Austin Regional Thread

[Fletch 5,800]

42 minutes ago, AUS-97HORN said:

this is going to be such a wet, wet, wet regional... holy shit.  its like rain every 2 hours for the next 5 days

Well, I suggest to the fine ladies from asu and our lady horns to wear white t-shirts. It helps with the um....water or something idk but that’s my recommendation 

[Cstewart 1]

Done deal. White out in Austin this weekend.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[Levi 2,587]

5 hours ago, chase25 said:

Ty is the least guaranteed W of our weekend rotation. It would make way more sense to throw Madden game 1 of a super just based on how the 3 have pitched all year long. 

There are Pros and cons to anything just about, I would start Kubichek against Southern but if you do that and go 3-0 then Pete probably doesn’t get to pitch and now he is going into a super regional having not pitched in 2 weeks.

I know Pierce is hoping they can jump on Southern early and not have to extend Stevens that way you can bring him back in a game 4 or 5

 

Madden being the least likely to get a W all year is a stretch. His total ERA is 2.66.  Pete at 1.88 for total but he had a ton of Tuesday starts so that is a bit skewed. Recently is where we’ve seen Ty struggle the most, which we agree to, but his start against WV was the closest he’s been to his usual self since the first 3 quarters of the season. That’s a good sign to see and hopefully more to come.

I’m with you tho on Klub, and the whole reason we are starting Stevens this game is to have him later in the series only goes so far imo. Start Klub game one, madden game 2 and stevens game 3. You don’t have to worry about not pitching Pete bc he will come into relief for Stevens game 3. Pete has done it before and wouldn’t be a big deal. This all is predicted with them taking care of business in 3 but this team is more than capable to do it from the draw they were dealt. I think the last bit of your post is really the only reason we are seeing Stevens start game one. 

[Eugene11 379]

Just checking in to see if it’s Friday yet....

Edited June 4, 2021 by Eugene11

[Herpa Derpa 6,126]

Me trying to work tomorrow morning.

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[Valmy77 13,247]

Some A&M fans were so salty about that, whining that looking at their team and doing Hook'em Horns was some sort of war crime. Glorious.

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[Fletch 5,800]

15 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

Some A&M fans were so salty about that, whining that looking at their team and doing Hook'em Horns was some sort of war crime. Glorious.

I love not playing them in football cause there’s just no fucking point. But us meeting in the postseason in 2014 and 2018 was so fucking awesomely aggy. Come be our yearly 3 seed you fucking cowards. Probably gotta make your own conference tournament first though. Baby steps! Maybe by 2058 they’ll have another win in Omaha 

[Machinator 32,099]

 

[Machinator 32,099]

9 hours ago, Hammerin Hank said:

Did anyone ever find out the booze situation in the Disch for the regional and super regional?

 

[Guest Lobo]

Thanks for asking, Lauren.  Although, based on the forecast...a respite tent from the rain with refreshing beers would be a nice touch this weekend.  But I think we'll be able to play ball around lightning and get this thing wrapped up by late Sunday night.  

[Burt Macklin 19,038]

1 hour ago, Machinator said:

 

Oh man that was such a great game. There were so many obnoxious aggy that wouldn’t stop running their mouths before the game. That homer made them shut the fuck up and they looked like a dog with it’s tail between it’s legs for the rest of the game. So great. 

[Levi 2,587]

3 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

Oh man that was such a great game. There were so many obnoxious aggy that wouldn’t stop running their mouths before the game. That homer made them shut the fuck up and they looked like a dog with it’s tail between it’s legs for the rest of the game. So great. 

Aggy: “you just wait till we take care of Indiana, then the ags will be back ready to win!” 
 

Narrator: they did not take care of Indiana. 

[Both Tacos 1,806]

Someone got a hookup on streaming the game for those that don't have LHN?

[BachelorTrek 3,050]

Conveniently, the Houston Astros just left for an 11-day road trip, so Minute Maid Park, as an indoor retractable-roof stadium, sits dry, empty, and waiting, and says, "Hi!"

I have no idea how bad it would get for such an alternate venue to be considered, but there sits a certain venue. 

I guess we will see how determined the powers that be will want to tough it out if the rain doesn't relent long enough to get the games in.

At least it won't be a cluster of a regional like it was on Dallas Baptist's field of mud with feeble attempts to diamond-dry it like in 2015!  Remember that shitshow?

Hook'Em!

[Fletch 5,800]

Our real season starts today. Bring it home #7, Horns!!!!

[Machinator 32,099]

7 hours ago, Both Tacos said:

Someone got a hookup on streaming the game for those that don't have LHN?

I'll post a link

[NorthLoop 14,216]

5 hours ago, BachelorTrek said:

Conveniently, the Houston Astros just left for an 11-day road trip, so Minute Maid Park, as an indoor retractable-roof stadium, sits dry, empty, and waiting, and says, "Hi!"

I have no idea how bad it would get for such an alternate venue to be considered, but there sits a certain venue. 

I guess we will see how determined the powers that be will want to tough it out if the rain doesn't relent long enough to get the games in.

At least it won't be a cluster of a regional like it was on Dallas Baptist's field of mud with feeble attempts to diamond-dry it like in 2015!  Remember that shitshow?

Hook'Em!

You'd need a fucking boat to get there

[NorthLoop 14,216]

I, for one, am glad we're not starting Kub in game 1. Yes, Southern isn't a great team. But they did win their conference tourney to get here, which means they are on some sort of hot streak. No need to risk game 1, because you are FUCKED if you lose game 1. 

[Fletch 5,800]

14 hours ago, Cstewart said:

Done deal. White out in Austin this weekend.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk
 

Wise choice, ma’am(?) let us know how it goes and some pics would be fantastic. We’ve got a room full of scholars on this site working in shifts trying to crack this code

[troph 24,875]

I was thinking about trying to catch a game or 3 this weekend man getting wet isn't my idea of fun.  oh wait...

I do think I may have to be the one that watches from the couch.

is this ESPN+ or can we rely on the primary ESPN or LHN broadcasts?

[TwiceHorn 31,507]

10 hours ago, Machinator said:

 

Threadshit.  I thought I was at least passingly familiar with most regional foods, but pork roll is a new one on me.

Granted, I have spent about zero time in Jersey.

[WBT 20,624]

D1Baseball preview is finally up

Spoiler

Austin Regional Superlatives

Most Exciting Player: Drew Swift, Arizona State

The Sun Devils have the total package in Swift at the shortstop position. The Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year is obviously, well, a premier defender. But his contributions to this team don’t stop in the field. He’s also a high-quality hitter, entering the weekend with a .313 average, nine doubles, three triples, six home runs and 36 RBIs. Swift has some speed and power and can help his club in a variety of ways.

Best Hitter: Ethan Long, Arizona State

What a terrific freshman campaign Long has had for the Sun Devils. Following in the footsteps of former top overall pick Spencer Torkelson, Long isn’t as gifted, but might be as powerful at this stage in his career. Long is hitting an impressive .340 with a 1.133 OPS, along with 16 homers and 53 RBIs. ASU needs the powerful Long to have a strong weekend to advance out of this regional.

Best Defensive Player: Trey Faltine, Texas

 

It’s a tough call between Arizona State shortstop Drew Swift and Texas shortstop Trey Faltine, but on the carpet in Austin, let’s give the slightest of edges to Faltine. The talented middle infielder is silky smooth in the field, athletic, and typically makes strong and accurate throws to first base. Faltine is the total package for the Longhorns.

Best Pitcher: Who else? Ty Madden.

Madden has had a terrific season for the Longhorns — an All-American season to be exact. The hard-throwing righthanded pitcher has a 2.66 ERA in 88 innings, along with 103 strikeouts and 31 walks, and teams are hitting him at a ridiculously low .195 clip. Madden attacks hitters with a big-time fastball, along with a slider/changeup combo.

