JotCast | D1Baseball Weekly Top 25 Chat: March 25

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D1Baseball Weekly Top 25 Chat: March 25

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DaddyMc

12:58

I’ve not seen any mention of the Texas A&M vs. Kentucky series in which the Aggies swept them on the road. I know UK is rebuilding, but they still had an RPI of 70 going into the weekend. Some good storylines are Asa Lacy throwing 13 Ks in 6 innings, and as a team 17 Ks for the game on Saturday. Sunday, reigning SEC Pitcher Of The Week, Roa, gone in the 1st after looking completely out of whack yesterday. Yet, again this season, A&M shows resiliency to win 17-5 on 19 hits, and strong relief by the bullpen. Also, Any concerns of the Aggie batting lineup should now be addressed; meaning, we know what their capable of since this win and against Vandy. Oh, Shewmake is back, 5 hits yesterday, and overall a good couple weeks now. Any thoughts from you guys on how A&M will fare this season now that we’ve seen more? I did see the bump to #10. Thanks.

Kendall Rogers

12:59

Daddy -- I feel better about A&M for sure than I did you know, two weeks ago. I think the biggest thing about the Aggies is that they've cleaned up their offensive approach. Braden Shewmake had a massive week, Bryce Blaum continues to get on base and the lineup from top to bottom no longer looks lost. Shewmake told me last week against Vandy that they were going to start hunting fastballs more and you saw that against UK. I feel pretty good about the Aggies at this juncture, especially considering their premium depth on the mound.

Cole

12:59

After another good weekend do y’all see OU as a contender in the big 12? Also how does the depth of the starting rotation compare to the rest of the league? Cause Prater seems pretty solid for a Sunday guy

Kendall Rogers

1:00

Cole -- I actually feel like Oklahoma's rotation stacks up pretty favorably against the rest of the league. Cavalli has premium stuff, and while he's not always consistent, he's one of those guys who can put up a ton of zeroes when he's on. Levi Prater has been terrific and Nathan Wiles is just your typical Sunday-Ish righthander who is going to throw strikes. OU has depth in the bullpen, and ultimately, I think that's its strength at the moment. I like the OU club a lot.

Clint

1:01

With only two starter hitting below .300 would you consider Hail State Baseball to be the best hitting team in the country. Especially after these last two SEC weekends

Kendall Rogers

1:02

Clint - I love Mississippi State's lineup for sure, but I think I give the edge to Arizona State. That duo of Hunter Bishop/Spencer Torkelson is simply terrifying for opposing pitchers, and the Devils are getting it done top to bottom in the lineup. WTS on State, I would hate to have to navigate Westburg with as hot as he's been, along with Mangum and Mr. Energy Elijah MacNamee.

Kash Bolin

1:02

After a brutal start Texas sits at 10 losses already. Do you think they can pretty much run the table now? Top 8 national seed?

Kendall Rogers

1:04

Kash -- Run the table? I'd tap the brakes on that right now. UT still has a road series against Baylor and Oklahoma State on the table, among other tough games. But yes the toughest part of the schedule is behind them at this point. It was good to see Bryce Elder throw very well again against TCU, but the bullpen had some issues over the weekend. UT needs to be careful not to let those issues manifest moving forward.

Kevin

1:03

16-10 overall record, 1-5 conference record, and 1-6 vs Top 50 RPI teams; doesn't seem like a top 25 team to me. Defend your decision to leave Florida in the top 25.

Aaron Fitt

1:06

Strength of schedule is a factor -- that 1-5 conference record came against No. 2 Miss State and No. 6 Vanderbilt. And it's not like we didn't punish Florida for losing those series -- they've dropped from No. 5 to No. 23 in two weeks. But we're not going to drop a top five team completely out of the rankings after two bad weekends against elite competition. Florida will bounce back.

packfanatic

1:07

Is a Sunday starter going to emerge for NC State?

