Looking at numbers for each team, we should be good to get through this regional. Of course we’ll go 2 and Q now that I say that, but we are clearly the best team.
Campbell might actually be our biggest competition. They have a handful of guys that can swing it and a pitcher with solid numbers (Harrington) that has not been pitching game 1s for them, so we may see him. However, Campbell has played a whopping three games against P5 teams this year and been outscored by a combined 16-37.
VCU has a stud hitter (Locklear) and a few other pretty good bats. They are a little more balanced on the mound than Campbell but don’t have anyone who jumps out as exceptional. They do have a few left handed relievers with solid numbers, so that is something to look at. That said, VCU has beat up on some bad teams. They are a combined 12-13 against teams with top 150 RPIs and 25-1 against teams with +150 RPIs.
Samford is not what they have been in the past. They have a few power bats, but this is not the HR hitting team that ambushed Stratton in 2012. Their team ERA is almost identical to their opponent’s ERA (6.12 vs 6.42). They are 6-14 against top 100 RPI teams and 0-5 against top 50 teams. Samford went 1-9 against SEC teams (they got Auburn in a midweek game) and were outscored 37-108 in those ten games- although it’s worth mentioning that a lot of that was probably not while using their best arms.
None of these teams have swing and miss arms. Samford is the only pitching staff that strikes out more than one batter per inning, and they are barely there.
These teams are a combined 22-27 against top 100 teams. They are only 40-36 while playing on the road vs 62-14 records at home, and none of them have seen an environment like they will this weekend. So essentially they beat the daylights out of bad teams and when playing at home. When they have to play competent teams and/or go on the road, things get much tougher.
Neither VCU nor Campbell have played a game all season against regional host teams, so they are very untested. Samford has played a few, and that did not go well for them at all.
Campbell might actually be our biggest competition. They have a handful of guys that can swing it and a pitcher with solid numbers (Harrington) that has not been pitching game 1s for them, so we may see him. However, Campbell has played a whopping three games against P5 teams this year and been outscored by a combined 16-37.
VCU has a stud hitter (Locklear) and a few other pretty good bats. They are a little more balanced on the mound than Campbell but don’t have anyone who jumps out as exceptional. They do have a few left handed relievers with solid numbers, so that is something to look at. That said, VCU has beat up on some bad teams. They are a combined 12-13 against teams with top 150 RPIs and 25-1 against teams with +150 RPIs.
Samford is not what they have been in the past. They have a few power bats, but this is not the HR hitting team that ambushed Stratton in 2012. Their team ERA is almost identical to their opponent’s ERA (6.12 vs 6.42). They are 6-14 against top 100 RPI teams and 0-5 against top 50 teams. Samford went 1-9 against SEC teams (they got Auburn in a midweek game) and were outscored 37-108 in those ten games- although it’s worth mentioning that a lot of that was probably not while using their best arms.
None of these teams have swing and miss arms. Samford is the only pitching staff that strikes out more than one batter per inning, and they are barely there.
These teams are a combined 22-27 against top 100 teams. They are only 40-36 while playing on the road vs 62-14 records at home, and none of them have seen an environment like they will this weekend. So essentially they beat the daylights out of bad teams and when playing at home. When they have to play competent teams and/or go on the road, things get much tougher.
Neither VCU nor Campbell have played a game all season against regional host teams, so they are very untested. Samford has played a few, and that did not go well for them at all.
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