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The D1Baseball Weekly Chat: Week Three
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Aaron Fitt
1:01
Hello friends, hope you all had a great week two -- I sure did. Let's dive in!
Kendall Rogers
1:02
Let's do this!
Lemonhead
1:03
Who do you think would have won a 3 game series between the Razerbacks and Beavers this weekend?
Aaron Fitt
1:03
Man oh man, I would have loved to watch that. Feels like a total coin toss -- the best pitching staff in the nation (in my opinion) against quite possibly the best offense in the nation. But I suppose, given the way the Arkansas offense and defense are both kinda struggling at the moment, I might have to take Oregon State if that three-game series happened right now. The Beavers can't match the Arkansas arms, but they don't need to because the Arkansas offense isn't firing on all cylinders yet, and the OSU arms are certainly good enough. Down the road, I'm still sticking with Arkansas as my national title pick -- elite pitching is just such a separator, and I believe the offense and defense will both improve (though I have a feeling the defense might just be fringe-average when it's all said and done).
cool 1
Lubbock
1:04
Who had the better weekend TCU or UT? Sweeping a top 25 team is pretty legit but not allowing a single run over a 3 game series, like I read in another article, is unheard of in today's game.
Kendall Rogers
1:04
Give me TCU. What Texas did over the weekend is most certainly incredible, but I think time will show that Cal Poly is not very good. I thought the way TCU's pitching looked against a previously ranked UCLA team was overwhelmingly a bigger story line from the weekend -- especially considering how ugly TCU's starting pitching in particular was against FGCU Opening Weekend.
Pokes Fan
1:06
Did Ok State’s win over Arkansas change your overall outlook on that team? Or did the loss Oregon state negate that? Pitching was solid and you have to think the hitting will come around
Aaron Fitt
1:06
Yeah, I would say my outlook for Oklahoma State has improved after this weekend -- the biggest thing I wanted to see was whether the pitching staff was good enough to hold its own, and I am satisfied by what I saw from the arms this weekend. Janzen Keisel remains an enigma, and it would be a huge boost if he could harness his enormous potential, because the stuff sure grades out, but he threw too many middle/middle pitches this weekend, and he paid the price. But Gabe Davis' emergence was extremely encouraging, and I could see him sliding into the rotation if needed --  he held his stuff for 5.2 IP this weekend. Agree that the bats will get going, should be a very dangerous offense, with a below-average to fringy defense; probably a bit of a liability, but should be serviceable eventually.
Erik
1:06
1. Is Iowa in trouble? 2. Nebraska has looked pretty impressive in the first two weeks, have they not?
Kendall Rogers
1:06
Erik -- I think Iowa will be just fine. The offense looks good and the starting pitching was actually pretty good over the weekend. The bullpen? Not so much. It was brutally bad down in JAX. Fix the bullpen hiccups and Iowa will be what we thought it would be. No 'major' concerns yet. I look at trends -- not just one weekend.  As for Nebraska, not remotely surprised it had success against GCU. I wrote this last week, but Nebrask's offensive lineup showed promise at Globe Life opening weekend, and I actually really liked some of the arms the Huskers had as well.
Kyle
1:07
Any additional thoughts about Ryne Farber/Texas State after seeing them in person?
Kendall Rogers
1:07
Kyle -- It was great to see Texas State come together in the tournament finale down at Round Rock. Frankly, I think they would've had a strong weekend if they weren't so far behind the eight ball in the first couple of innings because of iffy starting pitching. Augie Ramirez stuck out to me from a power standpoint. Farber is an electric player, man. Just a beautiful offensive approach, makes hard contact and just has baseball rate written all over him. I'm a huge fan -- and sold.
MB
1:08
Who do you like in the GT-UGA series?
Aaron Fitt
1:08
Both teams have gotten off to strong starts against very soft schedules, so it's tough to know how good either of them actually is yet, but it also probably made sense for both of them to schedule that way, to build some confidence with rosters that had a ton of turnover. Ultimately I think they're pretty similar clubs, with lots of offensive firepower but questionable pitching, though both staffs have gotten off to pretty good starts. Feels like a toss-up, but I'll take the Bulldogs.
