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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: April 8
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4118
2:01
How do you see the roles on the LSU pitching staff shaping up once Marceaux and Hill return?
Kendall Rogers
2:01
4118 -- That's a great question. At this point, I think Hess and Henry are solidified into the rotation. Henry's stuff looked excellent over the weekend and I love his demeanor. Walker could be the odd man out, but I do love his approach, his velocity is back to normal and he's been effective for the most part. WTS -- Marceaux and Hill are both very talented. For now, I don't see the rotation changed, but we'll see what happens.
Frank Durham
2:03
ECU seems to be in a groove and getting better.  Minus the 2-0 loss to Houston, provided the Pirates can take all the remaining series; AAC regular and tournament champs, how do you like their chances as a Top 8 protected seed?
Kendall Rogers
2:03
Frank -- I like where ECU sits as of today. I really liked this team over the weekend. I didn't think ECU was overly flashy in two of the three games, but it showed versatility by being able to win the finale with pitching. Jake Kuchmaner was impressive with a hard-nosed approach and his FB/CH/CB combo, while the bullpen impressed me as well. Alec Burleson doesn't have overpowering stuff, but it was 86-88 and he had excellent feel for the CB. We already knew ECU's offense was really good, but I was impressed with its depth on the mound.
Kevin
2:05
What's the skinny on Missouri? I pretty much wrote them off after getting swept by Arkansas in Week 1 of SEC play but now it seems like they're a new team (taking 2 of 3 from Ole Miss, UK, and possibly from A&M if it weren't for a travel curfew). Should the (LSU) Tigers be worried seeing as they have to go TO Mizzou? Please tell me they have no elite LHP as that appears to be LSU's kryptonite.
Kendall Rogers
2:05
Kevin -- Missouri will be a test for sure. Though the Tigers struggle against good pitching from an offensive standpoint, they are loaded on the mound. TJ Sikkema has been outstanding this season, and he will likely start the finale, while Jacob Cantleberry has surprised and Tyler LaPlante is a pitchability guy. Fred Corral has done a great job with this pitching staff. I've definitely got a potential upset alert on this series.
jimlawson
2:06
With a RPI of 5 how can you justify such a low ranking for UC Santa Barbara? I am a UCI fan, so my perspective is not emotionally charged.
Kendall Rogers
2:06
Jim -- Sometimes, the RPI inflates teams. It happens all the time, and I think that's happened with UCSB. Do I think UCSB is a really solid club? You bet. They've got a real weapon at the back-end with Michael McGreevy and a strong ace in Jack Dashwood. There's depth on the mound and the lineup is good, but from a resume standpoint for rankings purposes, where's the meat on the bone? As good as UCSB has been, it does lack high-level wins so far.
RebelSwag
2:08
Kendall, roller coast week for Ole Miss. Saw latest projections have us a #2 seed. Do you see Rebs as likely hosting provided they finish with a respectable showing in SEC play? Does the UNA loss affect those chances at all, meaning do we need to win more than usual SEC games to feel good about hosting?
Kendall Rogers
2:08
Rebel -- I do think Ole Miss will be in that territory at the end of the season. The No. 3 spot in the weekend rotation is still in the same spot and is a question mark, but that's such a good offensive lineup. Scoring 40 runs in three games against Florida is pretty impressive.
Alex
2:09
Is the Sun Belt looking like a one bid league this year?
Kendall Rogers
2:09
Alex - It certainly seems like it right now unless someone not named Coastal Carolina wins the conference tournament. Arkansas State has plummeted from an RPI standpoint over the past week or so.
Matt
2:10
What's the latest on Kevin Abel? Is it time for Beaver fans to worry?
Kendall Rogers
2:10
Matt -- I continue to hear he's doing bullpens, but anytime someone misses a month for a "sore back", you start to wonder if that type of language is a cover-up for something else. Time will tell.
Aaron Fitt
2:10
Hey all -- sorry I'm late, I'm traveling and have a flight to catch but will try to answer as much as I can before boarding.
Adam
2:12
How can Miami move off of the bubble and be a lock to make the post season?
Aaron Fitt
2:12
Keep on winning series and get that conference record above .500. This weekend was definitely a big step in the right direction. Ultimately I like the trajectory Miami is on and suspect they'll reach that 14-16 win mark in ACC play, which should be enough for an at-large.
AJC12
2:12
Is the AAC shaping up to only send 2 or 3 teams to regionals?
Kendall Rogers
2:12
Right now, the AAC would be a two-bid league. Could something change down the stretch? Absolutely.
Thomas
2:14
This might sound crazy to say this early in the season, but I think Georgia is almost a lock to win the SEC regular season championship after their series win over Vandy. I don't see any teams in the west catching them because there are too many good teams that will beat up on each other. Do you agree?
Aaron Fitt
2:14
I think you're right that Georgia is in the driver's seat, and your point about the SEC West teams beating each other up is a good one. I would never call any team "almost a lock" because the SEC is so rugged, but I do think Georgia is really good, and winning that Vandy seat put the Dawgs in great position in the conference race.
ATXDude
2:14
Texas fans (myself included) were extremely upset with the way Sunday’s game vs Baylor went down. Going up 6-0 in the 2nd only to have the game completely cancelled really sucks in the moment. Long term, though, how do you guys think that one game affects UT in terms of the RPI and a possible hosting bid? I realize it’s just one game, but a series road win vs a split seems important.
