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D1Baseball Weekly Chat: March 8
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David W
2:01
I am curious about what you guys think about South Carolina. As they head into the weekend series vs Texas. Madden vs Clarke will be a fun match-up, and so will Carolinas pitching staff vs Texas hitters. Should be a great series! Keep up the great work!
Kendall Rogers
2:01
David -- This is a fascinating series to me. South Carolina didn't knock off the cover off the ball against Mercer, but honestly, that's probably a good thing to stay grounded leading into the Texas series next weekend. I thought Ty Madden was phenomenal on Friday at UH, so if Wes Clarke and Co., can have success against him, I feel fantastic about the Gamecocks moving forward.
Levi
2:03
Does Oklahoma State have any shot against Vanderbilt this weekend, don't expect much but would like for them to keep it competitive?
Kendall Rogers
2:03
Levi -- Going to guess this is a trick question. Haha. Kidding around with you -- but not only can Oklahoma State give Vandy a series, it absolutely can win the series. The Pokes have been pretty balanced this year, and lefty Justin Wrobleski has been outstanding on the mound. Parker Scott has also been terrific, along with righty Bryce Osmond, who's finally throwing harder and living up to his expectation level. It actually would not shock me at all to see OSU win this series. Coach Rooney will be at O'Brate for this one.
frank
2:04
Afternoon, I thought the NCAA had mandated that pitchers use a "wet rag" in pocket to clean and moisten hands etc. Has anyone of you seen anybody using one? I haven't. All I've seen is this as normal, which to me is fine. I've seen fingers to the mouth and face in every game
Kendall Rogers
2:04
I think there's a lot of selective enforcement going on. For instance, most leagues are not enforcing the whole "six feet apart" rules at home plate during pre-game meetings, or the in-game discussion protocols between coaches and umpires. I have heard of a couple of leagues getting umps to enforce that, but good luck. I'm thinking it's the same with the pitching rules, especially as we see light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to COVID (fingers crossed here).
Scott
2:06
What do you think of the beaver/duck matchup this coming weekend? Both teams are riding high
Kendall Rogers
2:06
Scott -- It looks awesome on paper, doesn't it? Oregon was one of those teams I thought had a chance to surprise in the preseason. I just think Waz is a very very good coach. He did a remarkable job at Purdue in short order. UO has the talent to make a move in that league, but I'm a little gun shy. I want to see the Ducks show consistency. As for OSU, the Beavs ... are back. Kevin Abel is throwing at a high level and this team as a whole is just playing at a high level. I gotta like the Beavs here ... but it's going to be fun!
Griffin
2:08
What did you guys think of the Arizona Wildcats weekend and specifically their two big sluggers Ryan Holgate and Branden Boissiere?
Kendall Rogers
2:08
Griffin -- Roons, Seifert, Aaron and myself were just talking about this last night or earlier today (I can't remember, it's been a long last few days). But it appears that Arizona finally flipped the switch once and for all this past weekend against some solid competition, namely a good Dallas Baptist squad. My feeling on Arizona coming into the season is that it would hit, hit, hit .. But if Coach Yeskie can get that staff to pitch at all, their expectation level goes from regional team to potential CWS.
Brandon
2:10
We know the power conference schools are loaded up with talent but what do you think about the "mid-majors" level of talent this year? Seems like your top tier mid-majors are equal to a middle tier power conference team this year.
Aaron Fitt
2:10
I think talent is up across the board -- the power conference teams are better, and so are the mid-majors. So ultimately maybe it's a wash, but I also think there's no shortage of "mid-major" teams that are capable of winning a regional. I'm planning to see a few teams in that category this week here in the Carolinas (USC Upstate at Campbell, Charlotte at ECU). These teams have legitimate talent, and there are teams like that in all parts of the country.
Frog
2:11
Who hates TCU more: Kendall or replay reviews?
laughing 1
Kendall Rogers
2:11
Frog -- Definitely the replay reviews/umps. I'll be honest, I'm still not sure what the hell the umps saw on that replay of the Luke Boyers play. He clearly ran straight down the line and didn't interfere with the play. He did touch the grass with his second step, but that had zero bearing on the actual play. Very odd sequence there.
