- A 4-1 week for the Red Raiders is probably to be expected there, especially considering how much Rice has struggled to start the year. Quite frankly, you're one big inning (and two just atrocious strike missed calls) from an undefeated week without a home game.
- I can't quite figure out Miss St right now. They are 11-7 with series losses to Long Beach State and Tulane. Their pitching staff is still pretty darn good. But they lack the thump in the lineup that we're used to seeing out of that team. Really wish we could've won both games.
- TTU has reeled off 10 wins in their last 11 games. Although Merrimack and Rice don't just jump off the page at anyone. I will note that Ty Coleman hasn't played in over a week. Cody Masters hasn't played a single game, and you start a true freshman behind the dish 90% of the time. This team is going to get even better.
- TTU pitching is still averaging 11.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. Birdsell and Andrew Morris can absolutely rack them up in bunches. 62 K burgers in 39 innings of work for those guys. If you're gonna nit pick, the strikeout stuff just elevates pitch count quicker than I'd like. Birdsell was absolutely dominant but threw a ton of pitches to get through 6 innings Saturday.
- Parker Kelly is absolutely your best hitter right now. He leads the team in total bases, home runs and RBI's. And he's second on the team in hits.... while hitting out of the 9 hole and not starting all 17 games....... I'm really hoping this is a sign of things to come. He's definitely feasted on poor pitching, but he looks like a completely different hitter right now. It's really fun to watch.
- I would expect a change at the top of the order soon. Carter can't be the leadoff guy and hit .196 with 29 strikeouts in 56 AB's. Look for Vooletich or Washburn to get a shot at that spot.
- TTU is 17/17 in stolen bases. That's never really been a strength under Tadlock. And even when it was, we were highly dependent on 1-2 guys. Gabe Holt/Dru Baker, etc. This roster has 17 steals from 8 different players. Parker Kelly and Jace Jung are 6/6 combined. Just an interesting stat.
- Stillwell is in some heck of a funk. He's not striking out a lot, he's getting his fair share of BB's, but he's just not hitting like we've seen. A .279 slugging percentage is brutal. Hopefully he gets hot here soon, because that UT pitching staff is looming in the opening conference series.
My lineup on a Friday night in the Big 12?
- RF - Owen Washburn L
- DH - Ty Coleman R
- 2B - Jace Jung L
- SS - Kurt Wilson - R
- LF - Zac Vooletich - R/Dalton Porter - L
- 1B - Cole Stillwell - R
- 3B - Parker Kelly - R
- C - Hudson White - R
- CF - Dillon Carter - L
SP - Andrew Morris
RP - Brendan Girton/Jamie Hitt
CL - Trendan Parrish
- Completely made up and points don't matter Big 12 Power Rankings
1. Texas - That pitching staff is just something else. Tanner Witt going down will definitely make them stretch other guys out, but they're still good. Can they hit enough?
2. Texas Tech - After a rocky start in another opening tournament. TTU has reeled off wins against teams they should absolutely beat. If they can get Coleman healthy, it fills in a definite hole in the lineup.
3. - TCU
4. - OSU
5. - OU
This is kind of a tossup area. OSU has a series win over Vandy, but a WTF series when Gonzaga swept them in Stillwater and they scored 5 runs all weekend. After Justin Campbell they do have some question marks as a staff.
TCU has a win in Lexington against Kentucky, but you start to worry a bit when you see that they've scratched out 7 wins by 3 runs or less. I'm not sure their pitching can continue to bail them out.
Oklahoma is a team I can't figure out as well. They have a bonafide ace in Jake Bennett. And two quality starters in Chazz Martinez/David Sandlin. They just don't have a lot of thump as a team with 6 total home runs right now. A lot of their success may come down to who they get at home in conference play. But they have wins over Auburn/Michigan. And a loss to Northwestern state.
6. Baylor - One guy. Tyler Thomas. 3 runs allowed in 30 innings. A 3.48 team ERA. I trust pitching. But my goodness their lineup leaves something to be desired. They have one player currently hitting over .300.
7. West Virginia - I could swap them with Baylor but I think Baylor has played a better schedule. They have two starters with 2.77 ERA through 37 innings. Their 3rd guy, Carlson has an ERA above 6.0 right now. Stop when you've heard this before..... WVU is gonna run on everyone until you stop it. They are 49/59 in steals right now.... whoa.
8. Kansas - They will be as good as opponents allow Ahuna to be. He currently accounts for 18/71 RBI. 3/10 HR and over 24% of their offensive production. Kid can play. Kansas gives up over 5 runs a game though. And they're not very deep. They have 2 pitchers who have thrown over 15 innings through 14 games.
9. Kansas State - They should actually have a solid lineup for 1 thru 7 ish. The issue for KSU will be their pitching staff. They're allowing 5.1 runs a game and their schedule has been... light at best. They lost all three in Arlington, pretty badly, lost at Cal State Fullerton, lost at Loyola Marymount. 3 of their 7 total wins came against Central Connecticut State... whom I had to google to confirm was real.
The Big 12 is going to be top heavy this year IMO. UT and TTU are the class of the conference. But OSU/TCU should be right in that second tier. I think OU falls off a bit after their Friday night guy. The bottom of the league is gonna struggle. WVU may just run enough to pester people, but when you're down 11-3 just go ahead and steal all the bases you want.
