaron Fitt

1:32

I do think it's clear you can overhaul a roster in a hurry in the portal era, and I think Mainieri and his staff will have a chance to do that next year. The guys on that coaching staff have a long track record of excellence, and I do expect them to get the Gamecocks going again. That's not to completely write them off for this year, but obviously our expectations for them were modest even heading into the year -- we didn't project them as a regional team. At this point, I still expect that to be the case.

Eric Simmons

1:34

If USC wins the series Against Oregon will they be ranked in the Top 25?

Kendall Rogers

1:34

Eric -- I don't want to speak for Aaron or the rest of the staff, but USC was close to making the Top 25 this week. I would say pretty emphatically yes unless there are just no spots available. But the chances of that happening (no spots) is pretty slim. I've been pretty impressed with USC's start this spring. Caden Aoki was fabulous in a win over Vanderbilt over the weekend.

Guest

1:34

UGA keeps moving up and barely surviving each weekend against mediocre teams

Aaron Fitt

1:34

Well, FGCU is actually a good club, projected at or near the top of the ASUN, a legit regional contender. That was a competitive series and Georgia still found a way to sweep the four-gamer, so I think the Bulldogs deserve credit for that. UNCW is another good club, no shame in splitting two games on the road there. And we had UIC projected as the No. 2 team in the Missouri Valley this year. It's actually a decent little early-season schedule, a lot better than many SEC teams have played.

Guest

1:36

Kendall thoughts on kuhns this weekend in person? Thoughts on how the UT rotation will shake out when AJ Russel is built up as the season progresses. seems like they have a lot of options.

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