CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Five => SEC => Topic started by: MikeDeTiger on February 24, 2025, 10:08:04 AM
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Just gonna leave this here for any future comments there might be about beisbol this season.
I don't keep up with the rest of the league enough anymore to know what kind of slate we'll be playing through, but.....
Stony Brook has been on my mind. Some might recall they knocked LSU out of their own super-regional in 2012 after the most disastrous weather delay in program history. A thunderstorm that, imo, eventually snowballed into missing out on a CWS title the next year in 2013. You might ask how. After winning game 1 of the Super, LSU was rolling in game 2 when lightning postponed the game, eventually causing the rest of it to be made up the next morning prior to the regularly scheduled game 3 time (if necessary). The Tigers utterly lost their momentum and intensity, and derped away the remaining innings of game 2. They never recovered in Game 3 either, which I believe would never have happened if game 2 hadn't been interrupted. Fast forward a year later, the best overall LSU team I've ever seen goes to Omaha and gets eliminated in immediate fashion, 0-2. That team was amazing, but lacked the experience on the big stage they needed, and they'd have gotten it had they beaten Stony Brook the year prior. I have a lot to say about the state of cbb and what the smallball-loving a-holes did to the sport around that time, and how it affected those games, but the truth is in addition to all of that, LSU faltered just a little bit, at high-pressure times, and their lack of experience greatly contributed to their demise.
Exactly a year ago Stony Brook returned to LSU for a Friday game in an invitational format and handed us a 5-2 loss.
Bastards.
I don't understand the joke Longhorn fans have with Wofford, but Stuck Fony Brook, and with good reason.
Also, I've had PTSD ever since Florida beat us in the 2017 CWS Finals. Thing is, I actually did think Florida was the better team that year, and the "better team" won. But I let myself believe too much going into it because I let our own mythos get to me. LSU had never lost a CWS Final.....when we go all the way, we Geaux. LSU had also ended Oregon State's insane run, fighting out of the loser's bracket to beat the Beavers twice, which was unthinkable that year, to earn their spot. To boot, although I felt UF was better in a fresh, weekend format, the way the brackets had played out, Florida had exhausted some key arms and I felt pretty good about our matchup with them. I thought we should've been able to out-duel them on the mound considering the rotations each team had at that point (to be clear: I would not have favored LSU in a 3-game stretch where all weekend arms were starting fresh). I really thought we'd get our 7th title. When the Gators beat us, I was crushed. I lost all confidence. Two seasons ago, despite having the best cbb pitcher and one of the best cbb hitters I've ever seen, I didn't believe it until they did it, and even beating the Gators then, it didn't wipe away my disappointment from 2017.
Fuck Florida. Oh, wait, I guess those letters are still the same when swapped. Oh well.
Anyway, let's get this season over with so I can get on with seeing how Brian Kelly will derp away this year's football opening in spectacular fashion.
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The SEC is an okay baseball league.
Should be a lot of fun watching the games this year.
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You need to go to The Box when UT plays there sometime. I feel like every fan should experience a rowdy baseball game where visitors are heckled with at least half as much intensity as visiting football fans. And if possible sit up front in right field. The fans there notoriously talk hilarious trash to the RFers.
Our smack-talkers probably hadn't woken up that weekend morning....is probably what happened against Stony Brook, I reckon.
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The Box is impressive but I'm okay going the rest of my lifetime without being heckled by opposing fanbases.
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The Box is impressive but I'm okay going the rest of my lifetime without being heckled by opposing fanbases.
But you should do it anyway, and also see if you can get Matt Mitchell's "We're Texas And Y'all Ain't" t-shirt to wear.
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But you should do it anyway, and also see if you can get Matt Mitchell's "We're Texas And Y'all Ain't" t-shirt to wear.
(https://i.imgur.com/z1iY2MY.png)
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We play Dallas Baptist tonight at Globe Life Field, home of the Texas Rangers. Interesting early season match, although obviously with mid-week pitchers. Dallas Baptist is a solid program, and one of only 5 teams to make the NCAA tourney each of the last 10 years. The others being LSU, Florida, Vanderbilt, and Oklahoma State.
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And Dallas Baptist will pitch a weekend starter against you even on a midweek game. They're a talented and well-coached team.
Horns opened the season for a round-robin style tournament at Globe Life, we typically do a Dallas or Houston tournament to start the season. I like it, playing good competition early and away from home, ultimately is good for the team I think, even if you cheese away a close one in extra innings to a team like Louisville (who's not actually a terrible team).
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News coverage says this is only the 3rd MLB venue we've ever played in, though it doesn't make it clear if we've played at Globe Life before or not. We played some games at the Metrodome in 1995 (don't remember that) and more than a dozen over the last 10 years at Minute Maid (I do recall those).
