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Kendall Rogers
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2:03
All right, gang. That's all the time we have today! It's time to get cranking on more team breakdowns.
Aaron Fitt
2:02
Love NC State’s star power — you’re not going to do a lot better than Patrick Bailey, Will Wilson and Evan Edwards as a trio to build your lineup around. Bailey and Wilson are two of the nation’s very best players at the two most important positions, shortstop and catcher. I expect the Wolfpack to hit as usual, and I expect the Pack to defend very well, because there’s a lot of athleticism here. I’m just not sold on the pitching staff, but it could be solid if juco transfer Alec Barger can follow up his strong fall with a big spring, and if Evan Justice can harness his command, and if Dalton Feeney can come back strong from TJ. Those are significant “ifs”, but certainly the potential is there. I love Kent Klyman at the back end, he deserves a lot more national attention than he probably gets, because he’s really good. And Reid Johnston will keep them competitive on Fridays too, he’s just a bulldog strike-thrower.
Pack
2:02
Thoughts on NC State going into 2019?
Kendall Rogers
2:01
Bruin -- I would look for freshman righthander Jesse Bergin to get the starting nod to begin the season, at least in the No. 3 spot. Bergin really impressed Coach Savage in the fall with a big-time fastball up to 94, along with pitchability with a curve, slider and changeup. They think he has a bright future. Justin Hooper, if he's healthy, is certainly another starting option as the spring progresses.
Bruin202
2:00
With UCLA only really having Garcia and Pettway as the Fri/Sat pitchers, who will likely fill the Sun/Week pitching duties?
Aaron Fitt
1:59
I’m very high on that Oklahoma State pitching staff, which I think gives them a chance to get to Omaha. Mitchell Stone is a real prospect, a towering lefthander with a low-90s fastball and a promising slider and changeup — he could really jump up draft boards now that he’s healthy again after that fluke injury he suffered early last spring. Juco transfer Logan Gragg is a power-armed righty who was up to 94 against Vanderbilt when I saw the Cowboys this fall, and the coaches rave about how good his changeup is when it’s on. He’s definitely a rising prospect. I’m also eager to see what Brett Standlee can do at the back of the bullpen after redshirting last year; he’s got good stuff, up to 93 mph with a filthy slider when he’s on. In the lineup, keep an eye on Cade Cabbiness (who has big-time tools but really, really struggled at the plate last year) and Trevor Boone. Those are both big-bodied outfielders with intriguing pro potential, and if they have good years, this team should be very dangerous. Not many tea
Shoe
1:59
Hearing OKST has several draft guys this year.  What pitchers you see making a huge difference and a push for B12 title?  Same with hitters, who's gonna lead the Offense?
Kendall Rogers
1:57
I would certainly have OSU's pitching staff in the top five, I think. I just think when you look at the overall setup, it bodes well. Abel will be a stud, Fehmel is a pitchability guy, but again, a guy with a ton of experience and results. Gambrell is a wild card. He has electric stuff, but needs to show he can be a weekend guy for the Beavs. Where things get fun for pitching coach Nate Yeskie is in the bullpen. Brandon Eisert, Christian Chamberlain and Jake Mulholland. What an outstanding trio.
love 1
Matt
1:55
Despite having Adley Rutschman, the strength of Beavers this year will be their pitching depth. Where would you rank their staff nationally? Top 10, Top5, #1?
Aaron Fitt
1:55
Boy, it’s entirely possible, Andy. Kyle Brnovich’s slider might very well be the single most dominant pitch in all of college baseball — he’s a strikeout machine and a dogged competitor. And George Kirby has huge upside, and he showed in the Cape League that he’s ready to take his game to the next level, I think. Those two guys are going to win a lot of games for the Phoenix, and I think the defense behind them will be very sound. The question is will they be able to manufacture enough offense to make a run? There’s not a lot of firepower there, so they’ll need to execute the inside game well and string together hits.
