You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Return toD1Baseball
D1Baseball Weekly Chat: May 17
powered byJotCast
Prev Page View Full Chat Next Page
Mark L.
2:30
Texas Tech has overcome some huge injuries. Do you feel this is Coach Tadlock’s best job overcoming these? And do you see them making a run to Omaha and making some noise?
Kendall Rogers
2:30
I'll be pretty honest with you -- when Texas Tech lost Birdsell, along with those other arms and position players, I'm thinking 'Well, this is the season that Tech gets snake bit a little too much. A few weeks later, Tech has series wins over Texas and TCU ... and is on the path to perhaps being a top eight seed again. Tadlock is really really good.
cool 4
Jake
2:31
Is Texas a lock for a top eight National seed?
Kendall Rogers
2:31
Jake -- As strange as it sounds, not a lock as of yet. UT is still a game back of TCU in the standings. Right now, I would have Texas ahead of TCU ... but let's say Texas loses that series to WVU and TCU/Tech both play well the final weekend and in OKC and Texas does not. I think TCU-Tech would be top eights, and UT would be left out. A lot of to play for these next two weeks.
Harry
2:34
What do you think was the more obvious No. 1 team: 2021 Arkansas or 2017 Oregon State? Are there any other #1 teams in the past you remember being this dominant / clear best?
Aaron Fitt
2:34
Neat question here. The 2017 Oregon State team was 49-4 overall in the regular season, which is utterly insane. But well, they were just 6-0 top 25, 10-0 top 50, so somebody could maybe talk themselves into a case for UNC (12-4 top 25, 20-7 top 50). This year, there's no way anybody can make any case for anybody except for Arkansas.
cool 2
Derick
2:35
Kevin Kopps, Pitcher of the Year? With the strongest level of competition faced, on the road, with his numbers he had, is he not the POTY?
Aaron Fitt
2:35
Lately I've been saying that he has a very real chance to win it, but I haven't come right out and said he should win it. But I think I'm at that point, as of right now. Just a sensational season.
cool 1
Ozmondi
2:40
Is Arkansas overusing Kevin Kopps?  It just seems like they are using him an awful lot.  He threw 125 pitches over two appearances against Tennessee this weekend.  I know pitch count isn't everything and Kopps is an older player.  Is this something that happens in the minors?
Aaron Fitt
2:40
It does not happen in the minors, no -- because minor league games mean absolutely nothing. But winning the SEC and winning a national title mean a whole lot to these players, and as you point out, Kopps is a 24-year-old sixth-year senior. If he pulls an Austin Wood and wrecks his arm but becomes a legend at his alma mater, I have a feeling he'll take it. (This isn't usually my position, but in the case of a 24-year-old 6th-year senior, I do think it's different than it is for a prized 21-year-old prospect). My main concern is how many bullets will he have left in June? Now that Arkansas has really wrapped up that No. 1 national seed, it may behoove the Hogs to rest Kopps this weekend.
cool 2
Captain Crunch
2:45
How many Pac 12 Teams do you think host a Regional? I think Oregon, Arizona and possibly Stanford or UCLA
Kendall Rogers
2:45
Feel very good about Oregon and Arizona right now. Stanford still in for me, too, though trending slightly down after the Cal series. WTS -- that was Stanford's only series loss of the season. No reason for those guys to panic.
Lenny
2:46
After Ole Miss won two this weekend, they're only one back of Florida and Mississippi State in the conference standings at 16-11. The Gators have a tough test this weekend in Fayetteville, and could likely drop two to put them at 18-12. If Alabama pulled the upset of Mississippi State, and put them 18-12 combined with a series win for the Rebels in Athens, all three would be tied at 18-12. I often times hear you guys say head-to-head is irrelevant unless the metrics are tied, so in that hypothetical scenario you would have these metrics: Mississippi State and Ole Miss would likely have top ten RPIs, likely eight and ten respectively, and Florida would still hover around 20 or so. Ole Miss would have a 15-10 top 25 record compared to 7-11 for Florida and 10-11 for Mississippi State. Ole Miss would have a 17-11 top 50 record compared to 10-13 for Florida and 11-11 for Mississippi State. If tied at 18-12, who would you guys give the national seed and why?
Aaron Fitt
2:46
This is what we call a "leading question," Counselor. But you lay out the case for Ole Miss pretty well there. In that scenario, I might put Ole Miss at the top of the pecking order between those three, but it's also possible none of the three would get a top eight in that case; maybe the SEC would just get three (Arkansas, Vandy, Tennessee).
Windywave
2:48
Hey guys.  The American still a two bid league?  ECU and Tulane locks?
Kendall Rogers
2:48
Windy -- I would lean Tulane in, still, at the moment. The Green Wave responded in impressive fashion from that ECU series loss, and the RPI is still respectable (but not great), in the low 50s. WTS -- the Wave needs to take that Cincinnati series and probably play decently well in the conference tournament to solidify an ATL bid.