X-Factor: Ivan Melendez, Texas

Melendez was one of the hottest hitters in college baseball during the month of May. But there’s no doubt he struggled at the Big 12 tournament, and that’s a source of caution around Austin. Melendez has a strong offensive approach and absolutely destroys the ball when he makes contact, hitting .331 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs this spring. If Melendez has a big weekend, it’s probably game over for opponents. If he struggles again? The door is cracked open.

Best Starting Rotation: Texas

The Longhorns already had a solid weekend rotation with Ty Madden, Tristan Stevens and Kolby Kubichek leading the charge. But when lefthander Pete Hansen got fully healthy and reentered the weekend rotation … and oh by the way, started to dominate again, it was icing on the cake to this rotation. Hansen is a No. 1 starter who occupies the three-hole for the Longhorns. UT has four high-quality options that could start in the Austin Regional this weekend.

Best Bullpen: Texas

We give the Longhorns the edge in this category as well. UT has a trio of excellent options out of the bullpen with Cole Quintanilla, Tanner Witt and Aaron Nixon leading the charge. Quintanilla has had an impressive bounce back campaign and will run his fastball up to 94-95 mph, while Witt has a nasty breaking ball with a 2.42 ERA in 44.2 innings of work, and Nixon has some velocity with a 2.51 ERA in 28.2 innings of work. Those aren’t the only quality options, either. 

Best Offensive Team: Texas

For the most part, the Longhorns have been much better offensively than their numbers indicate. UT is hitting .278 as a team, while someone such as Fairfield is hitting just a hair over .300. However, the Stags played a conference-only schedule and stud slugger Mike Caruso is out for the rest of the season. Zach Zubia is a terrific role hitter for the ‘Horns, Mitchell Daly is Mr. Consistent and Ivan Melendez is hitting .331 and could very well heat up this weekend. Doug Hodo and Eric Kennedy are both guys who can make things happen, while Cam Williams has a penchant for the big power hit. There’s also Mike Antico, who has been much better since an early-season slump.

Best Defensive Team: Texas

The Longhorns are one of the nation’s premier defensive clubs. As a matter of fact, they rank 15th nationally in fielding percentage at a .980 clip. Of course, some of that is because they play on a slow field in Austin, but this is still a very good defensive team. Up the middle, the ‘Horns have a pair of premier defenders in Faltine and second baseman Mitchell Daly, while Silas Ardoin is a steady rock behind the plate. In the outfield, UT has three strong options with Mike Antico, Doug Hodo and Eric Kennedy leading the way. The Longhorns aren’t going to beat themselves, and that’s half the battle in the postseason.

No. 1 Seed Win Probability (1-10): 8. The Longhorns have been ultra consistent at home this season, and we don’t expect things to change this weekend against what appears to be an overmatched field. UT has a better pitching staff than anyone else in the field, and it has gotten clutch hit after clutch hit throughout the spring. Never say never, but we don’t expect any different.

Austin Regional Team Breakdowns

Texas (42-15, 17-7 Big 12)

The Longhorns entered the season with high expectations, and they had no trouble meeting them this spring with a Big 12 Conference regular season. Texas is a balanced club with strong starting pitching, a quality bullpen and an offensive lineup that is much better than the statistics indicate. UT is one of those teams that will not beat itself from a defensive standpoint, so you’re going to have to earn it.

Offensively, this team has just gotten better and better under the direction of Troy Tulowitzki as the season has progressed. Mitchell Daley and Ivan Melendez are the team’s leading hitters. Daly has quietly put together an impressive offensive campaign, while Melendez is an X-factor for this team in the regional. Melendez, called the Hispanic Titanic by UT fans, was on an absolute roll before the Big 12 tournament, especially from a power standpoint. However, he struggled in Oklahoma City, and it’s imperative that UT gets him headed the right direction. Melendez has 11 home runs on the season, while Zach Zubia (9) and Cam Williams (9) also are power producers for this club. Doug Hodo has produced for the Longhorns this season and Mike Antico has gotten better as the season progressed. His numbers are very deceiving, and he can show some serious power to his pull side. He’s an experienced hitter with a solid approach.

As for the pitching staff, it all starts with the weekend rotation, which consists of Ty Madden, Tristan Stevens and Pete Hansen. Madden will get up to 96-97 mph with his fastball at times and will attack hitters with a slider and changeup combo. Stevens has steadily increased his velocity this spring, and enters the regional with a fastball up to 93-94 mph, along with a well-commanded overall repertoire. Then, there’s Hansen, the impressive-looking lefthander who can throw four pitches for strikes. He will get up to 89-90 mph with his fastball, but its his ability to command his breaking ball on both sides of the plate that sets him apart. In the bullpen, we discussed the trio of Quintanilla, Nixon and Witt above, while Lucas Gordon (3.38) and Palmer Wenzel (3.48) are other solid options.

Arizona State (32-20, 16-14 Pac 12)

The Sun Devils were one of the nation’s most disappointed teams last year when the season was shuttered because of COVID-19. After all, they had an insanely loaded lineup with a strong weekend rotation and, oh yeah, a guy named Spencer Torkelson. It was a team that could’ve gotten to the College World Series and done damage while in Omaha. Fast forward to this spring, and the Devils entered the season with high hopes. But before they could get comfortable, they lost ace lefthanded pitcher Cooper Benson to a season-ending injury and reliever Erik Tolman also went down with a season-ending injury. Somehow, Tracy Smith’s club is still here and back in the postseason. Job well done, gang.

As they always seem to have under hitting specialist Michael Earley, the Sun Devils have some talented hitters to watch this weekend. It all starts with freshman slugger Ethan Long, who’s having a sensational inaugural campaign. He’s hitting .340 with 11 doubles, 16 home runs and 53 RBIs. He also has a 1.133 OPS. But the coolest thing about the campaign he’s having? Long wasn’t even mentioned in ASU’s fall survey. That gives you an idea of the kind of season he was expecting, and the one he’s now having. Sean McLain is a talented and athletic piece who’s hitting .333 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs, while I’ve been ultra-pleased with Drew Swift’s production both in the field and at the plate. Swift has always been known for his premier defense, but he grew into a hitter this spring with a .313 average, nine doubles, six home runs and 36 RBIs. Nate Baez can give the Devils some power production, Hunter Jump has big-time potential and Joe Lampe has some athleticism and speed to work with. Speedy Hunter Haas is another intriguing bat to watch. Haas is having a strong season at the plate, has gap power and can wreak havoc once on base.

From a pitching standpoint. ASU pitching coach Jason Kelly has kind of had to piece things together throughout the season because of injuries. But ASU has some talented arms in the weekend rotation with righthander Tyler Thornton, lefthander Justin Fall and Jared Glenn leading the way. Just this past weekend, the Devils used the soft-tossing Glenn in an intriguing way, finishing the Saturday game against UCLA with 1.2 innings out of him before starting him and letting him to five frames in the series finale. Thornton will sit in the low-90s with his fastball and Fall is a talented lefty with a fastball up to 92-93 mph with a 3.86 ERA in 74.2 innings of work, along with 45 strikeouts and 32 walks, while Glenn has a 4.66 ERA in 46.1 innings. Will Levine (3.50) and Cam Dennie (3.68) are other arms to watch out of the bullpen ,while Brock Peery and Brady Corrigan could log important innings this weekend. There’s also lefthander Graham Osman, who will get up to 91-93 mph with his fastball, along with an effective 82-83 mph slider. 

Fairfield (37-3, 33-1 MAAC)

They’ve been one of the great stories in college baseball this spring. Fairfield enters the NCAA postseason with a top-five RPI, but it’s one of the strangest top five RPIs ever. You see, the Stags didn’t play any non-conference games and went a ridiculously impressive 33-1 in the regular season against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents. Fairfield didn’t win the MAAC tournament last week, but did earn an at-large bid. We aren’t sure what to expect from the Stags, but we’ll find out a lot more about this team this weekend. 

