uGag, Baseball

[JacketOff]

Well. Coach Hall has an outstanding winning %. If you're only interested in discussing the last half of his tenure. Fair enough.

Multiple division titles. Multiple ACC championships. VERY few missed NCAA tourneys (12-ish appearances)

Nobody denies the lack of long runs in post-season.

But his career winning % stacks up pretty well against the field.

There are 299 Division 1 college baseball teams. About 280 of them would kill to have Danny Hall lead their programs. A lot of schools with more postseason success than GT since 2006 are included in that 280.

I’ve done the math before, but when compared to the numbers in college football, making a regional is more or less equivalent to being ranked top 25. Making a super is ≈ to making a NY6 bowl. And making it to Omaha is ≈ playing in the natty. There are so many people here who look at a program who is consistently one of the top in the country year-in year-out and say it’s not enough. Losing in the postseason sucks. Especially losing to a team(s) that we probably have more talent then. But making it to the postseason and giving ourselves a chance damn near every year is an opportunity most places never get.

We’ve made 11 NCAAs since 2006. There’s not very many places in the country that have done that.

 

[gtbeak]

Listen. You just don't get it. Everything good that happens is because of Ramsey. Everything else he has nothing to do with.

Was the offense good even before he got here? If he's such a slam dunk guaranteed multiple CWS coach why did his alma mater pass on him this past year when they were looking for a coach? Why did everyone else? What evidence is there that Ramsey is the guarantee some of our fans are absolutely convinced he is?

We don't ask these questions here. Just stfu and get onboard.

I've been trying to ask those questions on this and the other board, but I've tried to do it discreetly. I do agree that Ramsey appears to have a bright future in the coaching business, but he still has a very short resume for a good program such as Georgia Tech to consider him an obvious slam dunk hire. Lone Star Jacket indicated that he heard that Ramsey received several calls this past off-season, but listening to D1 Baseball podcasts and reading articles from them about coaching hires, the only time I have ever heard him mentioned was when Kennesaw St was looking two years ago.

In Ramsey's defense, FSU hit a grand slam with their hire of Link Jarrett, so I wouldn't expect them to consider Ramsey over him. LNJ is correct that Ramsey appears to have won over CFDH with his offensive and lineup construction philosophies, and he does appear to be a lights out recruiter. We could definitely do worse when it comes time to replace Coach Hall.

Bottomline, I wish that Ramsey had been offered the KSU job and that he was in his 2nd season there doing a good job. Then, when a 70 year old Hall retires after this latest extension ends in 2025 we would be in position to hire a 35 year old coach who had proven himself over a 5 year period as a head coach at a good mid-major school. Instead, we need to keep Ramsey around and motivated with a good carrot if we do intend to have him replace Hall in a few years.

 

[gtbeak]

The back end of our bullpen has been excellent so far this year. We haven't been able to say that for quite some time. So that is a positive. Our starting pitching has been suspect other than Finley but keep in mind we have two guys that may very well make up our weekend rotation later this year that are currently injured (McGuire and Hill). We have also been playing without three fourths of our starting infield since the first week of the season. Despite all of that we are still 10-2. Sure we had two bad games this weekend but some of you act like we won't win a game the rest of the year. I would venture to say that most every team in the country would suffer some if they lost more than a third of their starters. I still think we will see better performances from Schmolke and Samol before the year is over. They just have too much talent not to. We didn't throw in the towel after having two bad games and that says something. Unlike some of you I am more encouraged by our pitching staff than I have been in several years. Let's get our guys back from injury and then see where we are.

I agree 100% about the pitching. To me it is clear that we have more depth than past years, but we are lacking starters. I'll trust that CFDH and CDB can figure out the right mix of starters and relievers as the season progresses.

 

[randerto]

Can we take a look for a second at the unbelievably dominant performances the three pitchers from today have thrown down this season so far? Combined: 40.1 innings, 50ks, 3 earned runs, 3 extra base hits, 8 BBs, and a 0.67 combined ERA. I don't think it gets any better than that.

