Texas @ TCU Series Thread

[Iguana 229]

Way to go Dylan

[Gatorubet 30,250]

1 hour ago, MuellerHorn said:

I blame @Gatorubet for prematurely calling the sweep.

Fuck that guy. 

[Valmy77 13,247]

Looked safe to me. Let's see.

Edit: Nevermind. Too bad.

Didn't even get two that inning.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Valmy77

[Beau Vine 54,276]

That's great base-running -- A 15-8 game going into the 8th would have been a world of difference from a 15-7 game.

[Hookem2147 21,343]

This is all a part of the master plan. Give TCU some confidence, make sure they get into the top 50 RPI wise and turn these two road wins from Q2 wins to Q1 to improve the postseason resume.

Just great overall series management from Pierce to see the big picture. Gruntled. 

[dcar00 14,299]

24 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

We will have to agree to disagree then. At least half of TCU's hits today were on fairly soft ground ball singles through the infield. 

Morehouse executed several good pitches only to see a high chopper bounce over a guys head. 

Also, several of the last few pitchers are not guys would pitch if a game was ever in question.

sure some hits are soft. but they have 15 runs on 18 hits

and wee willie keeler says hi.

Edited May 1, 2023 by dcar00

[dcar00 14,299]

9 minutes ago, Beau Vine said:

That's great base-running -- A 15-8 game going into the 8th would have been a world of difference from a 15-7 game.

post of the game

[Hookem2147 21,343]

So if older Duplantier portals out is younger Duplantier going with him? Package deal?

[Horn80 6,131]

Looks like Lily got ruddy complexion from too much heavy drinking

[Fletch 5,800]

34 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

So if older Duplantier portals out is younger Duplantier going with him? Package deal?

Fucking hope not. Little duplantier has some serious potential at the plate 

[Hookem2147 21,343]

Well, today sucked. Guess it was a successful weekend overall but hate that we have to sit on this for 4 days now.

Cross our fingers that we get good LBJ moving forward, get Burke back in the bullpen and hope that Witt gets better with each appearance. Oh, and find a way to get Daly as far away from the 6-hole as possible.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Hookem2147

[ClubWhatever 12,151]

Daly hitting .136 in conference with 5 RBI.   ODowd not much better.    Staff ERA in conference is 5.38. 

[Valmy77 13,247]

Well rough end to a promising weekend.

Got to sweep Kansas to have a chance.

[Cajun 11,721]

I shoulda said Tanner Witt would never successfully take the mound as a Longhorn again.

My bad.

6 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

Daly hitting .136 in conference with 5 RBI.   ODowd not much better.    Staff ERA in conference is 5.38. 

Ooph

[NeverMarryAStripper 21,908]

30 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

Daly hitting .136 in conference with 5 RBI.   ODowd not much better.    Staff ERA in conference is 5.38. 

So you’re saying there is some upside potential 

[ztejas 43,492]

43 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Oh, and find a way to get Daly as far away from the 6-hole as possible.

So either leadoff of 2nd. 

[Pato del Muerto 52,529]

40 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

Daly hitting .136 in conference with 5 RBI.   ODowd not much better.    Staff ERA in conference is 5.38. 

[GreenspointTexas 9,662]

3 hours ago, Fletch said:

@GreenspointTexas can you do your thing to give us a shot here?

Fuck, totally forgot about the game today

[EZ$ 2,105]

53 minutes ago, ClubWhatever said:

Daly hitting .136 in conference with 5 RBI.   ODowd not much better.    Staff ERA in conference is 5.38. 

So his .145 hitting backup would be an improvement afterall….

[Fletch 5,800]

31 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Fuck, totally forgot about the game today

You let the program down 

[Hookem2147 21,343]

The good news is this incoming class of pitchers (even if you exclude Sykora) is probably the strongest class of arms we have signed in a while. The floor will be getting better.

The bad news is none of them will be on the flight to Lawrence.