Aaron Fitt

1:12

Heck, maybe not -- we're six weeks in and that job has been a revolving door... but maybe that doesn't matter. We've always said the strength of NC State's staff is its depth and variety, and we always expected them to do a lot of mixing and matching, because they just don't have a lot of workhorse starters. But that formula is working just fine -- it worked like a charm this Sunday even after starter Andrew Blake only pitched into the second.

Jim

1:08

How close was Connecticut from breaking into the rankings?

Kendall Rogers

1:08

UCONN was most definitely in the discussion, but we ultimately had Illinois and UCSB ahead of it. I'll say this -- I really like UCONN's club. We just discussed them on the podcast, but they have a strong weekend rotation, the bullpen is really deep with Wallace/Gardner/Dandeneau, etc, and I like the top of the lineup with my man Anthony Prato and John Toppa leading the way, along with Woodworth. They are a SCARY club, IMO.

Alex (Atascocita, TX)

1:13

East Carolina had an excellent overall weekend with a sweep of UCF. And overall they are now playing rather well and have ran record to 18-6. But 11 of next 12 games are on the road, including trips to Houston and UCLA. How do you see them handling this difficult stretch? I think 8-4 is realistic. Based on how USF and Houston has played, I would not expect ECU to lose those series but winning at UCLA could be a very difficult task. I think taking one of those three would be a victory.

Aaron Fitt

1:15

Yeah, this weekend was really the beginning of a very rigorous five-week stretch for the Pirates. Next two weekends are on the road at USF and Houston (both regional contenders, though they haven't been great in the first half), followed by at UCLA and vs. UConn, with some tough midweek games sprinkled in between. Fortunately I think the Pirates are really finding their stride at the right time, and I expect them to play well against this stretch and climb into the top 10 in the rankings. I think they are a very good, balanced, experienced club that is playing with a lot of confidence right now.

Ian

1:14

Is Washington a top 25 team in your eyes. They have some good wins and pitch very well. I guess we will see after they face Oregon state this weekend. Win the series and would they get into the top 25?

Kendall Rogers

1:16

Ian -- UW was in the mix for our top 25 this weeks, and there's no doubt they're on our mind. David Rhodes, Josh Burgmann and Jordan Jones all threw well over the weekend against USC. UW is hot and has Oregon State at home this weekend. Take that series and I think you'll be happy with where the Huskies are in the pecking order.

Corbin believer

1:19

With Kumar Rocker solidifying the Vandy weekend rotation I am beginning to believe the top 10 ranking is more than justified....their hitting is as good as anyone and with all of the power arms in the bullpen I trust that Corbs will put it all together by June. Hopefully DeMarco's hammy won't keep him out long.

Kendall Rogers

1:19

Corbin -- I am not that concerned about Vandy right now. I'd like to see less walks, but Drake Fellows threw well and I'm encouraged by back to back starts from Kumar Rocker. His outing against A&M was much better than the stat line indicated. And as you said, Vandy can hit with absolutely anyone. Vandy corrected some things against Florida, IMO.

Matthew

1:21

Georgia Tech has been on the edge of taking 6-7 more wins this year, but bullpen has plagued. After finally taking 2-3 from UL and almost sweeping the Cards, how close are they to breaking through and into the top 25?

Aaron Fitt

1:21

The Jackets were right on the cusp of the rankings this week, along with Washington, Indiana State and UCSB -- all those teams were competing for one spot, along with Illinois. We wound up giving the nod to the cold-weather team that is 17-4, that's hard to do with all those road games. But out of that group, Georgia Tech probably has played the best high-end opponents (taking two of three over Louisville is loud, plus they took one of three vs. UCLA, and the series win against Virginia looks OK because the Cavs are playing better now). But you're right, if Tech could have closed out a couple of those ninth-inning leads it blew, that team might be making a push to get into the top 10 right now, instead of just vying for a spot at the back of the rankings. I think Tech misses Andy Archer more than people realized, he was a key part of that bullpen last year. Regardless, it's good to see the Jackets put together a strong first half of the season -- they definitely look like a surefire regional team, and a club

Andrew

1:23

How much trouble is Florida in? And how panicked should Gator fans be - that Vanderbilt series was pretty humiliating? That bevvy of flame-throwing young arms UF was said to possess haven't seemed to have developed much over the course of the season.

