ACC Tournament Play

[GTNavyNuke]

OK, how many games do people think we win?

I think we beat BC and then win 1 of the 3 in pool play. Max is five (BC + 3 pool play + championship). One good thing about being the play in team is you don't see the aces from the other teams generally if you make it to pool play. Some info about tourney here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Atlantic_Coast_Conference_Baseball_Tournament

We can get hot at any time. It's just a matter of Hall putting in the right pitchers (tic). And our D not giving the other team extra outs. And our bats being hot. Simple.

Playing in the tourney beats not playing in it!!

 

[Stinger90]

I see us beating BC and that's it unfortunately. Hope I'm wrong but you never know.

 

[up state jacket]

I can't say we are going to flame out because they haven't caught fire at any point this year. So who knows about this team. I don't have any real optimism for this team for they haven't given me any reason to. Looks just another crap season with ALL that talent.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

I can't say we are going to flame out because they haven't caught fire at any point this year. So who knows about this team. I don't have any real optimism for this team for they haven't given me any reason to. Looks just another crap season with ALL that talent.

I share the frustration. I expected a lot better this year too. I won't go into the litany of reasons/excuses for this season.

But (and you knew I had to have a but), this team has never given up and comes back when I wouldn't have expected it. There were times in the season I didn't think we would make the ACC/NCAA given our pitching. So maybe we can string together a few wins and make a respectable showing.

I have to hope. It's sad to realize that this is the only major GT sport to make the post season and I think some of the disappointment mostly from football and somewhat from basketball affects how I view baseball.

For a few facts that I didn't check before I said we would win two games, here are the results of the last two years for play in teams (8 teams)
0 wins - 4 (duh) - 50%
1 win - 1 UVa in 2015 (and went on to win the NCAA?!) - 12.5%
2 wins - UNC in 2014 and 2015 - 25%
3 none
4 wins - GT in 2014 winning the ACC - 12.5%
5 none

 

[65Jacket]

This is no excuse,it is a cause: We lost three of our four best starting pitchers to injuries, King, Hughes, and English.

 

[MWBATL]

I have very little confidence in this team. Or maybe its the coaching staff I have little faith in.

I hope they have more in themselves and can prove me wrong. I am just sick of being so low in the ACC pitching stats year after year after year. Injuries is the reason this year (we are told) but this is not a one off, this is the consistent pattern with GT baseball.....injuries does NOT explain the consistent pattern.

 

[FredJacket]

I share the frustration. I expected a lot better this year too. I won't go into the litany of reasons/excuses for this season.

But (and you knew I had to have a but), this team has never given up and comes back when I wouldn't have expected it. There were times in the season I didn't think we would make the ACC/NCAA given our pitching. So maybe we can string together a few wins and make a respectable showing.

I have to hope. It's sad to realize that this is the only major GT sport to make the post season and I think some of the disappointment mostly from football and somewhat from basketball affects how I view baseball.

For a few facts that I didn't check before I said we would win two games, here are the results of the last two years for play in teams (8 teams)
0 wins - 4 (duh) - 50%
1 win - 1 UVa in 2015 (and went on to win the NCAA?!) - 12.5%
2 wins - UNC in 2014 and 2015 - 25%
3 none
4 wins - GT in 2014 winning the ACC - 12.5%
5 none

I'm on record as an optimist. Looking back at 2014, that's pretty incredible we managed to win 4 games and the championship given the format. If they continue with this format indefinitely, we may look back in 10 years and that still could easily be the only play-in team to win the thing.

I'll optimistically say we go 2-2 this week. Victories over BC and NC State or FSU... how's that for hedging. The NC State game will be in a hostile environment as the Wolfpack faithful will fill up DBAP on a Friday night.

 

[SwarmArmy]

0. We don't have the confidence to beat BC any more, Gold or no Gold.

 

[Stinger90]

I'm on record as an optimist. Looking back at 2014, that's pretty incredible we managed to win 4 games and the championship given the format. If they continue with this format indefinitely, we may look back in 10 years and that still could easily be the only play-in team to win the thing.

