JotCast | Weekly College Baseball Chat: March 18

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Weekly College Baseball Chat: March 18

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DaddyMc

1:00

Do you think A&M has really done much to solve their batting issues, or did they just get hot for 11 innings? I was there and the series felt like the tale of The Best Of Times & The Worst Of Times. And with a great ending, for Aggies.

Kendall Rogers

1:01

Daddy -- We will see this coming weekend and UK and beyond. I did think the Aggies showed a much much better offensive approach in the series finale. They were patient and made contact, and Braden Shewmake made hard contact. Frankly, with as good as A&M's pitching is, if this team can just hit in the .270-.280 range in conference, they should be really, really good. A&M's defense was a strong piece over the weekend as well. I was thoroughly impressed with Hunter Coleman over at first on Sunday, while second baseman Bryce Blaum looks smooth up the middle, too.

Jack

1:01

Why does tech keep dropping 8-10 spots when they go 1-2 in a week of road games against good teams but only go up 2 spots if they go 5-0?

Kendall Rogers

1:03

Jack -- Tech now has two losing weekends, and I'll be honest, I still think the Red Raiders will be a special club, but there are teams right now that deserve to be ahead of them - including Texas A&M, Arizona State, NC State, etc, therefore, Tech probably dropped a few more spots than it otherwise would've because of that. Tech's offense has been a little up and down as of late, but I still think they're going to be explosive as the season progresses. They are exactly where they should be in the rankings, but would I be surprised if they are way up there at the end of the year? Not at all. I still love this club.

Adam

1:03

Despite Miami's 2 series losses to top 25 teams on the road, do you still see this team as a team that can make noise in a regional and possibly make a super regional

Aaron Fitt

1:04

Absolutely, we still really like Miami’s club. The Hurricanes were on the brink of breaking into the Top 25 last week, and certainly they’d be ranked this week if they had won another game in Chapel Hill. We remain encouraged by the development of those talented sophomore position players, and the Canes have plenty of weapons on the mound. Lots to like about that club, definitely feels like a team that could be dangerous in June.

ATXDude

1:04

Texas took 2/3 from TTU this weekend and now they’re 6-4 against really quality teams (LSU, Stanford, TTU) in March. With Arkansas and TCU to finish out the gauntlet, if they go 3-2 on the week and finish 9-6 in those 15 games they have to set themselves up for one of the top spots in the RPI at the end of the year right? Not sure there’s going to be a better SOS out there.

Kendall Rogers

1:06

ATX -- If Texas goes 3-2 this week, I'd consider that a terrific week. I'm curious to see how bad the injury to Ty Madden was on Sunday. Obviously, he has thrown really really well as of late. But Phil Haig continues to do special things with this pitching staff, and to hold Texas Tech to a limited # of runs over the weekend is impressive. I don't think Texas will be a great offensive team this spring, but it's good enough to manufacture runs to complement the pitching staff. That staff continues to do a great job, as Texas is setup really well right now resume-wise.

Hottub

1:07

Georgia is having an amazing start to the season. Part of the success is driven by the emergence of Tony Locey as a top SEC starting pitcher. Now that he's harnessing his big stuff, how far can he rise up draft boards?

Aaron Fitt

1:07

You’re right, Locey was lights-out on Sunday against South Carolina, and has been really good all season so far. He’s always had big stuff, as you know — it’s 93-96 with a very good hard slider — but his walk rate is way down so far this year. He’s got 43 strikeoust and 13 walks in 29 innings, along with a 2.17 ERA. The performance is finally matching the talent, and if that continues, I could see him being a Day One pick.

Sid

1:07

Based on the preseason poll compared to the body of work/eye test to this point, who are some teams that have changed your outlook on them? For better and for worse?

Kendall Rogers

1:09

I'll let Aaron chime in on this one, too, but I think NC State is the most obvious team for me, along with Arizona State on the positive side of things. NC State has been terrific and ASU is showing an outstanding offense (Which we expected) with some definite improved pitching. In terms of the negative, Wake Forest and Fullerton belong on the list. I still think Wake could heat up. The pieces are there (Aaron will see them this weekend), but Fullerton losing 2/3 at home to JMU is pretty bad, no matter how much better the Dukes are. Fullerton is in trouble IMO.

Aaron Fitt

1:11

Yeah I'm still not worried about Wake Forest, that's a team that I expect to make a big second-half run. Still love the personnel in the lineup and on the mound. Kendall is right about NC State and ASU as the big risers in my book. Also Mississippi State is a team we liked going into the season, but a team that I love now, after watching them two weeks in a row. Definitely a leading contender to win it all, I think.