We're still trying to figure out who our weekend starters are. Lots of transfers on this team, and the jobs are currently open, and midweek games are likely to continue the tryouts for at least a couple more weeks. DBU could put us down with a much better pitcher, or we might be trying out a guy who's meant to be a Friday ace. We don't really know what we have yet, or who should be where in the rotation.
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Horns are playing another roundrobin style tournament in Las Vegas this weekend. The opponents are Washington, Texas Tech, and Illinois. No world beaters in that group but a decent variety of teams and styles. Tech always has something stored up for Texas.
I'll be going to at least one game in the Texas series against LSU when y'all come to town on the second weekend of Spring Break in March. Should be a lot of fun.
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Horns manage a sweep for the weekend and win the Las Vegas College Baseball Classic, moving up a couple slots in the rankings. LSU is looking strong at 1/2 in the rankings.
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Can't tell what we've got just yet. At the moment, my concerns are a propensity to leave a lot of runners stranded, which has not been a problem past teams have had success overcoming, and I still don't know what we've got pitching. So far they strike me as quite a lot of guys who are "ok." A lot of our teams have had an ace or two, a good closer, and a bunch of bullpen arms you cross your fingers with. This group may wind up being the opposite of that.
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You should come to Austin for the LSU-Texas series in a couple of weeks. I have other commitments Saturday evening but am currently planning on going to the Friday and Sunday games.
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Apparently A&M ain’t doing too hot.
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Rough start for the Ags but the season is still quite Earley. There's too much talent on that roster to stay down for long.
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You should come to Austin for the LSU-Texas series in a couple of weeks. I have other commitments Saturday evening but am currently planning on going to the Friday and Sunday games.
So can I show up to Disch-Falk with a "We're Texas and y'all ain't" t-shirt? Or would that just be confusing?
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Ha!
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Just checking in........
(https://i.imgur.com/6GmkaFK.png)
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Look at the Volunteer fans who all of a sudden discovered the existence of college baseball in 2024! :)
(https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4Dj_ikUmFWijRewH91mj9RJHa-o=/0x0:620x342/1200x800/filters:focal(261x122:359x220)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53092035/welcome_to_the_jc27bb.0.jpg)
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Look at the Volunteer fans who all of a sudden discovered the existence of college baseball in 2024! :)
(https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4Dj_ikUmFWijRewH91mj9RJHa-o=/0x0:620x342/1200x800/filters:focal(261x122:359x220)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/53092035/welcome_to_the_jc27bb.0.jpg)
Well, more like 2021, but point taken --- and valid.
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Just checking in........
(https://i.imgur.com/6GmkaFK.png)
What ranking is that? Last thing I saw had A&M #1.
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What ranking is that? Last thing I saw had A&M #1.
The latest and greatest. I think it is 2 days old.
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Oh I think MDT is aware... :)
For reference Baseball America currently has Tennessee ranked #1 and LSU #2. Historically I've always found their rankings to be more credible.
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I don't keep up with it. The only source I read daily is an LSU site that uses D1Baseball, when he talks about rankings. Which he hasn't, since the start of season, or before. I thought he mentioned A&M being #1 last time he said anything.
Nobody in their right mind cares about or believes a ranking like that at this point, with this many new pieces. Only thing I take from it is I keep in the back of my mind who is likely to be our toughest outs in a season. i.e., if A&M was ranked #1 at any point, it's probably going to be a tough series.
And of course, there's always the years where we think we have a good team, but don't, and those Top 25 opponents go from "tough outs" to "we're going to lose another series."
Ugh. Baseball stresses me out. It's so much more obvious to me, so much quicker, what kind of football team we have. After 1 or 2 games I pretty well know how the season will go even though I can't predict exactly where the L's are coming from. Baseball is a different animal. Weeks drag on, and I still wonder how they'll be able to do. Actually, it never ends, because baseball is so much more individual-dependent whereas football is more team-dependent. In baseball, we may have the best hitter in the country and the best college pitcher I've ever seen, as with a couple seasons ago, but if they have an off night, or if another team has a stud who's just better that day, or the pitcher isn't pitching that game, etc., the outcomes can swing more wildly. In football, often a guy having a bad day is usually mitigated by the others around them.
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I'm learning to develop a more keen eye for baseball. My son in law is a big fan. Since the Mavs are obviously trashing their organization, he's working on learning hockey.
Much like soccer, there's a chess match going on in baseball that I'm trying to see. As the only (relatively) un-timed sport (as long as you've got an out left, you're still in it), the strategies are myriad.
When the college season is new, no one really knows what the other team does well. It takes a few weeks to learn what your opponent can hit, and what they can't. Conversely, you gotta figure out who you can count on and who might just need time to work it all out.
I'd say that last night's game between Texas and TAMU-CC is one of those pesky mid-week contests that Texas was so adept at tanking last season. So far, that's a big improvement.