Taylor
1:10
What do you think of Max Wiener and the job he's done at A&M in 5-6 months with this pitching staff? Not to crazy to say we might be a top 3 staff in the SEC?
Kendall Rogers
1:10
Taylor -- let's see how the Aggies do when they face better competition, but there's no doubt their pitching looks way better right now, particularly from a command standpoint. I watched a little bit of Tanner Jones' performance yesterday because Schloss and Co were VERY high on him after the fall. It was 94-96 with a filthy slider and overall arsenal. If that's your Sunday starter, you're living well. With that said, I want to see those arms against ASU and USC this weekend before drawing *too* many conclusions. But so far so good for Weiner.
FittsMagic
1:12
Is there any feeling (yet) that this SEC baseball season has some similarities to football this year? Top heavy with a slew of so-so big name programs not very good.
Aaron Fitt
1:12
I don't know anything about college football, Mr. Magic, but I don't think I agree that the SEC is top-heavy — we have nine SEC teams in the Top 25. All of those teams feel like viable regional host contenders, and Kentucky feels like it's lying in the weeds as a 10th SEC team capable of making another run at hosting. Plus Georgia is off to a good start. Yes, the two Mississippi schools continue to mystify, and it's worth wondering if both are just so-so, as you put it. But I'm reserving judgment for now. League feels as deep as ever to me.
FittsMagic
1:14
LSU looked bored for most of the weekend and in the early going. Do you anticipate the Natty hangover ending with the adrenaline that a monster matchup with UT at Minute Maid on Friday night?
Kendall Rogers
1:14
It definitely seems like the Tigers are bored. I'm not drawing too many conclusions at all from LSU right now -- but one thing I'd like to see is Cam Johnson get into a groove. Right now, seven walks in two innings is not going to allow him to throw much if that continues as SEC play nears. I have a sneaking suspicion the champs will be ready to roll when they face the Longhorns on Friday night. Could be wrong -- don't think I will be.
Ben
1:15
Granted, they haven’t played the toughest schedule - but was Florida State a little under valued coming into the year? Top two rotation guys look solid to above average and the lineup appears to be very deep. (Ex: Faurot is in the bottom of the lineup)
Aaron Fitt
1:15
I don't think they were undervalued -- they finished DFL in the ACC last year, yet we still picked them to make a regional. But they had a lot to prove before getting Top 25 consideration. We all believed the roster was greatly improved, but we needed to see it play out on the field, and so far it is. I do agree with your assessment -- they have very good arms (though the loss of Gavin Adams to injury REALLy stings) and a much deeper lineup, with more athleticism that should translate to a better defense. I am definitely in on the Seminoles, and I expect them to play their way into the Top 25 pretty soon.
FittsMagic
1:16
How desperately does the B1G need Iowa to win a series in Oxford this weekend? Feels like the season might be over for whichever team loses that one...
Kendall Rogers
1:16
Definitely do not subscribe to the theory that Iowa definitely needs to win that series. It would obviously be very important, but the Big Ten has some real bright spots early this season -- some expected, such as Penn State taking a road series from Stanford. Nebraska has also looked good, and Indiana looks elite thus far. But yes -- that's a huge series for a multitude of reasons.
Landon
1:17
on a scaled of 1-10 (10 being the most) how worried should Stanford fans be about the early struggles? Pitching inconsistent and no power in the lineup.
Aaron Fitt
1:17
Maybe an 8. I don't like to overreact early in the season, but what I'm seeing so far from Stanford feels like validation of my concerns heading into the year that they were in for a transition type season. They just lost so much from last year; it's not the same team that made those three straight CWS runs. I do still love the long-term outlook for the program – that freshman class is going to be very good, but it's hard to ask too much of freshmen right out of the chute.
Joe Pa
1:21
How do the Beavs stack up against the rest of the Top 10 with regards to pitching? It feels like the lineup is as good or better than any.
