2022 Texas Baseball

[MuellerHorn 4260]

5 hours ago, Js1 said:

He's tied for 1st in HR, tied for 4th in RBI, 24th in average, #1 in slugging (by a good bit, too), 7th in RBI per game, and 3rd in HR per game.  

He fucking should be the front-runner, as of today.  

His OBP is .526 (.401 BA, 33 walks, 5 HBP). That's amazing. Ranks seventh in the NCAA.

Even crazier, Davidson has the number two and three players in OBP (.578 & .564). Unsurprisingly, they're 31-7 (10-2).

[wood 11236]

38 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

Hard to imagine anyone being more productive than Kieschnick. #1 starter, #1 hitter. Very productive at both.

And an absolute workhorse.

[Had Enough 2084]

Darren Dreifort was sick on the 1993 Wichita State team.   Him, Kieschnick, and maybe Mark Kotsay are the best two way players I've seen.  I started following Texas baseball when Kieschnick hit campus.

It makes me feel old that Kieschnick will be fiddy this summer.  

Yep his stats were pretty stellar in 93 for Dreifort.

Maybe it’s not easier, but it sure seems like being a closer would be less difficult than a starter.

And nowadays the two way player seems harder to find.

[LTtxfan 49329]

So glad Skyler has gotten hot 🔥🔥🔥

 

[dcar00 14329]

1 hour ago, Fletch said:

 

 

Clemens got totally fucking robbed. Same with Huston. And Kieschnich.  Jungmann probably should’ve won it in 2011 too. So yeah we should have like 3-5 winners. Golden spikes and the Heisman owe us for those dudes and Vince and Colt

Kieschnick won the Howser twice.  Jungmann won the Howser also.  the Howser is more like the Heisman anyway.  Bryant won it also.

[40acredropout 2902]

It's really only a discussion when EK returns, but if DC/Todd keep hitting, how much longer does Daly's glove and freshman success keep him in the lineup? 

He's sporting a .608 OPS and striking out 32% of the time in Big 12 play.  He racked up 6 K's against Baylor in 12 AB's.  Rest of the team-  10 K's in 95 AB's.  He really just seems lost up there at this point. 

[Fletch 5800]

1 hour ago, dcar00 said:

Kieschnick won the Howser twice.  Jungmann won the Howser also.  the Howser is more like the Heisman anyway.  Bryant won it also.

Oh yeah I know. I’ve just had this weird fascination with the golden spikes and how whoever the fuck is running that shit comes to their conclusions.

[dcar00 14329]

1 hour ago, 40acredropout said:

It's really only a discussion when EK returns, but if DC/Todd keep hitting, how much longer does Daly's glove and freshman success keep him in the lineup? 

He's sporting a .608 OPS and striking out 32% of the time in Big 12 play.  He racked up 6 K's against Baylor in 12 AB's.  Rest of the team-  10 K's in 95 AB's.  He really just seems lost up there at this point. 

Pierce hasn't pulled Daly yet so it's ride or die at this point.  I know I'm beating a dead horse but your 2B offensive output shouldn't really matter if he is your best fielder at 2B.

[ztejas 43526]

Yeah I'm not sure who else you put at 2nd if you pull Daly. Maybe Murph? He isn't bad enough and our lineup isn't bad enough that it makes a ton of sense to sacrifice his D. 

[Hookem2147 21346]

Options are limited at 2B. O’Dowd isn’t ready, Murphy is a bat first player with some defensive liabilities. I think you just gotta stick Daly at the bottom of the lineup and ride it out.

In an ideal world, when Kennedy comes back you get Murphy out of the field and back into the DH spot. Kick Campbell over to RF. Todd had a good series this past weekend but I want to see him continue to hold his own against better pitching. Not sure of Kennedy’s splits (I know they were pretty extreme last year), but maybe you ease him back in by only playing him against righties in place of Todd or Campbell.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Hookem2147

[ztejas 43526]

59 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Options are limited at 2B. O’Dowd isn’t ready, Murphy is a bat first player with some defensive liabilities. I think you just gotta stick Daly at the bottom of the lineup and ride it out.