Keep rolling for a midweek double dip with NM. Get Coleman healthy.
Guns Up!
- I can't quite figure out Miss St right now. They are 11-7 with series losses to Long Beach State and Tulane. Their pitching staff is still pretty darn good. But they lack the thump in the lineup that we're used to seeing out of that team. Really wish we could've won both games.
- TTU has reeled off 10 wins in their last 11 games. Although Merrimack and Rice don't just jump off the page at anyone. I will note that Ty Coleman hasn't played in over a week. Cody Masters hasn't played a single game, and you start a true freshman behind the dish 90% of the time. This team is going to get even better.
- TTU pitching is still averaging 11.5 strikeouts per 9 innings. Birdsell and Andrew Morris can absolutely rack them up in bunches. 62 K burgers in 39 innings of work for those guys. If you're gonna nit pick, the strikeout stuff just elevates pitch count quicker than I'd like. Birdsell was absolutely dominant but threw a ton of pitches to get through 6 innings Saturday.
- Parker Kelly is absolutely your best hitter right now. He leads the team in total bases, home runs and RBI's. And he's second on the team in hits.... while hitting out of the 9 hole and not starting all 17 games....... I'm really hoping this is a sign of things to come. He's definitely feasted on poor pitching, but he looks like a completely different hitter right now. It's really fun to watch.
- I would expect a change at the top of the order soon. Carter can't be the leadoff guy and hit .196 with 29 strikeouts in 56 AB's. Look for Vooletich or Washburn to get a shot at that spot.
- TTU is 17/17 in stolen bases. That's never really been a strength under Tadlock. And even when it was, we were highly dependent on 1-2 guys. Gabe Holt/Dru Baker, etc. This roster has 17 steals from 8 different players. Parker Kelly and Jace Jung are 6/6 combined. Just an interesting stat.
- Stillwell is in some heck of a funk. He's not striking out a lot, he's getting his fair share of BB's, but he's just not hitting like we've seen. A .279 slugging percentage is brutal. Hopefully he gets hot here soon, because that UT pitching staff is looming in the opening conference series.
My lineup on a Friday night in the Big 12?
- RF - Owen Washburn L
- DH - Ty Coleman R
- 2B - Jace Jung L
- SS - Kurt Wilson - R
- LF - Zac Vooletich - R/Dalton Porter - L
- 1B - Cole Stillwell - R
- 3B - Parker Kelly - R
- C - Hudson White - R
- CF - Dillon Carter - L
SP - Andrew Morris
RP - Brendan Girton/Jamie Hitt
CL - Trendan Parrish
- Completely made up and points don't matter Big 12 Power Rankings
1. Texas - That pitching staff is just something else. Tanner Witt going down will definitely make them stretch other guys out, but they're still good. Can they hit enough?
2. Texas Tech - After a rocky start in another opening tournament. TTU has reeled off wins against teams they should absolutely beat. If they can get Coleman healthy, it fills in a definite hole in the lineup.
3. - TCU
4. - OSU
5. - OU
This is kind of a tossup area. OSU has a series win over Vandy, but a WTF series when Gonzaga swept them in Stillwater and they scored 5 runs all weekend. After Justin Campbell they do have some question marks as a staff.
TCU has a win in Lexington against Kentucky, but you start to worry a bit when you see that they've scratched out 7 wins by 3 runs or less. I'm not sure their pitching can continue to bail them out.
Oklahoma is a team I can't figure out as well. They have a bonafide ace in Jake Bennett. And two quality starters in Chazz Martinez/David Sandlin. They just don't have a lot of thump as a team with 6 total home runs right now. A lot of their success may come down to who they get at home in conference play. But they have wins over Auburn/Michigan. And a loss to Northwestern state.
6. Baylor - One guy. Tyler Thomas. 3 runs allowed in 30 innings. A 3.48 team ERA. I trust pitching. But my goodness their lineup leaves something to be desired. They have one player currently hitting over .300.
7. West Virginia - I could swap them with Baylor but I think Baylor has played a better schedule. They have two starters with 2.77 ERA through 37 innings. Their 3rd guy, Carlson has an ERA above 6.0 right now. Stop when you've heard this before..... WVU is gonna run on everyone until you stop it. They are 49/59 in steals right now.... whoa.
8. Kansas - They will be as good as opponents allow Ahuna to be. He currently accounts for 18/71 RBI. 3/10 HR and over 24% of their offensive production. Kid can play. Kansas gives up over 5 runs a game though. And they're not very deep. They have 2 pitchers who have thrown over 15 innings through 14 games.
9. Kansas State - They should actually have a solid lineup for 1 thru 7 ish. The issue for KSU will be their pitching staff. They're allowing 5.1 runs a game and their schedule has been... light at best. They lost all three in Arlington, pretty badly, lost at Cal State Fullerton, lost at Loyola Marymount. 3 of their 7 total wins came against Central Connecticut State... whom I had to google to confirm was real.
The Big 12 is going to be top heavy this year IMO. UT and TTU are the class of the conference. But OSU/TCU should be right in that second tier. I think OU falls off a bit after their Friday night guy. The bottom of the league is gonna struggle. WVU may just run enough to pester people, but when you're down 11-3 just go ahead and steal all the bases you want.
Keep rolling for a midweek double dip with NM. Get Coleman healthy.
Guns Up!
