2019 NCAA Baseball Tournament (Overall)

Deleted member 2897

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No hand wringing by me over drawing Auburn. As you say, if you want to advance you have to beat good teams.

What continues to amaze me is how (almost) random baseball is as a sport. Michigan plays Texas Tech during the regular season, and got swept. And the games generally weren't close (11-2, 10-3, 8-5). They finished the regular season limping badly, losing their last two Big Ten series to Indiana and Nebraska...so no momentum on their side. They (like FSU) are one of the Last Four In. Now, in post-season, they get hot, take out the #1 National Seed and yesterday beat Texas Tech 5-3. So, for folks who feel like "we should have beaten Auburn"......please explain Michigan's post-season run to me. (Or FSU's, for that matter.)

Baseball is just a cruel sport where very often the best team does not win. <shrugs>

It actually does give me some hope that if your pitching can get hot in post-season, you can advance no matter how bad you were in the regular season (as long as you get into the Tournament).

Now FSU plays Michigan today - so 1 of the very last teams to get in is going to be in a great position.

And just to illustrate how bad FSU was, for most of the season they weren't even expected to make the post season. At 1 point midway through the season, FSU lost 13 of 20, including being swept by Florida, losing to Virginia Tech, Boston College, Jacksonville, Miami, NC State, UCF, and Notre Dame. They also got quickly booted from the ACC tournament, and looked horrible losing to Louisville in the last series, including getting blown out 1-14 and 0-11.

And now they've won 7 games in a row, all in the NCAA tournament, all against good teams, and even after winning 7 straight against good teams, their RPI is still only #31. It was around #50 when the tournament started!
 

senoiajacket

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Now FSU plays Michigan today - so 1 of the very last teams to get in is going to be in a great position.

And just to illustrate how bad FSU was, for most of the season they weren't even expected to make the post season. At 1 point midway through the season, FSU lost 13 of 20, including being swept by Florida, losing to Virginia Tech, Boston College, Jacksonville, Miami, NC State, UCF, and Notre Dame. They also got quickly booted from the ACC tournament, and looked horrible losing to Louisville in the last series, including getting blown out 1-14 and 0-11.

And now they've won 7 games in a row, all in the NCAA tournament, all against good teams, and even after winning 7 straight against good teams, their RPI is still only #31. It was around #50 when the tournament started!

This is truly amazing. What a bunch of underachievers ..... clearly they had the talent all along and Martin was just holding them back (tic)
 

FredJacket

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Not a Nole fan, but genuinely sorry to see them go down tonight.
Yeah... sometimes I tune in to a game thinking I won't "pull" for a team... just hoping to see good action.

It didn't take long tonight to realize I was rooting for FSU (& Martin). To Michigan's credit, their pitcher was dominant & when he needed it... the D behind him made some stellar plays. FSU never threatened.
 

JacketOff

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Any guesses as to FSU's next head coach?

I'd guess it won't be announced until they are out of the NCAAs. And they already know who it is.
Pretty sure it’ll be Mike Martin Jr., he’s been an assistant there for 20+ years. Although, if I were him I might not want the HC job there. Constantly in your father’s shadow at the same school. The first time he doesn’t win 40 games they’ll be calling for his head.
 

GTJon

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1st 2 teams eliminated are SEC teams. Of course... with half the field being SEC... the likelihood of that is higher.

Vandy (SEC) looks like the team to beat. Especially, with Michigan in best position now to face Vandy.

I can stomach one SEC team having success... Vandy.
With the teams that are left, and the results so far, I will be shocked if Vandy doesn’t win it.
 

Squints

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1st 2 teams eliminated are SEC teams. Of course... with half the field being SEC... the likelihood of that is higher.

Vandy (SEC) looks like the team to beat. Especially, with Michigan in best position now to face Vandy.

I can stomach one SEC team having success... Vandy.

Vandy is just next level. Their player development is ridiculous. They teach their kids with some of the same philosophies they'll get when they turn pro. Particularly on the pitching side. And it shows.
 

Squints

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Vandy also benefits from having more schollies to offer, not all athletic. According to one of our Lunch Bunch speakers, most of their players are on scholly.

That is also true. IIRC, private schools can give any kind of scholarships that they want and the NCAA can't do much about it as long as it's not a scholarship exclusively for sports. And honestly I don't think they should. It is what it is.
 

GTHomer

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That is also true. IIRC, private schools can give any kind of scholarships that they want and the NCAA can't do much about it as long as it's not a scholarship exclusively for sports. And honestly I don't think they should. It is what it is.

Doesn't the Hope Scholarship provide benefits to baseball student-athletes that other states don't have? I've heard neighboring states complain about that with respect to the baseball student-athletes born in Georgia.
 
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