If we are going to slam CDB for the poor performances, then we should be just as ready to heap praise for coaching up two players coming off long Tommy Johns recoveries and a Juco transfer. Right?

I'm not a CDB fan based on very poor results to-date but agree we should acknowledge the good with the bad. Busse has been lights out and he clearly credits CDB with making some adjustments to his pitching with "taking him to the next level" from his previous team.

 

[randerto]

For all we know he has done so. The fact that us fans are not aware of his plans does not mean that he has not informed Tech and his coaches what his plans are. CDH does not strike me as the kind of person that gives a damn what the fans think nor does he spend any time on social media (unlike another coach we had in another sport). He is just a good old school kind of coach that cares about his players. He is extremely well respected throughout both college and Major League Baseball for a reason.

CDH lives in the neighborhood next to ours and we know many of his neighbors. From everything I have heard from his neighbors, he is 100% baseball with no hobbies and no plans or desire to retire in the near future. Of course I realize he may not share retirement plans with neighbors but there is certainly zero anecdotal evidence at the personal friend/neighbor level he plans to hang up the cleats anytime soon. And yes, while his teams consistently outperform with the bats and underperform on the mound, we could do a lot worse. I recognize we MIGHT do better with a different HC, but the odds are small we will have the overall level of winning consistency GT has experienced during CDH's tenure. But yes, it can be maddening to watch the relatively frequent pitching meltdowns - particularly the past few years.

 

[Stinger90]

CDH went to CWS his 1st season. Lolol.

But, wasn't that with Jim Morris guys?

 

[GTNavyNuke]

CDH lives in the neighborhood next to ours and we know many of his neighbors. From everything I have heard from his neighbors, he is 100% baseball with no hobbies and no plans or desire to retire in the near future. Of course I realize he may not share retirement plans with neighbors but there is certainly zero anecdotal evidence at the personal friend/neighbor level he plans to hang up the cleats anytime soon. And yes, while his teams consistently outperform with the bats and underperform on the mound, we could do a lot worse. I recognize we MIGHT do better with a different HC, but the odds are small we will have the overall level of winning consistency GT has experienced during CDH's tenure. But yes, it can be maddening to watch the relatively frequent pitching meltdowns - particularly the past few years.

I think Hall is a really nice baseball obsessed guy from all I've heard (second and third hand). Plus his players love him. He's a great ambassador for GT.

I think he's built a really good brand at GT. All of that is independent (to me) of when it's time to move on.

If he stays, we're going to be good. When he leaves, we're going to be good. Being great is another question for both cases.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

Well. Coach Hall has an outstanding winning %. If you're only interested in discussing the last half of his tenure. Fair enough.

Multiple division titles. Multiple ACC championships. VERY few missed NCAA tourneys (12-ish appearances)

Nobody denies the lack of long runs in post-season.

But his career winning % stacks up pretty well against the field.

No one disputes the significant amount of success that he has had at Tech, which is why he will be allowed to walk away from the program on his own terms. However, there are far too many fonts who are unwilling to even to think critically about the CURRENT state of the program and the lack of success over what is now an extended period of time. His winning % over the past decade plus is not good. His performance in the CWS over the 16 years is abysmal. Pointing to his record of success from 1994 to 2006 does not change the fact that we have underperformed significantly since our last CWS appearance in 2006.

 

[Buzzbomb]

Without looking it up, I can’t recall any losing seasons. ACC under .500? Sure we must have had a few, but not many?

Would any of you agree with me, that we are a little spoiled in that regard?

 

[g0lftime]

Well. Coach Hall has an outstanding winning %. If you're only interested in discussing the last half of his tenure. Fair enough.

Multiple division titles. Multiple ACC championships. VERY few missed NCAA tourneys (12-ish appearances)

Nobody denies the lack of long runs in post-season.

But his career winning % stacks up pretty well against the field.

Morris wasn't a slouch when he was here either. I was disappointed when he left for Miami. Hall has been a very good coach for a long time and loyal to our school. I am sure he has had other opportunities over the years. He deserves to leave on his own schedule when he is ready. He needs that one big year at the CWS to complete his career.