Andy
1:55
Does the nation's best starting pitching duo belong to... Elon!? And do they have anything else that makes them dangerous?
Kendall Rogers
1:54
Alex -- I'm glad you asked about Georgia Tech. The Jackets are a team Aaron and I both really like on paper. But we're both in wait and see mode, I think. I like the rotation with Curry, Thomas and English, and the offense certainly has some versatility to it. English, Wilhite and Murray have power, and of course, there's McCann back in the lineup. GT and Duke are two ACC teams we wouldn't be remotely surprised to see in our Top 25 a few weeks into the season.
Alex
1:53
Georgia Tech has some nice pieces and seem like they have a chance to make some noise this season. What do you make of the Jackets?
Aaron Fitt
1:52
I like Indiana quite a bit — for me they’re right in the mix with Minnesota for the No. 2 slot in the Big Ten. All three of those feel like regionals teams to me. I think that’s a deep, athletic and balanced Indiana lineup that should really defend — that Justin Walker/Jeremy Houston duo up the middle is very good, and Ryan Fineman is a rock-solid veteran catcher, and Logan Kaletha is excellent in center field. I like teams that are strong up the middle, and the Hoosiers are. Also expect huge things out of Matt Gorski, who has obvious All-America potential. I’m a little less sold on the pitching, but certainly Pauly Milto and Tanner Gordon are pretty promising options from the right side, and Tommy Sommer and Cameron Beauchamp are quality lefties. It’s nice to have Matt Lloyd back to anchor the bullpen too. Overall, this is a team that could easily wind up as a Top 25 club.
Mike
1:52
What are your thoughts on the Hoosiers this season? Can they contend for a Big Ten title, what needs to go right for that to happen?
Kendall Rogers
1:50
Josh -- I break this all down in the LSU team breakdown, but look for the rotation to be Hess, Marceaux and Walker. The staff loves Marceaux. They think he's ready to be a star as a freshman. Unfortunately, Ma'Khail had tenderness in his arm throughout the fall, was put on the shelf, and now he's fallen behind some guys. Can he work his way back into the mix? I would imagine so. We'll see how it shakes out buddy.
Josh
1:49
How do you think LSU’s weekend rotation will look? Is Ma'Khail Hilliard no longer going to start?
Aaron Fitt
1:48
Interesting question here. One thing that sticks out to me is the quality of Friday and Saturday starters across the league, which I think is up considerably from last year. I love the Parrish-Van Eyk duo at FSU, the Curry-Thomas duo at Georgia Tech, the Stinson-Laskey duo at Duke, the Peluse-McSweeney duo at Wake Forest, the McKendry-McMahon duo at Miami, and all the starters at UNC and Louisville. I actually think the middle of the ACC is very interesting this year — I’m very intrigued by the glut of teams that landed just outside our Top 25, from Ga Tech to NC State to Duke to Miami to Virginia. All those teams feel like dangerous postseason-caliber clubs to me.
ACCFan
1:48
What will be the identity of the ACC this season? Power Hitting, Power Pitching, Great defense? Is there a position group that stands out (i.e. shortstops, outfielders, catchers)?
Kendall Rogers
1:46
4th -- We will dive more into Conference USA soon, so I don't want to steal the thunder of our writer doing that preview. I will say USM is the frontrunner there. I'm interested to see how Matt Wallner does in the rotation, but I like what they have on the front-end in Stevie Powers and Walker Powell. That's some good experience. The lineup, as usual, will be potent with Hunter Slater taking a big step forward during fall workouts. He's going to have a big year. Keep an eye on Danny Lynch, the younger brother of former standout Tim Lynch. Scott Berry says Danny is an instant impact guy who reminds him a lot of Tim.
4th Street
1:44
How do you see things shaking out in CUSA? Who’s the favorite and which teams can compete for an at-large?