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I'm pretty much the opposite with baseball, compared to MDT above. There are so many more games, and the weekend-series structure means you can lose a game but still "win" against an opponent. Each individual game is less stressful so they're each just so much more enjoyable to me.
Sure, the team can tank, lose a series, lose a bunch of series, or whatever. But Texas has won NCs under numerous head coaches in numerous eras, and I just don't worry that we'll never get back to the promised land, in the same way I do with football.
To me there's almost nothing more pleasant than an afternoon or evening in the spring out at Disch-Falk, watching the Horns play baseball. Or, just sitting at the tailgate outside the gates, with the radio on, and just listening to the sounds of the game. It's so relaxing.
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I'd say that last night's game between Texas and TAMU-CC is one of those pesky mid-week contests that Texas was so adept at tanking last season. So far, that's a big improvement.
Yup. I have no idea how Texas will perform once SEC play begins, but there's zero doubt that this year's team is much improved over last year's, and a huge part of it is mental.
Augie always stressed the mental aspect of the sport over the technical or physical, and I guess he might have known what he was talking about.
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What I didn't mention above, which plays a big role in how I find it hard to gauge the team, is how it seems there's more variance in how baseball players play from game to game compared to football players. At least for us. After a couple games in football, I pretty well see what the team is and the individuals perform pretty consistently. In baseball, it's common for all but a couple of our best players to have ups and downs, and you never know when they're coming. And even the best players have slumps. Slumps are not common on our football team.
Trying to think through it, from a single-game perspective, it probably has to do with a guy playing so many more plays in a football game than a baseball game. A RT might have some bad plays, but over the course of 40-50 plays, he is what he is. An outfielder might get 4-5 at-bats and a handful of chances to field a ball. If he has bad plays, it hurts way worse.
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What the SEC is doing in the 3 big sports is nuts.
Completely owning basketball this year. Always owning baseball. I know B1G teams won the last 2 football NCs, but I don't think the SEC is actually down, especially having added Texas and OU.
Florida's baseball OOC schedule was pretty weak, but we beat FSU and took 2 of 3 from Miami. Our run differential so far is video-gamey. But the conference slate will tell the tale.
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SEC opening weekend for most (all?) of the schools. Horns are traveling to Starkvegas this weekend, and then get LSU at home next weekend. Things are about to start getting really fun!
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LSU swept Mizzou, Texas swept Miss State. Setting up a nice showdown in Austin next weekend. Looking forward to it, I've watched several LSU-Texas games at Disch-Falk over the years, and the traveling LSU baseball fans have always been great to be around.
Right now I'm planning on being at the Friday night game, and maybe the Sunday game.
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Still hard to tell what we've got. I don't think the ooc competition was anything telling and Mizzou is meh, though beating them is obviously better than losing to them. If LSU can win in Austin, it's probably a pretty decent team. If they can't, I still won't know much, because it could mean anything from "they suck" to "Texas is that good."
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Horns dropped the first midweek game of the season last night against UTSA, in extra innings. Disappointing for sure. Need to bounce back and win against LSU this weekend.
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Horns dropped the first midweek game of the season last night against UTSA, in extra innings. Disappointing for sure. Need to bounce back and win against LSU this weekend.
I saw that #1 UTenn dropped their game to Eastern Tennessee State or some such in extra innings too. Some days are just oddball baseball days.
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Midweek games are kinda screwy. I don't like losing them, but I wouldn't read too much into it either.
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Oh I've been a UT baseball fan for around 40 years, I get the midweek malaise.
But this team had shown a lot of fortitude in not succumbing. Last night wasn't a failure of skill so much as a failure of will. They let it go to extra innings and then they just dropped it. I consider that a failure worthy of pointing out and expecting correction. I'm certain the coaches do, as well.
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Guy that covers lsu baseball described the pitching as "deep but not dominant." That pretty well fits what I've guessed based on reading recaps of the games. We'll see how it goes through the season, but knowing I'm not the only one with that opinion so far makes me feel like I might be on the mark.
Don't know if "deep but not dominant" is enough to get it done on the road against a top 10 team. IMO, the "deep" part tends to disappear in hostile environments against top competition. Some of these guys will probably get rocked, and if there's no superstars to stake the tent, it might just all blow away.
Guess we'll see.
Will be interesting to see how the lineup fares as well. They have a wider mix of style than what I'm used to seeing.* LSU has leaned into being a power hitting team most of my life. This team has displayed some power, but they've executed a lot of bunts and hit-and-runs as well, situationally, and that's different than I'm used to.
* I say "seeing".....what I really mean is reading recaps. We cut the TV off during the no-footbawlz months.
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About to head downtown. Gonna stop and get some Tex-Mex in East Austin and then head over to the Disch for some tailgating and beisbol.
