With the Oklahoma series now in the rearview and only three Big 12 series remaining, wanted to rattle off a few thoughts on this season so far and where things might go here in the final month of the regular season...
*After an up and down stretch here in the middle of the season, this Red Raider offense has really seemed to come on and find its footing over the last few weeks. And by finding its footing, I mean decided to go pinata on the baseball more days than not. The lineup was so hot and cold for a few weeks beginning with the five gamer in Kentucky. It would sputter along for a game or two, seemingly every guy taking bad ABs, looking lost, and looking almost lackadaisical. Then it was like you'd flip a switch and the thing would turn into a nuclear power plant for three games, everyone lasered in and seeing beach balls at the plate. Now, the offense has clearly found its groove. Yes, there are days when guys aren't consistently getting on base, when there are a few too many Ks, groundouts, or pop ups, but that's baseball. It happens occasionally. But the lineup looks much more consistent and deadly 1-9 right now than it has all year, and that's been a big reason for this upswell as we hit the home stretch.
*I think much of that has to do with Tech finding answers at DH, in right field, and at catcher. Those positions have finally seemed to stabilize with Klein in right field, Rheams at DH, and Willems as the regular catcher. It was a rotating door for much of the struggling stretch on offense, and the lineup never seemed to find any chemistry as the musical chairs game went on. Now, it's stable.
*Also, it helps that Josh Jung and Grant Little are really locked in. When Tech was going through some big struggles, Jung, Little, Davis, and the other power bats in the lineup just couldn't seem to get it going. Now they have, and the heart of the lineup is hitting like the heart of the lineup should.
*I could also make the case that Zach Rheams coming on and locking down the DH spot over the last month was the best thing to happen to this baseball team all season so far. He's the living Death Star at the moment. He could vaporize any ball at any instance he's at the plate, which has given a HUGE boost to this offense and created a major problem for opposing pitchers of any quality. He's what McMillon was at the plate for Tech last season times ten. That's because unlike McMillon, Rheams is patient and can hit breaking balls. He never swings out of his shoes just to do it. He's country strong in every sense of the word, and he's been one of the best players on this team in recent weeks. You won't find many guys hitting the ball like his as of late. 11 homers in 20 starts. He's also got the third best OBP (.485) of the regulars in the lineup, just a few points behind Jung (.500) and Little (.497). Yeah, that'll work.
*This offense leads the Big 12 in hits, runs, RBI, doubles, triples, walks, OBP, slugging, and average. This group has evolved into an absolute juggernaut over the last three weeks. Jung and Little both are hitting .404, and Warren, Klein, Holt, and Rheams are all hitting above .300. Any time you can have 6 of the guys in your lineup over .300, you'll take it. This team also has 19 more home runs than any other group in the Big 12. This lineup is pounding the ball and doing it with power.
*I love how this team is so much more aggressive on the basepaths than any other offense that Tim Tadlock has had at Tech. He'll take chances with steals, double steals, and hit and runs with this group like he never has before, and it has to do with the speed this group has as a whole. In fact, it was that aggression that won this team the game on Friday night with the double steal and then balk off caused by Jung faking a steal home. I think that aggression is going to pay off at some point in the postseason at this point.
*And with the inconsistencies of this bullpen, they'll need to keep it up. With the injuries this team has suffered on the pitching staff, this bullpen has taken the biggest hit by far. Moving Caleb Kilian into a starting role - while great for the starting rotation, took a big chunk of your relief innings per weekend away. As a result, Ty Harpenau, Caleb Freeman, and Dylan Dusek have had to take much bigger roles in the pen, and it's been up and down. Harp, Freeman, and Dusek are all plenty capable and have given this team real quality innings at times this spring, but they've also been flat out bad at others. Good lineups like Oklahoma's have jumped on this staff when they've allowed early inning walks or doubles, as most good lineups would. It also hasn't helped that John McMillon has been shaky as a starter. Like Harpenau and Freeman, he flashes his live arm talent but will spray the ball all over the zone and can have major command issues. Sunday has simply become a roll-the-dice proposition. The walks simply have got to come down for McMillon and the bullpen for this season to be what it can be. Quezada has been really solid and reliable, but the rest of the bullpen has to join him.
*Now we also ask the question of what to do with Ryan Shetter. Do you leave him in the pen or use him in the mid-week, keep using him in that capacity, or do you move him to the Sunday role to replace McMillon? I don't know if it would be much different, as Shetter has been up and down a bunch himself this year.
*With three Big 12 series left to go, you've got to feel good about where things are at. This TCU team is reeling hard and can't score, and Texas and OSU will give you a good fight, but Tech is better than both. If you win those three series, you should win the Big 12. The rest of the conference is just so middling. This is a down year for the conference, and Texas Tech is flat out more talented top to bottom than every other team in the league. If they handle their business and keep coming together to play their best baseball down the stretch, they're going to win this league for the third consecutive season and host as a national seed again.
*But again, this team has GOT to keep this current groove found up. They cannot fall in a slump at the plate like they did for a stretch earlier on. My hope is they won't as this team's young stars in Jung and Little, their older newcomers like Rheams continue to contribute. If we can get Michael Davis really rolling again here, and if the bullpen can cut down on the walks, then this team is going to be deadly.
