Rebs picked to Win West

[Redbluedude]

Pretty good info.

http://mississippistate.rivals.com/cont ... CID=757375

[oxpatchreb]

Pretty good info.

http://mississippistate.rivals.com/cont ... CID=757375

Vandy and SC really look tough. Hope we can get 2 of 3 from Vandy at home this year, and if things go well, 2 of 3 at SC would be a gift. If OxfordRebel is right, this might not be too much to expect!!!

[oxfordrebel]

On there it listed Jordan Henry and Lance Lynn as pre-season all-conference. That's great and both are going to be huge in our success, but we've got to have production outta 1-9 in the batting order. If you watch the great teams who win it all, 95% of them have 1 thing in common--the ability to be clutch. That's both on the mound and at the plate. How many games did we lose last year because we couldn't seem to get that clutch hit to keep the inning alive...most of the time with 2 runners in scoring position? And getting a guy to 3 with less than 2 outs and NOT bringing him home about drove me up the wall. That has to end as well. And the other thing that was going on last season was our pitchers WALKING THE WINNING RUN IN! No excuse for that. We seemed to be grasping defeat from the jaws of victory too much.

But some of those are things that are fixed by age and experience, both of which we'll have more of this season. Lynn will be the Ace on the mound and rightly so. Henry was playing like a Senior last year and he's only a Soph. this year. He'll be an All-American before he graduates.

As far as the rest of the conference goes, Vandy and SC are always tall orders, but Vandy lost Price which will def help, but you still have Alvarez, de la Osa, and Flaherty. They have a scrappy group of pitchers too.

The problem with SC is where you play them. In Oxford you can beat them, but Sarge Frye Field is a launching pad. While the dimensions are very similar to Swayze, they have a bunch more HRs sent out. The GCs are just hard to beat in Columbia. Add to that players the like of Smoak and it makes them a dangerous team.

The rest of the East is a toss-up. UK usually doesn't have much, but then lately they've come up with a couple of good seasons so you never know. UGA is the same way, but usually they have a solid program. I haven't followed UF enough. They did well when they had Matt LaPorta, but I THINK he's gone now and I'm not sure about the rest of their team. I know they have a new coach after firing Pat McMahon last season. Tennessee will also be breaking in a new coach this year after firing Rod Delmonico last June.

In the West you have Ole Miss, State, and Bama as the favorites this season, BUT my surprise of the upcoming season will be LSU. They have the coach who resurrected Notre Dame baseball...just what they needed. Fortunately we get them at home this year. Bama will be on the road as well as State...not good for either, but we can't use that as an excuse as we have the talent to overcome that disadvantage. Arkansas always has a solid program and Auburn's program took a HUGE leap forward last season. No one in the West is a push over. For that matter, no one in the SEC is a push over this year.

I can't wait for February to get here!!

[oxpatchreb]

On there it listed Jordan Henry and Lance Lynn as pre-season all-conference. That's great and both are going to be huge in our success, but we've got to have production outta 1-9 in the batting order. If you watch the great teams who win it all, 95% of them have 1 thing in common--the ability to be clutch. That's both on the mound and at the plate. How many games did we lose last year because we couldn't seem to get that clutch hit to keep the inning alive...most of the time with 2 runners in scoring position? And getting a guy to 3 with less than 2 outs and NOT bringing him home about drove me up the wall. That has to end as well. And the other thing that was going on last season was our pitchers WALKING THE WINNING RUN IN! No excuse for that. We seemed to be grasping defeat from the jaws of victory too much.

But some of those are things that are fixed by age and experience, both of which we'll have more of this season. Lynn will be the Ace on the mound and rightly so. Henry was playing like a Senior last year and he's only a Soph. this year. He'll be an All-American before he graduates.

As far as the rest of the conference goes, Vandy and SC are always tall orders, but Vandy lost Price which will def help, but you still have Alvarez, de la Osa, and Flaherty. They have a scrappy group of pitchers too.

The problem with SC is where you play them. In Oxford you can beat them, but Sarge Frye Field is a launching pad. While the dimensions are very similar to Swayze, they have a bunch more HRs sent out. The GCs are just hard to beat in Columbia. Add to that players the like of Smoak and it makes them a dangerous team.

The rest of the East is a toss-up. UK usually doesn't have much, but then lately they've come up with a couple of good seasons so you never know. UGA is the same way, but usually they have a solid program. I haven't followed UF enough. They did well when they had Matt LaPorta, but I THINK he's gone now and I'm not sure about the rest of their team. I know they have a new coach after firing Pat McMahon last season. Tennessee will also be breaking in a new coach this year after firing Rod Delmonico last June.

In the West you have Ole Miss, State, and Bama as the favorites this season, BUT my surprise of the upcoming season will be LSU. They have the coach who resurrected Notre Dame baseball...just what they needed. Fortunately we get them at home this year. Bama will be on the road as well as State...not good for either, but we can't use that as an excuse as we have the talent to overcome that disadvantage. Arkansas always has a solid program and Auburn's program took a HUGE leap forward last season. No one in the West is a push over. For that matter, no one in the SEC is a push over this year.

