MWBATL
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Next weekend's home series vs WF will tell us a lot about this GT team I suspect.
2022 ACC Baseball
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rodandanga
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I think Wake's numbers are a bit inflated by playing home games in a hitters park, IIRC.
senoiajacket
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I also am not sure that WF series will reveal “a lot”. I think Wakes record is inflated. Also, while I am thrilled that we swept VT, I also can’t help but be aware that we very easily could have gone 1-2 against them. We didn’t and I’m happy and I hope at the end of the ACC SEASON we look back and just see a “sweep of VT”, right now we still have a small amount of data in my opinion against competition that may or may not be good, so I am still looking at “how” we win as opposed to “if” we win. Hopefully VT, UGAG, and WF are all really good (and that we take the series fromWF 
) and I can look back and say, “I should have believed all along”. Time will tell
) and I can look back and say, “I should have believed all along”. Time will tellaugustabuzz
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I get what you're saying, senoia, but my eyes tell me that come May we will appreciate VT a lot more.
FredJacket
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The ACC schedule is 'mostly' underway. Louisville and Clemson will start their conference slate this weekend.
After the 1st weekend, there are 3 unbeaten ACC teams (not including Louisville or Clemson): Ga Tech (3-0), UNC (3-0), ND (2-0)
Focusing on the Coastal... both Ga Tech and UNC picked up sweeps at home against VT and Pitt, respectively. Sweeps are not easy no matter who you play; but both of those teams (VT/Pitt) were picked to finish at the bottom of the Coastal. Truthfully, I think it is fair to say (at this point) the ACC and the Coastal division have quality teams top to bottom. No easy outs (excuse the pun) in the conference.
After this weekend (still way early), it seems to me we're going to see a dogfight among Ga Tech, UNC, UVA... with Miami and Duke obviously in play too as both were picked by D1 baseball as regional teams...for the coveted division title. Interestingly enough, all 3 of those teams I mention (Ga Tech, UNC, UVA) avoid Notre Dame on their respective schedules. And UVA does not face FSU or NCST either. We have to travel to both UVA and UNC too.
Strap in for the ride. If last weekend was any indication, please sign me up for 9 more ACC series. The journey might be better than the destination. Can't beat baseball.
After the 1st weekend, there are 3 unbeaten ACC teams (not including Louisville or Clemson): Ga Tech (3-0), UNC (3-0), ND (2-0)
Focusing on the Coastal... both Ga Tech and UNC picked up sweeps at home against VT and Pitt, respectively. Sweeps are not easy no matter who you play; but both of those teams (VT/Pitt) were picked to finish at the bottom of the Coastal. Truthfully, I think it is fair to say (at this point) the ACC and the Coastal division have quality teams top to bottom. No easy outs (excuse the pun) in the conference.
After this weekend (still way early), it seems to me we're going to see a dogfight among Ga Tech, UNC, UVA... with Miami and Duke obviously in play too as both were picked by D1 baseball as regional teams...for the coveted division title. Interestingly enough, all 3 of those teams I mention (Ga Tech, UNC, UVA) avoid Notre Dame on their respective schedules. And UVA does not face FSU or NCST either. We have to travel to both UVA and UNC too.
Strap in for the ride. If last weekend was any indication, please sign me up for 9 more ACC series. The journey might be better than the destination. Can't beat baseball.
FredJacket
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Here are some relevant snippets from D1 Baseball Q&A after this weekend:
Beau: Who decides on whether or not a game will be made up or not? This past weekend, multiple series had to play doubleheaders on Sunday because of weather, but then you had ND/NC State that canceled game 2, rather than play a doubleheader. What factors go into deciding whether a game will be postponed or canceled and can a game be made up at a later date? Thank you!
Aaron Fitt: In the ACC, series must be completed by Sunday night and cannot be made up later in the season, that’s a league rule. From there it comes down to the coaches discussing their options, I suspect in consultation with the TV schedule makers. And of course travel curfews come into effect, which is why NC State and Notre Dame only played one game Sunday, I think. It was too cold Sunday morning (like 22 degrees when I woke up) to start earlier and play a doubleheader.
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Matthew: How long do you think Clemson and UVA stays hot? Great to see traditional ACC powerhouses rebounding. Seems like ACC baseball is taking a turn for the better this year except for NC State.
Aaron Fitt: Yeah you’re right, the ACC is off to a pretty impressive start. UVa, UNC and Clemson all started the season outside our Top 25 but have played their way in and look like legit contenders. As I wrote in today’s Fitt Bits, I think Wake Forest is a bona fide contender too, really like their pitching and I think their defense is dramatically better. Louisville is right on the cusp of the Top 25. All of those teams have answered a lot of our preseason questions about them. I do expect NC State and Duke to rebound and throw themselves right into the mix, and Miami should be back in the Top 25 at some point too. Feels like a very deep league this year.