In an ideal world, when Kennedy comes back you get Murphy out of the field and back into the DH spot. Kick Campbell over to RF. Todd had a good series this past weekend but I want to see him continue to hold his own against better pitching. Not sure of Kennedy’s splits (I know they were pretty extreme last year), but maybe you ease him back in by only playing him against righties in place of Todd or Campbell.

Todd isn't exactly tearing it up (I mean he was good against Baylor but so was everyone's grandmothers) but I think he has some valuable vet presence. Like - in a close game in the postseason I kind of trust him to hang in there and battle through an AB more than a couple other guys. But - with EK back - he doesn't need to be starting every game. 

[BachelorTrek 3056]

9 hours ago, zlavydra said:

Wonder who gets the start in Edinburg?  Hoping for Josh Stewart.

Seems with all that rain yesterday and still going now down there that it would be hard to play the game at all on a natural mud field.

I wonder if they'll even bother with the 5-hour-long-each-way bus trip. 

[salonghorn 204]

When is Kennedy due back?

[cabowabo 4507]

Seems with all that rain yesterday and still going now down there that it would be hard to play the game at all on a natural mud field.
I wonder if they'll even bother with the 5-hour-long-each-way bus trip. 

I paid $8 each for 8 tickets. They better get on that damn bus.

[Native Horn 3510]

8 hours ago, BachelorTrek said:

Seems with all that rain yesterday and still going now down there that it would be hard to play the game at all on a natural mud field.

I wonder if they'll even bother with the 5-hour-long-each-way bus trip. 

Maybe I'm just a misinformed asshole, but have they heard of tarps down in the Valley?

[Valmy77 13266]

52 minutes ago, Native Horn said:

Maybe I'm just a misinformed asshole, but have they heard of tarps down in the Valley?

After all the billions the UT System invested in UTRGV I sure hope they found the extra change for a tarp.

[NorthLoop 14222]

Looks like it's gonna rain all day down there. 

[Valmy77 13266]

14 hours ago, MuellerHorn said:

Even crazier, Davidson has the number two and three players in OBP (.578 & .564). Unsurprisingly, they're 31-7 (10-2).

The Fairfield of 2022?

[mr.goodkat 464]

23 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

Looks like it's gonna rain all day down there. 

looks like it clears up ~4ish . i am hopeful 

 

[NorthLoop 14222]

22 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

The Fairfield of 2022?

Was gonna say, the committee already has them penciled into our bracket as the 4 seed

[zlavydra 2123]

If it's rained out today, any chance of playing tomorrow instead?

[Hookem2147 21346]

9 minutes ago, zlavydra said:

If it's rained out today, any chance of playing tomorrow instead?

UTRGV is scheduled to play A&M Corpus Christi tomorrow

[dcar00 14329]

This would be a perfect game to let someone else coach 3B

[NeverMarryAStripper 21920]

I've about decided his problem is that he's too short to see what's going on from the third-base box so he doesn't really have a clue whether or not to send the runner.  Maybe a step stool would improve his base coaching.

[Pato del Muerto 52556]

15 hours ago, Had Enough said:

Yep his stats were pretty stellar in 93 for Dreifort.

Maybe it’s not easier, but it sure seems like being a closer would be less difficult than a starter.

And nowadays the two way player seems harder to find.

John olerud at wazzu 

 

As a true freshman in 1987, he hit .414 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. As a pitcher, he went 8–2 with a 3.00 ERA and was an All-American. 

In 1988, Olerud hit .464 with 23 home runs, 81 runs batted in, 108 hits, 204 total bases, and a .876 slugging percentage. As a pitcher, he had an undefeated 15–0 season,^[11] with a 2.49 ERA and 113 strikeouts. He was a consensus All-American as both a first baseman and pitcher and was named the Baseball America College Player of the Year.^[12][13]

Edited April 26, 2022 by Pato del Muerto
Probably triggers an obligatory posting of the Rickey Henderson olerud story.

[ClubWhatever 12154]

57 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

John olerud at wazzu 

 

As a true freshman in 1987, he hit .414 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. As a pitcher, he went 8–2 with a 3.00 ERA and was an All-American. 