The Stags have one of the nation’s premier offensive lineups from a statistical standpoint, but we will see how they fare against high-quality pitching this weekend. We will also see how they fare without MAAC Player of the Year Mike Caruso in the lineup. Caruso, who was hitting .414 with three home runs and 28 RBIs, will miss the remainder of the season with an injury. But Mike Handal, Matt Venuto and Dan Ryan are ready to pick up the slack. Handal has some serious pop in his bat and doesn’t strike out much. He has six home runs and 31 RBIs, while also having nine stolen bases to his name. Venuto is hitting .348 and Ryan is a very accomplished and smart hitter. Ryan has a 1.006 OPS and has walked more than he has struck out this season. He also has a .343 average with 10 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 26 RBIs. In addition to his terrific offensive production, Ryan also is a strong defender in the outfield. Also keep an eye on Justin Guerrera and Sean Cullen. Guerrera has hit 12 home runs and knocked in 42 runs and provides some athleticism to the middle of the lineup, while Cullen can drive ball to all fields and is hitting over .300.

The common theme with Fairfield’s rotation is that they throw strikes for the most part. Fairfield has an intriguing group of starters, led by Jake Noviello, Michael Sansone, Trey McLoughlin and John Signore. Noviello has a 1.44 ERA in 62.1 innings of work, along with 56/7 K/BB and has done a nice job this season returning from an injury. Sansone is a junior lefthanded pitcher who has a 2.35 ERA with just 11 walks in 61.1 innings. The big key for him is that he can mix three pitches, and he throws all three for strikes. McLoughlin has a good fastball and a quality breaking ball, while Signore is an experienced pitcher who can throw multiple pitches for strikes. Like everyone else, he has excellent command with just 11 walks in 45.2 innings of work. Bullpen-wise, the Stags leaned heavily on Colin McVeigh and Bryson Cafaro in the MAAC tournament. McVeigh has yet to allow a run in limited action while Cafaro has made 11 appearances (four starts) and has a 1.00 ERA in 36 innings.

Southern (20-28, 13-11 SWAC)

The Jaguars had their backs against the wall early this season when Kerrick Jackson left his post as head coach to be the head honcho at the MLB Draft League, operated by our good friends at Prep Baseball Report. With Jackson leaving the program, the Jags promoted assistant Chris Crenshaw to the post, and he had a good amount of success in his first season. Southern split its first two games at the SWAC tournament a couple of weekends ago before finishing the tournament with 49 runs in the final four games. That’s what you call impressive.

The Jags will need that type of offensive production to show up again this weekend in Austin to have a chance to advance. This team is led offensively by middle of the order bat Tremaine Spears, who’s hitting .304 with a .902 OPS, 11 doubles, six home runs and 38 RBIs, while O’Neill Burgos has some power potential and some speed on the base paths. Zavier Moore has good zone discipline and a little pop in his bat, while the same or more can be said for Taj Porter, who has six home runs on the season. 

On the mound, the Jags have a pair of nice arms in Joe Battaglia and John Guienze. Battaglia has some funk to him from the right side and has a 5.86 ERA in 55.1 innings of work, along with 33 strikeouts and 16 walks, while Guienze has a 6.80 ERA in 47.2 innings of work, along with 28 strikeouts and 20 walks. Enrique Ozoa has recorded seven saves this season and is a reliable arm for Crenshaw’s crew, while Dimitri Frank has a 3.93 ERA in 36.2 innings of work, along with 44 strikeouts and just nine walks. 

 

[Machinator 32,099]

12 minutes ago, troph said:

I was thinking about trying to catch a game or 3 this weekend man getting wet isn't my idea of fun.  oh wait...

I do think I may have to be the one that watches from the couch.

is this ESPN+ or can we rely on the primary ESPN or LHN broadcasts?

Today's game is on LHN.

[TwiceHorn 31,507]

7 minutes ago, WBT said:

D1Baseball preview is finally up

  Hide contents

Austin Regional Superlatives

Most Exciting Player: Drew Swift, Arizona State

The Sun Devils have the total package in Swift at the shortstop position. The Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year is obviously, well, a premier defender. But his contributions to this team don’t stop in the field. He’s also a high-quality hitter, entering the weekend with a .313 average, nine doubles, three triples, six home runs and 36 RBIs. Swift has some speed and power and can help his club in a variety of ways.

Best Hitter: Ethan Long, Arizona State

What a terrific freshman campaign Long has had for the Sun Devils. Following in the footsteps of former top overall pick Spencer Torkelson, Long isn’t as gifted, but might be as powerful at this stage in his career. Long is hitting an impressive .340 with a 1.133 OPS, along with 16 homers and 53 RBIs. ASU needs the powerful Long to have a strong weekend to advance out of this regional.

Best Defensive Player: Trey Faltine, Texas

 

It’s a tough call between Arizona State shortstop Drew Swift and Texas shortstop Trey Faltine, but on the carpet in Austin, let’s give the slightest of edges to Faltine. The talented middle infielder is silky smooth in the field, athletic, and typically makes strong and accurate throws to first base. Faltine is the total package for the Longhorns.

Best Pitcher: Who else? Ty Madden.

Madden has had a terrific season for the Longhorns — an All-American season to be exact. The hard-throwing righthanded pitcher has a 2.66 ERA in 88 innings, along with 103 strikeouts and 31 walks, and teams are hitting him at a ridiculously low .195 clip. Madden attacks hitters with a big-time fastball, along with a slider/changeup combo.

X-Factor: Ivan Melendez, Texas

Melendez was one of the hottest hitters in college baseball during the month of May. But there’s no doubt he struggled at the Big 12 tournament, and that’s a source of caution around Austin. Melendez has a strong offensive approach and absolutely destroys the ball when he makes contact, hitting .331 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs this spring. If Melendez has a big weekend, it’s probably game over for opponents. If he struggles again? The door is cracked open.

Best Starting Rotation: Texas

The Longhorns already had a solid weekend rotation with Ty Madden, Tristan Stevens and Kolby Kubichek leading the charge. But when lefthander Pete Hansen got fully healthy and reentered the weekend rotation … and oh by the way, started to dominate again, it was icing on the cake to this rotation. Hansen is a No. 1 starter who occupies the three-hole for the Longhorns. UT has four high-quality options that could start in the Austin Regional this weekend.

Best Bullpen: Texas

We give the Longhorns the edge in this category as well. UT has a trio of excellent options out of the bullpen with Cole Quintanilla, Tanner Witt and Aaron Nixon leading the charge. Quintanilla has had an impressive bounce back campaign and will run his fastball up to 94-95 mph, while Witt has a nasty breaking ball with a 2.42 ERA in 44.2 innings of work, and Nixon has some velocity with a 2.51 ERA in 28.2 innings of work. Those aren’t the only quality options, either. 

Best Offensive Team: Texas

For the most part, the Longhorns have been much better offensively than their numbers indicate. UT is hitting .278 as a team, while someone such as Fairfield is hitting just a hair over .300. However, the Stags played a conference-only schedule and stud slugger Mike Caruso is out for the rest of the season. Zach Zubia is a terrific role hitter for the ‘Horns, Mitchell Daly is Mr. Consistent and Ivan Melendez is hitting .331 and could very well heat up this weekend. Doug Hodo and Eric Kennedy are both guys who can make things happen, while Cam Williams has a penchant for the big power hit. There’s also Mike Antico, who has been much better since an early-season slump.

Best Defensive Team: Texas

The Longhorns are one of the nation’s premier defensive clubs. As a matter of fact, they rank 15th nationally in fielding percentage at a .980 clip. Of course, some of that is because they play on a slow field in Austin, but this is still a very good defensive team. Up the middle, the ‘Horns have a pair of premier defenders in Faltine and second baseman Mitchell Daly, while Silas Ardoin is a steady rock behind the plate. In the outfield, UT has three strong options with Mike Antico, Doug Hodo and Eric Kennedy leading the way. The Longhorns aren’t going to beat themselves, and that’s half the battle in the postseason.