I like you MDT but wish you no luck this weekend. :)
Hook 'em Horns!
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Ooof. Well, caught a couple innings of the softball game and that was fun.
The baseball game not so much.
Regardless, will be headed back tomorrow afternoon, it's still always a pleasant time out at the baseball diamond on a cool spring day.
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It's been great weather here in SETX. Wish I could catch a game.
The Saturday and Sunday starters haven't been nearly as good as the Friday guy. Still a challenge to win the series, I think.
Keeping Cowan in the bullpen is an interesting strategy at this point. My philosophy is put your best guys in starting roles, if you have a good closer (we seem to), and hope for the best from a weaker bullpen.
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Horns take last 2 to win series against LSU
We might really have a contender
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Got to see the game on Sunday, that was a pretty great performance by the Horns all the way around. Very good pitching, and very timely hitting. I didn't attend the Saturday game but heard LSU went through a lot of pitchers during the back-and-forth. That seemed to show up on Sunday, their depth seemed pretty gassed.
Anyway, awesome weather and a perfect weekend for some college beisbol.
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'Bout time the Horns beat LSU in beisbol.....it's been a minute :)
I'd like to have seen the defense not play sloppy in the Sunday game, but I don't think it mattered to the outcome. Cleaning up the dropped double-play ball and the misplayed RF fly wouldn't have won the game, but it was still irritating and disappointing. Hopefully the young guys will benefit from experience of playing a good team on the road.
Pitching depth wasn't exhausted, they're just not that good. They have good Friday ace, a good closer, and one high quality bullpen guy who I think should be moved into the Sunday starter role at this point, and I disagree with CJJ keeping him in the pen. Getting Guidry back would be/will be huge, if he gets back to form.....that would give us another legit weekend starter.
The problem I fear is that for as long as I've been paying attention to injury recoveries to pitchers.....every time we hear about this "week to week"....."we expect him back any time now"....."it's just a matter of him getting that final 2%" blah blah blah.......it goes on and on into the end of the season and they're out way longer than anybody ever admitted, and they're never "back." I don't know if Guidry is ever going to be a real option.
Oh well. No shame in losing to a top 10 team on the road, but I suspect this is just an okay team.
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Tons of baseball to be played this year, of course. We've only just begun...
Horns missed on a sloppy double-play ball yesterday as well, but overall the defense was pretty good.
Regardless, this team is definitely better than last year. The trend is positive.
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Another top 10 series starts tonight with LSU @ OU.
OU's G1 starter has better stats than any of our pitchers. That said, he hasn't faced a lineup like LSU's yet.
We keep getting these top 10 teams on the road. Need some of these in the more friendly confines of The Box :)
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Horns play @OU in the final weekend series of conference baseball.
Georgia comes to town this weekend. I'm busy Saturday but might make Sunday's game.
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OU has a pitcher named James Hitt, who held LSU hitless in his three innings of work.
I lolz'd.
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Sounds like a better name for a linebacker, rather than a pitcher.
Reminds me of one of my favorite Longhorn safeties, named Quentin Jammer.
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Sounds like a better name for a linebacker, rather than a pitcher.
Reminds me of one of my favorite Longhorn safeties, named Quentin Jammer.
I believe Jammer was from here. Angleton kid as I recall. I know several of his family members.
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Florida could very well be a top 25 baseball team, but we're 1-9 in the SEC because all we've played is top-10 teams. This is stupid and weird.
And we're probably not a top 25 team this year.
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SEC baseball has been excellent for a long time. It's even tougher now with Texas and OU.
On the flipside, we might see the SEC get 8 or 10 of the 16 regionals...
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Told ya the Ags wouldn't be down forever. Way too much talent on that team.
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I don't know how good OU is, but they were ranked in the top ten at game time, and I found this stat which I would not have guessed: This was the first time LSU has swept a top ten team on the road since 1997 when they took down #7 UT in Knoxville.
I don't have any stats on this, but I can say I don't personally remember any other conference series where LSU allowed no earned runs, or used just 5 pitchers.
The flip side is that I don't think LSU has many great options outside of those 5, and also 1 or 2 of them pitched out of their minds and I'm not sure that's sustainable. Also, OU kind of gifted us game 3 with some errors.
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It's okay, you can just go ahead and say it, it feels good...
"ou sucks"
So easy, so simple, so fun, and so true!
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One guy who covers us wrote prior to the season that the schedule was a lighter slate than last year. But as it has turned out, 3 of LSU's first 4 SEC opponents were ranked in the top 10 at the time we played them. Next up is Auburn, who's middle of the pack, but they just took 2 of 3 from #8 Alabama, then we host Alabama, followed by Tennessee, a previous #1 before falling to the Aggies, the same Aggies LSU will play after that. Followed by #2 Arkansas which just demolished Mizzou.