I am as frustrated as anyone at the lack of quality depth, but it takes some time to build pitching staffs even in the portal era. Goes deeper than just the pitching coach. Hell, even LSU is going through staff struggles right now because of a few injuries and lack of depth behind them. Oftentimes you are recruiting guys for specific roles (funky lefty, sinker/slider righty, high fastball spin rate guy, etc). We will definitely need a strong offseason to plug some holes on the staff, but I’m not throwing Woody under the bus for a lot of what he inherited and I think he has made a positive impact individually with several guys.

I think part of Pierce making a move last offseason was admitting they needed to have a philosophy and system shift in how they managed/developed their arms, and that takes more than one offseason to implement and recruit to.

Again, just my .02.

Edited May 1, 2023 by Hookem2147

[Had Enough 2,083]

We are 4th in Era. .01 out of 3rd and were possibly first prior to today. We’re second fewest in XBHs allowed. Walks are frustrating, but the facts are it’s the hits that kill you. We gave up 50% more runs today than any other conference game and damn near any other game cause why? Hits. And lots of them. On the season we’re best in conference and that isn’t cause we played the crappiest schedule. We’re still top 20 in the country in team ERA. We were damn near top 10 prior to today.

We are 5th in batting average and tied for next to last in runs scored per game in the conference. Slugging percentage. On base percentage. Walks. Homers. We’re are bottom half in conference.

Today’s game skewed the numbers a bit. Slightly positive for the hitters and substantially worse for the pitchers.

The college baseball landscape is that runs are scored. A lot. There aren’t many staffs sitting there with 10 guys ready to mow you down.

I pulled some numbers quickly today. Of the top 25 teams, we are top 10 in fewest losses by 5 runs or more and fewest games giving up 10 or more runs. We’ve given up 10 or more in a blowout over ICW, the 3 error inning game versus Vandy, to Baylor and today.

This is two years in a row the staff has gotten progressively worse as the season went on. It could be the Big 12 just knows us better. Or maybe it’s something else.

We are to the point of almost now or never. WVU could sweep us. Maybe lose one to KU. Maybe lose one to SJSU. Then we’re in trouble. Or we get our shit together and get on a run.

[troph 24,877]

1 hour ago, Hookem2147 said:

I’m not throwing Woody under the bus for a lot of what he inherited and I think he has made a positive impact individually with several guys.

I think part of Pierce making a move last offseason was admitting they needed to have a philosophy and system shift in how they managed/developed their arms, and that takes more than one offseason to implement and recruit to.

Again, just my .02.

I don’t follow the coaching searches and changes as much, and it takes me a longer while to catch up to what’s going on with coaching philosophies - mostly other interests, work, kids and my lady spouse isn’t a “sportsball” fan so I can only pay so much attention or risk getting laid - so do tell me more… about the pitching changes and how it’s all gonna be ok.

[HenryJames 66,133]

Player of the game, imo.

[dcar00 14,299]

13 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

We are 4th in Era. .01 out of 3rd and were possibly first prior to today. We’re second fewest in XBHs allowed. Walks are frustrating, but the facts are it’s the hits that kill you. We gave up 50% more runs today than any other conference game and damn near any other game cause why? Hits. And lots of them. On the season we’re best in conference and that isn’t cause we played the crappiest schedule. We’re still top 20 in the country in team ERA. We were damn near top 10 prior to today.

We are 5th in batting average and tied for next to last in runs scored per game in the conference. Slugging percentage. On base percentage. Walks. Homers. We’re are bottom half in conference.

Today’s game skewed the numbers a bit. Slightly positive for the hitters and substantially worse for the pitchers.

The college baseball landscape is that runs are scored. A lot. There aren’t many staffs sitting there with 10 guys ready to mow you down.

I pulled some numbers quickly today. Of the top 25 teams, we are top 10 in fewest losses by 5 runs or more and fewest games giving up 10 or more runs. We’ve given up 10 or more in a blowout over ICW, the 3 error inning game versus Vandy, to Baylor and today.

This is two years in a row the staff has gotten progressively worse as the season went on. It could be the Big 12 just knows us better. Or maybe it’s something else.