In 1988, Olerud hit .464 with 23 home runs, 81 runs batted in, 108 hits, 204 total bases, and a .876 slugging percentage. As a pitcher, he had an undefeated 15–0 season,^[11] with a 2.49 ERA and 113 strikeouts. He was a consensus All-American as both a first baseman and pitcher and was named the Baseball America College Player of the Year.^[12][13]

Two of the best two-way players in NCAA history wound up hitting next to each other in the lineup for the Twins.

https://gophersports.com/news/2021/2/9/baseball-black-history-month-dave-winfield

During his time on campus, Winfield attained both team and individual success. In 1972, he helped the Gopher basketball team win a Big Ten title. The following year, he was named Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series. Winfield struck out 29 batters in 17.1 innings, pitched a complete-game shutout, and hit 7-for-15 at the CWS. He was a two-time All-American and three-time All-Big Ten selection for baseball. He was part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 2006, becoming the first Black player to be inducted.
 
Winfield went on to be drafted in three sports despite never playing football for the Gophers. He is the only athlete to be drafted by MLB, NBA, ABA, and NFL teams. Winfield elected to stay with baseball and signed with the San Diego Padres. In a rare event, Winfield skipped over the minor leagues straight to the majors, one of only 21 players to do so in MLB's draft era.

https://www.espn.com/college-sports/baseball/story/_/id/29324252/inside-legend-john-olerud-college-baseball-two-way-star

"I've always been so proud of what I did in college, being a two-way player, and I loved tracking other guys who played the same way," says Winfield, the four-sport Golden Gophers star who legendarily won Most Outstanding Player of the 1972 College World Series even though his team failed to make the finals. He hit .467 while striking out 29 batters.

"I had heard about this kid from Washington State and the numbers he was putting up," Winfield says. "Just a couple of seasons later we started the season hitting back-to-back in the starting lineup with the Toronto Blue Jays. The first time I saw John take live batting practice, I said, 'OK, this is the guy they were telling me about.' And yeah, he was every bit as good as they told me he was. We won a World Series together in 1992 and the next year he nearly hit .400. I don't think I ever saw his pulse rate get above 60. We started calling him Hobbsy, because he was this aw-shucks guy who could hit like you've never seen, like Roy Hobbs from 'The Natural.'"

 

When Winfield talks about his old lineup mate, he quickly shifts the conversation away from the numbers.

"Then, when you asked him about that helmet that he always wore, even in the field, and you learned the story of what he had overcome, that's the real story of John Olerud," Winfield said.

 

[Had Enough 2084]

Not sure I knew Winfield was a two-way player. Obviously a great athlete and imposing specimen.

The Blue Jays had some talent roll thru there. Hadn’t much thought about how remarkable the careers and stories of those guys were. And Winfield and Olerud played college at some unremarkable locations.

That was some interesting article. And both had better MLB careers than the other guys we’ve mentioned.

[sidis 9832]

39 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

Not sure I knew Winfield was a two-way player. Obviously a great athlete and imposing specimen.

The Blue Jays had some talent roll thru there. Hadn’t much thought about how remarkable the careers and stories of those guys were. And Winfield and Olerud played college at some unremarkable locations.

That was some interesting article. And both had better MLB careers than the other guys we’ve mentioned.

dave was drafted fourth overall in the mlb draft in 1973, drafted by the atlanta hawks in the nba, the utah stars in the aba, and the minnesota vikings in the nfl draft.

[Pato del Muerto 52556]

I think he was on the court, or at least on the team, along with Kevin mchale, when one of their guys sucker punched that Ohio state player. 

[totallynotabuttpirate 5402]

Looking good so far. 

[dcar00 14329]

59 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

I think he was on the court, or at least on the team, along with Kevin mchale, when one of their guys sucker punched that Ohio state player. 

That was 72.  Winfield was there(his rookie year in baseball was 1973) but Mchale was 76-80 at Minn.

[Biff Tannen 45702]

6 hours ago, Had Enough said:

Not sure I knew Winfield was a two-way player. Obviously a great athlete and imposing specimen.

The Blue Jays had some talent roll thru there. Hadn’t much thought about how remarkable the careers and stories of those guys were. And Winfield and Olerud played college at some unremarkable locations.