*After an up and down stretch here in the middle of the season, this Red Raider offense has really seemed to come on and find its footing over the last few weeks. And by finding its footing, I mean decided to go pinata on the baseball more days than not. The lineup was so hot and cold for a few weeks beginning with the five gamer in Kentucky. It would sputter along for a game or two, seemingly every guy taking bad ABs, looking lost, and looking almost lackadaisical. Then it was like you'd flip a switch and the thing would turn into a nuclear power plant for three games, everyone lasered in and seeing beach balls at the plate. Now, the offense has clearly found its groove. Yes, there are days when guys aren't consistently getting on base, when there are a few too many Ks, groundouts, or pop ups, but that's baseball. It happens occasionally. But the lineup looks much more consistent and deadly 1-9 right now than it has all year, and that's been a big reason for this upswell as we hit the home stretch.
*I think much of that has to do with Tech finding answers at DH, in right field, and at catcher. Those positions have finally seemed to stabilize with Klein in right field, Rheams at DH, and Willems as the regular catcher. It was a rotating door for much of the struggling stretch on offense, and the lineup never seemed to find any chemistry as the musical chairs game went on. Now, it's stable.
*Also, it helps that Josh Jung and Grant Little are really locked in. When Tech was going through some big struggles, Jung, Little, Davis, and the other power bats in the lineup just couldn't seem to get it going. Now they have, and the heart of the lineup is hitting like the heart of the lineup should.
*I could also make the case that Zach Rheams coming on and locking down the DH spot over the last month was the best thing to happen to this baseball team all season so far. He's the living Death Star at the moment. He could vaporize any ball at any instance he's at the plate, which has given a HUGE boost to this offense and created a major problem for opposing pitchers of any quality. He's what McMillon was at the plate for Tech last season times ten. That's because unlike McMillon, Rheams is patient and can hit breaking balls. He never swings out of his shoes just to do it. He's country strong in every sense of the word, and he's been one of the best players on this team in recent weeks. You won't find many guys hitting the ball like his as of late. 11 homers in 20 starts. He's also got the third best OBP (.485) of the regulars in the lineup, just a few points behind Jung (.500) and Little (.497). Yeah, that'll work.
*This offense leads the Big 12 in hits, runs, RBI, doubles, triples, walks, OBP, slugging, and average. This group has evolved into an absolute juggernaut over the last three weeks. Jung and Little both are hitting .404, and Warren, Klein, Holt, and Rheams are all hitting above .300. Any time you can have 6 of the guys in your lineup over .300, you'll take it. This team also has 19 more home runs than any other group in the Big 12. This lineup is pounding the ball and doing it with power.
*I love how this team is so much more aggressive on the basepaths than any other offense that Tim Tadlock has had at Tech. He'll take chances with steals, double steals, and hit and runs with this group like he never has before, and it has to do with the speed this group has as a whole. In fact, it was that aggression that won this team the game on Friday night with the double steal and then balk off caused by Jung faking a steal home. I think that aggression is going to pay off at some point in the postseason at this point.
*And with the inconsistencies of this bullpen, they'll need to keep it up. With the injuries this team has suffered on the pitching staff, this bullpen has taken the biggest hit by far. Moving Caleb Kilian into a starting role - while great for the starting rotation, took a big chunk of your relief innings per weekend away. As a result, Ty Harpenau, Caleb Freeman, and Dylan Dusek have had to take much bigger roles in the pen, and it's been up and down. Harp, Freeman, and Dusek are all plenty capable and have given this team real quality innings at times this spring, but they've also been flat out bad at others. Good lineups like Oklahoma's have jumped on this staff when they've allowed early inning walks or doubles, as most good lineups would. It also hasn't helped that John McMillon has been shaky as a starter. Like Harpenau and Freeman, he flashes his live arm talent but will spray the ball all over the zone and can have major command issues. Sunday has simply become a roll-the-dice proposition. The walks simply have got to come down for McMillon and the bullpen for this season to be what it can be. Quezada has been really solid and reliable, but the rest of the bullpen has to join him.
*Now we also ask the question of what to do with Ryan Shetter. Do you leave him in the pen or use him in the mid-week, keep using him in that capacity, or do you move him to the Sunday role to replace McMillon? I don't know if it would be much different, as Shetter has been up and down a bunch himself this year.
*With three Big 12 series left to go, you've got to feel good about where things are at. This TCU team is reeling hard and can't score, and Texas and OSU will give you a good fight, but Tech is better than both. If you win those three series, you should win the Big 12. The rest of the conference is just so middling. This is a down year for the conference, and Texas Tech is flat out more talented top to bottom than every other team in the league. If they handle their business and keep coming together to play their best baseball down the stretch, they're going to win this league for the third consecutive season and host as a national seed again.
*But again, this team has GOT to keep this current groove found up. They cannot fall in a slump at the plate like they did for a stretch earlier on. My hope is they won't as this team's young stars in Jung and Little, their older newcomers like Rheams continue to contribute. If we can get Michael Davis really rolling again here, and if the bullpen can cut down on the walks, then this team is going to be deadly.