Aaron Fitt
1:21
If Aidan May is indeed healthy (and as I wrote and tweeted this weekend, Mitch Canham didn't seem too concerned after he left Friday's game holding his elbow/forearm), then I think the Beavers are in good shape on the mound, because he looked like a bona fide ace on Friday, and Jacob Kmatz feels like a very trustworthy Saturday guy with tons of experience and feel for a quality four-pitch mix, and I loved what I saw from the freshman Eric Segura on Sunday. And they've got nice variety in the bullpen, bunch of different looks they can throw at you. I don't think their staff is on the same level as the elite staffs like Wake, Arkansas and Duke, but I do think it is comparable to most of those other top 10 clubs — assuming May is healthy. If he winds up missing significant time, that's a major setback and would give me more concern about the staff. He's an enormously important piece.
Greg
1:22
Crazy weekend in Palo Alto. Is it time to push the panic button on Stanford? Will Penn State be a factor in the Big Ten?
Kendall Rogers
1:22
Greg -- We were not very high on Stanford coming into the season for a reason. Though it's still VERY early, the Cardinal lost so many key players and were going to rely on a ton of younger newcomers -- that is just a tough recipe for success. As for Penn State, what Mike Gambino is doing right now is pretty impressive. Give credit to guys like JT Marr, who are off to a sizzling start at the plate. And how about Wake Forest transfer Adam Cecere? He's been a wrecking ball for the Nittany Lions. I've got my eye on them for sure.
Heel
1:26
Thoughts on UNC after the ECU series? Starting pitching remains a big question mark with only one non-conference weekend left before ACC play opens.
Aaron Fitt
1:26
Yeah, that Jake Knapp injury was just a brutal blow -- they were really, really counting on him to be the bell cow for that staff. I am all-in on Folger Boaz, definitely think he's a real dude, but relying on a true freshman as your Friday starter does make me nervous. I couldn't be higher on UNC's freshman arms, that group has an extremely bright future, but they're going to have to grow up fast this year, because the Tar Heels really need them. I do love the UNC bullpen, where they have a lot more experience, and it feels like they could wind up doing a lot of whole-staffing — it might wind up looking a lot like last year's Duke pitching staff, where they go with openers almost every game and just piece it together, because they have really good depth on the mound. Also, their offense is really good, and their defense should be as well, so I think the Tar Heels will probably remain a Top 25 type club all year.
Ethan
1:27
TCU’s pitching staff performed a lot better against Texas State and UCLA. Did it change your opinion about the ceiling for this year’s team? Are they national championship contenders in your mind?
Kendall Rogers
1:27
Ethan -- I was already pretty high on TCU, as was the rest of the staff, but that definitely put my mind at some ease from a starting pitching standpoint. I didn't think a guy like Kole Klecker would consistently struggle, though. He's extremely consistent. I do ultimately wonder if Zack Morris is a weekend starter, but time will tell. The good news is that TCU has a lot of options.
Andrew
1:29
What does Cal need to do to get in the top 25?
Kendall Rogers
1:29
Andrew -- California was on our radar this week -- they were one of a few teams we considered for the Top 25. I'm very impressed with the start Mike Neu's club has gotten off to. Rodney Green Jr, as expected, has been a force. And how about freshman PJ Moutzouridis? He's been outstanding offensively thus far. another strong weekend out in Vegas would go a long way toward being ranked, IMO.
Aaron Fitt
1:31
I'll piggyback here -- it wound up being a debate between Cal and DBU for the final spot in our Top 25. DBU was closer to the rankings heading into the year, just a little bit more proven track record from last year, so we went with the Patriots, but Cal's early-season body of work definitely has our attention, and we do like the talent, as KR said. Bears are knocking on the door.
TWBHogs
1:29
How concerned should we be about the Razorback bats?
Aaron Fitt
1:29
Not very -- that offense will be fine. I don't think it'll be an elite offense, not as explosive as recent Hog offenses have been, but they've got plenty of good pieces in that lineup, and plenty more on the bench they can try if guys struggle (I can't shake the feeling that Jack Wagner is going to wind up getting significant run and being a nice piece for them, as an example of the depth). Offense runs hot and cold in baseball, and they faced good arms this weekend, but I have a ton of confidence that those bats will come around, and they'll wind up as a very solid SEC offense.
PowerMajor
1:33
Is the UCSB-Oregon series a defining moment for the Big West when trying to secure host sites later in the year?
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