That was some interesting article. And both had better MLB careers than the other guys we’ve mentioned.

My dad played against him in semi-pro ball and said he was just a monster.

[Had Enough 2084]

My dad played against him in semi-pro ball and said he was just a monster.

That’s pretty cool. Dave was probably 12 too. You’d think with today’s training Winfield would be down right scary.

[40acredropout 2902]

On 4/25/2022 at 9:17 PM, 40acredropout said:

It's really only a discussion when EK returns, but if DC/Todd keep hitting, how much longer does Daly's glove and freshman success keep him in the lineup? 

He's sporting a .608 OPS and striking out 32% of the time in Big 12 play.  He racked up 6 K's against Baylor in 12 AB's.  Rest of the team-  10 K's in 95 AB's.  He really just seems lost up there at this point. 

Shut the fuck up, dumbass.  Or keep talking shit, maybe Mitch reads Surly.

Last night:
Daly: 2-3, 2B, BB, HBP, 2 Runs
Todd:  0-5 1k
DC:  1-4, 2k's

Mostly kidding... I'd love to be wrong and Daly to return to 2021 form but need to see it against better pitching.  I didn't actually get to watch game last night so no clue how much the results matched the quality of the approaches / AB's.

Edited April 27, 2022 by 40acredropout

[MuellerHorn 4260]

28 minutes ago, 40acredropout said:

Didn't realize how solid he has been recently.

Since getting touched up a bit against USCe, in 8 appearances in last 6 weeks or so:

Cross-posting to shine light on Morehouse given all of our collective woes related to Texas pitching since Witt left the staff.

He has been a stud. Since USCe, Morehouse has given up just eight hits across 17.1 innings of work with a 7:3 (14:6) SO/BB ratio.

Date	Opponent	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
2/22/2022	AM Corpus Christi	1.0	1	0	0	1	2
3/1/2022	Sam Houston	1.0	2	1	1	0	1
3/9/2022	Texas State	1.2	2	1	1	0	1
3/13/2022	South Carolina	0.1	3	3	3	1	1
3/16/2022	The Citadel	1.0	0	0	0	1	1
3/26/2022	Texas Tech	4.0	0	0	0	1	3
3/29/2022	Texas A&M	1.0	3	1	1	0	0
4/2/2022	Oklahoma	0.2	1	0	0	0	1
4/12/2022	Stephen F Austin	1.0	0	1	0	3	0
4/19/2022	Air Force	1.0	0	0	0	0	0
4/22/2022	Baylor	3.0	2	0	0	0	3
4/26/2022	UT Rio Grande Valley	5.2	2	1	1	1	6

[LTtxfan 49329]

Hope that bus ride back last night was fun... 😋. 

[BillyGoatHill 4312]

21 hours ago, Had Enough said:

Not sure I knew Winfield was a two-way player. Obviously a great athlete and imposing specimen.

The Blue Jays had some talent roll thru there. Hadn’t much thought about how remarkable the careers and stories of those guys were. And Winfield and Olerud played college at some unremarkable locations.

That was some interesting article. And both had better MLB careers than the other guys we’ve mentioned.

While Wazzu and Minnesota are obviously both northern schools, they both have a history of playing pretty good, successful baseball.

Minnesota has close to 30 Big 10 Championships (or B10 tourney champions) since the late 50's, to include 3 CWS National Championships. 

Washington St pretty much dominated the Pac 10 North under Chuck "Bobo" Brayton (Olerud's Coach) from the 60s-90s including a run of 11 straight from 70-80. While only making the CWS twice under his tenure, when he retired in '94, he was number #4 1162-523-8 (.689) on the all time wins list, only behind Augie, Cliff, and Rod Dedeaux of Southern Cal. 

After Olerud's aneurysm and upon returning to baseball, he was never without his batting helmet, at the plate and on the field. Bobo Brayton was known for the same while coaching for the Cougars. Before coming to Wazzu, he had been hit by a line drive in the head while coaching third base at Yakima Valley College. It damn near killed him and he was in a coma for a month. Upon returning to baseball and coaching (like having Olerud later), he always wore a batter's helmet anytime on the field.