We are to the point of almost now or never. WVU could sweep us. Maybe lose one to KU. Maybe lose one to SJSU. Then we’re in trouble. Or we get our shit together and get on a run.

 once we hit the better pitching in conference(even though it is down) we started having brown outs in every series.  our post season chances really hinge on Witt and LBJ getting better.  Tole is good but most everyone else is a coin flip or worse when they take the hill.  Shaw is an unknown at this point.

[ClubWhatever 12,151]

18 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

The college baseball landscape is that runs are scored. A lot. There aren’t many staffs sitting there with 10 guys ready to mow you down.

Guess which teams make it to the CWS finals.  Teams with staffs sitting there with, maybe not 10, but more than a couple of guys ready to mow you down.  

[Goodman 3,273]

At least Pierce has moved the lineup around and separated them. It was an automatic back to back outs

Are we sure that no one on the bench can play 2nd & short? These two have had their opportunity and failed.

[Bevo&Pevo 5,207]

51 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Player of the game, imo.

Two things ya'll should know about this video.  First, I'm standing on the rail (last guy) in a Hawaiian orange shirt with a black visor.  Second, the guy with the net who Cody H took the ball from.  He was acting as if he was torqued, but in a good/funny way.  Cody did the same thing to him yesterday, so he was giving Cody a bunch of grief about it.  Shit like, "Hey, I know your number now" and "Bet you can't do that tomorrow".  It was pretty funny.  The two old dudes in front of him were giving me grief most of the game.  But it was all in good fun.

Tanner was 93-94 when I thought about looking at the scoreboard.  Pop in the glove sounded nice.  I'm not sure about DP's method to the madness strategy.  I guess he is working with what he's got.   Good news is we got outta there with series win.  Keep your fingers crossed for the Kansas series.

[Had Enough 2,083]

Guess which teams make it to the CWS finals.  Teams with staffs sitting there with, maybe not 10, but more than a couple of guys ready to mow you down.  

Ole Miss had 4 guys with 40 IP last year and a sub 3.5 ERA. Their guy with the most starts had a 6.89 ERA on the season. Only 5 guys had sub-4 ERAs and 10 innings pitched. 4.21 team ERA.

OU 5.38 team ERA. Only 2 dudes with a sub-4 ERA. Only 3 with a sub-5 ERA.

A&M. 4.67 team ERA. Their 3 primary starters on the season were 4.99 to 5.19 in ERA. Only 2 pitchers with 20 innings and sub-4.5 ERAs.

Arkansas 4.07 team ERA. Starters ERAs were 3.65, 4.66 and 6.55. Of their top 7 pitchers in innings pitched, that best starter had the 2nd best ERA at 3.65.

MSU in 2021. Team ERA of 4.04. Their number 2 and 3 starters had ERAs above 5. 3 guys with 20 innings on the season and a sub-3.5 ERA.

Vandy 2021. 5 guys with 20 innings and sub-4 ERA. One of those had exactly 30 innings.
Rocker and Lester.

2021 Texas was better than 2022. We had 5 that could mow you down plus Stevens. But we absolutely wouldn’t throw a 7th guy out there, and it may have cost us. MSU was fortunate against us to use one guy to beat us twice.


Right now we have 5 guys with 20 plus innings pitched and sub-3 ERAs. Two more with 20 plus innings and sub-4 ERAs.

The numbers do not back your assertion. I didn’t pull the number but I saw quite a few pitchers logging innings with walk ratios of plus 4/9 innings. Also quite a few starters that remained starters even though on average their ERAs were not great.

We’re better served having LBJ and Witt, if he works back, with one as a starter and the other as a lock down bullpen guy.

[Hookem2147 21,343]

It's college baseball and you have 11.7 scholarships. If you had 11.7 scholarships to use amongst 32 players (minimum .25 scholarship required, per the rules), how much are you dedicating to the bullpen? (kinda rhetorical, kinda serious. Would be interesting to see someone break it down).