Pat S

1:11

Why is UCLA more deserving of #1 than Miss State?

Aaron Fitt

1:11

I think you can make a case for either one. They both have one marquee series win (vs. Oregon State for UCLA, at Florida for MSU). UCLA has a very nice road series win at Georgia Tech, and MSU has a decent series win at home against Southern Miss. MSU’s 2-0 weekend in Frisco is louder than UCLA’s third-best week (a sweep of a quality St. John’s club — but that’s also a good weekend). Maybe you’d have to give MSU a very slight edge based solely on resumé, but UCLA was No. 2 last week and just won a series from the No. 3 team, so I just think you can’t justify jumping somebody else over them. Talent-wise, I think they’re pretty comparable, but I still like UCLA’s offensive personnel a little more in the long run, but I’d give MSU a slight edge on the mound. It’s very close.

Andrew

1:12

From what you've seen so far, what is the realistic ceiling for Texas A&M? Offense seems to slowly get better and the pitching has looked great so far.

Kendall Rogers

1:13

Andrew -- I touched on the Aggies a bit ago, but I think the Aggies will go as far as the pitching and defense will take it. I'm still not convinced A&M will be an above-average offensive club, but they could surprise me. Therefore, it's all about the pitching and defense. That rotation looks really good now with Christian Roa stepping up, and the bullpen was already a strength.

Mad Monte

1:13

Is there another team in the country that has had a weirder start to the season than Clemson? Lose the series to South Carolina, sweep UNC, beat Coastal midweek, then lose the series to the Fighting Irish at home? What gives?

Aaron Fitt

1:13

Yeah, good luck figuring out Clemson — I certainly can’t. I suppose some of it is just natural ups and downs for a team relying on quite a few underclassmen in the lineup, and it seems like the bullpen is still a work in progress — it wasn’t very good this weekend. I think it will be better moving forward, still some quality depth there.

Hottub

1:16

UCLA's Ryan Garcia had his longest outing of the season this weekend, how did the stuff look and will he be slotted back into the Friday night role eventually?

Kendall Rogers

1:17

HOT -- I will check on Garcia's stuff, but that's a nice development for the Bruins. Right now, I still think Savage will keep Zach Pettway in the No. 1 role. He was outstanding over the weekend, and frankly, he's earned it with the way he's pitching. But Garcia getting back on track (and healthy) is big for the Bruins. I was impressed with UCLA's offense in the series finale. UCLA showed it can win a big series in a variety of ways.

Founders

1:18

Brutal weekend for my Gamecocks, but kudos to UGA. Everyone keeps talking about their offense (rightfully so), but almost every pitcher they brought in threw 95+. Thoughts on both squads moving forward?

Aaron Fitt

1:18

I wrote about Georgia in depth after watching Saturday’s win — I think that’s a really good, balanced, deep and experienced team, an Omaha-caliber club. South Carolina still feels like that borderline Top 25 club we’ve regarded it as all season long, going back to the preseason — I think they’ll be in and out of the rankings, and probably wind up as a 2-seed somewhere. I actually saw a lot of talented young arms out of that SC bullpen on Saturday, between Daniel Lloyd, Dylan Harley and Cam Tringali. The strength of the pitching staff is in its numbers, and they’re going to continue to mix and match on the mound all year, which is what they expected to do in the fall, because they just don’t have the big weekend starter horses. Reid Morgan is tough, that sidearm guy with a very good sinker, changeup and a decent slider — just tip your cap to Georgia for beating him. He and TJ Shook should be able to give SC 5 solid innings most weekends, and the bullpen is good enough to piece it together after that.

The offense needs Noah Campbell to get it going, I’ve been disappointed with his first five weeks, because he was my big breakout star pick heading into the year. I think Luke Berryhill and Andrew Eyster are the real deal, and obviously Hopkins and Olson are established commodities, so the foundation of the lineup remains strong, but the supporting cast needs to be more consistent.

Mack

1:19

Indiana State is off to a great start this season and have a hec of a pitching staff. When will they break into the national polls and do you think they can beat DBU and win the MVC?

Kendall Rogers

1:20

Mack -- You'll be happy to know that Indiana State was discussed for this week's Top 25, along with UC Santa Barbara, Oklahoma State and a few others. I wrote about ISU last week and I really like this club. Triston Polley and Collin Liberatore make up a strong 1-2 punch, and I think the offense, though not great, is more than solid enough to do some special things this season. Hard to tell if this point if ISU can overtake DBU, but I have no reason to think they can't. Mitch Hannahs is doing a great job with that club so far this season. ISU also has a very good RPI.