Kendall Rogers

1:23

Andrew -- I still think Florida will come around offensively at some point, but I'm really concerned about Tyler Dyson in the weekend rotation. He's been a liability for this team for much of the season, and it's disappointing, because he seems like a great kid and he clearly has premium stuff. But at some point, results have to matter. UF should bounce back well against Bama this weekend, but we'll see if that Vandy series will have lasting effects for this young club.

1:26

Oregon State Finally Showed some life in their bats Especially Sunday. (What a gorgeous day at Goss it was yesterday) And Gambrell quite possibly is starting to Trust his Stuff and we Should Get Able Back this weekend. What are your Overall thoughts on the Beavs and the Pac 12 as a whole?

Kendall Rogers

1:26

JD -- It's good to see Gambrell throwing well now. Gambrell has really good stuff and I think he has impressive upside, but at some point, gotta product to stay in the rotation with Nate Yeskie leading the staff. And he stepped up. Alex McGarry continues to be such a breakout star for the Beavs, but Tyler Malone will be a big key moving forward, too. If they can get Philip/McGarry/Malone and Adley all producing, I actually feel OK about this offense.

Josh

1:27

Do you think Arkansas has the pieces to make another legit run at a tittle this year?

Aaron Fitt

1:27

Maybe so. Going into the year, I thought the pitching was a little light for that kind of run -- but they do have some really good power arms, and several of them have taken big steps forward, notably Scroggins and of course Isaiah Campbell, whose emergence as a bona fide Friday ace you can count on is really a game-changer. We all know about the star power in the lineup -- the top half of that lineup stacks up against anybody in the country. And the new starters in the bottom half have done a nice job too. I'd like to see the Hogs in person (which I will at Auburn in a couple weeks) before officially calling them an Omaha team, but they've definitely answered a lot of my questions about them heading into the season.

Tommy

1:31

Big weekend for Creighton Bluejays sweeping Maryland on the road, what do you see out of them this year? How will they matchup tomorrow for the in state rival?

Aaron Fitt

1:31

Creighton has had a strange up and down season. They're always going to be a pitching-and-defense program, it's in their DNA, so when they get starts like they got this weekend out of Mitch Ragan and Evan Johnson, I like their chances to make real noise in the Big East. Huskers and Jays are both riding some momentum into that matchup tomorrow, should be a good one.

Oxford Bald Eagle

1:31

C-USA is worse than usually this year. Maybe FAU is a quality team but they got swept at home by the only team they have played with a pulse. Southern Miss should have the best conference record in the country. One would think that Wallner will start hitting at some point and I think USM will be a tough out in the Starkville regional that they seemed destin to go too. Thought...

Kendall Rogers

1:31

You are right about C-USA. Right now, the only team with a chance to get into the postseason without winning the conference tournament (outside of USM) would be La Tech, and they're sitting at 2-4 in the league. FAU is a solid club as usual, but again, it's sitting in the 80s RPI wise. It's still very early from an RPI standpoint, but you look at those teams and the other C-USA RPIs, and there aren't a lot of RPI-improving opportunities.

1:32

I know Tech's offense is usually the headline, but what about their starting pitching? Did you see freshman Micah Dallas' performance in his first start?

Kendall Rogers

1:32

Michael Dallas throwing well doesn't surprise me too much. He a nasty slider to go with his fastball against Texas two weekends ago. Tech found its right formula over the weekend against Michigan, and that could be a big development moving forward.