Fun times. I think the batters are ready. Not sold on the pitching.
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It's okay, you can just go ahead and say it, it feels good...
"ou sucks"
So easy, so simple, so fun, and so true!
I'm still mad about their 1950 beatdown on us in the Sugar Bowl. Obviously they suck.
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I had no idea until the middle of last week when I was looking into our upcoming series against Georgia, that they were ranked in the Top 5. I'm accustomed to seeing LSU and Vanderbilt and Tennessee and Texas A&M and Florida and occasionally Arkansas highly ranked, but when the heck did Georgia get good at college baseball?
Anyway, was nice to see a series sweep of them, although that final game could have gone either way. I ended up not going down to the Disch, it was too cold! I hung out at the house, built some outdoor furniture in the garage, and made beef stew for dinner. Twas a great day.
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I'd love to go to some games, if only The Box weren't 3+ hrs away.
I can navigate the baseball games so much better than a day at Tiger Stadium.
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I'll be down in Oxford this Saturday watching the Vols vs. Ole Miss.
Should be a fun one.
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To put it in perspective, our next five SEC opponents include the #1, 5, 11, and 12 teams, plus A&M who was preseason #1 and still dangerous.
I'd imagine most of the hopeful SEC teams are facing something similar.
EDIT: We get Tennessee and Arkansas at home. Hopefully that's worth something.
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I'd love to go to some games, if only The Box weren't 3+ hrs away.
I can navigate the baseball games so much better than a day at Tiger Stadium.
Oh yeah, baseball games are so much easier and more relaxing to attend. Football games have become an absolute beating.
To put it in perspective, our next five SEC opponents include the #1, 5, 11, and 12 teams, plus A&M who was preseason #1 and still dangerous.
I'd imagine most of the hopeful SEC teams are facing something similar.
EDIT: We get Tennessee and Arkansas at home. Hopefully that's worth something.
Yeah the Horns have already played currently ranked #3 LSU and #6 Georgia of course, and still have to travel to #1 Arkansas and #16 OU. We get the Ags at home thank goodness. And then there's a home series against #9 Auburn and another home series against Florida who looks like they're struggling a bit this year but is usually a quality baseball team.
No UTenn or Vandy or Ole Miss on the schedule this year, although the Horns have already beaten #7 Ole Miss in a designated non-conference game in one of the early season tournaments.
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Oh yeah, baseball games are so much easier and more relaxing to attend. Football games have become an absolute beating.
For some of us, in more ways than one :smiley_confused1:
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For some of us, in more ways than one :smiley_confused1:
No doubt in my mind LSU will eventually fire the current guy and hire some buffoon hayseed coach who will win the NC in his first or second year, long before Texas ever wins one. That's how it goes for y'all.
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UGA has been pretty good in baseball in various seasons, this year thus far is one of their better ones. They were good last year too.
Has Georgia baseball ever made CWS? Bulldogs history in NCAA Tournament (https://www.onlineathens.com/story/sports/college/baseball/2024/06/08/georgia-bulldogs-baseball-ever-made-cws-history-ncaa-tournament-nc-state-super-regionals/74008494007/)
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Oof. Swept by Auburn for the first time since 1988.
It wasn't the pitching though, which was surprisingly good all weekend. Offense just couldn't do it this past week, including struggling in the midweek game against Nicholls. Not enough hits, too many fly outs, and lots of runners stranded.
Alabama up next, starting Thursday.
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How much has NIL intruded into college baseball?
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Not nearly enough, as evidenced by our getting swept last weekend :)
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I've not kept up with a lot of info about it, but I've seen enough in passing to know it's a thing. One of our players this year is donating some sum to some charity for every HR he hits, or something like that. It's not like hundreds of thousands of dollars, but whatever it was, it didn't strike me as "My folks are well-off and I can just do this on my own" kind of money either. Wherever I read about it, I believe the article even reported it as a noble use of NIL money.
I assume if he's getting NIL, a lot of others are too.
LSU baseball has quite a fan base. I wonder how much sense NIL makes for a lot of other programs that don't generate a profit and has little fan support.
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Not nearly enough, as evidenced by our getting swept last weekend :)
Heh, that's funny coming from an LSU fan. NIL literally bought you the baseball NC just two years ago. I'm not making any accusations here, it's completely within the rules, but it was direct driver of your team winning an NC.
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In general, all of the "top" baseball schools are pretty heavily engaged in baseball NIL. You're not going to win the NC without having a strong NIL program in baseball, from now on.
Texas was lagging behind under David Pierce, he wasn't very good at using it, and in addition to that, a lot of Texas' money was also focused on football. Schlossnagle on the other hand was excellent at using it, he built a fantastic roster at A&M using a lot of NIL funding, and one of his conditions to coming to UT, was that the Horns would do a better job of focusing on it for baseball. So far we've seen definite, direct improvement in the roster as a result of that focus.
