UNC, Baseball

[GTNavyNuke]

Our 5th series coming up, halfway (you pay a lot for this insight). At 6-6 ACC we are borderline, but in limbo with #16 UNC coming to town. We are definitely out of the NCAAs considering our 61 RPI which is becoming less unreliable each week and hanging about the same. But the two previous weeks were 1-3 weeks. So we need to get some resume wins.

UNC is 6-4 ACC (they only played 1 against Pitt) and won all ACC "series" except with UVa they went 1-2. ACC history for UNC below.

We are back to caveman baseball, #2 hitting ACC, #13 pitching and #11 defense. People will notice our D has fallen off recently in the errors, we still make some spectacular plays but are booting too many balls. Our pitching is __________.

UNC is #10 hitting, #6 pitching and #6 fielding.

I guess we win 1 (if 3 played) just because we have no consistency and while we are starting to get pitchers back, they will be rusty. So my probability of win likelihood is is 1, 2, 0 and 3. I don't expect Logan to pitch many innings since he took 21 pitches in his one inning; no walks but did give up a HR (very good night for HRs).

Weather is bad Friday & Saturday. Thursday will be fine, maybe a DH or TH? Or play Sunday?

 

[MaverickGT]

Caveman Baseball, LOL! Perfect way to describe our team...... for pretty much the last decade +

 

[FittedJacket]

That was a quick hiatus from GT Baseball Nuke

 

[g0lftime]

So far this season is a repeat of our last several seasons.

 

[GT33]

So far this season is a repeat of our last several seasons.

Doing the same thing and expecting a different result is …………..

 

[Killerbees🐝]

This is tough. I do think the freshman class brings a better defense than what is out on the field, with a couple exceptions. But those veteran bats are must plays. The pitching vs BC kept us in 2 of the 3 games. That’s a good trend to continue with what we have to work with. Especially given we don’t have a legitimate starter that can go 6, 7 or even 8 innings. My opinion which means nothing, we don’t have a capable defense or veteran pitching to make any meaningful run. I hope I am 100% wrong. But at some point we need to look at setting up next years guys for success and get the experience. Cause if they hit the portal it’s going to be a much worse year in 2024

 

[MaverickGT]

So far this season is a repeat of our last several seasons.

Last decade and a half. Charlie Brown program

 

[FredJacket]

This is tough. I do think the freshman class brings a better defense than what is out on the field, with a couple exceptions. But those veteran bats are must plays. The pitching vs BC kept us in 2 of the 3 games. That’s a good trend to continue with what we have to work with. Especially given we don’t have a legitimate starter that can go 6, 7 or even 8 innings. My opinion which means nothing, we don’t have a capable defense or veteran pitching to make any meaningful run. I hope I am 100% wrong. But at some point we need to look at setting up next years guys for success and get the experience. Cause if they hit the portal it’s going to be a much worse year in 2024

Are you suggesting that at 6-6 in ACC & not even to halfway point, the coaches should consider players' [potential] transfer intentions in lineup decisions. The ONLY thing coaches need to be thinking about is winning the next game/series. Put this team in the best possible position to succeed this season.

The rest will settle itself. The portal is a new normal. But if you're letting that influence roster decisions in April... you're setting yourself up to lose more games & [probably] more players too. Keep it simple. Just play/plan to win... & make it obvious to the team that's what you're doing.

 

[Killerbees🐝]

Are you suggesting that at 6-6 in ACC & not even to halfway point, the coaches should consider players' [potential] transfer intentions in lineup decisions. The ONLY thing coaches need to be thinking about is winning the next game/series. Put this team in the best possible position to succeed this season.

The rest will settle itself. The portal is a new normal. But if you're letting that influence roster decisions in April... you're setting yourself up to lose more games & [probably] more players too. Keep it simple. Just play/plan to win... & make it obvious to the team that's what you're doing.

If you don’t think conversations about portal moves is happening right now you are in the dark. No different than GT picking up kids in the portal starting over commits that coaches probably promised a different outlook.

 

[FredJacket]

If you don’t think conversations about portal moves is happening right now you are in the dark. No different than GT picking up kids in the portal starting over commits that coaches probably promised a different outlook.

Yes. I get that. But it sounded like you thought coaches need to prioritize keeping prized players with more upside than current value over putting best lineup together to win.

Coaches have a lot to balance & losing (& gaining) good players via portal is part of it.

 

[Home Park Jacket]

If you don’t think conversations about portal moves is happening right now you are in the dark. No different than GT picking up kids in the portal starting over commits that coaches probably promised a different outlook.

And what player would you play more to maximize wins over this season and next? In the past, I have questioned the play time of one player that is not on the team anymore, but from what I see during late innings of blowouts, there is no one that I worry about losing to the portal at the expense of someone else that can better help us win now and who deserves it more.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

That was a quick hiatus from GT Baseball Nuke

I saw a sign for Addiction Counseling on the way home and should have taken down the number. Being a GT baseball fan is not rational. I haven't and won't watch the Sunday game since I wouldn't be able to unsee it; like Hall keeping Connor (I think) in for the entire game to get eliminated at Auburn a few years back.