Matt
2:51
UNLV went from 95 to 50 in the RPI this week for... Beating the #112 RPI team in a series. How can anyone use this metric when it's doing bizzare stuff like this? FSU won a series vs Clemson and dropped 11 spots!!
Aaron Fitt
2:51
This year the RPI is weirder and less useful than ever before, considering all the covid-related scheduling quirks. The fact that the commitee seemed to use the RPI as a crutch on the 20 host announcement was very discouraging to me. It makes me think they don't have a good feel for the realities of the very unique 2021 college baseball landscape. I hope they prove my hunch wrong on Memorial Day. I hope they are really paying attention.
Matthew S.
2:53
The Big Ten obviously left the softball selection show feeling slighted, with only three teams in and Michigan not getting a hosting spot. Different sport and different committee, but do you feel that's an ominous message for how the baseball selection committee is going to handle the B1G?
Kendall Rogers
2:53
Matthew -- The committees are vastly different in some ways, but I can tell you there are some folks on the current committee who wonder how much stock you can put into anything out of the Big Ten this spring. WTS -- I would certainly have Michigan, Nebraska and Indiana in .... would it surprise me if those are the only teams who made the field? Not really. I would have Maryland in, but not sure the committee would agree at the moment.
JEL
2:54
Gonzaga tries to overcome recent COVID-19 schedule glitch, by scheduling Oregon mid-week and rescheduling San Diego for final weekend. If Zags finish strong, what are prospects of Spokane hosting a regional.....Patterson is a solid facility.
Aaron Fitt
2:54
Oh I think the chances are quite good, assuming they finish strong. The fact that they're already in the pool of 20 means the committee likes their body of work. Usually I feel like the WCC has to fight so hard just to have any chance at an at-large bid, and now Gonzaga is right there in the hosting mix. Win that USD series, and I think they host.
Lee
2:58
Thoughts on the Pirates? ECU is 11-0 after losing a game
Aaron Fitt
2:58
Really like this ECU team. If they continue to build up Carson Whisenhunt without any setbacks, I think this could really be the year they break through to Omaha. Love the position player group, the bullpen, and the emergence of Gavin Williams as a bona fide ace.
Guest
2:58
Does California have a shot to make the postseason now that they won a weekend series vs. Stanford?
Kendall Rogers
2:58
Cal is still well out of the mix right now with an RPI of 101 and a .500 league record. It would need to roll the final two weekends and make a significant jump RPI-wise. As of right now, Cal has no pathway to get into the Top 50.
BK
2:59
Who is your Big 12 Player of the Year?
Aaron Fitt
2:59
Jace Jung. I think he's separated himself from the other top contenders at this point. What a season.
cool 1
Matt
3:01
How wobbly is Iowa right now after losing 2/3 to Illinois and falling two games behind Maryland in the Big Ten standings?
Aaron Fitt
3:01
I alluded to this earlier, but that was a big setback. "Wobbly" is the right word; we'll see if we've still got room for the Hawkeyes when we build our field of 64 tonight. If they're in, they'll likely be one of the last teams in.
Mike W.
3:04
If you were a regional host, give us a couple of under-the-radar teams you would not want to see in your regional.
Aaron Fitt
3:04
I know Northeastern didn't have a great weekend, but I still think that team's dangerous. I can't shake the feeling that UConn could wreck somebody's dreams if they can get in. Wright State is dangerous as always. Liberty's pitching and defense formula along with their experience makes that team very intriguing.
Matt
3:04
How wobbly is Iowa right now after losing 2/3 at home to Illinois and slipping behind Maryland in the Big Ten standings by two games?
Kendall Rogers
3:04
Sitting in fifth place and two games back of fourth-place Maryland, I would have Iowa on the bad side of the bubble right now. Hawkeyes will need to finish very strong to get in, IMO.
Guest
3:06
Should Baylor be concerned after last weekend even though they were an inch away from sweeping at OSU?
Kendall Rogers
3:06
Baylor still has a solid RPI (31) and a respectable league record, just a game below .500 in conference play. Assuming the Bears take care of business at home against OU this weekend, they're still in the field.
Dillon B
3:06
Is DBU safely in the field after securing at least a share of the Missouri Valley Regular season title?
Aaron Fitt
3:06
I •think• so, but here's the thing: the reason DBU's RPI is so shaky is that they've only played FOUR road games, and 36 home games. I don't even know how that's possible, but man that feels like bad scheduling. If DBU bows out early from the conference tournament, the committee could conceivably hold that scheduling against them.
Aaron Fitt
3:06
Guys I'd love to take more questions because this is fun, but I've got a connection to catch (how weird to be back in an airport for a chat -- it's been a while!). Have a great week.
MG
3:08
Do you see UNLV making a regional?
Connecting…