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Heh, that's funny coming from an LSU fan. NIL literally bought you the baseball NC just two years ago. I'm not making any accusations here, it's completely within the rules, but it was direct driver of your team winning an NC.
Surely you are not suggesting that Paul Skenes transferred to LSU for anything other than his great love of our cooking :86:
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We went 3 for 27 RISP vs. Auburn :smiley_confused1:
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That's... not good.
Sounds very David Pierce-like.
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Horns play Auburn in Austin this weekend, starting Thursday which is normal for Easter weekend. Then the Ags come to town the following weekend. Gonna be some fun baseball at the Disch to close out this month.
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No, not good, but at this point I'm not worried about it being a long term problem. Hopefully more of a slump that teams go through, and I'd rather it happen now than later in the season.
We've won 3 of 5 SEC series so far, at least one on the road vs. top 10 at the time. The two losses were top 10 on the road, in which we were competitive, and we played back to back series on the road for the AU losses, including mid-week games on the road. So while I expect better, I think we'll do better coming up with some home games, albeit against more top 10 teams.
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Getting Guidry back would be/will be huge, if he gets back to form.....that would give us another legit weekend starter.
The problem I fear is that for as long as I've been paying attention to injury recoveries to pitchers.....every time we hear about this "week to week"....."we expect him back any time now"....."it's just a matter of him getting that final 2%" blah blah blah.......it goes on and on into the end of the season and they're out way longer than anybody ever admitted, and they're never "back." I don't know if Guidry is ever going to be a real option.
Welp, I called it. Forgot to mention here last week, the team announced Guidry is having back surgery to help whatever issue he has and will not play this year.
In my time following baseball, it's folly to ever count pitchers who aren't ready to go opening day. Opening day is the max roster you have, it only goes down from there if one of them gets hurt. Guys who are hurt bad enough to be held out opening day hardly ever make it back to play, certainly not for meaningful starts you'd hope for from them.
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Yeah I agree with that. I don't recall many players coming back in the season and contributing, if they weren't there on opening day. Especially pitchers.
Horns swept Auburn over the Easter weekend, won the final game in a 14-2 run-rule rout. Ags are coming to town this weekend and they're looking like they've corrected quite a few problems. Should be a great weekend series! My i s c & a aggie wife is out of town for a girls' weekend at the beach so I'll probably spend quite a bit of time down at the Disch.
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https://twitter.com/agknocks/status/1914413319915462953?s=46&t=EHozF964Pc_xZmTZKPCcEA
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I'm sure there's lots you can say about Schloss, but he moved from the militant jack-booted goose-stepping school, to the hippie liberal gay-welcoming school. Hitler, he ain't.
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Top 10 Tennessee comes to town this weekend, which I guess is neat in that it pits the last two CWS winners against each other. Now would be a good time for a couple of our hitters to break out of slumps. Re: slumps.....better now than a month from now.
Bring it on, you orange pansy Tee-Martin-loving sissies.
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That kind of tough talk would, um......be better served by beating your mid-week, in-state creampuff.
"A delayed start, three errors, four walks, four hit batsmen, and a one-and-a-half hour lightning delay added up to a disappointing and embarrassing night of Tiger baseball, as LSU fell 13-3 to the Demons of Northwestern State in seven innings. It marked the first time in program history that LSU was run-ruled at home in a non-conference game. The Tigers brought much of it upon themselves with poor relief pitching and sloppy defense, but credit the Demons for simply playing a better game."
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Sounds like it was a weird night all around. They might have used some voodoo against you, too. I hear that's pretty common in your home state.
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Getting ready for THE BIG SHOWDOWN in Austin this weekend.
All the Ags I know want to win really, really badly.
So do all the Horns I know.
Should be lots of fun.
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GQ-El_SWYAA2ddA?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
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https://twitter.com/barstoolsports/status/1805728706171719786?s=46&t=EHozF964Pc_xZmTZKPCcEA
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Yup. He said the same thing at TCU right before taking the A&M job. And if he decides to leave Texas, he'll say the same thing then, too. It's what coaches do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Di-447wZOHQ
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I wish Schlossnagle nothing but the worst.
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I wish Schlossnagle nothing but the worst.
Of course. TCU fans felt the same. Duke fans feel the same about Elko. And so it goes.
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Ah and our Friday starting pitcher is out for the season with an injury, just announced last night. We'll shuffle our Sunday starter to tonight, pitch our normal Saturday guy tomorrow, and then who knows on Sunday.
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2-1 Texas in an apparent pitcher's duel.
LSU snatches victory from the jaws of defeat.....at 1:20 in the morning, after a 3.5 hr weather delay. Down 0-3 in the ninth, they ralled for a 6-3 W. Let's see if we can get the series W.