We are the same caveman bludgeon the opponent to death team without the finesse of a consistent D and with the bottom of the ACC pitching. That formula consistently fails in post season. That may only change when the head coach changes IMHO. Yearly excuses vary but the head coach hasn't. So while Hall is still here and I've calibrated my expectations accordingly, I decided I might as well watch for a minor miracle.

If you don’t think conversations about portal moves is happening right now you are in the dark. No different than GT picking up kids in the portal starting over commits that coaches probably promised a different outlook.

I think the reason to transfer is to improve playing time and draft potential. Winning regular season games and post season is nice but since we get a lot of players drafted without post season success, I don't know that our record is that big of deal for guys to transfer. Not playing is a big deal. And our guys seem to really like playing at GT (those that we see), so why transfer? Being at GT is light years better than the minors, and it should be simple to make more in NIL that the sub-subsistence wage paid to minor league players. Plus they are getting progress towards a good Plan B degree and our guys are smart enough to see that.

 

[Killerbees🐝]

I agree. Not calling anyone out. If we truly believe this roster can make an Omaha run then let’s support it. As far as who is up next…How many players do you expect back next year? A good portion will be drafted or getting a 9-5 (yes with a great degree) Who do you see replacing them? Current Freshman? Incoming class? More portal transfers? GT has had a lot of kids drafted, that’s their sell. Other schools (SEC) sell Omaha and the draft. IMO that is the difference. Maybe coaching LOL and FYI, minors got some good benefits just approved.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

... If we truly believe this roster can make an Omaha run then let’s support it. ........

That would be a minor miracle (not quite a major miracle since it's baseball).

Weather Friday and Saturday look even worse this afternoon. Let's look forward to Easter baseball.

 

[FredJacket]

I haven't and won't watch the Sunday game since I wouldn't be able to unsee it; like Hall keeping Connor (I think) in for the entire game to get eliminated at Auburn a few years back.

The game that will live in infamy (in Nuke's head)

...but your facts are fake news.

We were not eliminated in that game & it was not at Auburn. [they were the home team though]

Keeping Conor in was (imo) the correct decision at the time & I'll stick by that. We'll never know if the outcome would have been different had he been replaced. We do know he was dominant (understatement) even into 9th inning & he was forced to pitch to 4 outs due to an error that setup the walkoff HR.

 

[CINCYMETJACKET]

The game that will live in infamy (in Nuke's head)

...but your facts are fake news.

We were not eliminated in that game & it was not at Auburn. [they were the home team though]

Keeping Conor in was (imo) the correct decision at the time & I'll stick by that. We'll never know if the outcome would have been different had he been replaced. We do know he was dominant (understatement) even into 9th inning & he was forced to pitch to 4 outs due to an error that setup the walkoff HR.

Agree that keeping Connor in was the right move at the time. If he finished it off, he'd be a hero and Danny would as well for saving the pen for the next game (or two).

 

[CINCYMETJACKET]

My preseason prediction was 1-2 and I'm sticking with it. Have not seen enough consistency from our team to change to 2-1.

 

[FittedJacket]

I doubt there are freshman who believe they should be playing over The older players. Most are more concerned with working on their craft everyday, being good teammates, and helping the team in anyway they can. The grass Isn’t always greener on the other side of the transfer portal. If players want to leave then they should. An even more exceptional recruiting class is coming in next year, and I’m sure we will add some portal players. The players have been competing with each other since September, and I trust they know where they stand in this program today and going forward.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

The game that will live in infamy (in Nuke's head)

...but your facts are fake news.

We were not eliminated in that game & it was not at Auburn. [they were the home team though]

Keeping Conor in was (imo) the correct decision at the time & I'll stick by that. We'll never know if the outcome would have been different had he been replaced. We do know he was dominant (understatement) even into 9th inning & he was forced to pitch to 4 outs due to an error that setup the walkoff HR.

PTSD by watching Slow Hook is my defense.

And I thought it was awful to keep him in during the game (whenever and whoever it was, they all run together). We'll never know how my alternate reality would turn out; only that we haven't advanced in too long ......

 

[78pike]

Reading the posts above leaves me a little confused. We are currently at .500 in conference at about the halfway point. I think some of you live in some kind of alternate reality and forget that we had to replace our entire weekend rotation along with six of our position players. Coming into the year nobody had us ranked and most everyone thought our hitting would drop off significantly. Instead we remain one of the best hitting teams in the ACC and the entire country. Our pitching is still a sore spot but again we lost our entire rotation from last year so why wouldn't it be? I think a big part of the problem for some on here is that we see that we are close to getting over the hump and show flashes of being a team that can do much better and that frustrates a lot of people. I am curious....how many of you really thought we would be much better than .500 in the conference coming into the year with all of the talent that we lost? On top of that we have suffered several injuries to both position players and pitchers. I would argue that we are right about where most people thought we would be and actually maybe a little better. I know this much, I don't know any teams that look forward to playing us thinking we are an easy win. Losing Compton just as he was getting red hot at the plate really hurt us. Losing Hill and McGuire at the beginning of the season has really set us back as well. Outside of Compton it looks like everyone is getting healthy. With that I will say I look forward to seeing what kind of team we have at full strength and think we will be stronger the 2nd half of the year.