No. 1 Seed Win Probability (1-10): 8. The Longhorns have been ultra consistent at home this season, and we don’t expect things to change this weekend against what appears to be an overmatched field. UT has a better pitching staff than anyone else in the field, and it has gotten clutch hit after clutch hit throughout the spring. Never say never, but we don’t expect any different.

Austin Regional Team Breakdowns

Texas (42-15, 17-7 Big 12)

The Longhorns entered the season with high expectations, and they had no trouble meeting them this spring with a Big 12 Conference regular season. Texas is a balanced club with strong starting pitching, a quality bullpen and an offensive lineup that is much better than the statistics indicate. UT is one of those teams that will not beat itself from a defensive standpoint, so you’re going to have to earn it.

Offensively, this team has just gotten better and better under the direction of Troy Tulowitzki as the season has progressed. Mitchell Daley and Ivan Melendez are the team’s leading hitters. Daly has quietly put together an impressive offensive campaign, while Melendez is an X-factor for this team in the regional. Melendez, called the Hispanic Titanic by UT fans, was on an absolute roll before the Big 12 tournament, especially from a power standpoint. However, he struggled in Oklahoma City, and it’s imperative that UT gets him headed the right direction. Melendez has 11 home runs on the season, while Zach Zubia (9) and Cam Williams (9) also are power producers for this club. Doug Hodo has produced for the Longhorns this season and Mike Antico has gotten better as the season progressed. His numbers are very deceiving, and he can show some serious power to his pull side. He’s an experienced hitter with a solid approach.

As for the pitching staff, it all starts with the weekend rotation, which consists of Ty Madden, Tristan Stevens and Pete Hansen. Madden will get up to 96-97 mph with his fastball at times and will attack hitters with a slider and changeup combo. Stevens has steadily increased his velocity this spring, and enters the regional with a fastball up to 93-94 mph, along with a well-commanded overall repertoire. Then, there’s Hansen, the impressive-looking lefthander who can throw four pitches for strikes. He will get up to 89-90 mph with his fastball, but its his ability to command his breaking ball on both sides of the plate that sets him apart. In the bullpen, we discussed the trio of Quintanilla, Nixon and Witt above, while Lucas Gordon (3.38) and Palmer Wenzel (3.48) are other solid options.

Arizona State (32-20, 16-14 Pac 12)

The Sun Devils were one of the nation’s most disappointed teams last year when the season was shuttered because of COVID-19. After all, they had an insanely loaded lineup with a strong weekend rotation and, oh yeah, a guy named Spencer Torkelson. It was a team that could’ve gotten to the College World Series and done damage while in Omaha. Fast forward to this spring, and the Devils entered the season with high hopes. But before they could get comfortable, they lost ace lefthanded pitcher Cooper Benson to a season-ending injury and reliever Erik Tolman also went down with a season-ending injury. Somehow, Tracy Smith’s club is still here and back in the postseason. Job well done, gang.

As they always seem to have under hitting specialist Michael Earley, the Sun Devils have some talented hitters to watch this weekend. It all starts with freshman slugger Ethan Long, who’s having a sensational inaugural campaign. He’s hitting .340 with 11 doubles, 16 home runs and 53 RBIs. He also has a 1.133 OPS. But the coolest thing about the campaign he’s having? Long wasn’t even mentioned in ASU’s fall survey. That gives you an idea of the kind of season he was expecting, and the one he’s now having. Sean McLain is a talented and athletic piece who’s hitting .333 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs, while I’ve been ultra-pleased with Drew Swift’s production both in the field and at the plate. Swift has always been known for his premier defense, but he grew into a hitter this spring with a .313 average, nine doubles, six home runs and 36 RBIs. Nate Baez can give the Devils some power production, Hunter Jump has big-time potential and Joe Lampe has some athleticism and speed to work with. Speedy Hunter Haas is another intriguing bat to watch. Haas is having a strong season at the plate, has gap power and can wreak havoc once on base.

From a pitching standpoint. ASU pitching coach Jason Kelly has kind of had to piece things together throughout the season because of injuries. But ASU has some talented arms in the weekend rotation with righthander Tyler Thornton, lefthander Justin Fall and Jared Glenn leading the way. Just this past weekend, the Devils used the soft-tossing Glenn in an intriguing way, finishing the Saturday game against UCLA with 1.2 innings out of him before starting him and letting him to five frames in the series finale. Thornton will sit in the low-90s with his fastball and Fall is a talented lefty with a fastball up to 92-93 mph with a 3.86 ERA in 74.2 innings of work, along with 45 strikeouts and 32 walks, while Glenn has a 4.66 ERA in 46.1 innings. Will Levine (3.50) and Cam Dennie (3.68) are other arms to watch out of the bullpen ,while Brock Peery and Brady Corrigan could log important innings this weekend. There’s also lefthander Graham Osman, who will get up to 91-93 mph with his fastball, along with an effective 82-83 mph slider. 

Fairfield (37-3, 33-1 MAAC)

They’ve been one of the great stories in college baseball this spring. Fairfield enters the NCAA postseason with a top-five RPI, but it’s one of the strangest top five RPIs ever. You see, the Stags didn’t play any non-conference games and went a ridiculously impressive 33-1 in the regular season against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents. Fairfield didn’t win the MAAC tournament last week, but did earn an at-large bid. We aren’t sure what to expect from the Stags, but we’ll find out a lot more about this team this weekend. 

The Stags have one of the nation’s premier offensive lineups from a statistical standpoint, but we will see how they fare against high-quality pitching this weekend. We will also see how they fare without MAAC Player of the Year Mike Caruso in the lineup. Caruso, who was hitting .414 with three home runs and 28 RBIs, will miss the remainder of the season with an injury. But Mike Handal, Matt Venuto and Dan Ryan are ready to pick up the slack. Handal has some serious pop in his bat and doesn’t strike out much. He has six home runs and 31 RBIs, while also having nine stolen bases to his name. Venuto is hitting .348 and Ryan is a very accomplished and smart hitter. Ryan has a 1.006 OPS and has walked more than he has struck out this season. He also has a .343 average with 10 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 26 RBIs. In addition to his terrific offensive production, Ryan also is a strong defender in the outfield. Also keep an eye on Justin Guerrera and Sean Cullen. Guerrera has hit 12 home runs and knocked in 42 runs and provides some athleticism to the middle of the lineup, while Cullen can drive ball to all fields and is hitting over .300.

The common theme with Fairfield’s rotation is that they throw strikes for the most part. Fairfield has an intriguing group of starters, led by Jake Noviello, Michael Sansone, Trey McLoughlin and John Signore. Noviello has a 1.44 ERA in 62.1 innings of work, along with 56/7 K/BB and has done a nice job this season returning from an injury. Sansone is a junior lefthanded pitcher who has a 2.35 ERA with just 11 walks in 61.1 innings. The big key for him is that he can mix three pitches, and he throws all three for strikes. McLoughlin has a good fastball and a quality breaking ball, while Signore is an experienced pitcher who can throw multiple pitches for strikes. Like everyone else, he has excellent command with just 11 walks in 45.2 innings of work. Bullpen-wise, the Stags leaned heavily on Colin McVeigh and Bryson Cafaro in the MAAC tournament. McVeigh has yet to allow a run in limited action while Cafaro has made 11 appearances (four starts) and has a 1.00 ERA in 36 innings.

