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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: Week Four
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Aaron Fitt
12:03
Hey folks, let's dive right in!
party 2
Kevin
12:04
Early thoughts on HBU and what Coach Berkman is doing there? Any plans to upgrade their facilities?
Kendall Rogers
12:04
Kevin -- Really impressed with the job Berkman has done so far this season. Slow start the first two weeks, but what impressed me about HBU this past weekend is that it pitched at a very high level outside of the first game. Former LSU hurler Will Ripoll was terrific in the finale for Sac State. Lance is definitely recruiting better than HBU ever has. Intriguing program.
Kevin R
12:06
LSU ranks 279 out of 293 in field % and it could be much worse because poor plays are made that are not technically errors. In your preseason podcast you mentioned how you thought LSU’s defense would suffer a bit under Jay Johnson, but this is ridiculous. At this point I would argue this is more of an Achilles heel than their question marks at starting pitching. What do you make of this after seeing them in person?
Kendall Rogers
12:06
Kevin -- I am pretty concerned about LSU right now, and frankly, being ranked No. 12 is probably being a tad bit generous. That gives you an idea of how much I believe in the offense. With that said, last night's defensive display was flat out embarrassing -- from not making routine plays from not doing simple things like actually covering third base. LSU is going to have a lot of issues in SEC play if it plays defense like that and doesn't get better starting pitching outside of Blake Money. Period.
cool 1
Baseball fan
12:06
What on earth is going on early this year? Tulane and LBSU beating Miss St, Northeastern sweeping NC State, Bryant sweeping East Carolina, preseason F64 teams not living up to expectations...what say you?
Aaron Fitt
12:06
It really has felt more topsy-turvy than usual — especially when you look at how some of the early darlings have struggled since. Bryant has gotten swept twice in a row since sweeping ECU. Long Beach dropped six in a row after winning that series in Starkville. Sac State swept Long Beach... then proceeded to lose three of four at home to Houston Baptist. If you can figure any of this stuff out, you're a lot smarter than me.
Guest
12:07
Gonzaga Bulldogs taking care of business in Stillwater. Gabriel Hughes is the real deal. How will they fare against Mizzou in Columbia?
Kendall Rogers
12:07
Guest -- Probably pretty good, but life on the road can be pretty grueling. Our Coach Roons really liked Gonzaga's club against Oregon State a couple of weeks ago. Gabe Hughes is a stud and Will Kempner was electric as well against Oklahoma State over the weekend. If the Zags can stay healthy, they absolutely can be a big factor on the national stage. Staying healthy is the key, though.
billerb
12:09
Impossible to get any information on Oregon State's injured #2 and #3 starters, Jake Pfennigs and Will Frisch.  If anybody knows something, it's you guys.  We're getting by without them now but it's going to be very tough once Pac 12 play begins.
Kendall Rogers
12:09
Biller -- You have to figure the Beavs will get dinged without Pfennigs and Frisch at some point, right? My man Cooper Hjerpe continues to be a big-time ace though. Pfennigs will probably be back at some point, but I wouldn't get your hopes up on Frisch. The last time I checked with sources, it wasn't looking good for the power righty.
Deac
12:10
Which of the five unbeaten teams (all of which were unranked last week and 4 still are) have the best shot of making it to Omaha?
Aaron Fitt
12:10
So we're talking Clemson, Virginia and Wake Forest out of the ACC, plus Tennessee Tech and Purdue -- some real surprises here. Virginia hasn't played a single game against any team even close to regional caliber, so I'll withhold forming an opinion on the Cavs until we get a better litmus test. Wake has played a somewhat better schedule but still has some big tests ahead before I'm ready to take the plunge. I think it's Clemson by default here.
Jim from Storrs
12:10
How close is UConn to cracking the Top 25 and what do they need to show to get ranked? The pitching staff has been impressive so far this year.
Kendall Rogers
12:10
Connecticut will continue to be in the discussion. Impressive weekend for the Huskies. And the best part of this? Stud pitching coach Josh MacDonald is getting all this production on the mound out of his guys without one of the premier players in the country in Reggie Crawford. MacDonald is an absolute beast. Huskies are on my radar.
Guest
12:11
How is UVA at 11-0 not ranked when Baseball America has them as #5.  Were they overlooked or something.  Would be surprised if I'm the only one asking this.  Now mind you they played series against Cornell and Penn State and have our scored their opponents  135-21 this season.
Aaron Fitt
12:11
As I said, their schedule to this point has been Charmin-soft. Good for them for dominating it, but these first few weeks we prefer to rank teams that have proven something by beating strong competition. So far, Virginia looks like it has some answers to the questions we had about that team in the preseason, but I want to see how they fare against regional-caliber opponents.
Matt
12:13
PAC-12 play starts this weekend and there are four teams in the D1 Top 25. Based on what we’ve seen so far, who are you putting your money on to win the regular season title?
Aaron Fitt
12:13
I'm sticking with Oregon State, which was my preseason pick (though my colleagues preferred Stanford and Arizona, as our rankings reflect). I am a little nervous about the pitching injuries, which is why I picked UC Irvine to win that series in Corvallis this past weekend, but the Beavs showed me something once again by winning that series anyway. Just think that's a really good club.
Trout
12:13
Keep an eye on UCF. The pitching is solid and the hitting is just starting to come around. They could have and should have won 2 of 3 against Ole Miss.
Kendall Rogers
12:13
Trout -- I'm not sure they should have won the series, but one thing that has caught my attention is bullpen lynchpin David Litchfield making the successful transition to the weekend rotation. That's an interesting development. I've always said that last season was an aberration for Greg Lovelady and his program. Love is a damn good coach.
