This Team

[Quincy A. Wagstaff]

This is what Tanner Allen had to say after getting swept by Arkansas:

"Everyone who thinks the season is over with has lost their mind, I would say."

Since then, we are 15-3 including three SEC series sweeps.

This team:

• 32-10 against #2 SOS
• #2 RPI
• 14-7 in the SEC (T-2nd)
• #4 ranking

 

[The Peeper]

And still 1-6 against the #1, #2 and #3 ranked teams in the country

 

[Drebin]

And still 1-6 against the #1, #2 and #3 ranked teams in the country

 

[PineGroveBully]

There’s a reason they are 1, 2, and 3. Yep we’re 1-6 vs them, but that means absolutely dick once postseason play gets here.

 

[Cooterpoot]

This program is measured by CWS appearances. And eventually we need to win one. Regular season talk is fun but it doesn't mean much if post season doesn't work out.

 

[wsjmsu75]

There’s a reason they are 1, 2, and 3. Yep we’re 1-6 bs them, but that means absolutely dick once postseason play gets here.

Yep. Odds of playing anymore than one of them in the postseason are low. We have a chance against any of them on any given day.

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

And still 1-6 against the #1, #2 and #3 ranked teams in the country

Odds are the next meeting with any of them will be at the SEC tourney finals or in Omaha.... Which is when pitching depth really starts to pay dividends. This team can play with anyone and wins the games they are supposed to win. That's championship material.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

And still 1-6 against the #1, #2 and #3 ranked teams in the country

And still 5-1 against the rest of the top 25.

Heaven forbid someone like Arkansas gets janked in a Super, or we get to meet them in Omaha where you can't blast bombs at will. And I tell you what, I'm super scared of that 3-2 loss to TCU. And I also hate that we beat Vandy and gave away Game 3, man, intimidation I tell ya.

Your negativity knows no limits. I bet your wife thinks you are a blast.

 

[PineGroveBully]

Winning it all is such a crapshoot but you’re right. I’ve been a diehard bulldog for over 30 years, so I automatically have a dose of skepticism to go with any optimism concerning our teams. But I really believe you give Lemonis 2-3 CWS appearances in the next several years and he will get to the finals of one. And I’d like our chances if we keep stockpiling the arms that we are. Offense is fine and all, but pitching is the key to winning a natty these days. Now if we can just get the defensive issues resolved.

 

[wsjmsu75]

Winning it all is such a crapshoot but you’re right. I’ve been a diehard bulldog for over 30 years, so I automatically have a dose of skepticism to go with any optimism concerning our teams. But I really believe you give Lemonis 2-3 CWS appearances in the next several years and he will get to the finals of one. And I’d like our chances if we keep stockpiling the arms that we are. Offense is fine and all, but pitching is the key to winning a natty these days. Now if we can just get the defensive issues resolved.

We took a good step towards that this past Saturday. Fingers crossed that it works out. I really liked our batting lineup for the double header Saturday too.

 

[MSUDC11]

Odds are the next meeting with any of them will be at the SEC tourney finals or in Omaha.... Which is when pitching depth really starts to pay dividends. This team can play with anyone and wins the games they are supposed to win. That's championship material.

The spacing of the CWS schedule can be an equalizer when it comes to pitching depth, particularly in the early games. Arkansas may not have us much depth as us but with a day off in between games they will just throw Kopps in every game. Same with Vandy and Maldonado. I would imagine our usage of Sims goes up once we get to June as well.

 

[wsjmsu75]

The spacing of the CWS schedule can be an equalizer when it comes to pitching depth, particularly in the early games. Arkansas may not have us much depth as us but with a day off in between games they will just throw Kopps in every game. Same with Vandy and Maldonado. I would imagine our usage of Sims goes up once we get to June as well.

I'll take Sims vs. those two any day. And can you just imagine what we would have if Cerantola is able to get it together down the stretch?

 

[MSUDC11]

I'll take Sims vs. those two any day. And can you just imagine what we would have if Cerantola is able to get it together down the stretch?

I’m not holding my breath on Eric but I’m very encouraged by what Simmons and Tullar showed us this weekend. That was my biggest takeaway from the A&M series, how good our bullpen looked in a Saturday doubleheader with Sims not available for either game.

A couple of weeks ago there was a concern that our bullpen was Landon Sims and a bunch of guys who were highly inconsistent. Maybe that’s still the case on some level, but I love what our pen did this weekend. We definitely have weapons other than just Landon. Harding, Johnson, Smith, Stinnett, and now Tullar and Simmons, have all shown that they can get the job done in meaningful games.

 

[The Peeper]

I simply stated a fact, nothing more nothing less. But its true, I don't walk around w/ a wool coat and maroon glasses on either.

 

[DAWG61]

That's a better record than you got vs the 3 fat girls at Rick's

 

[thekimmer]

We took a good step towards that this past Saturday. Fingers crossed that it works out. I really liked our batting lineup for the double header Saturday too.

Well, I'd say we got the biggest issue resolved anyway.