Southern (20-28, 13-11 SWAC)

The Jaguars had their backs against the wall early this season when Kerrick Jackson left his post as head coach to be the head honcho at the MLB Draft League, operated by our good friends at Prep Baseball Report. With Jackson leaving the program, the Jags promoted assistant Chris Crenshaw to the post, and he had a good amount of success in his first season. Southern split its first two games at the SWAC tournament a couple of weekends ago before finishing the tournament with 49 runs in the final four games. That’s what you call impressive.

The Jags will need that type of offensive production to show up again this weekend in Austin to have a chance to advance. This team is led offensively by middle of the order bat Tremaine Spears, who’s hitting .304 with a .902 OPS, 11 doubles, six home runs and 38 RBIs, while O’Neill Burgos has some power potential and some speed on the base paths. Zavier Moore has good zone discipline and a little pop in his bat, while the same or more can be said for Taj Porter, who has six home runs on the season. 

On the mound, the Jags have a pair of nice arms in Joe Battaglia and John Guienze. Battaglia has some funk to him from the right side and has a 5.86 ERA in 55.1 innings of work, along with 33 strikeouts and 16 walks, while Guienze has a 6.80 ERA in 47.2 innings of work, along with 28 strikeouts and 20 walks. Enrique Ozoa has recorded seven saves this season and is a reliable arm for Crenshaw’s crew, while Dimitri Frank has a 3.93 ERA in 36.2 innings of work, along with 44 strikeouts and just nine walks. 

 

DFF is now a "slow field"?

I haven't kept up with turf tech, but I have a bit of a hard time believing that.

[MAUFRAIS 6,629]

Threadshit.  I thought I was at least passingly familiar with most regional foods, but pork roll is a new one on me.
Granted, I have spent about zero time in Jersey.

[troph 24,875]

12 minutes ago, WBT said:

D1Baseball preview is finally up

  Hide contents

Austin Regional Superlatives

Most Exciting Player: Drew Swift, Arizona State

The Sun Devils have the total package in Swift at the shortstop position. The Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year is obviously, well, a premier defender. But his contributions to this team don’t stop in the field. He’s also a high-quality hitter, entering the weekend with a .313 average, nine doubles, three triples, six home runs and 36 RBIs. Swift has some speed and power and can help his club in a variety of ways.

Best Hitter: Ethan Long, Arizona State

What a terrific freshman campaign Long has had for the Sun Devils. Following in the footsteps of former top overall pick Spencer Torkelson, Long isn’t as gifted, but might be as powerful at this stage in his career. Long is hitting an impressive .340 with a 1.133 OPS, along with 16 homers and 53 RBIs. ASU needs the powerful Long to have a strong weekend to advance out of this regional.

Best Defensive Player: Trey Faltine, Texas

 

It’s a tough call between Arizona State shortstop Drew Swift and Texas shortstop Trey Faltine, but on the carpet in Austin, let’s give the slightest of edges to Faltine. The talented middle infielder is silky smooth in the field, athletic, and typically makes strong and accurate throws to first base. Faltine is the total package for the Longhorns.

Best Pitcher: Who else? Ty Madden.

Madden has had a terrific season for the Longhorns — an All-American season to be exact. The hard-throwing righthanded pitcher has a 2.66 ERA in 88 innings, along with 103 strikeouts and 31 walks, and teams are hitting him at a ridiculously low .195 clip. Madden attacks hitters with a big-time fastball, along with a slider/changeup combo.

X-Factor: Ivan Melendez, Texas

Melendez was one of the hottest hitters in college baseball during the month of May. But there’s no doubt he struggled at the Big 12 tournament, and that’s a source of caution around Austin. Melendez has a strong offensive approach and absolutely destroys the ball when he makes contact, hitting .331 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs this spring. If Melendez has a big weekend, it’s probably game over for opponents. If he struggles again? The door is cracked open.

Best Starting Rotation: Texas

The Longhorns already had a solid weekend rotation with Ty Madden, Tristan Stevens and Kolby Kubichek leading the charge. But when lefthander Pete Hansen got fully healthy and reentered the weekend rotation … and oh by the way, started to dominate again, it was icing on the cake to this rotation. Hansen is a No. 1 starter who occupies the three-hole for the Longhorns. UT has four high-quality options that could start in the Austin Regional this weekend.

Best Bullpen: Texas

We give the Longhorns the edge in this category as well. UT has a trio of excellent options out of the bullpen with Cole Quintanilla, Tanner Witt and Aaron Nixon leading the charge. Quintanilla has had an impressive bounce back campaign and will run his fastball up to 94-95 mph, while Witt has a nasty breaking ball with a 2.42 ERA in 44.2 innings of work, and Nixon has some velocity with a 2.51 ERA in 28.2 innings of work. Those aren’t the only quality options, either. 

Best Offensive Team: Texas

For the most part, the Longhorns have been much better offensively than their numbers indicate. UT is hitting .278 as a team, while someone such as Fairfield is hitting just a hair over .300. However, the Stags played a conference-only schedule and stud slugger Mike Caruso is out for the rest of the season. Zach Zubia is a terrific role hitter for the ‘Horns, Mitchell Daly is Mr. Consistent and Ivan Melendez is hitting .331 and could very well heat up this weekend. Doug Hodo and Eric Kennedy are both guys who can make things happen, while Cam Williams has a penchant for the big power hit. There’s also Mike Antico, who has been much better since an early-season slump.

Best Defensive Team: Texas

The Longhorns are one of the nation’s premier defensive clubs. As a matter of fact, they rank 15th nationally in fielding percentage at a .980 clip. Of course, some of that is because they play on a slow field in Austin, but this is still a very good defensive team. Up the middle, the ‘Horns have a pair of premier defenders in Faltine and second baseman Mitchell Daly, while Silas Ardoin is a steady rock behind the plate. In the outfield, UT has three strong options with Mike Antico, Doug Hodo and Eric Kennedy leading the way. The Longhorns aren’t going to beat themselves, and that’s half the battle in the postseason.

No. 1 Seed Win Probability (1-10): 8. The Longhorns have been ultra consistent at home this season, and we don’t expect things to change this weekend against what appears to be an overmatched field. UT has a better pitching staff than anyone else in the field, and it has gotten clutch hit after clutch hit throughout the spring. Never say never, but we don’t expect any different.

Austin Regional Team Breakdowns

Texas (42-15, 17-7 Big 12)

The Longhorns entered the season with high expectations, and they had no trouble meeting them this spring with a Big 12 Conference regular season. Texas is a balanced club with strong starting pitching, a quality bullpen and an offensive lineup that is much better than the statistics indicate. UT is one of those teams that will not beat itself from a defensive standpoint, so you’re going to have to earn it.

Offensively, this team has just gotten better and better under the direction of Troy Tulowitzki as the season has progressed. Mitchell Daley and Ivan Melendez are the team’s leading hitters. Daly has quietly put together an impressive offensive campaign, while Melendez is an X-factor for this team in the regional. Melendez, called the Hispanic Titanic by UT fans, was on an absolute roll before the Big 12 tournament, especially from a power standpoint. However, he struggled in Oklahoma City, and it’s imperative that UT gets him headed the right direction. Melendez has 11 home runs on the season, while Zach Zubia (9) and Cam Williams (9) also are power producers for this club. Doug Hodo has produced for the Longhorns this season and Mike Antico has gotten better as the season progressed. His numbers are very deceiving, and he can show some serious power to his pull side. He’s an experienced hitter with a solid approach.

As for the pitching staff, it all starts with the weekend rotation, which consists of Ty Madden, Tristan Stevens and Pete Hansen. Madden will get up to 96-97 mph with his fastball at times and will attack hitters with a slider and changeup combo. Stevens has steadily increased his velocity this spring, and enters the regional with a fastball up to 93-94 mph, along with a well-commanded overall repertoire. Then, there’s Hansen, the impressive-looking lefthander who can throw four pitches for strikes. He will get up to 89-90 mph with his fastball, but its his ability to command his breaking ball on both sides of the plate that sets him apart. In the bullpen, we discussed the trio of Quintanilla, Nixon and Witt above, while Lucas Gordon (3.38) and Palmer Wenzel (3.48) are other solid options.

