2019 NCAA Baseball Tournament - Atlanta Regional

[Home Park Jacket]

So who do we pitch tomorrow afternoon? Keyton and John Boy? Save Roedig and possibly Xa for Auburn. You got to win all 3, and Auburn is better than Coastal. We got a challenge. Basically our bats have to win a couple of these games and our bats are not hot. I would play Chase Murray over one of the bats that's ice cold.

 

[crl85]

So who do we pitch tomorrow afternoon? Keyton and John Boy? Save Roedig and possibly Xa for Auburn. You got to win all 3, and Auburn is better than Coastal. Not sure how you win 3 games with what's left.

I agree. Gibson in the early game.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

I have never been a Danny Hall fan, but I have no problem at all with his decision tonight. If you want to point fingers (and we should not), you can also say that English blew it when he didn't tag second base in whatever inning that was, or that Waddell blew it when he bobbled to ball causing a late throw to first and allowing the batter to get on in the 9th. Connor pitched a helluva game and sure didn't look tired to me. He gave up several hits earlier in the game, but we got out of trouble each time with 5 spectacular double plays. You could also point (and again you shouldn't) to McCann for not having a good hitting game in who knows how long, and he's supposedly our best hitter. Just like every other sport, it's a team sport, and the TEAM wins or the TEAM loses. Sometimes you can blame it on poor coaching, but I really don't think you can or should tonight. S**T happens, and unfortunately it happened to us tonight.

 

[GTJon]

So who do we pitch tomorrow afternoon? Keyton and John Boy? Save Roedig and possibly Xa for Auburn. You got to win all 3, and Auburn is better than Coastal. We got a challenge. Basically our bats have to win a couple of these games and our bats are not hot. I would play Chase Murray over one of the bats that's ice cold.

I agree, Murray needs a shot, Radcliff has had a rough couple of weeks and might need to sit for now. And what about McCann? Not saying we need to bench him, but it seems like the grind of the long season and catching almost every game is starting to wear on him offensively. Is it reasonable for him to catch 3 games in 2 days? Perhaps go ahead and sit him against Coastal. Not sure about making him DH and losing Guldberg's bat or just giving him the whole afternoon off to get ready for hopefully 2 more games. Tough decisions.

 

[alentrekin]

I think it's a tough ask to have him warm up physically and mentally to pitch just in case he's needed, then put him back at 1B, then put him on the mound in a presumptive jam (because why else would take out Thomas). I've never seen that happen at this level. Probably unrealistic to expect something like that to happen. Particularly with a kid who's had major arm issues that to this day effect how and when he can be used.

I didn't play at exactly this level, but caught for four years in D1 and yes, this is done. Our SS led the country in hitting and was our closer. It's not ideal but college baseball has the Olerud award for unreal performances by two way players.
e.g. 2018 Olerud finalist Tanner Dodson:
https://calbears.com/boxscore.aspx?id=19886&path=baseball
https://calbears.com/boxscore.aspx?id=19937&path=baseball

 

[GTJon]

I agree. Gibson in the early game.

To summarize, if you can go Gibson, Curry, and Roedig as the 3 starters, you'd love to see them get 14-15 innings between them. Then you've got to come up with 12-14 innings between:
Hughes
English
Bartnicki
Carpenter
Chapman
Lee
Willingham (maybe 2 innings on Monday).

Just go one game at a time, but maybe there's a path there to not run out of pitching. Auburn has not pitched their closer yet, so I suspect he's good for multiple innings in a game still. Their Friday starter didn't throw a lot of pitches and you could expect to see him for a few innings Monday if needed.

 

[LibertyTurns]

Honestly, I’m not paying attention to anyone who is blaming this on Hall unless they provide evidence of calling for English before the HR happened. And I’m sure some folks can prove it, I’m just too friggin tired of hearing about Hall all the time, retrospectively. In the moment I recognized the tough decision there and see merits both ways.

There were a handful of us in chat that thought he had run out of gas. You could see it in inning 7 that he was nearing the tipping point. There was the blown K by the ump in the 8th that cost him 6 or 8 more pitches. I believed that to be the nail in the coffin.