I'll optimistically say we go 2-2 this week. Victories over BC and NC State or FSU... how's that for hedging. The NC State game will be in a hostile environment as the Wolfpack faithful will fill up DBAP on a Friday night.

I don't see them changing this format for a lot of reasons. The Wolfpack faithful will always be in full force, so will FSU people, UVa ( and maybe Duke sense they play there. The last time I was there FSU had good amount of people there, not so much Miami. I don't see that changing this year.

 

[up state jacket]

I have very little confidence in this team. Or maybe its the coaching staff I have little faith in.

I hope they have more in themselves and can prove me wrong. I am just sick of being so low in the ACC pitching stats year after year after year. Injuries is the reason this year (we are told) but this is not a one off, this is the consistent pattern with GT baseball.....injuries does NOT explain the consistent pattern.

Bingo, you can't keep using that excuse and expect it to keep flying. At some point, the heads have to look at reality. Yes injuries are a part of the game, but it can't be a crutch every time you have a bad year. If injuries are and they are, you should be prepared for it. Back up plan is always good. 4 out of the last 5 years Tech has been below .500 in conf play. I hate to keep using this as a ref, but Clemson canned their guy because he kept getting blasted out of the regionals the last few years. What are the real expectations by the heads? Winning doesn't appear to be high on the list.

 

[awbuzz]

Link Ken's thoughts on GT's postseason chances...

Some history -
"It’s the third consecutive year that the Jackets will be in the play-in game. Tech lost to Virginia last year (the Cavaliers went on to win the national championship, the ACC’s first in baseball since 1955). In 2014, Tech beat Wake Forest and then went on to win the tournament, becoming the lowest seed (No. 9) to win the championship. "

"Even if Tech had swept the Eagles, they still wouldn’t have made it into the ACC’s top six to avoid the play-in game. Regardless, the Jackets dropped both Saturday games, the second when they left 15 runners on base and lost 7-6."

Tech’s current RPI is No. 19. No Team with a Top 20 RPI has been left out of the Tourney before. Beat BC and we most likely maintain a Top 20 RPI, if we lose today and fall outside the Top 20 the odds increase that we might be passed over.

Today's game starts at 3PM. Let's win today, take some ambiguity off of the table regarding the NCAA Tourney and kick some a$s is the ACC Tourney.

 

[awbuzz]

Should have added the - "But Tech is No. 159 in ERA and No. 180 in WHIP" to verify were the team "weakness" is this year. Yes, injuries are the blame here.

 

[Stinger90]

Link Ken's thoughts on GT's postseason chances...

Some history -
"It’s the third consecutive year that the Jackets will be in the play-in game. Tech lost to Virginia last year (the Cavaliers went on to win the national championship, the ACC’s first in baseball since 1955). In 2014, Tech beat Wake Forest and then went on to win the tournament, becoming the lowest seed (No. 9) to win the championship. "

"Even if Tech had swept the Eagles, they still wouldn’t have made it into the ACC’s top six to avoid the play-in game. Regardless, the Jackets dropped both Saturday games, the second when they left 15 runners on base and lost 7-6."

Tech’s current RPI is No. 19. No Team with a Top 20 RPI has been left out of the Tourney before. Beat BC and we most likely maintain a Top 20 RPI, if we lose today and fall outside the Top 20 the odds increase that we might be passed over.

Today's game starts at 3PM. Let's win today, take some ambiguity off of the table regarding the NCAA Tourney and kick some a$s is the ACC Tourney.

The ACC is #1 RPI for a reason. We could conceivably have 10 teams with some at an at-large-bid. Both Tech and Wake are coming off a series lose, so winning today and maybe another game would help. The same could be said about BC and Duke. None of those team fit the win the championship or bust scenario.

 

[awbuzz]

Agree

 

[SwarmArmy]

Tech vs BC First pitch at 3:11pm. Wake beat Dook in the early game leaving only 3 from the Coastal division remaining in the tournament if we manage to beat BC.

Go Jackets!