 

[GTRambler]

My son-in-law, who is a head baseball coach for a Division III college in Georgia, tells me that he has frequently encountered and talked with Coach Danny Hall during summer ball scouting trips over the past several years. He says Coach Hall is a great guy, is approachable and easy to talk with, and is highly esteemed and respected by his peers at all levels of college baseball.

There is no higher praise than this.

 

[GT_B]

In regards to Hall - I could be wrong, but I would assume Hall has already told Ramsey he is the coach in waiting for when he retires. I would think he has told Ramsey what his intended timeline is and if he stays till then the job is his. Ramsey could not want to wait and go somewhere else, but I think he is hanging around because he knows the job is his soon.

In regards to this weekend - Disappointed with both pitching and hitting overall (outside of Sunday pitching). I know we have some key pieces out, so we will sill if we ever get back to full strength, but overall just too many guys striking out and inconsistency. Reid looked awful all weekend against better pitching. Glad to at least salvage 1 on Sunday, and you can see we have some key guys (finley,King,Busse) on the mound that can do some damage in a 1 game scenario. Outside of them, its our usual pitching situation over the last several years.

I think we will be a middle of the road ACC team with our starting pitching situation, unless something drastically changes, we will be playing from behind most of the year with giving up a lot of runs.

 

[senoiajacket]

Someone walk me through the logic behind pinch-hitting Compton for Finley in the 5th inning yesterday.

I totally understand wanting to get Compton an AB and am fine with him PH, but why for Finley? Granted, Finely had not had a good series at the plate to that point with multiple Ks in Friday and Saturday games, but still, he leads the team in BA and HR.

Furthermore, you are bringing up a Compton in a critical situation (bases loaded in a tight game) and the guy hasn't had a live AB in two weeks (albeit it worked out OK, since he walked). And finally, since you are substituting him as DH (as opposed to a PH) now Finley's bat is out of the game AND if Compton gets on he has to run the bases coming off a pulled Hammy, which is not good. Why not let Finley hit, PH Compton for Ramano (depending on what Finely does ..... what if he hit a Slam?) and if he gets on let Diamanti pinch run for him and stay in the game at second?

The timing of putting Compton in there made no sense to me. My understanding is that Finley could have come out of the game (as pitcher) and stayed in the game as DH.

Maybe there was something we don't know about (injury to Finley, God forbid or something else "internal")?

SJ

 

[senoiajacket]

Can we take a look for a second at the unbelievably dominant performances the three pitchers from today have thrown down this season so far? Combined: 40.1 innings, 50ks, 3 earned runs, 3 extra base hits, 8 BBs, and a 0.67 combined ERA. I don't think it gets any better than that.

If we are going to slam CDB for the poor performances, then we should be just as ready to heap praise for coaching up two players coming off long Tommy Johns recoveries and a Juco transfer. Right?

Credit given to CDB for excellent results pointed out above.

Skepticism remains with overall era of 6.34 against the weakest part of our schedule, 22HR given up in 105 innings and WHIP of 1.61.

I spent all of last season, thinking/waiting/hoping our pitching would come around. In my mind, Maxwell improved and there might have been slight overall improvement in Carwile, Finiteri, and McGuire, but certainly not as great as I was hoping for (unreal expectations?). Everyone else (in my memory) either stayed the same or got worse. Personally, it's just hard got me to "go there again". I'll just hope for the best, but not put any expectations on that hope actually playing out in real life.

 

[gtbeak]

Someone walk me through the logic behind pinch-hitting Compton for Finley in the 5th inning yesterday.

I totally understand wanting to get Compton an AB and am fine with him PH, but why for Finley? Granted, Finely had not had a good series at the plate to that point with multiple Ks in Friday and Saturday games, but still, he leads the team in BA and HR.