Chris from Arlington

1:35

At this point in the season, it seems as if my Ole Miss Rebels have more questions than answers. Given the gauntlet of the schedule they have down the stretch in SEC play (Auburn, A&M, LSU, State, Tennessee to finish the season), how do you see the season finishing for the Rebels and will they turn things around?

Aaron Fitt

1:35

That is quite a gauntlet, and I certainly don't envision Ole Miss dominating against that stretch, because I think any team would have some ups and downs against a schedule like that. But I nonetheless expect a strong second half for Ole Miss, because I still really like the personnel there. That offense is so talented and experienced, I think they're going to catch fire at some point and sustain it. And it's been encouraging to see the way the rotation is shaping up -- I was high on Doug Nikhazy entering the season, and he really gave Ole Miss a boost on Saturday. Hoglund will bounce back; I think Ethridge-Nikhazy-Hoglund is the right answer, and the rest of the pitching pieces will fall into place around them.

Reece

1:35

After the crazy weekend in Starkville, what are the biggest things you both came away with? About Auburn and Mississippi St.

Kendall Rogers

1:35

I don't think there's any doubt this Mississippi State team just has IT. Every time Auburn landed a punch, the Bulldogs responded in impressive fashion. MSU is an elite team. As for Auburn, I was actually impressed with the fact it was in this series considering Tanner Burns didn't have a great start and Jack Owen and Davis Daniel were both out the rotation this weekend. That says a lot about AU's potential, particularly from an offensive standpoint.

PackFan

1:37

NC State is off to a 23-1 start, with a sweep this weekend of Miami.....just curious is it SOS thats keeping them from being the possible #1 team in the poll?

Aaron Fitt

1:37

Well, the four teams above them keep on winning -- none of them has lost a weekend series, and they all have some really good high-profile victories too. State has put together a very nice body of work, I'd be fine having the Wolfpack in the No. 1 slot based on that resumé, I just don't see any justification for jumping them over four teams that have also been really good.

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Jacob

6:55

I think i'm missing something. In the sites RPI numbers it has Oregon states non-conf. SOS as 12 and UCLA's as 15 but overall OSU is 9 and UCLA is 4, but they should have the same conference SOS. How did the swap?

BullDawg

7:49

The SOS in the RPI currently is going off of the schedules that each team has already played. Not their future schedule.

2:24

ECU swept a huge series with UCF at home. They did this with a bullpen that has been a little shaky at times. What are they gonna have to do looking ahead to upcoming series against Houston and UCLA?

Bobby

2:26

Were you moreso impressed by Mississippi states hitting or disappointed with their pitching this weekend? How does the auburn series affect your opinion of our chance at hosting?

Skersbaseball

2:27

Really liking what I'm seeing out of the Huskers these past few weeks. I know Sparty is 3-18, but this same Sparty team beat them last year.
Could you see this team making the postseason?

CliffGodwinsStache

2:47

Thoughts on the upcoming ECU @ UCLA series? What would you all consider a positive result for a travelling Pirate team?

TimSC

2:50

South Carolina has started 1-5 in the SEC. What do my Gamecocks need to do to get it turned around?

Weston

3:17

Who is the front runner in the SEC West? Arkansas gets the series win over a much improved Bama team. And A&M sweeps Kentucky. Both teams 5-1 in SEC play.

Cowtown Bill

4:03

Although winning the Texas series was great, I think the lack of starting pitching for TCU, other than Lodolo, is troubling. Do you see anyone able to step up if Janczak can not return?

Wheeler Eastman

4:11

What are your thoughts on Alabama so far? They’ve been in the mix to win both SEC series but Sunday pitching has struggled. Think a series W in Gainesville gets them ranked or no because of Florida’s decline? Also, losing Sam Praytor for the entire year is a huge blow to the team

FWFrog

4:32

How do you like TCU's chances at an Omaha run down the stretch? Obviously so early and need to stop getting beat 15-1 every 10 days, but Frogs are hitting like no other TCU team I have ever watched before.

