Thanks. Softball started a week ago, so knew baseball had to start soon. I thought we were a week behind, but maybe it’s two.
Has Lawson played at 1B at all? I was under the impression that Heyman and Donay would be splitting time there and Lawson would be competing for the 3B job.
Lawson was down for a while in the Fall. I never saw him at first but I certainly didn't see every scrimmage.
Sully was on the radio with Sean Kelley: Yost is back 100%. Seemed to think Philpott could be a Byrne like closer. Also mentioned the kid from Clemson as a possible closer. Starters are the 3 we all suspect but also mentioned McNeillie, Aiden King and the kid from Clemson. They will slowly work Christian Rodriguez back and says he could be special. Confirmed Lawson at first because they have to get his bat in the lineup.
So Lawson will most likely be the first freshman position player to see time in the lineup, very interesting!
So, should I book my CWS trip now or wait a bit? Wife is bugging me about summer vacation plans. Can never decide between going early or waiting to the final round so have yet to go.
They could potentially go undefeated during the regular season and still miss out on Omaha, so it’s nearly impossible to plan for this far in advance. If you haven’t been, it’s a unique experience and there’s lots to do even if the gators aren’t there. I say book it and go. If you only want to watch the gators, you pretty much have to wait until after supers. We went a couple years back, but didn’t decide to go until the gators clinched a spot in the finals. If your schedule isn’t that flexible, just go.
They have shortened the series--just plan to go for the whole thing. If the Gators for some reason don't make it there--use Omaha as a base and tour part of the midwest. KC is three hours. The Badlands are 6. Minneapolis is 5. Catch a game or two to get the feel of the series and do something different. Honestly though we are talking the Gators. We will be there!!!
The same thing other posters are saying about the CWS. It’s truly a very special time/trip-especially for a D-1 college baseball fan. We have only been to Rosenblatt Stadium in 2005. My two trips of my lifetime-1) 1994 I went to Europe with my Dad for the 50th anniversary of the D-Day invasion to V-E Day with my Dad’s Paratrooper outfit, The 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team—2) 2005 CWS trip to Omaha to watch our Gators. I couldn’t top these two trips if I tried. By all means, go if you have the opportunity.
D1Baseball @d1baseball · 20h After his fastball averaged less than 90 mph last season, @alexphilpott34 was up to 97 mph and 2,600 rpm with his heater in the fall, and strikeouts started to come a lot easier for him.
Don’t disagree with your overall sentiment here but believe OPS is a far better measure for many of the guys listed. Heyman, Shelton, Donay and Kurland specifically.
Have you seen a schedule anywhere yet? Do you know what time and if they'll have a scrimmage on friday? TIA
Of the 5 of these who played major conference ball in 2023 and 2024, here are the BABIP (= (H - HR) / (AB + SF - HR - K)) -- that is, how often balls fall in for hits. Evans: .265 (2023) vs. .390 Kurland: .333 vs. .287 Heyman: .364 vs. .280 Shelton: .303 vs. .287 Donay: .286 vs. .265 The SEC average is around .320 or .330, so Evans at .390 is likely to regress back towards that. It's debatable how much of the other four 2024 seasons were approach vs. luck. My 2 cents from watching the 2024 team: Shelton and Donay would be served trading some launch angle for contact, Kurland needs to not hurt his hand, and Heyman should sacrifice a rooster or something because he hit a lot of hard At'emballs last year.
Kurland’s numbers (.333 vs .287) and remembering his first and second seasons is a head-on look at his freshman approach of hit it where it’s pitched vs that launch angle at all costs approach he became infatuated with last season. To ALL of our hitters—please, hit it where it’s pitched-the home runs will come…
Seems like they're emulating MLB, where it's just become a home run hitting contest. Batting averages don't matter much anymore, stolen bases and sac bunts are not being used a whole lot either. Just load up on the big swings and go for the fences. That's why I don't watch pro baseball much anymore. There's not much real strategy left, as the little nuances have been taken out of the game.
Kurland's drop off last year can partly be attributed to his broken hand - which he fractured in the opening series vs. Columbia-- that makes his hitting approach even more puzzling. In his freshman year- he hit to all fields and showed good power to right and right center. One would think with a broken hand he would stick with the "hit-it-where it's-pitched" approach but didn't. He had lots of swing from the heels and his stats dropped off. I'm hoping he goes back to his production of 2023. Donay is another player that needs to reconsider his approach-- cut down on his looping swing (as well as get a better sense of the strike zone). The dude is big and strong, with power to all fields... he can be a surprise performer for us. He hit 14 dingers last year and has the potential to hit 6-8 more this year-- he hit 6 in limited action on the Cape. On another note: what is the panel's take on the weekend rotation? In the Fall, I had it as Peterson, Coppola and Clemente. I have some doubt about Coppola as he pictched sparingly in Fall. We shall see. Looking forward!