Furthermore, you are bringing up a Compton in a critical situation (bases loaded in a tight game) and the guy hasn't had a live AB in two weeks (albeit it worked out OK, since he walked). And finally, since you are substituting him as DH (as opposed to a PH) now Finley's bat is out of the game AND if Compton gets on he has to run the bases coming off a pulled Hammy, which is not good. Why not let Finley hit, PH Compton for Ramano (depending on what Finely does ..... what if he hit a Slam?) and if he gets on let Diamanti pinch run for him and stay in the game at second?

The timing of putting Compton in there made no sense to me. My understanding is that Finley could have come out of the game (as pitcher) and stayed in the game as DH.

Maybe there was something we don't know about (injury to Finley, God forbid or something else "internal")?

SJ

I to found that to be a strange move. I truly hope it wasn't because of any physical problems from Finley after getting hit by the line drive.

In a vacuum I would have saved Compton to hit for Giesler two batters later. However, that would require that Compton either get just the one AB or that he replace Giesler in the field. Perhaps Compton isn't ready yet to play in the field. However, if the move was made just to get Compton ABs, why not start him as the DH?

Bottomline, I can't walk you through it cause it doesn't make sense to me either. Did Hall mention it in his post-game presser?

 

[leatherneckjacket]

Ok, I'll play...

Since our last Regional win, Super Regional win and CWS appearance in 2006, there have 15 CWS tourneys in 16 years.

234 teams have been invited to CWS. Of those, 71 teams have won a Regional, and 42 teams have made the CWS. Tech is not one of them.

Of those 234 teams, 28 teams have 11 or more appearances. Of those, only Tech and Oral Roberts have not won Regional and only Tech, Oral Roberts, Dallas Baptist and East Carolina have not made a CWS.

Of the 26 teams with 11 or more appearances and at least one regional win, the average number of regional wins is over 6 per team.

Of the 24 teams with 11 or more appearances and at least one CWS appearance, the average number of CWS appearances is 3.67 per team.

There are two teams with 10 appearances. Both have won a regional (in fact they have won 8 and 7) and both have been to a CWS (in fact they have been 5 and 3 times).

There are three teams with 9 appearances. Only one has not won a regional (Bethune Cookman). The other two have won a regional (in fact they have both won 4) and been to a CWS (in fact they have been 3 and 2 times).

There are six teams with 8 appearances. Only one has not won a regional (Army). The other five have won a regional and one has made a CWS.

There are nine teams with 7 appearances. Three have not won a regional (Nebraska, UNC Wilmington, and Wright State). The other six have won a regional and four have made a CWS

There are nine teams with 6 appearances. Four have not won a regional (Columbia, Florida Atlantic, San Diego, and San Diego State). The other five have won a regional and four have made a CWS

You sense a trend here? Outside of Nebraska and Georgia Tech, no team from a major conference with six or more tourney appearances has failed to win a regional over that time frame.

You know who has won a regional? East Carolina (5), Rice (4), Southern Miss (2), Dallas Baptist (2), UConn (2), Baylor (1), St John's (1), Sam Houston St (1), UC Irvine (4), Kent State (2), Michigan (2), Indiana (2), Louisiana Lafayette (2), UC Santa Barbara (1), Maryland (2), Missouri St (2), Stony Brook (1), Houston (1), Minnesota (1), Pepperdine (1), VCU (1), Duke (2), Wichita St (2), College of Charleston (1), Illinois (1), Kansas St (1), Kentucky (1), South Florida (1), Stetson (1), Wake Forest (1), Notre Dame (2), Washington (1), VPISU (1), Boston College (1), Tennessee Tech (1), and Davidson (1)

So, I guess if we want to compare ourselves to Oral Roberts or Bethune Cookman or Army, we are doing about average. If we compare ourselves to East Carolina or Dallas Baptist, we are below average (Dallas Baptist has two SRs and East Carolina has five). As for our true peers, we stink compared to them in the postseason.

But, yeah, it is just luck.

 

[senoiajacket]

Ok, I'll play...

Since our last Regional win, Super Regional win and CWS appearance in 2006, there have 15 CWS tourneys in 16 years.