Edited April 27, 2022 by BillyGoatHill

[Valmy77 13266]

1 hour ago, 40acredropout said:

Shut the fuck up, dumbass.  Or keep talking shit, maybe Mitch reads Surly.

Last night:
Daly: 2-3, 2B, BB, HBP, 2 Runs
Todd:  0-5 1k
DC:  1-4, 2k's

Mostly kidding... I'd love to be wrong and Daly to return to 2021 form but need to see it against better pitching.  I didn't actually get to watch game last night so no clue how much the results matched the quality of the approaches / AB's.

He did get two hits despite falling down on the base paths. So that was encouraging.

[NorthLoop 14222]

8 minutes ago, MuellerHorn said:

Cross-posting to shine light on Morehouse given all of our collective woes related to Texas pitching since Witt left the staff.

He has been a stud. Since USCe, Morehouse has given up just eight hits across 17.1 innings of work with a 7:3 (14:6) SO/BB ratio.

Date	Opponent	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
2/22/2022	AM Corpus Christi	1.0	1	0	0	1	2
3/1/2022	Sam Houston	1.0	2	1	1	0	1
3/9/2022	Texas State	1.2	2	1	1	0	1
3/13/2022	South Carolina	0.1	3	3	3	1	1
3/16/2022	The Citadel	1.0	0	0	0	1	1
3/26/2022	Texas Tech	4.0	0	0	0	1	3
3/29/2022	Texas A&M	1.0	3	1	1	0	0
4/2/2022	Oklahoma	0.2	1	0	0	0	1
4/12/2022	Stephen F Austin	1.0	0	1	0	3	0
4/19/2022	Air Force	1.0	0	0	0	0	0
4/22/2022	Baylor	3.0	2	0	0	0	3
4/26/2022	UT Rio Grande Valley	5.2	2	1	1	1	6

Morehouse looked like a weekend guy last night. 

[HenryJames 66151]

Morehouse should starts?

[40acredropout 2902]

Updated performance vs recent CWS squads:

 

Edited April 27, 2022 by 40acredropout

[Valmy77 13266]

Interesting we are walking people at a fairly typical rate. I guess it just hurts more when you are giving up an average of 1 homer a game.

[40acredropout 2902]

9 minutes ago, Valmy77 said:

Interesting we are walking people at a fairly typical rate. I guess it just hurts more when you are giving up an average of 1 homer a game.

Seeing our walk rate in line with those staffs was most surprising thing to me as well.  It's just felt so much worse.

Makes you wonder how much of the pitching woes have been bad luck / attributable to environmental factors that I won't try to isolate or quantify (competition level, ballpark factors, weather, etc).  When I see that we are striking hitters out at a pace higher than before & giving up hits in line with past staffs, that doesn't tell me that we lack the stuff / are more hittable.  Can't ignore that our offense is also leaving the yard at a clip almost 2x as high as last two CWS squads... maybe some of those environmental factors have made the staff feel worse than they really are.

At any rate, these metrics still suggest this team is capable of getting to the show.  Still hard for me to square that with some of the bad losses as of late but good to see us taking care of business this last half week or so.

[40acredropout 2902]

Also of note-  Ivan is up to 21 bombs through 42 games played. 

Team is guaranteed at least 16 more games (12 regular season, = >2 Big 12 Tournament, = >2 NCAA Tournament).  At current pace, that gets him to at least 29 bombs, passing Kyle Russell's school record of 28 in 2007.

[ClubWhatever 12154]

1 hour ago, 40acredropout said:

Seeing our walk rate in line with those staffs was most surprising thing to me as well.  It's just felt so much worse.

Makes you wonder how much of the pitching woes have been bad luck / attributable to environmental factors that I won't try to isolate or quantify (competition level, ballpark factors, weather, etc).  When I see that we are striking hitters out at a pace higher than before & giving up hits in line with past staffs, that doesn't tell me that we lack the stuff / are more hittable.  Can't ignore that our offense is also leaving the yard at a clip almost 2x as high as last two CWS squads... maybe some of those environmental factors have made the staff feel worse than they really are.