TOAST
2:13
Does the state of Mississippi have the 2 best Sunday starters in the Nation? Diamond and Fristoe.
Aaron Fitt
2:13
TOAST, you always bring the heat. I think you're probably onto something here... certainly it's tough to find two Sunday starters with more pure talent. There are guys with more experience that you might want as your Sunday starter, but I'll bank on the talent. Those two are as good as it gets, I think. Hunter Barco of Florida has even more pedigree, but he hasn't gotten off to a very good start, though he was better this week against FAMU. I think Barco is working through a few things, and he'll figure it all out, but for now I'll take Diamond and Fristoe.
TOAST
2:16
What is the point of keeping Louisville in the top 10? It seems everyone is high on Louisville and LSU. We know they have the talent but both teams have been very underwhelming so far.
Aaron Fitt
2:16
Back-to-back TOAST! I mean look, Louisville went on the road and lost two of three -- that's roughly what you expect from any team in a road series against probably the other top team in its conference. We still moved the Cards down 5 spots -- they do have a couple of bad losses, but overall I think it's way premature to get too reactionary in week 3. Same with LSU -- it's one bad weekend in March, for a team that had been 11th in the country. Moving them down 10 represents a proper reaction; no reason to run them all the way out.
Dylan Jenkins
2:19
How far is Texas A&M out of the top 25
Kendall Rogers
2:19
Dylan -- Aggies definitely are still down a ways in the pecking order. They are improving, but I still want to see more from the offense. WTS -- the Aggies are making big leaps from a pitching standpoint. Bryce Miller, Dustin Saenz and Jonathan Childress are forming into a very very strong weekend rotation, and one of my favorites -- Moo Menefee -- is holding down the fort at the back end. I'd like to see a few more relievers rise to the occasion.
Kevin R.
2:19
Despite the "sky is falling" mentality that LSU fans have this Monday, I remain optimistic. The first three batters in our lineup are true freshman and are all hitting .350+. I'm not worried about Beloso, despite hitting sub-.250 so far; Dugas is hot, and Doughty should be back for Miss State, which he would replace a sub .200 hitter in our lineup. I still think they strike out too much (8-9 a game), but how are you feeling about the LSU lineup with SEC play 2 weeks away?
Aaron Fitt
2:19
Man, I think you nailed it Kevin -- I'm right there with your assessment. Good rebuttal to our friend TOAST.
cool 1
Curious in Memphis
2:21
Looking at the top five teams in your poll, which has been tested least up until this point? Hardest schedule? How long can Arkansas hold on to #1?
Kendall Rogers
2:21
Curious -- Vandy would certainly be the team who hasn't been tested vs. the others, but that all ends this weekend as the Dores head to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State. As for Arkansas, impossible to say how long it can hold on to it.. But I like the way the Hogs are performing. It's natural to say there are going to be twists and turns in SEC play, though.
Dan
2:23
Can't wait to see Ty Madden against Wes Clarke this weekend.  What is your prediction for the UT-South Carolina series?
Kendall Rogers
2:23
I think I like South Carolina two of three in the series, but I reserve the right to change until Thursday! Let me dive into the series a bit more. I think the Gamecocks will pitch enough, and I think they certainly have the advantage offensively. I feel like Texas is kind of in a must-win situation with Madden on the mound Friday to take that series.
Jeramey
2:24
After a rough couple of weeks with some good competition (Tennessee and East Carolina), it appears Ga Southern may have gotten on track with a sweep of Towson. Although I don’t know much about Towson, any sweep is a good sweep correct? What have we learned and what do we know about the Eagles as we move forward getting ready for Sun Belt play? Thanks as always
Aaron Fitt
2:24
We figured Georgia Southern would be offensive as usual, and that has been the case. I liked the blend of physicality and athleticism I saw out of that lineup in the one GSU game I attended this spring; Jason Swan and is off to a big start, and Chandler Avant and Jaylen Paden are also good athletes, and Mason McWhorter remains a monster, and Noah Ledford is a quality run producer. But I think we're seeing that the pitching is also competitive enough to make the Eagles a real factor in the Sun Belt. I haven't seen Chase Dollander, but he sounds like the real deal, a young talent I really want to bear down on.