ATX Dawg

4:34

Mississippi State appears to have top-end talent all over the place, but the bullpen has looked shakier and shakier in recent weeks. It seems like both the hard-throwers and the back-from-injury bunch may have one good pitch but not a second. Has your confidence in MSU wavered any, especially with hot offenses like Arkansas and Texas A&M still to come?

Gamecock Nation

4:37

Big Mark Kingston fan! Looking at your top 25 both the #4 and #9 programs both coaches were recently on the hot seat. Wondering how long you guys think a coach should be given to turn a program around. Seems the prevailing notion is 3 but it looks like if ADs and fan bases are patient with a good coach in place, it make take longer but be worth the wait.

Nate

4:42

Keeping it simple, but Is Arkansas overrated? What impresses and worries you? I have concerns about what is going to happen once we play Vandy-Auburn-MSU three weekends in a row

AgFan92

4:44

What are your thoughts on this freshman from Sam Houston, Colton Cowser? I saw he was Southland Player of the Week last week. The kid seems like he could play at a bigger program. I wish my ags would have recruited him out of HS.

Will

4:46

Southern Miss had a rough start to the season. After winning 11 of its last 12 and opening up conference plays with huge sweeps, what will they have to do to get back into the top 25?

Garrett

4:52

Do you think that NC State has a shot at winning it all? Have watched them the last 2 weeks and think they are the best team in the nation.

UCLABrian

4:53

Ryan Garcia was fantastic on Sunday in his first weekend start of the season, which is a good sign for UCLA's weekend rotation. But with frosh Bergin now in the bullpen it appears, who will be the weekday starter with Nastrini's injury? Also is Nate Hadley hurt now too? Didn't see him in his usual 7th inning slot this weekend vs. Arizona.

Mike

4:57

What are your thoughts on the Fighting Irish up in South Bend. They seem to be playing ACC competition very tough but losing many games against teams they shouldn't be.

ChrisC

5:09

What was going on in Starkville yesterday? Do you write that off to just a crazy day, or could those teams in trouble as the season goes on by the time they get to Sunday?

4118

5:11

Obviously LSU has not lived up to the hype so far this season, but dropping them 7 spots after barely dropping that Georgia series seems a tad rough. Are there concerns about LSU that I am missing, and what do you guys think about that LSU - state matchup this weekend? Appreciate all the work you guys put in.

Matt

5:16

How many bids do you think the Pac-12 will end up with? Apart from the ranked teams, I think Cal and Washington should, but what about Arizona or Oregon?

Pokefan

5:46

Curious about your thoughts on the high strikeout numbers for Oklahoma State's offense the last few years. After 22 games in 2019, OSU is averaging nearly 10 Ks per game, higher than other Big 12 clubs with similar physicality. Are these high K numbers a matter of personnel currently available, or has the Oklahoma State staff adopted the MLB trend of launch angles and big swings even at the risk of striking out? Do you see that philosophy working its way into college baseball? Appreciate the great college baseball coverage!

Rob

6:06

What do you think of Southern Miss’ recent run of success and do you think they maintain it? Also what do you think their ceiling is and were they in top 25 conversation this week

Dougan

6:07

What are your thoughts on Arkansas. They seem to be a tad better than last year even without the home run production.

Brandon

6:09

Thoughts on Tech's sweep of Michigan? We're totally fine with staying in the 15-20 rank range, btw. Helps us stay under the radar.

Mark

6:14

Where do you see Georgia Tech now that they have beaten Louisville at their place (one pitch from a sweep), beat Virginia at home (one pitch from a sweep), and was one pitch from taking the series at Miami?

Hottub

6:17

How close was UC Santa Barbara? They seem like a sneaky good team breaking out behind improvements from tall LHP Brecht and Dashwood. Any reports on those two this year?