Aaron Fitt
1:44
Certainly, this has a chance to be the best ECU team ever — I think the Pirates have a really good chance to get to Omaha this year, and that would be a first for the program. They’re very experienced, balanced and talented. I love the power in the lineup, led by Brickhouse and Packard and Washer. I think it’s a deep lineup and an athletic defense, and I think there’s enough on the mound too. Two huge keys are Trey Benton and Gavin Williams -- if those guys can pitch up to their potential, I think Pirate fans will be enjoying steaks at the Drover in June.
Chris
1:44
East Carolina is #11. Is this potentially the best ECU team ever and what is the likelihood of finally making Omaha??
Kendall Rogers
1:43
JPA - Right now, it looks like it'll be Michael McAvene. I'm about to post our Louisville grades/breakdown, which details further. But McAvene, despite pitching just 10.1 innings last season, has premium stuff and Roger Williams loves his potential. Shay Smiddy is certainly a quality arm, too, while I would say keep an eye on freshman righty Kerry Wright. He was up to 93-94 this past fall and is ready to be an instant, big, impact guy.
Jpa2825
1:42
Who will close for UofL?
Aaron Fitt
1:42
I expect Beck to be the Friday guy — his stuff is starting to tick up, though it’s still not overpowering velocity. But he’s just got such great command and feel for pitching and competitiveness, all things that you want from a tone-setter on Friday nights. Miller has the highest ceiling — some of the most electric raw stuff in the country, and if he can harness his command and mechanics I could see him being a first-round pick, maybe top half of the first. But he’s more of a wild card. I suspect he and Mathiessen will compete for the Saturday spot, but I expect both of them to wind up as weekend starters in some order. Curious to see what Mathiessen can do with a dramatically larger mound workload as a sophomore, in addition to still DHing. He’s a huge, huge key to Stanford’s season — and I love his makeup, so I think he can handle it.
Brendon from Pebble Beach
1:41
Any idea on how David Esquer plans to use the rotation (order wise)? Will Beck or Miller get the Friday night call early? Is Mathiessen a lock for the early audition into the Sunday spot? I think if the Stanford starting rotation becomes a strength, the sky is the limit for this team. The lineup should be a force and Grech, Palisch and Little form an above average bullpen.
Kendall Rogers
1:41
First of all, I can almost guarantee you Coach Graham isn't sitting on a preseason baseball chat. With that said, I'm intrigued to see how Rice does this season. I love the one-two punch on the weekend in Matt Canterino and Addison Moss. Moss looked very sharp for me against A&M this past fall, sitting in the low 90s with a good slider. We all know what kind of stuff Matt has, too. I think their success on the bump ultimately boils down to Roel Garcia and Garrett Gayle. Both have premier arms ... but Garcia needs to stay healthy and Gayle needs to throw strikes. The pitching will need to be good, because the offense could struggle at times. Keep an eye on Dom Cox and Justin Collins. I absolutely LOVED Collins this past fall and the staff thinks Cox will surprise some people.
Wayne Graham
1:39
Where do you see my owls finishing this year in CUSA with the likes of Canterino, Moss, DiCaprio (Best Catcher in Rice History), Comeaux......as well as some talented freshmen arms. They’ll surprise a lot of people. I’ve taught them well Kendall;-)
Aaron Fitt
1:38
I can’t say I’m real high on the Big West heading into the season, but it seems like there’s always a team or two in that league that surprises us. Best case, maybe three teams wind up as Top 25-caliber? I’m kind of intrigued by UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara (which I think is a sneaky bounceback candidate), those would be my next two teams after Fullerton. But Long Beach could be lying in the weeds as well. Not quite sure what to make of those guys, they have holes to fill, but there are a few solid veteran pieces back too.
Brandon
1:38
Best case scenario how many top 25 teams could the Big West finish with?
Aaron Fitt
1:38
Agree with Kendall -- but Oregon is my sleeper out there. That rotation has a chance to be electric, and I think they're going to hit more than usual with that nice core of Spencer Steer, Gabe Matthews, Jonny DeLuca and Jakob Goldfarb.