Alex (Atascocita, TX)

1:20

Unlike other ECU fans, I am not complaining about them dropping 3 spots. Why? It was done makes sense and I agree. My question is...can ECU be the team the writers and fans thought they could be in the preseason? Their hitting, especially with men on base, is poor to say the least and their pen, up until trip to Mississippi, had been shakey at best. But starting pitchers, Jake Agnos and Jake Kuchmannier, really have been finding a good rythem, especially Jake K. (one out from no hitter at Ole Miss and 11 days later a perfect game at Maryland). Can ECU survive their gambit coming up against UCF (home), Houston (away) and UCLA (away)?

Aaron Fitt

1:21

I remain high on the Pirates — it’s important to remember that they didn’t have Packard, Brickhouse and Burleson all healthy and in the lineup at the same time together for a good chunk of the first month, so I think the offense will really take off now that they’re all back together. Timely hitting has a way of showing up eventually if the lineup is talented enough, and this is still a very talented lineup — that stuff evens itself out. I was intrigued to see Burleson move into the bullpen this weekend, that might be exactly the answer they need back there. And the emergence of Kuchmaner along with Agnos and Tyler Smith should give them a very stable rotation going forward. Still think the Pirates have a legit shot at Omaha. But you’re right, this upcoming stretch is very big.

Jeff

1:22

With Oregon State still looking to get solid production out of the Sunday starter, what are the chances that Eisert or Chamberlain crack the rotation this week?

Kendall Rogers

1:24

Jeff -- Kevin Abel should be able to return to the weekend rotation this weekend or next week, and once that happens the rotation will be back to normal. Frankly, I don't think you'll see OSU move either Eisert or Chamberlain to the rotation. I think Nate Yeskie loves Eisert's ability to give them 3-4-5 if need be out of the bullpen, while Chamberlain is so good in his role. Both likely will stay in the bullpen, though, if I had to pick one that could move out, it's Eisert. He's more suited to be a starter at this point. He also was tremendous over the weekend in the Beavs' lone win.

Henry

1:24

Very impressed withe the Bruins so far. You could make the argument they should be undefeated, with all fo their losses by 2 or less runs, 3 of them by 1 in the late innings. How will Garcia returning from injury fit into the current rotation with both Pettway and suprising brirght spot turned possible prospect Ralston pitching extremely well? Especially with Bergin struggling and Nastrini out for the season.

Aaron Fitt

1:24

You make a good point — UCLA is ranked No. 1 and it feels like we still haven’t really seen its best baseball yet. It’s only a matter of time before Strumpf and Toglia heat up, which is what this team really needs to reach its full potential. The pitching has been better than I even expected it would be, and Ralston’s emergence is clearly a big piece of that. I have to imagine Garcia must wind up back in the rotation, and I think the likeliest guy to move out of a weekend starter spot is Bergin. But Bergin is still very talented and will be a key part of this staff in the second half.

Lionel

1:26

It was a great weekend to be an Auburn Tiger all around! The SEC is a juggernaut this year! Especially the West. Could a 15-15 conference record get Auburn (or any SEC team) a hosting spot for Regionals?

Kendall Rogers

1:27

Lionel -- Considering the committee is thinking about making it where you can't even get into the NCAA tournament with a record below .500 in conference play, I find it hard to believe they'd give out hosts to teams are .500 in league play, but I suppose never say never. Also, I think Auburn will do better than .500 in league. Davis Daniel is supposed to return to the mound today, and Tanner Burns and Jack Owen have been very, very good. This team also has plenty of dangerous bats.

Jon

1:27

What do you think about Auburn and their upcoming series with Mississippi State in Starkville? Do you plan on being there?

Aaron Fitt

1:28

To piggyback on Kendall's Auburn answer -- I’m planning to see Auburn in a couple weeks against Arkansas, so I don’t think we’ll have anyone in Starkville this weekend, but you’re right, that’s shaping up as a very intriguing series. We talked about this on the podcast today: Auburn’s pitching beyond Burns has been a lot better than we anticipated. Will be interested to see if they can sustain that, and this weekend will be a huge test against a very good offense.

Eric Simmons

1:28

Time to be concerned with Vanderbilt after losing to Texas A&M to open up SEC Play? I think Texas A&M is underrated!

