Just a few days after I was here patting the SEC on its back, the conference is 1-7 in super regional play. All I can say is wow! There are probably many theories or excuses, but the fact is 1 win and 7 losses. I've always heard good pitching beats good hitting. CCU proved great hitting beats good pitching.
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Bon appetite!
I am NOT making excuses for SEC but I think I heard that national seeds had only won one opening game of the Super Regionals. Depending on how today goes, the could be the year of the upset.
Lastly, how about East Carolina having runners on first and second, with no outs in the bottom of the 9th in a tied ball game and NOT bunting. Of course they went on to lose game two in extra innings. If they don't win today, that decision may sting for a while.
You're a good man Younggun.
But isn't it 1-6?
Anyways, when I don't have a dog in the fight I guess I tend to root for 'underdogs.' At this point I'd like to see ECU make it (no real reason other than they haven't before). Would like to see Loooeyville lose - just because. Not a fan of UCSB, I'd be rooting for nearly anyone against UL. And maybe I'm rooting for CCU cause they haven't been to Omaha before either. BC would be nice too. Same reasons.
I expect Florida to come back and win, not sure about LSU or A&M but I don't think South Carolina will - looks to me like Ok. St. may be the best team right now?
And I'm happy for AZ. No real reason there either, just fought through a tough road at two of the very toughest road venues in college baseball.
Justbaseball, my math may have been wrong. My brain is still in shock!!
hshuler posted:I am NOT making excuses for SEC but I think I heard that national seeds had only won one opening game of the Super Regionals. Depending on how today goes, the could be the year of the upset.
Lastly, how about East Carolina having runners on first and second, with no outs in the bottom of the 9th in a tied ball game and NOT bunting. Of course they went on to lose game two in extra innings. If they don't win today, that decision may sting for a while.
I watched this game with a friend. At a point I told him when the underdog team doesn't take advantage of multiple opportunities to clinch a playoff they ultimately lose the whole thing. You never want to let the better team regain momentum and confidence. Especially playing on the road.
That pitching beats hitting or vice versa is Bullshit anyway. The teams who scores more runs than the other team on that given day wins whether it is 1:0 or 9:6. It is always what the last winning team did what commentators try to deduct general rules from. Couple years ago home runs and walks were really en vogue and last year after the royals won everyone said that contact and first pitch swinging was the way to go. And when all those giants teams win the world series pitching was the hot thing.
There are many styles that can lead to success, the team that wins is that executes theirs better on that given day.
Gauchos - wow!
UCSB-WOW.Walk off Grand slam to beat the #2 team in the Country, at Louisville. HR by a little used freshman off the best reliever in the Country, who was touching 101 when he entered.
#3 team in the Big West. I guess parity in the West is proving something nationally, with the #3 team in the Pac12 doing the same thing yesterday at MSU-both heading to Omaha!
Well, I would be remiss younggun if I didn't point out that the first 2 teams to qualify for Omaha are from....the West.
(Just havin' fun, really...so I'm sorry, really....but as bad as I genuinely feel for the pitcher, that Loooeyville loss is sweet music to my ears!!).
Can't help but feel awful for closer. No kid should have his college career end that way!
hshuler posted:Can't help but feel awful for closer. No kid should have his college career end that way!
I agree 100%.
I looked at the Louisville-UCSB score on NCAA.com. I didn't notice it didn't say final. I figured there was a game to watch tomorrow. What a surprise. I almost set up that game on my iPad a couple of innings earlier. Unfortunately, for a UL kid I know it was his last baseball game. It's a lousy way to go out. I've watched so much baseball over the past two weekends I wasn't sure what day it is today.
GO POKES!!!!
I just saw the replay. Was that really a change up with a 1-2 count on the hitter? Going to be hard to take, you have a 100 mph fastball and give up a game winning HR on your change up. He still has a very bright future.
PGStaff posted:I just saw the replay. Was that really a change up with a 1-2 count on the hitter? Going to be hard to take, you have a 100 mph fastball and give up a game winning HR on your change up. He still has a very bright future.
I almost posted something similar. Seems logical to go with the 101mph fastball against a freshmen with 26 ab's all year. That change up was 91mph or the equivalent of a good fastball down and in.
Ok. I have to get in on the thread.
GO COASTAL!
younggun posted:Just a few days after I was here patting the SEC on its back, the conference is 1-7 in super regional play. All I can say is wow! There are probably many theories or excuses, but the fact is 1 win and 7 losses. I've always heard good pitching beats good hitting. CCU proved great hitting beats good pitching.
I dont think you have to eat crow.
I may get a thumbs down for my comments but IMO the pitchers from the top seeds are tired as hell, pitched probably in tougher situations to get a national seed and have been distracted by the draft. If you watched the OSU/SC game the gamecocks and their fans looked like they were done.