 

[Russ Wheeler]

The spacing of the CWS schedule can be an equalizer when it comes to pitching depth, particularly in the early games. Arkansas may not have us much depth as us but with a day off in between games they will just throw Kopps in every game. Same with Vandy and Maldonado. I would imagine our usage of Sims goes up once we get to June as well.

I think that's why Lemonis is extending our starters to see what they can do. Plus, we have a lot of matchup guys and Lemonis has shown he isn't scared to go that route.

 

[mount lefroy]

I simply stated a fact, nothing more nothing less. But its true, I don't walk around w/ a wool coat and maroon glasses on either.

No, but the ashen face and the sackcloth doesnt make you seem any more insightful.

 

[thekimmer]

I’m not holding my breath on Eric but I’m very encouraged by what Simmons and Tullar showed us this weekend. That was my biggest takeaway from the A&M series, how good our bullpen looked in a Saturday doubleheader with Sims not available for either game.

A couple of weeks ago there was a concern that our bullpen was Landon Sims and a bunch of guys who were highly inconsistent. Maybe that’s still the case on some level, but I love what our pen did this weekend. We definitely have weapons other than just Landon. Harding, Johnson, Smith, Stinnett, and now Tullar and Simmons, have all shown that they can get the job done in meaningful games.

I am beginning to think that Cerantola is not being factored as part of the plan and the only way we might see him in meaningful action is if we are forced to by desperation (injury, loser's bracket). The reason I say that is because I have to believe if he were part of the plan we would have seen more of him by now. My only guess would be that perhaps there are just too many reliable arms available that need work to spend limited mound time on a rehab project.

 

[MSUDC11]

And still 1-6 against the #1, #2 and #3 ranked teams in the country

While accurate, the 1-6 against the Top 3 note is a little misleading. It’s skewed heavily by one series.

We went 0-3 against Arkansas at home, no way to really spin it, we stunk up the place and they hit home run after home run all weekend. I get it if people feel like Arkansas is just a superior team.

But we went 1-2 on the road against Vandy and most agree that we likely should’ve won the series. We played TCU once, in February, on a day where our projected starter was scratched hours before the game, and lost a one run game where we left the bases loaded in the 9th. Does anyone really feel like we couldn’t beat Vandy or TCU if we saw them in the postseason? We easily could’ve been 3-1 rather than 1-3 against those teams.

 

[Quincy A. Wagstaff]

And yet all the whinging and negativity is in reaction to regular season games.

This program is measured by CWS appearances. And eventually we need to win one. Regular season talk is fun but it doesn't mean much if post season doesn't work out.

And yet all the whinging and negativity is in reaction to regular season games.

[regular season loss (or close win)]
"This team doesn't have what it takes!"

[regular season success]
"Regular season doesn't mean anything!"

On top of that, our program's postseason success has consistently outperformed our regular season success.

In the Super Regional era, you should roughly win as many Regionals and Super Regionals as you host. You're going to drop one every once in a while, and you're going to pick up Regionals and Supers on the road every once in a while. Hosting is based on the regular season, so a team with balanced regular season and postseason success should win roughly the number of Regionals and Supers that they host.

State? We've won nine Regionals while hosting five. We've won four Supers while hosting three.

The biggest thing that I see from Lemonis so far: He is taking a program that was a decent regular season SEC team that plays well in the postseason and adding regular season success, which will earn us more opportunities to host, which will mean more trips to Omaha. And if you get to Omaha consistently, it's only a matter of time before you win it all. Before Lemonis, we earned one top-8 national seed in 20 seasons. I believe this year he will earn his second top-8 national seed in two seasons.

 

[SheltonChoked]

While accurate, the 1-6 against the Top 3 note is a little misleading. It’s skewed heavily by one series.

We went 0-3 against Arkansas at home, no way to really spin it, we stunk up the place and they hit home run after home run all weekend. I get it if people feel like Arkansas is just a superior team.

But we went 1-2 on the road against Vandy and most agree that we likely should’ve won the series. We played TCU once, in February, on a day where our projected starter was scratched hours before the game, and lost a one run game where we left the bases loaded in the 9th. Does anyone really feel like we couldn’t beat Vandy or TCU if we saw them in the postseason? We easily could’ve been 3-1 rather than 1-3 against those teams.

Ark has 1 win vs the top 3.

Vandy has 0 wins vs the top 3

TCU has 0 wins vs the top 3

 

[patdog]

Yeah, that's 1-0, 0-0 and 0-1. Not quite the same as 1-6. But I do agree that record is a bit misleading. We could have easily won at least a couple more of those games. And hell, if we lose to one of those teams in the bracket finals of the CWS to finish 4th behind them, where we are now, I'd be extremely happy with our season.

 

[The Peeper]

Sounds like something out of the mouth of a 13 yr old which. You got a problem w/ facts because that's all I put out there?

 

[thekimmer]

. Before Lemonis, we earned one top-8 national seed in 20 seasons. I believe this year he will earn his second top-8 national seed in two seasons.

What does fighting irish have to say about this?

 

[wsjmsu75]

What does fighting irish have to say about this?

He only offers his coaching expertise during games while we are trailing. Fortunately that doesn't often happen.