Kendall Rogers

1:30

Simmons -- I'm not sure I'm concerned just yet, but I am a little confused at some of Vandy's struggles. Defensively, the Commodores looked very iffy over the weekend, as Ethan Paul scuffled at short and Pat DeMarco took some terrible routes in center. But the most perplexing thing are the struggles on the mound. Vandy is walking entirely too many guys, and that's disappointing considering the talent Vandy has on the bump. I was actually encouraged by Kumar Rocker's start yesterday. I thought his SL was sharper, and he was throwing more strikes with the FB as well (velocity wasn't at high as it was at Salt River a few weeks ago).

Jay B

1:30

I was somewhat surprised at how much the SEC West dominated the East this past weekend, is that a sign of things to come in the SEC this year?

Aaron Fitt

1:30

I don’t know about that. Kentucky and Mizzou are clearly bottom-end teams in the SEC this year, so it’s no real surprise that they struggled against top-end SEC West teams. Tennessee getting swept surprised me a bit, I picked Auburn to win that series but figured the Vols had a very legitimate chance to get a game or two. I still think Tennessee is a contender, and so is South Carolina, despite its 0-3 weekend. Georgia, Vandy and Florida are just about as good at the top end as Miss State, LSU and Arkansas, but I’d give the next tier of SEC West teams (Auburn, Ole Miss and A&M) the edge over the next three in the East. So in sum, I do think the West is better overall, but I don’t think it will usually be as lopsided as it was this week.

Connecting…

SEC Least

2:43

Do you think this weekend will be a trend in the SEC? SEC West whooped up on the East. Is it just a week one deal, or do you think the West is truly that much stronger than the East overall?

Andrew

4:25

Mississippi State feasted on Florida's bullpen this weekend. The season's young, so are the pitchers and MSU is really good, but it does look like UF's bullpen is a big question mark. And that's not a new development - for every breathless off-season story about Florida having x number of pitchers who can throw over 90 MPH, the Gators haven't really had a stereotypically deep Kevin O'Sullivan bullpen since 2015. The last few years it's mainly been one or two stalwarts out there backing up a dominant starting rotation. And now there are no stalwarts. It feels sacrilegious to question anything about O'Sullivan's pitching development machine, but why have the Gators mostly failed to develop the kind of deep bullpens we expect from them over the last few seasons?

Josh

4:27

With LSU sweeping Kentucky this past weekend and going on the road back to back weeks at Georgia and Mississippi St. do you think that going 3-3 in the SEC the following two weekends will be the best thing for this semi veteran team going forward when they have the Aggies at home the first week in April.

SEC West

4:52

The SEC West, which has 6 of the 7 teams ranked, went 13-2 against the SEC East this past weekend. How much will cannibalization affect these teams when they have to play each other?

Bill

5:21

How sustainable is Auburn's pitching this year?

Oxford Bald Eagle

5:23

I like the way Southern Miss destroyed Tech this weekend but I’m beginning to think C-USA is even worse than normal this year. I’m thinking it’s a 1 bid league. Also, I’m assuming Wallner’s injury coupled with his struggles at the plate and Southern’s ability to pitch means we won’t see him on the mound. Thanks for what you do.

Mike

5:39

OSU - UCLA, for those who watched that series the first 2 games were pretty well reflected by the box score but game 3 really was fielding issues for Oregon State as opposed to struggling pitching. The 1st inning Double was an error (missed a "can 'o corn" flyball in the outfield) that had a hometown scorekeeper rule on, the Beavs also dropped an outfield ball that led to runs, and infield errors plated other runs. That being said, OSU was predicted to finish 3rd in the Pac-12 behind Stanford and UCLA. My question is how much does scheduling factor into OSU's ranking and predicted finishes? They have the toughest Pac-12 schedule this year by far (away series at UCLA, ASU, Stanford, Washington, and Oregon). How much will that play into both rankings and predicted conference finishes? I do believe that if that UCLA series was at Goss OSU would've taken it 2-1...but maybe I'm just a homer. With that schedule is it realistic for Beaver fans to hold their breath for hosting a regional/national seed?

Dan

5:40

You dropped Oregon State 3 spots and with the number of errors and Pitching performance by our starters(minus Abel of-course) I'd say that's fair. My question is.. with one out and the score 9-7 was Pat Bailey right that the UCLA 2nd baseman was off the bag for the second out in the top of the 9th that would have loaded the bases for Oregon State?

John

5:40

LSU still struggled to score in game one this weekend, but other than that, they looked much better; Hess (still too many walks), Walker, Hilliard, and the pen threw better and 23 runs in the second two games.