AgKat37
2:26
Kendall- What were your overall thoughts on Sam Houston? They have struggled up until this weekend, but outside of the final 2 innings against tech they looked like they were solid.
Kendall Rogers
2:26
KAT -- You're right. Sam Houston did look much better over the weekend, and frankly that's kind of how I expected the Bearkats to look coming into the season. Cowser and Jack Rogers, I believe, will have strong years offensively, and I was really encouraged by Matt Dillard's start against Texas Tech. He's a guy who I've had high hopes for ever since his freshman fall. We will find out much more about SHSU this weekend with a trip to SELA to begin league play. That will not be an easy series.
Matt P.
2:26
Now that we are a couple of weeks in to the season, has the SEC started to separate at all as far as teams that aren’t looking as good as advertised and teams that look like serious contenders? And if you had to pick a regular season SEC champ right now, who is your pick?
Aaron Fitt
2:26
Yes, I think that separation is clear -- I mean, the top five teams in our rankings are all SEC teams. The difference between SEC and everybody else, as I suspected it would be, is the power pitching all those SEC teams have. The arms just blow away the arms in every other conference. I continue to believe the ACC has even more position player talent than the SEC, but the ACC isn't close on the mound.
Tom
2:28
Outside of Cowser and Rogers, do you think Sam Houston has enough talent to win the Southland? Mixed start so far.
Kendall Rogers
2:28
They absolutely have the talent to win that league. As much as everyone talks about Cowser, the fact is that Jack Rogers has been the better hitter since the fall. That could change, but that's the situation as of now. I like those two a lot -- and perhaps Clayton Chadwick's big hit yesterday will get him rolling. He's a tooled up guy with big-time upside.
RFBleacherCreature
2:29
Please talk me off the ledge with Clemson baseball.  I know there is a lot of young, inexperienced, players but the last two weekends have been tough to watch
Aaron Fitt
2:29
Hey, the Tigers have lost some tight games that could have gone either way against two good opponents. I know it's frustrating to walk away with back to back series losses, but Clemson is good enough to rebound and hold its own in the ACC. That said, I think I like North Carolina and Virginia Tech more, and those are two teams I picked to finish behind Clemson in the preseason, so I suppose I am downgrading my assessment of the Tigers just a bit. But these ACC teams are going to beat each other up and play roulette in the back of the Top 25 all season long. It feels impossible to forecast how it's all going to shake out. But I do believe Clemson will get better as the season progresses and its exciting young talent gets more experience.
Dave
2:33
Why should I remain optimistic about my Auburn Tigers? Not sure I’ve ever seen a devastating collapse of that magnitude at the end of a ballgame before.
Kendall Rogers
2:33
Dave -- I feel pretty good about Auburn's offense. I think if you look up and down that lineup, it's a good one with Tyler Miller, Kason Howell, Ryan Bliss and others. And Rankin Woley smashed the ball when I saw AU at the Round Rock tourney. WTS -- if the Tigers are going to move Mason Barnett to the rotation, I'm very concerned about the bullpen for good reason. And then there's Richard Fitts. As much of a 'prospect' as he might be, he's not an elite pitcher ... yet. AU will need him to be that in SEC play.
Mike
2:34
Ducks had a poor showing the previous weekend against Seattle. Then seemingly come out of nowhere to dominate UCSB. Will the real Oregon Ducks please stand up?
Aaron Fitt
2:34
That really was out of nowhere, wasn't it? I'll give them a pass for a mediocre week one -- this team has my attention. But of course, we need more than one good weekend to believe in them as a Top 25-caliber club... but they are in the mix now, and they were nowhere near the mix heading into the weekend. Now let's see some consistency. I think everyone on our staff believes that Mark Wasikowski will get that program going in a hurry, but none of us really expected it to happen this year. But it just might, because the West is largely up for grabs after UCLA and Arizona (and I would have said UCSB, but I admit my confidence in the Gauchos is shaken -- though I'm not giving up on them. But getting swept in a four-game series at home by an unranked team is... startling.)
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