I didn’t think Coach would pull him and he didn’t. He almost made the correct decision. No doubt we’d have all preferred a CG win.

 

[Wrecked]

Well then you're just proving more that this is on Hall. English should be in the bullpen in the top of that inning...

I was at the game and English warmed up in the top of the eighth in the bullpen

 

[Home Park Jacket]

Tough decisions.

I think McCann's got to catch both tomorrow. Hopefully we can get up on CC and we can pull him early.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

I am pretty sure you cannot leave the game and then come back to pitch.

Not sure, but I think this might be referring to when GT was batting in the top of 9th ( unless English was batting or on base. Can’t remember)

Regardless, we have no faith in any other reliever? Another problem?

 

[ibeattetris]

I agree, Murray needs a shot, Radcliff has had a rough couple of weeks and might need to sit for now. And what about McCann? Not saying we need to bench him, but it seems like the grind of the long season and catching almost every game is starting to wear on him offensively. Is it reasonable for him to catch 3 games in 2 days? Perhaps go ahead and sit him against Coastal. Not sure about making him DH and losing Guldberg's bat or just giving him the whole afternoon off to get ready for hopefully 2 more games. Tough decisions.

It was one the second game of the tourney, I would hope he doesn't need to sit two games already. If he is worn down, I'd prefer he DH as opposed to fully benched.

 

[TheSilasSonRising]

All well & good - but not helping.

Our S/As should not have been in this position despite “stuff” happens. All to often it happens to the same people.

We are going to have to play more games, on our own damn field as the top freaking seed, to survive. Gets old.

 

[Squints]

I didn't play at exactly this level, but caught for four years in D1 and yes, this is done. Our SS led the country in hitting and was our closer. It's not ideal but college baseball has the Olerud award for unreal performances by two way players.
e.g. 2018 Olerud finalist Tanner Dodson:
https://calbears.com/boxscore.aspx?id=19886&path=baseball
https://calbears.com/boxscore.aspx?id=19937&path=baseball

I'm aware of two-way players and of the Olerud award. But there's a difference between a guy who starts and plays the field on days they don't and a player who both relieves and plays the field. The former applies to everyone who has won the award with the exception of the first and most recent winners. The most recent of which only DH'ed. That's easier to manage. That's latter is the part I'm referring to when I say I've never seen it done. Which actually isn't even true because we did it a few years ago with Zane Evans but I completely forgot. I'm aware that it happens. But to use a guy like that they have to show they can be effective in the role that way and hold up physically which Tristin unfortunately hasn't done. That's why I said it was a big ask. It wasn't a commentary on that type of player usage in general but in this particular instance.

 

[Squints]

I was at the game and English warmed up in the top of the eighth in the bullpen

Top of the 8th or top of the 9th?

 

[RoosterJacket]

Top of the 8th or top of the 9th?

Top of the 8th. Guldberg went to get loose at beginning of B9 in the bullpen as he would’ve gone in to play 1B.

 

[GTRambler]

Just a question: how many pitches did Thomas throw?

I was at the game and the scoreboard does not display a pitch count.

 

[RoosterJacket]

Just a question: how many pitches did Thomas throw?

I was at the game and the scoreboard does not display a pitch count.

I think he was around 85 before the 9th.

 

[AlabamaBuzz]

Ended up right around 110 pitches, IIRC. I told my wife when we made the error and the HBP, we were set up to lose with one hanging breaking ball. English should have been ready, in my opinion. The announcers eluded to the following: "your heart says stay with Thomas, but your brain says go to English." I want to use our brain.

 

[Squints]

Box score says he finished at 105.

 

[GTRambler]

I think he was around 85 before the 9th.

Thank you.

I never thought he needed to come out at any time, including the ninth. He was dealing the entire game! He pitched very well. And unlike some on this board, he handled the post-game interview with grace, maturity, and class.

Lest anyone forgets, Georgia Tech won 11 games in which Thomas pitched this season. He’s the key reason for taking our baseball Jackets to the Regional. Without him, it would not have been done.

Now let’s see what happens over the doubleheader tomorrow. Let’s see how the team responds. The opportunity is there.