Arizona State (32-20, 16-14 Pac 12)

The Sun Devils were one of the nation’s most disappointed teams last year when the season was shuttered because of COVID-19. After all, they had an insanely loaded lineup with a strong weekend rotation and, oh yeah, a guy named Spencer Torkelson. It was a team that could’ve gotten to the College World Series and done damage while in Omaha. Fast forward to this spring, and the Devils entered the season with high hopes. But before they could get comfortable, they lost ace lefthanded pitcher Cooper Benson to a season-ending injury and reliever Erik Tolman also went down with a season-ending injury. Somehow, Tracy Smith’s club is still here and back in the postseason. Job well done, gang.

As they always seem to have under hitting specialist Michael Earley, the Sun Devils have some talented hitters to watch this weekend. It all starts with freshman slugger Ethan Long, who’s having a sensational inaugural campaign. He’s hitting .340 with 11 doubles, 16 home runs and 53 RBIs. He also has a 1.133 OPS. But the coolest thing about the campaign he’s having? Long wasn’t even mentioned in ASU’s fall survey. That gives you an idea of the kind of season he was expecting, and the one he’s now having. Sean McLain is a talented and athletic piece who’s hitting .333 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs, while I’ve been ultra-pleased with Drew Swift’s production both in the field and at the plate. Swift has always been known for his premier defense, but he grew into a hitter this spring with a .313 average, nine doubles, six home runs and 36 RBIs. Nate Baez can give the Devils some power production, Hunter Jump has big-time potential and Joe Lampe has some athleticism and speed to work with. Speedy Hunter Haas is another intriguing bat to watch. Haas is having a strong season at the plate, has gap power and can wreak havoc once on base.

From a pitching standpoint. ASU pitching coach Jason Kelly has kind of had to piece things together throughout the season because of injuries. But ASU has some talented arms in the weekend rotation with righthander Tyler Thornton, lefthander Justin Fall and Jared Glenn leading the way. Just this past weekend, the Devils used the soft-tossing Glenn in an intriguing way, finishing the Saturday game against UCLA with 1.2 innings out of him before starting him and letting him to five frames in the series finale. Thornton will sit in the low-90s with his fastball and Fall is a talented lefty with a fastball up to 92-93 mph with a 3.86 ERA in 74.2 innings of work, along with 45 strikeouts and 32 walks, while Glenn has a 4.66 ERA in 46.1 innings. Will Levine (3.50) and Cam Dennie (3.68) are other arms to watch out of the bullpen ,while Brock Peery and Brady Corrigan could log important innings this weekend. There’s also lefthander Graham Osman, who will get up to 91-93 mph with his fastball, along with an effective 82-83 mph slider. 

Fairfield (37-3, 33-1 MAAC)

They’ve been one of the great stories in college baseball this spring. Fairfield enters the NCAA postseason with a top-five RPI, but it’s one of the strangest top five RPIs ever. You see, the Stags didn’t play any non-conference games and went a ridiculously impressive 33-1 in the regular season against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents. Fairfield didn’t win the MAAC tournament last week, but did earn an at-large bid. We aren’t sure what to expect from the Stags, but we’ll find out a lot more about this team this weekend. 

The Stags have one of the nation’s premier offensive lineups from a statistical standpoint, but we will see how they fare against high-quality pitching this weekend. We will also see how they fare without MAAC Player of the Year Mike Caruso in the lineup. Caruso, who was hitting .414 with three home runs and 28 RBIs, will miss the remainder of the season with an injury. But Mike Handal, Matt Venuto and Dan Ryan are ready to pick up the slack. Handal has some serious pop in his bat and doesn’t strike out much. He has six home runs and 31 RBIs, while also having nine stolen bases to his name. Venuto is hitting .348 and Ryan is a very accomplished and smart hitter. Ryan has a 1.006 OPS and has walked more than he has struck out this season. He also has a .343 average with 10 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 26 RBIs. In addition to his terrific offensive production, Ryan also is a strong defender in the outfield. Also keep an eye on Justin Guerrera and Sean Cullen. Guerrera has hit 12 home runs and knocked in 42 runs and provides some athleticism to the middle of the lineup, while Cullen can drive ball to all fields and is hitting over .300.

The common theme with Fairfield’s rotation is that they throw strikes for the most part. Fairfield has an intriguing group of starters, led by Jake Noviello, Michael Sansone, Trey McLoughlin and John Signore. Noviello has a 1.44 ERA in 62.1 innings of work, along with 56/7 K/BB and has done a nice job this season returning from an injury. Sansone is a junior lefthanded pitcher who has a 2.35 ERA with just 11 walks in 61.1 innings. The big key for him is that he can mix three pitches, and he throws all three for strikes. McLoughlin has a good fastball and a quality breaking ball, while Signore is an experienced pitcher who can throw multiple pitches for strikes. Like everyone else, he has excellent command with just 11 walks in 45.2 innings of work. Bullpen-wise, the Stags leaned heavily on Colin McVeigh and Bryson Cafaro in the MAAC tournament. McVeigh has yet to allow a run in limited action while Cafaro has made 11 appearances (four starts) and has a 1.00 ERA in 36 innings.

Southern (20-28, 13-11 SWAC)

The Jaguars had their backs against the wall early this season when Kerrick Jackson left his post as head coach to be the head honcho at the MLB Draft League, operated by our good friends at Prep Baseball Report. With Jackson leaving the program, the Jags promoted assistant Chris Crenshaw to the post, and he had a good amount of success in his first season. Southern split its first two games at the SWAC tournament a couple of weekends ago before finishing the tournament with 49 runs in the final four games. That’s what you call impressive.

The Jags will need that type of offensive production to show up again this weekend in Austin to have a chance to advance. This team is led offensively by middle of the order bat Tremaine Spears, who’s hitting .304 with a .902 OPS, 11 doubles, six home runs and 38 RBIs, while O’Neill Burgos has some power potential and some speed on the base paths. Zavier Moore has good zone discipline and a little pop in his bat, while the same or more can be said for Taj Porter, who has six home runs on the season. 

On the mound, the Jags have a pair of nice arms in Joe Battaglia and John Guienze. Battaglia has some funk to him from the right side and has a 5.86 ERA in 55.1 innings of work, along with 33 strikeouts and 16 walks, while Guienze has a 6.80 ERA in 47.2 innings of work, along with 28 strikeouts and 20 walks. Enrique Ozoa has recorded seven saves this season and is a reliable arm for Crenshaw’s crew, while Dimitri Frank has a 3.93 ERA in 36.2 innings of work, along with 44 strikeouts and just nine walks. 

 

fuck. yes.  GO HORNS!

[Cairn Horn88 8,275]

Wish they’d start the first game early...rain possible around 2:00ish....or maybe not.   Never can tell with weather around here.

[Fletch 5,800]

18 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

DFF is now a "slow field"?

I haven't kept up with turf tech, but I have a bit of a hard time believing that.

The rain is going to slow down a lot of grounders. Good for us. Kennedy, Antico, Hodo, Faltine and Daly are gonna beat out what otherwise would be routine grounders this weekend. And Faltine can make any play in the infield so yeah. Stay wet, turf. And white topped lady Longhorns and asu gals 

[jeevsie 3,734]

[Js1 85,437]

45 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Threadshit.  I thought I was at least passingly familiar with most regional foods, but pork roll is a new one on me.

Granted, I have spent about zero time in Jersey.

Also referred to as a Taylor Ham, egg and cheese in northern Joisey 

[TwiceHorn 31,507]

1 minute ago, Js1 said:

Also referred to as a Taylor Ham, egg and cheese in northern Joisey 

I may have heard of Taylor Ham, but pork roll is a new one.  Sounds less disgusting than neighboring scrapple, for instance.