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Yeah 2-1 is the type of game you expect on Friday night of a series between two good teams.
But not necessarily with a Sunday starter. I'll take it!
Didn't make it downtown last night but I'll be there this afternoon.
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And now a 3-2 pitching bonanza. Some really good baseball played by both teams yesterday, what a great day at the Disch. 1 Ag error at 3rd made the difference in the game. Horns take the series but can they take the sweep? Our Sunday starter pitched Friday night, gonna take a major effort from Johnny All-staff to win today.
Looks like the Geaux Tigers suffered a little revenge of the Vols yesterday.
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And now a 3-2 pitching bonanza. Some really good baseball played by both teams yesterday, what a great day at the Disch. 1 Ag error at 3rd made the difference in the game. Horns take the series but can they take the sweep? Our Sunday starter pitched Friday night, gonna take a major effort from Johnny All-staff to win today.
Looks like the Geaux Tigers suffered a little revenge of the Vols yesterday.
Watched the game yesterday which sometimes is hard to do on the SEC network
I also saw Fridays game
Sure wish I could attend
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Watched the game yesterday which sometimes is hard to do on the SEC network
I also saw Fridays game
Sure wish I could attend
I've got too many chores today to head down so I'll have to catch it on SECN as well. It'll be interesting to see how we approach the pitching.
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And now a 3-2 pitching bonanza. Some really good baseball played by both teams yesterday, what a great day at the Disch. 1 Ag error at 3rd made the difference in the game. Horns take the series but can they take the sweep? Our Sunday starter pitched Friday night, gonna take a major effort from Johnny All-staff to win today.
Looks like the Geaux Tigers suffered a little revenge of the Vols yesterday.
:'(
Up 7, top of the 8th, hopefully hang on for the series win. I think less of our chances of handling Arkansas at home and A&M on the road. This is a good, not great, team.
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Welp, horns for the sweep. I think all 3 games were decided by one run. See you in the SEC tourney (maybe).
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Yeah three 1-run games, that's crazy. Any and all of them could have gone the other way.
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After starting conference play 1-11, Florida has taken 2 of 3 from #5 Arkansas and seems to matter again. Sheesh.
2 of 3 from Miami, 2 of 3 from FSU. I've never seen a team that is/should be decent just lose so always, lol. But to be 8-13 in the SEC after that 1-11 start, kudos to these guys for hanging in there.
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Given the import of pitching on the game, and the fact these are pretty young arms, it strikes me as very possible a team could find two 18 year olds who figured it out later in the season, or just had their arms 'fall off', and either excel late or crash and burn.
A team might have to use up its staff to get into the CBWS and then have nothing left?
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Given the import of pitching on the game, and the fact these are pretty young arms, it strikes me as very possible a team could find two 18 year olds who figured it out later in the season, or just had their arms 'fall off', and either excel late or crash and burn.
A team might have to use up its staff to get into the CBWS and then have nothing left?
Yup, both of those scenarios happen in college baseball.
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I don't think I ever remember an SEC conference game finishing on a run-rule. If I'm not mistaken, both teams have to agree to that, and I don't ever recall a conference opponent not wanting to finish a game, no matter how lopsided. You play all the innings because you never know, and no conference team wants to quit and concede a game. Especially a rubber match. I can see why LSU wanted to end it after 8. I don't understand Tennessee accepting it. Get your soft, orange butts out there and see if you can pull off a rally for the ages.
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Actually, I thought both teams had to agree to conditions of a run-rule prior to a game. That's always just been a hard no, from my recollection. I think I'm missing something.
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It's a mandatory SEC rule, implemented in 2023 apparently.
It only requires consent from an OOC coach before the game, but if it's an SEC league game then the 10-run rule is automatically in effect.
https://lsusports.net/news/2023/02/14/sec-announces-new-rules-for-2023-baseball-season/#:~:text=The%20SEC%20will%20also%20implement,resume%20after%20midnight%20local%20time.
The B12 has had it for many years, I wasn't aware the SEC only implemented it recently.
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Well then, I retract my earlier assertion that TN is a bunch of orange, soft sissies.
They are just orange.
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Well they might also be soft sissies, but in this particular case, they had no choice.
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Ah, who am I kidding, by the time Arkansas and A&M roll around, I'm gonna be geared up prematurely for their funeral arrangements, and I'll be weeping and wailing if we then lose.
It's gonna be an emotional ride.
Beisbol :)
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We still have Florida, pigs, and dirt burglars on the schedule. Lots of beisbol to be played.
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I guess now is a good time to take a mid(ish) season look at what we've got so far. Other than Texas, with a stunning 37-5 (19-2) record, the rest of the league is pretty much cannibalizing itself. So the question is, do we have a lot of pretty good teams running into each other, or a lot of okayish teams running into each other?