Cliff Hagan Stadium

6:20

So I keep hearing that Kentucky has one of the best facilities in the nation. I've seen the pics, I tend to agree. But this team that's on the field hasn't earned the right to play here and doesn't seem interested in showing the BBN they are appreciative of what they've been given. The base paths are still open down the street, is it time to play a game back at The Cliff and show them how lucky they are to have this new facility? Maybe light a fire under them to play with passion? What should we expect from this squad this year?

reece

6:21

Any thoughts on the upcoming weekend series with LSU going on the road again to a top 10 team for the consecutive weekend?

Jojo

6:23

Do you think ASU had enough pitching depth to make a deep run in the postseason or am I just dreaming? Definitely concerned about tired arms at some point due to lack of depth and outside of Marsh, starting pitching has been inconsistent at best with a lot of free passes. Thx guys!

Dudley

6:23

Can South Carolina bounce back from their disappointing SEC start? It's only two weekends, but 1-5 is not a good look, especially losing a series to the Vols.

Scott

6:25

How do you like Oklahoma State? I know they got off to a good start sweeping k-state this past weekend. They have a big week this week with a mid-week game vs OU and a series at TCU. How do you like there chances of contending for the big 12?

Hunter

6:26

Thoughts on Coastal Carolina?

Chip

6:27

How would you compare the drastic difference in Catching Defense around the SEC, ACC, and PAC12? I was watching the LSU/Georgia game and LSU has thrown out 3 of 43 attempts. Then I was watching the Stanford/Utah game and Stanford's starting catcher has thrown out 4 of 4. It got me looking... Stanford, Washington, Oregon State, and UCLA have strong catching defense. Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Auburn don't seem to even try to defend the steal. The same goes for ACC. The 'big time' named schools for pitching don't prioritize run game control Miami, Duke, NC State, GT. Is this due to the ability/skill of the catchers in those leagues or is this because everything now is based on velocity and it simply takes longer to throw a harder pitch and the coaches simply hoping the pitchers can get the batters out before the runners move around the bases on steals, PBs, WPs, etc?

Pete Brown

6:32

That are your thoughts on Nebraska? They've beaten Texas tech and won a series vs. Baylor in the non con

Pete Brown

6:34

What are your thoughts on Nebraska?

Tiger4Life54

6:39

Clemson had a great week. How close are they to cracking the top 25?

Chip

6:42

It is only 6 weeks into the college baseball season. Looking at what we see now vs. what has won at the CWS level in the past, do you see the teams getting to Omaha being those with better defensive metrics (ERA, WHIP, etc) or better offensive metrics (SLG, OPS, etc). Seems now, the teams with the highest offensive statistics are having to make up for weak defense while the teams with the best defensive statistics are helping to win with offenses not yet producing (which may be based on facing more challenging competition).

Eric Simmons

6:46

Why isn't Georgia Tech ranked after winning 2 out of 3 against Louisville on the road and nearly sweeping them?

Westwood123

6:48

Man I feel like this year especially, the field is very unpredictable so far. Their isn’t just one team way above the rest, as even the top teams have weaknesses. If you had to answer, who would your legit National title contenders be, as of today?

Garrett

6:51

Do you think NC State has a legitimate shot at winning a national championship? How likely do you think it is that ECU is a top 8 team?

Brian C

7:03

How does UCLA's midweek schedule compare to the other top teams in the country?

Dylan

7:03

Who are your top draft prospects out of the MWC?

Aspesisteve

7:13

So Illinois got ahead of UCSB because they're from a cold weather State? That makes no sense to me. Warm weather State's teams do have an advantage of more days to practice outside, but that would only make them stronger, not weaker. You seem to be using sympathy with your vote of Illinois over UCSB who has a #7 RPI, a record of 17-3 and yet doesn't make the top 25 in your poll?

Eric Simmons

7:14

Can all 7 SEC West teams really make the NCAA Tournament?

Eric Simmons

7:16

Who do you think wins the Big West Conference this year? I think UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara or Cal State Fullerton

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