Kendall Rogers
1:36
Greg -- I think Aaron will agree with me here, but I actually think the Pac 12 has a chance to have a few candidates to be in the Top 25 at some point in the season. Washington must replace Joe DeMers, Levi Jordan and others, but getting back Joe Wainhouse was huge offensively, and the word I'm getting is Jason Kelly feels very good about his pitching staff. Arizona will be solid and we got good reports on Arizona State in the fall. ASU will hit, and the pitching should be vastly improved. USC and Oregon are both teams with some talent at key positions ... but who also qualify as "wait and see" teams for us.
Greg
1:34
Who else in the Pac-12 is knocking on the door of the top 25 and can turn themselves into a contender?
Aaron Fitt
1:34
Wonder boy, I have to disagree with you on that. Yes, it’s a new weekend rotation, but they’ll still have a lot of talent on the mound. Will Ethridge made a big jump in the fall and looks poised to thrive in the Friday starter role. He and Houston Roth have both pitched a lot of innings at Ole Miss and have the stuff and pitchability to succeed as starters. And I’m really high on freshmen Gunnar Hoglund (a high draft pick out of HS who turned down a lot of money to come to school) and lefty Doug Nikhazy — those guys are both uncommonly polished for freshmen, and ready to step right into rotation jobs. Between those four guys, I think the Ole Miss rotation has pretty intriguing upside, and less risk than you might expect.
wonder boy
1:33
Why is Ole miss so high when they lost all 3 weekend starters? I don't think they will be able to replace them.
Kendall Rogers
1:33
Brendon -- Kinamon will start at second, and this has a chance to be a very, very good Stanford lineup. Kinamon and Maverick Handley are back and healthy, and powerful Brandon Wulff is back and healthy as well. The Cardinal also return Tim Tawa and Kyle Stowers is coming off an outstanding summer. These guys are going to hit. I have zero doubt. But I'm intrigued to see how Erik Miller does in that weekend rotation. They really need the stuff to match the results for Miller this season.
Brendon from Pebble Beach
1:32
How is Duke Kinamon looking for Stanford? This could be an underrated/unexpected return for the Cardinal. Should we expect to see him slot back in at 2B come the start of the season?
Aaron Fitt
1:31
Following up on my last answer — yes, Alabama will be a lot better, and if it can manage to go 15-15 in the SEC, it will have a pretty good chance at a regional bid. That said, we’ve seen some teams go .500 in the league and still miss out in recent years if the RPI is too low, so it’s no guarantee. Right now, I’m probably not betting on Alabama to break through and get back to regionals this year, just because the league is so difficult, but they’re definitely making progress under Brad Bohanon. I’m looking for big things this year from Sam Praytor behind the plate and Keith Holcombe in the outfield, and they brought in a bunch of solid juco guys who will help right away.
Connecting…
Anthony
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5:24
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Who would be your early favorite for player of the year?
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Stu Murray
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5:26
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No doubt there is much to like about #9 Georgia. At the same time, Adam Sasser’s unexpected departure, coupled with  MLB draftees Keegan McGovern & Micheal Curry moving on, has left a gaping hole in the heart of the Dawg offense. How do you see Scott Stricklin filling this gap andUGA on possible Omaha path?
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Dandy boy
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6:11
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What do you think of the new MS State coaches? Especially Scott Foxall.
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Guest
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6:21
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How do you see the TTU weekend pitching rotation shaking out?  Any ideas on middle relief/closers?
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Sean
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6:27
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Between Arkansas and Oregon St., who has the better chance of returning to the title series in 2019?
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Jackson
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6:31
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What are your expectations for East carolina this year?
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Garrett Grady
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7:02
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How good do u think NC State can be and what are your thoughts on Reid Johnston?
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DJ
 - 
7:02
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Which mid-major teams, outside of your top 25, do you expect to make some noise this year?
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Andrew
 - 
7:02
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how do you see the gamecocks doing this year?