 

[SwarmArmy]

BC starting their closer from game 3.

 

[Squints]

I have very little confidence in this team. Or maybe its the coaching staff I have little faith in.

I hope they have more in themselves and can prove me wrong. I am just sick of being so low in the ACC pitching stats year after year after year. Injuries is the reason this year (we are told) but this is not a one off, this is the consistent pattern with GT baseball.....injuries does NOT explain the consistent pattern.

I'd argue injuries are the consistent pattern. These are the injuries since 2011 on our pitching staff:

2012: Deandre Smelter, Devin Stanton, Matt Grimes and Luke Bard miss the entire season.
2013: Matt Grimes misses the entire season. Smelter's stuff never comes back effectively ending his career.
2014: Cole Pitts misses the entire season. Jonathan King makes 4 starts and then misses the rest of the season. (The pitching was actually pretty good this year but everyone ignores or forgets it.)
2015: Fortunately no one. That I can remember anyway. Imagine how bad the pitching would have been last year if someone went down. That would have sucked.
2016: Jonathan King makes 1 start and misses the rest of the year. Jonathan Hughes makes 5 starts and misses the rest of the year. I'm not even counting English.

So you're looking at at least one member of the weekend rotation missing major time 4 out of the last 5 years and at least two members missing major time 3 out the last 5. That's a big deal. I doubt you'll find another program that's had to deal with as many injuries to the pitching staff that we have. If you don't think that is a major contributor to the pitching struggles then I don't know what to tell you. Agree to disagree.

 

[Squints]

Bingo, you can't keep using that excuse and expect it to keep flying.

You can if it keeps happening. Which it does. You can't just ignore them because you want to. If you want to blame the coaching staff for the injuries that's fine. That's generally not something I do when it comes to baseball. Pitchers break. It happens. I don't think any of us know enough to have an informed opinion about it. Reasonable minds can disagree.

If injuries are and they are, you should be prepared for it. Back up plan is always good.

I think this is a legitimate criticism. When guys went down we didn't always have the bodies to throw out there which was a problem. The issue is that due to way baseball recruiting works it takes some time to address this. Players sign their LOI a year and half before the season they debut. (For example, next year's freshman signed their LOI this past September before this season even started.) So if any of your players get seriously hurt and are going to miss time next season you can't just scoop up some more guys at the end of the year as a back-up plan. Most of the top talents are already gone and/or you'd have to renegotiate the scholarship allotment for players which is kind of sleazy and I don't think Hall does that. You have to depend on the guys already on the roster and the guys that were already signed prior to the season. Now I don't think there's a program in the country that could have absorbed the injuries we've had without issues but I don't think Hall kept enough pitchers on the roster which exacerbated the issue. @GTNavyNuke has echoed similar sentiments. Considering our incoming class had a relative huge number of pitchers in it, it seems he's figured that. We'll see.

I hate to keep using this as a ref, but Clemson canned their guy because he kept getting blasted out of the regionals the last few years.

You do beat this horse a lot. My question is were his teams as banged up as ours or were they just flat out "underachieving"?

 

[Squints]

Bingo, you can't keep using that excuse and expect it to keep flying. At some point, the heads have to look at reality. Yes injuries are a part of the game, but it can't be a crutch every time you have a bad year. If injuries are and they are, you should be prepared for it. Back up plan is always good. 4 out of the last 5 years Tech has been below .500 in conf play. I hate to keep using this as a ref, but Clemson canned their guy because he kept getting blasted out of the regionals the last few years. What are the real expectations by the heads? Winning doesn't appear to be high on the list.

Now before you call me a "looser" with "no common sense" who "embraces mediocrity" yet again let me go on record yet again that I've got no problems with firing the coaching staff at this point. I personally wouldn't do it but I understand why you would. But there's plenty of time to talk about that when the season's actually over. In the meantime, let's watch some stupid tournament baseball.

 

[MWBATL]

Is this game on TV in the Atlanta area? ESPNS tells me its blacked out locally, which usually means someone is televising the game....