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Dan: Are we ready to talk about how the ACC is deeper/better baseball league than the SEC this year?
Kendall Rogers: Dan — We will see how things play out, but it’s kind of funny you mention that, because I’m not so sure the ACC isn’t better this spring — at least so far. I feel much better about teams like North Carolina, Clemson, etc, than I do about some of the SEC teams like Georgia, Auburn etc. The fact the SEC West is really wobbly right now really hurts the SEC, while outside of a couple of teams, the entire ACC looks pretty solid. Even Duke, which has struggled, has definite upside. Conventional wisdom tells me the SEC West teams will start figuring it out …. I think?
Beau: Who decides on whether or not a game will be made up or not? This past weekend, multiple series had to play doubleheaders on Sunday because of weather, but then you had ND/NC State that canceled game 2, rather than play a doubleheader. What factors go into deciding whether a game will be postponed or canceled and can a game be made up at a later date? Thank you!
Aaron Fitt: In the ACC, series must be completed by Sunday night and cannot be made up later in the season, that’s a league rule. From there it comes down to the coaches discussing their options, I suspect in consultation with the TV schedule makers. And of course travel curfews come into effect, which is why NC State and Notre Dame only played one game Sunday, I think. It was too cold Sunday morning (like 22 degrees when I woke up) to start earlier and play a doubleheader.
--‐---‐-------------------------------
Matthew: How long do you think Clemson and UVA stays hot? Great to see traditional ACC powerhouses rebounding. Seems like ACC baseball is taking a turn for the better this year except for NC State.
Aaron Fitt: Yeah you’re right, the ACC is off to a pretty impressive start. UVa, UNC and Clemson all started the season outside our Top 25 but have played their way in and look like legit contenders. As I wrote in today’s Fitt Bits, I think Wake Forest is a bona fide contender too, really like their pitching and I think their defense is dramatically better. Louisville is right on the cusp of the Top 25. All of those teams have answered a lot of our preseason questions about them. I do expect NC State and Duke to rebound and throw themselves right into the mix, and Miami should be back in the Top 25 at some point too. Feels like a very deep league this year.
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Dan: Are we ready to talk about how the ACC is deeper/better baseball league than the SEC this year?
Kendall Rogers: Dan — We will see how things play out, but it’s kind of funny you mention that, because I’m not so sure the ACC isn’t better this spring — at least so far. I feel much better about teams like North Carolina, Clemson, etc, than I do about some of the SEC teams like Georgia, Auburn etc. The fact the SEC West is really wobbly right now really hurts the SEC, while outside of a couple of teams, the entire ACC looks pretty solid. Even Duke, which has struggled, has definite upside. Conventional wisdom tells me the SEC West teams will start figuring it out …. I think?
bensaysitathome
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I think you missed the most relevant GT snippet of them all
Dave: Do you think Georgia Tech’s poor relief and closing pitchers will hold them back from winning a national championship.
Aaron Fitt: It’s early to be talking about who might or might not win the national title, but I would say I feel OK about the Georgia Tech bullpen overall. Tons of good lefty options (Carwile has been great as a freshman, Dalton Smith is a steady vet, Sam Crawford has stuff, they need Bartnicki to get on track but he has stuff and experience too). Really like John Medich from the right side, he’s become a real guy back there. Dawson Brown is another big key; he’s clearly got closer stuff but needs to command the zone better. McNamee and Mannelly also have stuff — the Jackets need them to be better, but I believe they will be. And they still have Finatieri to use in whatever role they want, that guy is really good. There’s just so much depth and talent, I think they’ll find the right combinations eventually.
FredJacket
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Yes!I think you missed the most relevant GT snippet of them all
Dave: Do you think Georgia Tech’s poor relief and closing pitchers will hold them back from winning a national championship.
Aaron Fitt: It’s early to be talking about who might or might not win the national title, but I would say I feel OK about the Georgia Tech bullpen overall. Tons of good lefty options (Carwile has been great as a freshman, Dalton Smith is a steady vet, Sam Crawford has stuff, they need Bartnicki to get on track but he has stuff and experience too). Really like John Medich from the right side, he’s become a real guy back there. Dawson Brown is another big key; he’s clearly got closer stuff but needs to command the zone better. McNamee and Mannelly also have stuff — the Jackets need them to be better, but I believe they will be. And they still have Finatieri to use in whatever role they want, that guy is really good. There’s just so much depth and talent, I think they’ll find the right combinations eventually.
Thank you. I had planned to post that over on a different thread. But forgot. You're right. Definitely most relevant to Ga Tech.
MWBATL
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Interesting result last night as Georgia State took down Clemson in Clemson, 6-1. Sounds like Georgia State is a pretty tough out this year. They are 11-6 now, with 4 of those L's being a series sweep loss on the road vs Florida and their midweek loss to us.