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He Hate Me
 - 
7:03
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Arkansas has some holes to fill after the runner up finish last season. Hearing anything about weekend rotation, and a few more hitters to compliment the middle of the lineup? I'll hang up and listen.
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Wakefan
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7:04
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What will be Wake’s ceiling this year? And who could be a surprise on the pitching staff?
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Shoe
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7:06
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Any late news on guys not making it back to campus and having to go JUCO or elsewhere?
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Nate
 - 
7:08
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Campbell projects as hogs #1 who else projects to y’all? Ramage at 2? Noland potentially later?
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Rebels01
 - 
7:11
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What do you think about Ole Miss’s pitching staff? The offense will be elite but bullpen scares me. Also, do you think Cooper Johnson finally has a breakout season?
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Baylee
 - 
7:15
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Hey, so how do you think UGA will do next season. Also how is UGA's weekend rotation looking for next season.
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Shoe
 - 
7:15
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West Coast teams hardly sniffing preseason ranks, yes you got UCLA and OrSt, but do you really think they can sustain any real relevance and making CWS?  Looking like they may be lucky to even host a regional?
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Greg
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7:16
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What are a few of the non-conference series you're most looking forward to between some of these top 25 team?
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Eric Simmons
 - 
7:16
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What team is facing a do or die year? I think Ole Miss
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Riley
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7:20
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Who do you think will be the starting 3 pitchers for the Hogs? Who will contribute out of the bullpen?
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EagsBy10
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7:22
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Does USM finish on top of CUSA again and are there any new names to look out for on the team?
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Riley
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7:24
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Who do you think will be the 3 starting pitchers for the hogs? Who will be the contributors out of the bullpen?
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Shoe
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7:25
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Do you expect same type of production out of Kjerstad, Martin, Flether at Ark this year?
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Sam
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7:26
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do you think Pepperdine can be a surprise
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Darren
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7:34
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Will the WCC be as close as it was last season? Any team bound to make a leap as the consensus #1?
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Ben
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7:36
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Does Cooper Johnson have a break out year for Ole Miss? Or will Bianca try to get another bat in the lineup behind the dish?
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Cody
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7:39
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What is your outlook for Minnesota this year? Definitely a challenging non-conference schedule.
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Brandon
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7:44
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First of all, thank you guys for some tremendous reading material. You guys do a great job, and we sincerely appreciate it. My question - When it comes to Texas Tech, what do you see as the biggest question mark that could be a factor in a serious national championship run?
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Bruin202
 - 
7:45
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Ucla's offense could lead the team back into Omaha, but the pitching is a big question behind the first two (Garcia and Pettway). What seems to be the outlook behind those two?
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Reece
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7:46
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Who has the best starting 9 in the SEC?
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Devin
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7:46
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Arkansas is coming off a great season and lost a ton. With that said if the Hogs were to get more of the good Isaiah Cambell than the bad how far do you think this years version of the Razorbacks can go?
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Bob
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7:47
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Who is your darkhorse in the ACC? Can Wake make a run for the title?
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Mike
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7:51
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Is Wake Forest's team this year as good or better then the 2017 team? Can you see them making a deep run this year? Hosting Regionals or Supers? Omaha caliber team?
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Reece
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7:52
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What do y’all expect from the teams in the Frisco Classic this year?
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Justin
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7:54
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Your thoughts on NC State? Lost some key pieces, still think they can be a good team, esp if Feeny can come back healthy, also adding Joe Ingle on the back end
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Eric Simmons
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8:00
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Can Florida State send out coach Mike Martin a winner? I think they're going to play really hard for him in his last season as coach?
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Andy
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8:00
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Whats your thoughts on Wake Forest? How far can they go this year? Can they win the ACC?
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Keith
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8:01
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Thank you gentlemen for a great preview of the upcoming season. Are your preseason rankings reflective of your way-too-early favorites to make it to Omaha and/or win it all?
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Wayne Graham
 - 
8:03
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You think there’s any job openings for the OG?;-)     -Wayno
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