At any rate, these metrics still suggest this team is capable of getting to the show.  Still hard for me to square that with some of the bad losses as of late but good to see us taking care of business this last half week or so.

Our weekend guys are walking people at a lower rate than last year (1.81 per 9 vs 2.28 per 9) but everyone else is doing worse (4.39 per 9 vs 4.03 per 9).  In other words, the control is a little less balanced on this years staff.  It's concentrated more in the weekend guys.  A fair chunk of that imbalance is due to Nixon.  He has 14% of our walks vs only 5% last year.

It seems like our control is worse because it sticks in our brain when relievers come in and walk guys at a much higher rate than the starter was (and higher rate than last year)

Edited April 27, 2022 by ClubWhatever

[UTPhil2006 3809]

2 hours ago, HenryJames said:

Morehouse should starts?

Next year

[Had Enough 2084]

While Wazzu and Minnesota are obviously both northern schools, they both have a history of playing pretty good, successful baseball.
Minnesota has close to 30 Big 10 Championships (or B10 tourney champions) since the late 50's, to include 3 CWS National Championships. 
Washington St pretty much dominated the Pac 10 North under Chuck "Bobo" Brayton (Olerud's Coach) from the 60s-90s including a run of 11 straight from 70-80. While only making the CWS twice under his tenure, when he retired in '94, he was number #4 1162-523-8 (.689) on the all time wins list, only behind Augie, Cliff, and Rod Dedeaux of Southern Cal. 
After Olerud's aneurysm and upon returning to baseball, he was never without his batting helmet, at the plate and on the field. Bobo Brayton was known for the same while coaching for the Cougars. Before coming to Wazzu, he had been hit by a line drive in the head while coaching third base at Yakima Valley College. It damn near killed him and he was in a coma for a month. Upon returning to baseball and coaching (like having Olerud later), he always wore a batter's helmet anytime on the field.

I was not aware of that. I’d read box scores in the Statesman but really started paying attention about the time we lost to Wichita State. College baseball was hard to follow back then. I knew Olerud but not much else of WSU.

Good info to know.

[zlavydra 2123]

1 hour ago, UTPhil2006 said:

Next year

The next 3 Tuesdays.

[BillyGoatHill 4312]

56 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

I was not aware of that. I’d read box scores in the Statesman but really started paying attention about the time we lost to Wichita State. College baseball was hard to follow back then. I knew Olerud but not much else of WSU.

Good info to know.

Coolio 😎

Yea, my reply was just for info and not a dig at all. College baseball can still be a pain to follow now (MSM still doesn't cover it enough) but it definitely still was up until at least until the early 2000s...

I was stationed in Wa St in the early 80's and lived up there until 2009. Wanting to follow TX Baseball was all done through boxscores (maybe covered) by the local papers. Most of the time it was just final scores listed. I can remember that Texas needed to win two against Houston in 2002 to advance and that's all that the paper showed. Final score twice and the line, Texas Advances to CWS. 

In the 80's, going up to Seattle to see Washington play, it was really sad to see their field and the stands they had. Field was nothing fancy at all and my high school (Boerne 2A back then) had more bleachers than them. Going to Cal's field in 2014 was a similar experience. I was used to going to the Disch (the BEST back then, and still a pretty good ballpark experience now) to see college ball and similar type teams. When Bobo and Wazzu would come in to play, they were like that. While not as storied as us, he had his teams ready and like my earlier post showed, his teams were successful. Lots of small ball, good defense and pitching with him, along with the occasional power ball. Having guys like Olerud play for him, helped. 

[BillyGoatHill 4312]

1 hour ago, Had Enough said:

I was not aware of that. I’d read box scores in the Statesman but really started paying attention about the time we lost to Wichita State. College baseball was hard to follow back then. I knew Olerud but not much else of WSU.

Good info to know.

That Wichita St championship still pisses me off.

That was the first yr that TV had come in and convinced the NCAA to change the format to a single winner take ALL championship game. Prior to that, you had to have 2 losses to be eliminated. We came into the championship game without a loss while State had to come through the losers bracket. No way they win twice against us as the previous format had been. Glad that it has been corrected to best 2/3 now.