Texas has a pretty good home-away draw so far, with LSU, UGA, AU and A&M all at home, with Florida still left to come. On the road @Clanga (I'm not used to seeing them with such a crummy record), @Mizzou, @UK, BUT with @Ark and @OU still to come. They've certainly made the most of it, and if they roll on through the remainder of their series, there's little doubt everyone else in the league is playing for second. Not that there's much doubt now. You would think LSU or A&M would've been able to take one of the close games from the Horns, but neither of them could do it. Consistently winning your close games against tough teams is the mark of greatness.
But the question remains, how good are the rest of these teams? LSU utterly squibbed its series against Auburn. A&M and TN both appear fantastic at times but can't quite get over the hump at other times. Arkansas looks good on paper and has a respectable 14-7 conf. record good for second place, but they've lost their series with the best teams, with the Longhorns still to come. Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Bama, and UGA are all congested in a 4-way tie, all appearing good at times but failing to distinguish themselves. Then there's previously hapless UF, who may be ready to be UF again. Whatever level these teams are on, they're not getting much traction to separate themselves from the pack. Is the SEC insanely good or convolutedly mediocre?
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SEC is really good, no cap.
That the middle is cannibalizing itself is no surprise, these are just very good teams that can win or lose to one another.
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Welp, even if we'd managed grab another game from Texas and get the series win, we'd still be 3 games behind. Best we can do is beat Arkansas when the chance comes and try to keep sole possession of second place. But, really, it's more about winning 2/3 remaining conference games. If we do that, most likely we'll stay in comfortable contention for a Top 8 national seed, which is probably the most achievable goal. They're just not going to catch Texas for the SEC title, unfortunately.
If Texas keeps this up I'm gonna have to cut on YTTV prematurely for my wife. Which will be some bullcrap, 'cuz I didn't even cut tv on for our CWS run a couple years ago.
I should probably tell her UT is doing so well. She considers herself more of a MLB* fan, but she'll root for anything UT and be interested in watching if they're good.
* < rat's ass
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Yeah if she's not paying attention, just don't tell her.
My i s c & a aggie wife has been out of town all weekend but got back last night, shortly after the game ended. We were headed to dinner and my phone was blowing up with all of my longhorn friends texting to celebrate the series sweep. She asked me what was up and I just said, "oh, sounds like Greg has a new girlfriend and everyone is giving him shit about being whipped." Which is true but was not the point of those texts.
But anyway, for her, ignorance is bliss.
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She'll eventually start getting news updates on her iPhone. Usually the way she hears about things. And also her dad texts her about UT stuff occasionally.
I did tell her when UT won the series vs. LSU. She did a good job of hiding her smile, but it was clearly there.
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Ah, poop. I thought we had Arkansas next, but we're @A&M this weekend.
Really wish the Ags hadn't gotten swept this past weekend. They'll be hungry for blood and eager to take out their frustrations. Hope our pitching can be consistent enough and the bats are lively enough to keep pace with the 2/3 goal. The Ags remain unranked after the sweep by UT, but they clearly are a highly dangerous team capable of whupping us, especially in their house. I don't think you can play UT that well at their place and be an unranked-quality team.
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The ags are good. They've really put it together over the past month of the season, after their rough start. Horns might have swept them but only by 1 run each game. But I'm sure they're really glad to get LSU at home rather than on the road. Should be a really fun series to watch.
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I don't have a good feeling about it. My nose is sniffing a series loss with a g2 or g3 win.
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Could be. On the one hand, they've been playing well. On the other, their momentum has been broken. It can't be easy, mentally, to come back from 3 losses against the one man and the one team that you've desperately wanted to beat worse than anyone else in your life.
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What do you call a phobia where you're afraid of not having a glove while watching a baseball game in person, in case a foul ball rains down on you, because you'll probably hurt yourself if you try to catch it bare-handed?
Cuz I have that.
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What do you call a phobia where you're afraid of not having a glove while watching a baseball game in person, in case a foul ball rains down on you, because you'll probably hurt yourself if you try to catch it bare-handed?
Cuz I have that.
The phobia is referred to as Low T. It happens as you age, I hear.
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Heh. I probably have it too. I hate sitting in foul ball territory down the baselines. That's why I only sit behind home plate now.
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Raining down, no problem.
A frozen rope, 110 mph off the bat -- heading for my dome. No bueno.
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It's a brain stem response.
Embarrassed my daughter at her soccer game (she's the high school coach now). Watching a game from the stands, someone shanked one onto the walkway. I yelled, "KEEPER!", leapt up (ok, about 4 inches), and made a perfect high point save. Didn't realize what I'd done until my friend starting laughing.
Gotta think you're obligated to bring your mitt if you're sitting down the foul line. It's your civic duty.
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If you're seated down the line, just be aware if the batter would pull the ball your way. That's scary. If he's the other-handed, you're fine.