Texas needs to be better on the mound, no question. They haven't been good enough this year. That needs to change and it starts with having reliable starting pitching. But I think some may have a skewed vision of what a college pitching staff should look like. As is pointed out above, if you head into the postseason with two good starting pitchers and 2-3 good bullpen arms, you are doing better than 95% of the country. Our 2021 team had three good starters and three good bullpen arms, which is why we were on the doorstep of a title.

The game is getting more and more offensive each year. ERA's are up all around the country. You can still have a great pitching staff but it is harder than ever before. Ask LSU, who brought in the best pitching staff money could buy this offseason and still has an ERA of 4.5 (6.09 in SEC play).

Edited May 2, 2023 by Hookem2147

[Fletch 5,800]

48 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

Ole Miss had 4 guys with 40 IP last year and a sub 3.5 ERA. Their guy with the most starts had a 6.89 ERA on the season. Only 5 guys had sub-4 ERAs and 10 innings pitched. 4.21 team ERA.

OU 5.38 team ERA. Only 2 dudes with a sub-4 ERA. Only 3 with a sub-5 ERA.

A&M. 4.67 team ERA. Their 3 primary starters on the season were 4.99 to 5.19 in ERA. Only 2 pitchers with 20 innings and sub-4.5 ERAs.

Arkansas 4.07 team ERA. Starters ERAs were 3.65, 4.66 and 6.55. Of their top 7 pitchers in innings pitched, that best starter had the 2nd best ERA at 3.65.

MSU in 2021. Team ERA of 4.04. Their number 2 and 3 starters had ERAs above 5. 3 guys with 20 innings on the season and a sub-3.5 ERA.

Vandy 2021. 5 guys with 20 innings and sub-4 ERA. One of those had exactly 30 innings.
Rocker and Lester.

2021 Texas was better than 2022. We had 5 that could mow you down plus Stevens. But we absolutely wouldn’t throw a 7th guy out there, and it may have cost us. MSU was fortunate against us to use one guy to beat us twice.


Right now we have 5 guys with 20 plus innings pitched and sub-3 ERAs. Two more with 20 plus innings and sub-4 ERAs.

The numbers do not back your assertion. I didn’t pull the number but I saw quite a few pitchers logging innings with walk ratios of plus 4/9 innings. Also quite a few starters that remained starters even though on average their ERAs were not great.

We’re better served having LBJ and Witt, if he works back, with one as a starter and the other as a lock down bullpen guy.

Yeah we had like the best fucking offense ever last year and we went 2 and q. 2021 is obviously what you strive for. Dudes like Madden, Hansen and Witt with a salty bunch of bats. 

[Had Enough 2,083]

It's college baseball and you have 11.7 scholarships. If you had 11.7 scholarships to use amongst 32 players (minimum .25 scholarship required, per the rules), how much are you dedicating to the bullpen? (kinda rhetorical, kinda serious. Would be interesting to see someone break it down).
Texas needs to be better on the mound, no question. They haven't been good enough this year. That needs to change and it starts with having reliable starting pitching. But I think some may have a skewed vision of what a college pitching staff should look like. As is pointed out above, if you head into the postseason with two good starting pitchers and 2-3 good bullpen arms, you are doing better than 95% of the country. Our 2021 team had three good starters and three good bullpen arms, which is why we were on the doorstep of a title.
The game is getting more and more offensive each year. ERA's are up all around the country. You can still have a great pitching staff but it is harder than ever before. Ask LSU, who brought in the best pitching staff money could buy this offseason and still has an ERA of 4.5 (6.09 in SEC play).

Yes, the scholarships are a limiting factor so I think it does spread the talent out more. It’ll be interesting to see if NIL changes that. I’d say ultimately it will. The balance may be that guys won’t ride the pine. It’s hard to build out a full roster with depth offensively and on the mound.

Our 2021 team got caught because Stevens didn’t have the stuff to go 7 so Witt had to extend. Then he didn’t have quite enough juice. We were awfully close but really about 1 inning shy of being able to complete the deal. Truth be told, they did enough to give the offense a chance to win it. That was the result of losing game 1 as well.