[jw4381 3,085]

Melendez was hot in May? I did not know that. 

[Herpa Derpa 6,126]

56 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Threadshit.  I thought I was at least passingly familiar with most regional foods, but pork roll is a new one on me.

Granted, I have spent about zero time in Jersey.

aka Taylor Ham and Egg sandwich in North Jersey. Pork roll sandwich is the non-brand specific name. 

a pork roll:

Cut off a few salty slices, fry em up, and you’re good to go  

 

[tejas60 3,533]

fuck nj

[WBT 20,624]

Taylor Hamm talk goes in the 6figs thread

https://www.surlyhorns.com/board/index.php?/topic/125-6figstrust-the-hamm-greatest-hits/#comments

[ztejas 43,489]

It isn't raining right now which has led me to deduce that it will not rain for the rest of this weekend and we shall get in every baseball game as scheduled. 

[Droopy 2,626]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Threadshit.  I thought I was at least passingly familiar with most regional foods, but pork roll is a new one on me.

Granted, I have spent about zero time in Jersey.

It's an Egg McMuffin. It's not bad, but it's not even close to a breakfast taco. SMH.

Hook 'em, Mike and I'll buy you a shitload of Pork Rolls!!!!! 

[Barbacoa 1,934]

@immamac are yall doing a discord stream for this game?

[clapclapclap 9,000]

2 hours ago, WBT said:

D1Baseball preview is finally up

  Reveal hidden contents

Austin Regional Superlatives

Most Exciting Player: Drew Swift, Arizona State

The Sun Devils have the total package in Swift at the shortstop position. The Pac 12 Defensive Player of the Year is obviously, well, a premier defender. But his contributions to this team don’t stop in the field. He’s also a high-quality hitter, entering the weekend with a .313 average, nine doubles, three triples, six home runs and 36 RBIs. Swift has some speed and power and can help his club in a variety of ways.

Best Hitter: Ethan Long, Arizona State

What a terrific freshman campaign Long has had for the Sun Devils. Following in the footsteps of former top overall pick Spencer Torkelson, Long isn’t as gifted, but might be as powerful at this stage in his career. Long is hitting an impressive .340 with a 1.133 OPS, along with 16 homers and 53 RBIs. ASU needs the powerful Long to have a strong weekend to advance out of this regional.

Best Defensive Player: Trey Faltine, Texas

 

It’s a tough call between Arizona State shortstop Drew Swift and Texas shortstop Trey Faltine, but on the carpet in Austin, let’s give the slightest of edges to Faltine. The talented middle infielder is silky smooth in the field, athletic, and typically makes strong and accurate throws to first base. Faltine is the total package for the Longhorns.

Best Pitcher: Who else? Ty Madden.

Madden has had a terrific season for the Longhorns — an All-American season to be exact. The hard-throwing righthanded pitcher has a 2.66 ERA in 88 innings, along with 103 strikeouts and 31 walks, and teams are hitting him at a ridiculously low .195 clip. Madden attacks hitters with a big-time fastball, along with a slider/changeup combo.

X-Factor: Ivan Melendez, Texas

Melendez was one of the hottest hitters in college baseball during the month of May. But there’s no doubt he struggled at the Big 12 tournament, and that’s a source of caution around Austin. Melendez has a strong offensive approach and absolutely destroys the ball when he makes contact, hitting .331 with 11 homers and 45 RBIs this spring. If Melendez has a big weekend, it’s probably game over for opponents. If he struggles again? The door is cracked open.

Best Starting Rotation: Texas

The Longhorns already had a solid weekend rotation with Ty Madden, Tristan Stevens and Kolby Kubichek leading the charge. But when lefthander Pete Hansen got fully healthy and reentered the weekend rotation … and oh by the way, started to dominate again, it was icing on the cake to this rotation. Hansen is a No. 1 starter who occupies the three-hole for the Longhorns. UT has four high-quality options that could start in the Austin Regional this weekend.

Best Bullpen: Texas

We give the Longhorns the edge in this category as well. UT has a trio of excellent options out of the bullpen with Cole Quintanilla, Tanner Witt and Aaron Nixon leading the charge. Quintanilla has had an impressive bounce back campaign and will run his fastball up to 94-95 mph, while Witt has a nasty breaking ball with a 2.42 ERA in 44.2 innings of work, and Nixon has some velocity with a 2.51 ERA in 28.2 innings of work. Those aren’t the only quality options, either. 

Best Offensive Team: Texas

For the most part, the Longhorns have been much better offensively than their numbers indicate. UT is hitting .278 as a team, while someone such as Fairfield is hitting just a hair over .300. However, the Stags played a conference-only schedule and stud slugger Mike Caruso is out for the rest of the season. Zach Zubia is a terrific role hitter for the ‘Horns, Mitchell Daly is Mr. Consistent and Ivan Melendez is hitting .331 and could very well heat up this weekend. Doug Hodo and Eric Kennedy are both guys who can make things happen, while Cam Williams has a penchant for the big power hit. There’s also Mike Antico, who has been much better since an early-season slump.

Best Defensive Team: Texas

The Longhorns are one of the nation’s premier defensive clubs. As a matter of fact, they rank 15th nationally in fielding percentage at a .980 clip. Of course, some of that is because they play on a slow field in Austin, but this is still a very good defensive team. Up the middle, the ‘Horns have a pair of premier defenders in Faltine and second baseman Mitchell Daly, while Silas Ardoin is a steady rock behind the plate. In the outfield, UT has three strong options with Mike Antico, Doug Hodo and Eric Kennedy leading the way. The Longhorns aren’t going to beat themselves, and that’s half the battle in the postseason.

No. 1 Seed Win Probability (1-10): 8. The Longhorns have been ultra consistent at home this season, and we don’t expect things to change this weekend against what appears to be an overmatched field. UT has a better pitching staff than anyone else in the field, and it has gotten clutch hit after clutch hit throughout the spring. Never say never, but we don’t expect any different.

Austin Regional Team Breakdowns

Texas (42-15, 17-7 Big 12)

The Longhorns entered the season with high expectations, and they had no trouble meeting them this spring with a Big 12 Conference regular season. Texas is a balanced club with strong starting pitching, a quality bullpen and an offensive lineup that is much better than the statistics indicate. UT is one of those teams that will not beat itself from a defensive standpoint, so you’re going to have to earn it.

Offensively, this team has just gotten better and better under the direction of Troy Tulowitzki as the season has progressed. Mitchell Daley and Ivan Melendez are the team’s leading hitters. Daly has quietly put together an impressive offensive campaign, while Melendez is an X-factor for this team in the regional. Melendez, called the Hispanic Titanic by UT fans, was on an absolute roll before the Big 12 tournament, especially from a power standpoint. However, he struggled in Oklahoma City, and it’s imperative that UT gets him headed the right direction. Melendez has 11 home runs on the season, while Zach Zubia (9) and Cam Williams (9) also are power producers for this club. Doug Hodo has produced for the Longhorns this season and Mike Antico has gotten better as the season progressed. His numbers are very deceiving, and he can show some serious power to his pull side. He’s an experienced hitter with a solid approach.

As for the pitching staff, it all starts with the weekend rotation, which consists of Ty Madden, Tristan Stevens and Pete Hansen. Madden will get up to 96-97 mph with his fastball at times and will attack hitters with a slider and changeup combo. Stevens has steadily increased his velocity this spring, and enters the regional with a fastball up to 93-94 mph, along with a well-commanded overall repertoire. Then, there’s Hansen, the impressive-looking lefthander who can throw four pitches for strikes. He will get up to 89-90 mph with his fastball, but its his ability to command his breaking ball on both sides of the plate that sets him apart. In the bullpen, we discussed the trio of Quintanilla, Nixon and Witt above, while Lucas Gordon (3.38) and Palmer Wenzel (3.48) are other solid options.