234 teams have been invited to CWS. Of those, 71 teams have won a Regional, and 42 teams have made the CWS. Tech is not one of them.

Of those 234 teams, 28 teams have 11 or more appearances. Of those, only Tech and Oral Roberts have not won Regional and only Tech, Oral Roberts, Dallas Baptist and East Carolina have not made a CWS.

Of the 26 teams with 11 or more appearances and at least one regional win, the average number of regional wins is over 6 per team.

Of the 24 teams with 11 or more appearances and at least one CWS appearance, the average number of CWS appearances is 3.67 per team.

There are two teams with 10 appearances. Both have won a regional (in fact they have won 8 and 7) and both have been to a CWS (in fact they have been 5 and 3 times).

There are three teams with 9 appearances. Only one has not won a regional (Bethune Cookman). The other two have won a regional (in fact they have both won 4) and been to a CWS (in fact they have been 3 and 2 times).

There are six teams with 8 appearances. Only one has not won a regional (Army). The other five have won a regional and one has made a CWS.

There are nine teams with 7 appearances. Three have not won a regional (Nebraska, UNC Wilmington, and Wright State). The other six have won a regional and four have made a CWS

There are nine teams with 6 appearances. Four have not won a regional (Columbia, Florida Atlantic, San Diego, and San Diego State). The other five have won a regional and four have made a CWS

You sense a trend here? Outside of Nebraska and Georgia Tech, no team from a major conference with six or more tourney appearances has failed to win a regional over that time frame.

So, I guess if we want to compare ourselves to Oral Roberts or Bethune Cookman or Army, we are doing about average. If we compare ourselves to East Carolina or Dallas Baptist, we are below average (Dallas Baptist has two SRs and East Carolina has five). As for our true peers, we stink compared to them in the postseason.

Wow, it hurts my head to think of how much effort it took to put that analysis together ...... unless you used ChatGPT to sort it all out.

Bottom line to me is that we have been above average at beating average teams since 2006, but below average in beating "better" (read top 30) teams since them. If you regularly beat top 30 teams over a long period of time, you are a very good to elite program in my opinion. Based on that definition, we are not elite. We are somewhere between a good program and a better than average program. In my opinion your exhaustive analysis about bears that out.

Kudos to you for putting in the work.

 

[leatherneckjacket]

Wow, it hurts my head to think of how much effort it took to put that analysis together ...... unless you used ChatGPT to sort it all out.

Bottom line to me is that we have been above average at beating average teams since 2006, but below average in beating "better" (read top 30) teams since them. If you regularly beat top 30 teams over a long period of time, you are a very good to elite program in my opinion. Based on that definition, we are not elite. We are somewhere between a good program and a better than average program. In my opinion your exhaustive analysis about bears that out.

Kudos to you for putting in the work.

No tools. Just brute force. I thought I had it saved, but all I had was SR and CWS appearances, not tourney appearances. So, I had to start over.

To add salt to the wound. of the 14 teams that play ACC baseball (Cuse does not), only Tech and Pitt have not won a regional in the past 16 years and that is because Pitt has never made a CWS tourney.

 

[Home Park Jacket]

Someone walk me through the logic behind pinch-hitting Compton for Finley in the 5th inning yesterday.

I think he tweaked something in his arm. His pitch count allowed another inning. He had an ice bag on his arm later in the dugout.

 

[gtbeak]

No tools. Just brute force. I thought I had it saved, but all I had was SR and CWS appearances, not tourney appearances. So, I had to start over.

To add salt to the wound. of the 14 teams that play ACC baseball (Cuse does not), only Tech and Pitt have not won a regional in the past 16 years and that is because Pitt has never made a CWS tourney.

Thanks LNJ! That's the kind of stuff I enjoy putting together. Good work!

I would not have guessed that only us and Pitt have failed to make a super, but it seems right after I stop and think about it. Bottomline is that the 11 tourney appearances (almost all as 2 seeds, maybe one or two 3 seeds, and couple hosting) show that we have been a consistent #25-#35 team, but never have we had enough pitching to pull off the upset and even advance to a super.