Kendall Rogers
2:14
ATX -- I don't think losing that game will mean much. And really, it was going to rain until 11-12, so I think it was the right call by both schools. The committee will be understanding on that game being cancelled. Short answer? I don't think it's going to matter at all granted UT continues to take care of business.
Michael
2:14
Wow what a week for Georgia, two mid-week road wins including one at Clemson and a series win over top 5 rpi Vanderbilt.  Last week you had the Dawgs hosting a regional, are they now projected to be a top 8 seed?
Aaron Fitt
2:14
To follow up on the last answer -- yes, at this point I do think Georgia is a lock for a top-eight seed in our next projection.
SEC Least
2:17
Guys-(frustrated) South Carolina fan here, we're definitely going to need to pull some upsets in series we're not favored in. We let the first 2 innings of a double hitter rattle us, it seems like SC has 3 bad innings a week, but they happen to be BRUTAL innings. Getting Mlodzinski back in a few weeks will help if this offense can play up to the potential on a consistence basis. I was shocked when I looked at the SEC East standing and saw outside of Georgia & Vandy there's a log jam. Give me some hope guys!!!
Aaron Fitt
2:17
Well, it's looking grim, there's no way to sugarcoat it. Just moving up a peg or two in the SEC East standings won't really accomplish much if SC is still 4-plus games below .500 in the league -- and right now they're 6 games under .500. If they don't find a way to get to 14 SEC wins, they're cooked, and right now I don't see it happening. But you want hope -- and hey, South Carolina looked dead about this time last year too, and still made some noise. It could happen...
Tucker B
2:19
What is your take on NC State following a 2-2 week going against Coastal and Louisville this week? Do you think they have what it takes to potentially win the ACC and go to Omaha? Obviously, the Sunday starter is a problem for the Pack but do they have the depth to get it done? Also, its gotta be time for Tresh to get a stab at DH right?
Aaron Fitt
2:19
Yeah I still feel good about NC State, and I think they're the team to beat in the ACC right now. I think that offense is good enough to carry the Pack to the conference title, and I still think there's probably enough depth on that staff to make up for the lack of a consistent Sunday starter. And Tucker, I agree about Tresh -- talented guy, and I suspect he'll be getting more run in the lineup soon.
Tim
2:22
What do you think Tulane has to do to get consideration for an at-large berth into a regional? Only two series losses so far this year, to two very good teams - Ole Miss and UCSB.
Aaron Fitt
2:22
They need to boost that RPI (currently 105) up into the top 40 or so, which is a tall order. And they need some quality wins -- right now they're 1-5 against the top 50, although as you point out all those losses are against very good teams. But just playing good teams and losing to them, and beating the lesser teams, is not enough to build an at-large resumé. You need some quality wins, and Tulane is lacking them right now. But clearly Tulane is much improved, and I could see the Wave making a run in the second half.
Corey S.
2:22
After a series win at Auburn this past weekend, what questions still remain to be answered by the Razorbacks in your mind?
Kendall Rogers
2:22
Corey -- I think the biggest thing is that Arkansas needs to establish some consistency on the mound. Let's see if Wicklander, etc, can put together good back to back starts, and let's see if the bullpen can get it rolling as well. Other than that, I feel pretty good about the lineup and obviously Isaiah Campbell.
DtownKat
2:23
Do you see Sam Houston jumping into the Top 25 at any point this year? What do you think of the Freshman Colton Cowser? What kind of potential does this kid have?
Aaron Fitt
2:23
Yes, we actually had Sam Houston as team No. 26 this week, unofficially -- strongly considered ranking those guys. That's a good club that I think will be dangerous in the postseason. And I'm a huge fan of Cowser, he really impressed me in Frisco. He's got a chance to be a first-rounder in a couple years -- it's that kind of tools. He's a dude.
B Easy
2:26
Does ECU have the requisite pitching and hitting to stack up against an elite team like UCLA this weekend? ECU's SOS is much lower than the Bruins but it seems like the Pirates are playing much better than they were at the beginning of the year now that everyone is healthy and the pitching rotation and the bullpen have been sorted out. I guess the ultimate questions are: (1) Do the Pirates have more than a puncher's chance at taking 2 of 3 on the road against what I believe is the most complete team in the nation?  and (2) IF ECU somehow prevails how will that alter the national seed projections.
Aaron Fitt
2:26
Oh I'd definitely give ECU a puncher's chance, the Pirates are really good, and also very complete. I agree that UCLA is the real deal, but ECU is good enough to go toe-to-toe with those guys -- they're actually built pretty similarly, with real firepower in the offense, some key playmakers on defense, and fairly comparable pitching staffs. Should be a great series.
Cowtown Bill
2:26
Is it time to buy back in on the Frogs? The bats have remained legit all year but not the pitching which is strange for TCU. But maybe they have finally found their other weekend starter now with Chuck King?
Kendall Rogers
2:26
I think I'm bought back in on the Frogs for the time being. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and the Frogs have series wins over Texas and Oklahoma, and were a base-hit away from taking the Oklahoma State series as well. TCU is one of those typical teams that's much better than the RPI currently gives it credit for.
Jack
2:27
Big East Predictions? anything stand out this year?
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