And for what its worth, pitching and defense wins championships.
pabaseballdad posted:Ok. I have to get in on the thread.
GO COASTAL!
Coastal has no shot whatsoever. For those of you not in the know, that's called a reverse jinx. Never developed a taste for crow.
PGStaff posted:I just saw the replay. Was that really a change up with a 1-2 count on the hitter? Going to be hard to take, you have a 100 mph fastball and give up a game winning HR on your change up. He still has a very bright future.
He was struggling, big time, to throw strikes with his FB. His first few were anywhere from 101 to 105, depending on the gun being read. He looked dominating for the first hitter and then totally lost command. From a TV distance, appeared that he was dragging his arm. I don't know his arm angle but it was low so nearly every FB to lefties was up and up and away (by a lot).
The freshman catcher gave him good battle and got a great swing on the ball ( he actually had a pretty good swing on a FB earlier).
TPM, I am not sure any pitching staff isn't tired. Hard for me to say anything is tougher than playing to be invited as happened with U of A and UCSB and then traveling to win a regional on road, win there and come back and travel to win a Super, as UCSB and AZ both did, after finishing 3rd in their conferences and watching West coast teams get treated like they had the plague because there was so much parity.
infielddad posted:Hard for me to say anything is tougher than playing to be invited as happened with U of A and UCSB and then traveling to win a regional on road, win there and come back and travel to win a Super, as UCSB and AZ both did, after finishing 3rd in their conferences and watching West coast teams get treated like they had the plague because there was so much parity.
I agree. Even living on the east coast, I had trouble believing that suddenly everyone west of the Rockies suddenly couldn't play ball.
Did I miss something? Did those western teams play conference championships?
As a fan with no skin in the game, these have been ABSOLUTELY the best Super Regionals I can remember. Very, very exciting. This must have exceeded ESPN's forecasted ratings. Anyway, I'm hooked on all these games. Lots of quality talent in the Super Regionals across all conferences.
infielddad posted:PGStaff posted:I just saw the replay. Was that really a change up with a 1-2 count on the hitter? Going to be hard to take, you have a 100 mph fastball and give up a game winning HR on your change up. He still has a very bright future.
He was struggling, big time, to throw strikes with his FB. His first few were anywhere from 101 to 105, depending on the gun being read. He looked dominating for the first hitter and then totally lost command. From a TV distance, appeared that he was dragging his arm. I don't know his arm angle but it was low so nearly every FB to lefties was up and up and away (by a lot).
The freshman catcher gave him good battle and got a great swing on the ball ( he actually had a pretty good swing on a FB earlier).
TPM, I am not sure any pitching staff isn't tired. Hard for me to say anything is tougher than playing to be invited as happened with U of A and UCSB and then traveling to win a regional on road, win there and come back and travel to win a Super, as UCSB and AZ both did, after finishing 3rd in their conferences and watching West coast teams get treated like they had the plague because there was so much parity.
I heard the commentator say that he had a good swing on the first FB but it's not like he fouled it straight back. He was late and I thought that it would be tough for a pinch hitter to catch up after sitting all game. Heck, it would be hard to catch up if you had played all game. Just my opinion but I think you die with your best pitch there.
The SEC is tired of winning so much. Just trying to help out the poor underprivileged conferences.
Infielddad,
if I could hit a like button a hundred times for your post about the west coast teams I would. UCSB was midweek games for USC and look how tough. I really dnt think some realize the depth . Fullerton and Long Beach, Irvine are midweek teams. There are never any easy teams at least not when your in LA .
I loved watching UCSB because the announcers in my opinion even in regionals went on about them and their lack of depth in pitching and lack of experience etc. well remember who they play all year.
I didnt care for the way things went and am very happy two west coast teams third in their conference punched their tickets to go to Omaha .
Chekkits built UCSB up and made them significant . kudos to his coaching
its playoffs they are all good teams
Big 12 a win away from sending 3 teams.
UCSB alum here....GO GAUCHOS!
hshuler posted:I am NOT making excuses for SEC but I think I heard that national seeds had only won one opening game of the Super Regionals. Depending on how today goes, the could be the year of the upset.
Lastly, how about East Carolina having runners on first and second, with no outs in the bottom of the 9th in a tied ball game and NOT bunting. Of course they went on to lose game two in extra innings. If they don't win today, that decision may sting for a while.
I was wondering who else noticed that about ECU that game. Good example to re-open one of those "Why bunt" threads.....wonder if that coach is kicking himself in the butt...i was rooting for them as an underdog, first timer team.. I was screaming at the tv B-U-N-T....lol