I’d like to have better, more consistent pitching but objectively that’s not our primary issue this season. The pitching is trending poorly though and may ultimately be our downfall. Unfortunately, we’ve lost Hurley and Morehouse, maybe Sthele for the moment. They are needed, but it’s looking less likely we’ll get production out of them.

[Levi 2,588]

Kopps was the Arkansas pitcher that won the golden spikes award because he basically carried the entire bullpen all the way to the supers. 

[texastroubadour 1,216]

9 hours ago, Goodman said:

Are we sure that no one on the bench can play 2nd & short? These two have had their opportunity and failed.

Daly is particularly awful. How he continues to be in the lineup baffles me

[Cajun 11,721]

Pretty much an automatic out.

[ztejas 43,492]

9 hours ago, Had Enough said:

Our 2021 team got caught because Stevens didn’t have the stuff to go 7 so Witt had to extend. Then he didn’t have quite enough juice. We were awfully close but really about 1 inning shy of being able to complete the deal. Truth be told, they did enough to give the offense a chance to win it. That was the result of losing game 1 as well.

Play 2021 100 times and we win it probably 20 or so times. MSU wins it probably a bit more. That team was plenty good enough to win a national title - just not good enough at the plate to make it a formality. 

With a healthy Witt we would have been good enough in 2022, also.

Just have to keep getting there. It's baseball - teams stumblefuck their way to CWS and WS wins for no discernible reason other than "they got hot" all the time. 

Edited May 2, 2023 by ztejas

[Hookem2147 21,343]

9 hours ago, Had Enough said:

Yes, the scholarships are a limiting factor so I think it does spread the talent out more. It’ll be interesting to see if NIL changes that. I’d say ultimately it will. The balance may be that guys won’t ride the pine. It’s hard to build out a full roster with depth offensively and on the mound.

Our 2021 team got caught because Stevens didn’t have the stuff to go 7 so Witt had to extend. Then he didn’t have quite enough juice. We were awfully close but really about 1 inning shy of being able to complete the deal. Truth be told, they did enough to give the offense a chance to win it. That was the result of losing game 1 as well.

I’d like to have better, more consistent pitching but objectively that’s not our primary issue this season. The pitching is trending poorly though and may ultimately be our downfall. Unfortunately, we’ve lost Hurley and Morehouse, maybe Sthele for the moment. They are needed, but it’s looking less likely we’ll get production out of them.

NIL is definitely a factor. And you are exactly right, guys won't be willing to ride the pine or not have a prominent role for as long at a place like Texas. It is said every year, but private schools who are dedicated to winning in baseball will always an advantage even in the NIL era. The ability for Vandy, TCU, DBU, Stanford, Duke, Miami, etc to skirt around the 11.7 rule is the best advantage one can have in this game.

It's also the tough decisions these coaches face every offseason. If you brought in a freshman on a 40% scholarship and he didn't do much his first year, are you pushing to bring that kid back for his sophomore year? Asking him to take less money? Willing to let him walk?

Having contributors who are walk-ons or are on minimal scholarships is always going to put you at an advantage. The rumor was the Clemens brothers took no athletic money from Texas and Roger paid their way. That obviously allowed for a lot more flexibility when putting together a roster. DJ Burke is a walk-on this year and he's more reliable than almost all the scholarship pitchers. You have to find a handful of guys like that if you want to build the desired depth. Easier said than done. 

[Had Enough 2,083]

Didn’t realize Burke was a walk-on.

And I know we’ve debated playing time. It is limited. Hitting a baseball is hard enough. So for those guys getting one AB a week is a damn near impossible task to stay sharp. Same for a pitcher getting one inning a week. Hard to be sharp. The depth of hitters is way better now so you can’t just come out grooving pitches either.

I do take the opinion that you’ve got to run multiple guys out there enough to give them a better chance. So maybe they’re a little better prepared for that pinch hit or surprise mound appearance. It’s also why I’m big for some guys on them getting settled into expected roles. It just allows a better focus on what’s expected.

In the end, most all of them will look crappy or at best inconsistent. These guys still are young and inexperienced and likely not fully confident.