Erik
12:14
Who has more to gain this weekend - Nebraska or Long Beach?
Kendall Rogers
12:14
Erik -- both have some work to do, but I am going to go with Nebraska here. The Cornhuskers have not put together even close to a marquee weekend yet, and a series win over Long Beach State would qualify as that at this juncture. Nebraska needs something good on its non-conference resume.
John
12:15
What is the reasoning behind still having Mississippi State ranked? I understand they are defending champions but they sure haven’t looked like a top team so far this season
Aaron Fitt
12:15
They sure haven't -- that resumé is ugly. And they've plummeted accordingly from preseason No. 4 to No. 24... there's still enough track record on that roster and coaching staff to give them one more week, rather than bumping them all the way from the top 10 out of the Top 25 altogether. But I confess that all of us have felt like perhaps we should have just ranked another more deserving team like UCLA or Southern Miss this week. Early-season rankings can be messy sometimes, and unsatisfying, even for those of us doing the actual ranking.
Tim_CA
12:16
How close is UCLA to cracking the list? Also, Looked at CSUN's record this morning and they have been more than formidable against the PAC, any chance they contend for Big West? Or is that a 3 horse race with LBSU, Irvine, and UCSB?
Kendall Rogers
12:16
Tim - I will stick with the UCLA question for now. I'll have more on the Bruins later, but I struggled not putting the Bruins is this week. They have a compelling case and will be in next week with another strong week. I was so impressed with the young arms like Hurd, Tredwell and Jewett over the weekend. I also love #AllFitt frontrunner Kenny Oyama. He had 16 stolen bases ALL of last season at LMU. This year? Already 12. Carson Yates/Cody Schrier also caught my attention. John's club is going to continue getting better and better.
TriangleTiger
12:18
Two Q's if you have the time:
1)Maybe I'm jaded by Clemson's decline better part of the last decade, but how legit is this Clemson team? Seems their hot start is buoyed by weaker competition & an injury struck South Carolina pitching staff. I kinda keep waiting for the floor to fall out...
2) Clemson's pitching staff seems deeper and more reliable than it has been in the last 5+ years. How much credit is due to Matt Heath arriving on campus and what the balance of power between Heath and pitching coach Andrew See
Aaron Fitt
12:18
Good questions here. (1) I'm not ready to say Clemson is an Omaha team, but there's no question this team is much improved from a year ago, for a whole host of reasons -- dramatically improved chemistry being a significant factor, along with my better strike-throwing and pitchability. (2) I don't have any insights into the internal dynamics of that coaching staff, but from the outside it looks like Heath has definitely gelled very well and made a positive impact on the program. But Andrew See is very good, and Monte Lee made a point yesterday to compliment him for the job he's done developing this pitching staff.
cool 4
CJ
12:19
How much trouble is Mississippi State in this season if Sims is done?
Kendall Rogers
12:19
CJ -- I was already a little concerned about Mississippi State before the Landon Sims injury. Now, assuming he's done for the year, I'm extremely concerned. Someone is going to have to step up big-time, and I'm not sure who that someone is just yet. Weird times in StarkVegas.
Wilson
12:21
Do you think Tony Vitello has built Tennessee where it's a perennial SEC contender that just reloads every year like those at the top of the conference do?  Recruiting is really good and there isn't much drop off if any this year so far.  I know there were questions as to how good they would be after all they lost from last year.
Kendall Rogers
12:21
Wilson -- Aaron and myself both hailed Tony as a premier assistant for years, and someone who was ready to be a head coach several years ago. Tony's life is baseball, he's the poster boy for grinder, and he's hard-nosed. Those are all A+ traits you want in a head coach and recruiter. The guy is relentless in his approach and it shows. I was higher on the Vols coming into the season than Roons and Aaron, but their questions were more than valid. I really, really liked Tennessee's club over the weekend.
TXST Illini
12:24
How close is Texas State to breaking into the rankings?
Aaron Fitt
12:24
Very close! Right there in the group with UCLA and Southern Miss just outside our Top 25 this week. Roons saw some of that series in Tucson this weekend and came away saying the Bobcats are a legit contender. They've really rocketed up our internal board, they weren't really on the map heading into this season, and now they're almost in the Top 25.
Landon Colloso
12:25
Early this season, the pac 12 has put together one of the strongest non conference resumes. Now I’m thinking the pac 12 could have 3-4 hosts come May. Am I overreacting to the early success? It seems the west coast is gearing up to be a slug fest.
Kendall Rogers
12:25
Landon -- The Pac looks ultra intriguing right now. I have Oregon State Stanford and Arizona as hosts, and I think UCLA will end up joining that mix at some point, too. Bruins are trending up for me right now.
Scott Pulliam
12:26
Ole Miss has looked solid through this non-conference slate. Do you think they have the tools and longevity to make it through conference play and land a national seed?
Aaron Fitt
12:26
Absolutely -- I think Ole Miss is for real. That was a nice road test this weekend, and the Rebels showed some  good resilience. They're a little like Georgia Tech in that everybody knew they were gonna hit a ton this year, but they had some questions to answer on the mound (though not as many as the Jackets, which is why Ole Miss started higher in the rankings). So far, I really like how that Rebel pitching staff has come together; the bullpen seems like a major strength.
Guest
12:28
Very strange start for many in the Big 10 so far this year. Who do you have your eye on with some of the perennial giants off to slow starts?
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