David

5:46

Should I be worried about Ole Miss pitching that is missing 3 major pieces from last year's tam in Holston, Roth, Fowler.

Guest

10:32

Kevin

5:46

Kendall, what do you make of LSU's pitching staff as a whole? I'd say this weekend was arguably the best showing they've had all year, yet they still issued 15 walks and had 3 HBP. They're an enigma to me so far.

J ROD

5:54

Should I be worried about Fullerton? That team is too talented to be as consistent as they've been. Do you think I'm over reacting and should be expecting them to win the big west and make a run per usual ? Idk gentleman they are confusing me! Haha

Brandon

6:01

Tech is a hard team to figure. Early in the year, starting pitching was a bit suspect. Against UT, our weekend starters were excellent. Seems like our "vaunted" offense is sputtering a bit. Any concerns with the lineup? I'd rather be hitting on all cylinders in June instead of March.

Zach

6:02

How differently do you view getting the sweep vs winning 2/3 in top tier matchups? For example NC State, Miss. State, UCLA

Brett

6:05

Arkansas with a solid opening weekend sweep against a weak Mizzou team. What worries you most about the Hogs going forward?

6:07

Seems like a big drop to 18 for the Rebels after close midweek loses to Louisville and getting 2/3 from Bama. What do ya'll expect to see from the Rebs moving forward?

Knox

6:10

What do you think about the vols and this past weekend, should fans be concerned? Also how does the heat sheet work as I’ve seen multiple vols throw 96 and Schultz throwing 100+?

Luke

6:15

Which team has the best starting rotation in the nation? The best bullpen?

Darryl

6:17

While there's a lot to like about Miss. State, what area of their game would you say needs the most work?

eight26

6:17

Fullerton appears to have their Friday and Sunday pitching figured out, but that Saturday situation ... woof. Their bats are as strong(er) as I've seen in years. So ... is this team any good or not? Coach Hook always dials it in down the stretch. Can he make the magic happen this year too?

BaseballGirl

6:19

Even though Tennessee was swept by Auburn, how do you think they will perform the rest of the conference season? Were there any positives you saw from Tennessee during the Auburn sweep?

Rich

6:29

Oregon State has some big issues with trying to find a solid lineup that can be a good threat at the plate, their rotation has been disrupted with Able out and iffy Sunday production, and the fielding has been pressing lately - yet they are still 13-4-1, having played the 2nd most difficult schedule in the nation. Some fans are panicking, but we were so spoiled with the team of the past few years - any real reason to be concerned?

TheRealMiami

6:32

I know it's probably a little off the radar, but the Miami RedHawks seem to be putting something special together with their start this season in Oxford. Kent State has had a rough start, mostly because of what looks to be a tough schedule, but is this finally the year another team could run the MAC wire-to-wire? Just kind of curious if there were any thoughts on Miami/Kent or the MAC in general.

Jacob

6:35

I’m starting to get concerned about FSU, what’s your thoughts on the Noles?

SEC WEST

6:36

The SEC West is always a tough division but this year is incredible. Feels like someone could win it at 17-13 due to teams just beating up on each other. What three teams do you think have the best shot at winning the west? State looks great. Ole Miss is very talented and avoid Vandy and UGA in the east. AU can pitch the hell out of it. Ark and aTm seem to be better than expected. Should be fun. Would love your thoughts!

Mike

6:39

What is going on with the Irish? Lose to some terrible teams, but win back to back road series in the ACC before heading home. Many big series coming up soon, but general thoughts?

Brandon

6:42

Arkansas pitching has been surprisingly solid so far, Campbell, Scroggins, and Kostyshock have really upped their game. Do you see Arkansas having enough offensive firepower to make another run?

Rob Bible

6:48

Also, USM obviously is going to have to RPI issues with the loss to UNO and the two losses to Gonzaga. Do they get an at large if they manage to get to 40 wins? Or do they have to win the tournament? Seems like the Ole Miss games are must wins this year.

Guest27

6:54

Should we be concerned with FSU's weekend rotation? Parrish has been avergae, Van Eyck has control issues, and for what seems like a lot of years in a row they don't have a defined Sunday starter. With that being said, what are your thoughts about FSU now that they have two conference weekends under their belts?

Chele

7:01

The PAC-12 has really stepped up this year with UCLA, OSU, ASU, and Stanford all being ranked, and Washington is always gritty. How do you think they stack up against the SEC and do you think in the future we see more pre-conference play between the two conferences?

7:05

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