CINCYMETJACKET
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Our rival Georgia games are rarely easy for us. Georgia, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Mercer, Kennesaw State... Glad to see that they're all doing relatively well this year, so far. Time will tell, but if GT continues to win games, the stronger those teams are, the better chance we have of reaching our goals.
FredJacket
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The most direct path for our beloved Jackets to host a regional and be a serious contender to get a national (top 8) seed is to win the Coastal division.
Going back 5 years looking at the Coastal division, the number of wins required to win the division has been 19. The path to 19 for Ga Tech is to find a way to win 16 more over the 9 remaining conference series. That's 16-11. If you eliminate sweeps (not predicting anything here, but sweeps are not easy), that works out to winning 7 of them 2-1 and dropping two 1-2. I'd say that would be a very good season. Need to take care of business at home and go on road and win (mostly) at NC State, UVA, UNC, Clemson, and Pitt.
This assumes Va Tech and/or Pitt win some games and a series or 2. If they both cannot managed to win many games against Coastal teams, the division winner may have to get to 20 or 21 wins.
All that to say, every conference game matters. We did ourselves a very good service banking a sweep already... very fortunate to win all three against Va Tech. Would be nice to do that again once or twice more.
Conf Wins to Win Coastal (adjusted to 30 game schedule)
2021 - 18
2020 - N/A
2019 - 19
2018 - 19
2017 - 19
Scoreboard watchers? Here is the ACC schedule for the weekend and my (minimally thought out "short term") assessment of desired outcome (assuming all games are played):
Wake at Ga Tech - Win them ALL JACKETS!!!
UNC at Duke - No sweep. Duke 2-1 please.
BC at UVA - BC sweep.
Miami at Clemson - Clemson sweep; but 2-1 is fine too.
Pitt at VT - No sweep. One of these teams will be 0-6 or 1-5 after this weekend.
NC State at FSU - No sweep. NC State 2-1 please. Not a big deal; but looking at Ga Tech to have #1 seed going into ACC Tourney.
ND at Louisville - No sweep. Louisville 2-1 please
Going back 5 years looking at the Coastal division, the number of wins required to win the division has been 19. The path to 19 for Ga Tech is to find a way to win 16 more over the 9 remaining conference series. That's 16-11. If you eliminate sweeps (not predicting anything here, but sweeps are not easy), that works out to winning 7 of them 2-1 and dropping two 1-2. I'd say that would be a very good season. Need to take care of business at home and go on road and win (mostly) at NC State, UVA, UNC, Clemson, and Pitt.
This assumes Va Tech and/or Pitt win some games and a series or 2. If they both cannot managed to win many games against Coastal teams, the division winner may have to get to 20 or 21 wins.
All that to say, every conference game matters. We did ourselves a very good service banking a sweep already... very fortunate to win all three against Va Tech. Would be nice to do that again once or twice more.
Conf Wins to Win Coastal (adjusted to 30 game schedule)
2021 - 18
2020 - N/A
2019 - 19
2018 - 19
2017 - 19
Scoreboard watchers? Here is the ACC schedule for the weekend and my (minimally thought out "short term") assessment of desired outcome (assuming all games are played):
Wake at Ga Tech - Win them ALL JACKETS!!!
UNC at Duke - No sweep. Duke 2-1 please.
BC at UVA - BC sweep.
Miami at Clemson - Clemson sweep; but 2-1 is fine too.
Pitt at VT - No sweep. One of these teams will be 0-6 or 1-5 after this weekend.
NC State at FSU - No sweep. NC State 2-1 please. Not a big deal; but looking at Ga Tech to have #1 seed going into ACC Tourney.
ND at Louisville - No sweep. Louisville 2-1 please
gtrower
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This is the kind of way-too-early-down-in-the-weeds-weekend-analysis I live for.
senoiajacket
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Hmmmmm, last year was a 36 game schedule, but we lost 5 series and still managed to come out on top somehow. We swept 2, but were not swept.
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Shame for "desiring" against UVa and for Clemson. I really don't care about others as long as they win their OOC and we take care of our games.
I think you're there too but trying to make out path as easy as possible. Screw that. Make it hard. It's what we do.
FredJacket
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Not a lot of good happened yesterday from a Tech fan's perspective.
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Ouch. 34 left on. 8 errors scored. 17 innings.
Ugly?!
Ugly?!
FredJacket
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Game 2 of a DH too.
senoiajacket
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NCSU will be coming into to the series next weekend like a wounded animal. Very dangerous for us.
FredJacket
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VT at ND (only got 1 game in this weekend). ND already with 3 conference games cancelled)
Clemson at Pitt (Pitt with 2 game sweep)
Look at UVA. 22-1 on sesason. Unranked thru first few weeks of season.
Clemson at Pitt (Pitt with 2 game sweep)
Look at UVA. 22-1 on sesason. Unranked thru first few weeks of season.