Arizona State (32-20, 16-14 Pac 12)

The Sun Devils were one of the nation’s most disappointed teams last year when the season was shuttered because of COVID-19. After all, they had an insanely loaded lineup with a strong weekend rotation and, oh yeah, a guy named Spencer Torkelson. It was a team that could’ve gotten to the College World Series and done damage while in Omaha. Fast forward to this spring, and the Devils entered the season with high hopes. But before they could get comfortable, they lost ace lefthanded pitcher Cooper Benson to a season-ending injury and reliever Erik Tolman also went down with a season-ending injury. Somehow, Tracy Smith’s club is still here and back in the postseason. Job well done, gang.

As they always seem to have under hitting specialist Michael Earley, the Sun Devils have some talented hitters to watch this weekend. It all starts with freshman slugger Ethan Long, who’s having a sensational inaugural campaign. He’s hitting .340 with 11 doubles, 16 home runs and 53 RBIs. He also has a 1.133 OPS. But the coolest thing about the campaign he’s having? Long wasn’t even mentioned in ASU’s fall survey. That gives you an idea of the kind of season he was expecting, and the one he’s now having. Sean McLain is a talented and athletic piece who’s hitting .333 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs, while I’ve been ultra-pleased with Drew Swift’s production both in the field and at the plate. Swift has always been known for his premier defense, but he grew into a hitter this spring with a .313 average, nine doubles, six home runs and 36 RBIs. Nate Baez can give the Devils some power production, Hunter Jump has big-time potential and Joe Lampe has some athleticism and speed to work with. Speedy Hunter Haas is another intriguing bat to watch. Haas is having a strong season at the plate, has gap power and can wreak havoc once on base.

From a pitching standpoint. ASU pitching coach Jason Kelly has kind of had to piece things together throughout the season because of injuries. But ASU has some talented arms in the weekend rotation with righthander Tyler Thornton, lefthander Justin Fall and Jared Glenn leading the way. Just this past weekend, the Devils used the soft-tossing Glenn in an intriguing way, finishing the Saturday game against UCLA with 1.2 innings out of him before starting him and letting him to five frames in the series finale. Thornton will sit in the low-90s with his fastball and Fall is a talented lefty with a fastball up to 92-93 mph with a 3.86 ERA in 74.2 innings of work, along with 45 strikeouts and 32 walks, while Glenn has a 4.66 ERA in 46.1 innings. Will Levine (3.50) and Cam Dennie (3.68) are other arms to watch out of the bullpen ,while Brock Peery and Brady Corrigan could log important innings this weekend. There’s also lefthander Graham Osman, who will get up to 91-93 mph with his fastball, along with an effective 82-83 mph slider. 

Fairfield (37-3, 33-1 MAAC)

They’ve been one of the great stories in college baseball this spring. Fairfield enters the NCAA postseason with a top-five RPI, but it’s one of the strangest top five RPIs ever. You see, the Stags didn’t play any non-conference games and went a ridiculously impressive 33-1 in the regular season against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents. Fairfield didn’t win the MAAC tournament last week, but did earn an at-large bid. We aren’t sure what to expect from the Stags, but we’ll find out a lot more about this team this weekend. 

The Stags have one of the nation’s premier offensive lineups from a statistical standpoint, but we will see how they fare against high-quality pitching this weekend. We will also see how they fare without MAAC Player of the Year Mike Caruso in the lineup. Caruso, who was hitting .414 with three home runs and 28 RBIs, will miss the remainder of the season with an injury. But Mike Handal, Matt Venuto and Dan Ryan are ready to pick up the slack. Handal has some serious pop in his bat and doesn’t strike out much. He has six home runs and 31 RBIs, while also having nine stolen bases to his name. Venuto is hitting .348 and Ryan is a very accomplished and smart hitter. Ryan has a 1.006 OPS and has walked more than he has struck out this season. He also has a .343 average with 10 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 26 RBIs. In addition to his terrific offensive production, Ryan also is a strong defender in the outfield. Also keep an eye on Justin Guerrera and Sean Cullen. Guerrera has hit 12 home runs and knocked in 42 runs and provides some athleticism to the middle of the lineup, while Cullen can drive ball to all fields and is hitting over .300.

The common theme with Fairfield’s rotation is that they throw strikes for the most part. Fairfield has an intriguing group of starters, led by Jake Noviello, Michael Sansone, Trey McLoughlin and John Signore. Noviello has a 1.44 ERA in 62.1 innings of work, along with 56/7 K/BB and has done a nice job this season returning from an injury. Sansone is a junior lefthanded pitcher who has a 2.35 ERA with just 11 walks in 61.1 innings. The big key for him is that he can mix three pitches, and he throws all three for strikes. McLoughlin has a good fastball and a quality breaking ball, while Signore is an experienced pitcher who can throw multiple pitches for strikes. Like everyone else, he has excellent command with just 11 walks in 45.2 innings of work. Bullpen-wise, the Stags leaned heavily on Colin McVeigh and Bryson Cafaro in the MAAC tournament. McVeigh has yet to allow a run in limited action while Cafaro has made 11 appearances (four starts) and has a 1.00 ERA in 36 innings.

Southern (20-28, 13-11 SWAC)

The Jaguars had their backs against the wall early this season when Kerrick Jackson left his post as head coach to be the head honcho at the MLB Draft League, operated by our good friends at Prep Baseball Report. With Jackson leaving the program, the Jags promoted assistant Chris Crenshaw to the post, and he had a good amount of success in his first season. Southern split its first two games at the SWAC tournament a couple of weekends ago before finishing the tournament with 49 runs in the final four games. That’s what you call impressive.

The Jags will need that type of offensive production to show up again this weekend in Austin to have a chance to advance. This team is led offensively by middle of the order bat Tremaine Spears, who’s hitting .304 with a .902 OPS, 11 doubles, six home runs and 38 RBIs, while O’Neill Burgos has some power potential and some speed on the base paths. Zavier Moore has good zone discipline and a little pop in his bat, while the same or more can be said for Taj Porter, who has six home runs on the season. 

On the mound, the Jags have a pair of nice arms in Joe Battaglia and John Guienze. Battaglia has some funk to him from the right side and has a 5.86 ERA in 55.1 innings of work, along with 33 strikeouts and 16 walks, while Guienze has a 6.80 ERA in 47.2 innings of work, along with 28 strikeouts and 20 walks. Enrique Ozoa has recorded seven saves this season and is a reliable arm for Crenshaw’s crew, while Dimitri Frank has a 3.93 ERA in 36.2 innings of work, along with 44 strikeouts and just nine walks. 

 

tl;dr on Fairfield:

"We like to party"

Edited June 4, 2021 by clapclapclap
"We don't cause trouble, we don't bother nobody"

[Machinator 32,099]

Here are two different streaming links for LHN:

http://yrsprts.stream/live?v=lhn

https://sports24.icu/tv/v?id=lhn

[clapclapclap 9,000]

1 hour ago, Barbacoa said:

@immamac are yall doing a discord stream for this game?

Yes, but Hayden moved it to Cloak Room.

[Nueces River Rat 5,539]

How's the weather looking for tomorrow?   Going up for the High School Softball State 4A title game which starts at 1PM....   May try to stick around if my wife agrees for some baseball afterward..

Edited June 4, 2021 by Nueces River Rat

[Hammerin Hank 1,227]

Suns out. Let’s play ball

[texastough 1,129]

Sorry if I missed it, but do we know whether tickets will be sold at the gate? Planning on taking my 3 year old boy to his first sporting event of any kind  HOOKE 'EM

[Both Tacos 1,806]

1 hour ago, Machinator said:

Here are two different streaming links for LHN:

http://yrsprts.stream/live?v=lhn

https://sports24.icu/tv/v?id=lhn

Both need registrations?