I can't wait for February to get here!!

I love college baseball. I'm loving this insight, it's getting me fired up as well.

What a great time of year for Rebelheads!!! New, exciting HC for a FB program with nowhere to go but up, Basketball off to the best start in 65 years, and a BB team picked preseason #4 and best in the west.

I feel GREAT about this schools direction. Maybe I owe a little bit of an apology to Booner. I'll let time be the judge. Like OxReb said, let's see how the seasons turns out. We go to Omaha, get a Great 8 birth, and win a Jan bowl game next year, I'll write him a nice long juicy love letter or something!

Let's go REBELS!!!!!!!!!!!

[rewalters]

Thanks Oxfordreb, like you I love football but baseball is my passion. Your tidbits are always welcomed, hard to get information out here in Longhorn land.

Can't wait for the season to start, and am just tickled about the Rebels coming to Ft. Worth this year.

[OMNOB]

Just a question Oxford Reb, but how does the bullpen look?

[oxfordrebel]

The bullpen is the bullpen. You got Baker, Parker, Pomeranz, Bittle, Broyles, Cryer, Irwin, McKean, and Park. Of course starters of Lynn (Ace), Satterwhite, and Bukvich, I would assume, unless one of the Freshmen (like Pomeranz perhaps) wins a spot on the weekend rotation. I'd think Bittle would get the nod at closer, which would be good as long as Bittle's learned how to keep his head on straight after he starts getting hit. Last year he would be dominate but tended to panic after he gave up a hit. For the first month or it didn't seem to bother him at all but then late it really got on him. The Friday night game at Tennessee last season seems to stand out in my mind.

Most of our bullpen has experience of at least one year. Irwin was recovering from surgery on his pitching arm last year but should be back this year. Got a chance to talk to his father for a few minutes last year at one of the games. Great guy. Said his son was chompin' at the bits to get on the mound.

I think Pomeranz is the newcomer to watch this year. Heralded recruit who has a lot of potential. Like I said before, I wouldn't be shocked if he was in the weekend rotation, but will probably be a reliever this year, at least to start.

I really think the key is for our starters to give us at least 6 solid innings every outing and keep an ERA under 3.00. I think we could look up at the end of the year and see Lynn under 2.00 easily. If we can get 5.1 or 6 innings average out of our starters and our bullpen guys can be clutch when they inherit runners on base I think they'll do okay. Most years I'm not worried about relievers coming in with empty bases, but we're hit and miss when it comes to them coming in with runners on base. We have GOT to turn more double plays in those situations this year! We were way below average in double plays overall last season. If we can get the double play ball to work for us then of course we'll see our bullpen do better. Easier to pitch with confidence when you know your defense has your back. Focus on getting outs however they can, not necessarily striking the batters out and I think they'll be fine. Overall, I think we'll see a boost in our bullpen, but our starters will be key as always.

[mmoore313]

i dont like the thought of bittle closing. i would much rather see him start. Last year he blew a lot of games for us. he always seemed to buckle under the pressure.

[mpzreb17]

thanks for the insight oxford. i live in oxford and i cant even get this good of information. looking forward to drinking out in right field this year..or did they take that away from us too?

[oxfordrebel]

i dont like the thought of bittle closing. i would much rather see him start. Last year he blew a lot of games for us. he always seemed to buckle under the pressure.

Very true. It was odd. Early in the year he was just LIGHTS OUT! But then about mid-way and through the rest of the year he blew a bunch of games. Very odd.

I hope with a solid year under his belt he's changed. You could tell it was a psychological thing with him. He may strike out 4 batters in a row then the 5th one get a cheap hit. Then Bittle couldn't buy an out and would lose a 3 run lead in the 9th. If he gets that under control he has the potential to be the best closer in college baseball.

Him starting has a certain appeal to it, but I don't know how long he could last. Also don't know if after the first hit he'd be done. Be worth a try against a weaker OOC mid-week opponent.

[GtownRebel]

The bullpen is the bullpen. You got Baker, Parker, Pomeranz, Bittle, Broyles, Cryer, Irwin, McKean, and Park. Of course starters of Lynn (Ace), Satterwhite, and Bukvich, I would assume, unless one of the Freshmen (like Pomeranz perhaps) wins a spot on the weekend rotation. I'd think Bittle would get the nod at closer, which would be good as long as Bittle's learned how to keep his head on straight after he starts getting hit. Last year he would be dominate but tended to panic after he gave up a hit. For the first month or it didn't seem to bother him at all but then late it really got on him. The Friday night game at Tennessee last season seems to stand out in my mind.

Most of our bullpen has experience of at least one year. Irwin was recovering from surgery on his pitching arm last year but should be back this year. Got a chance to talk to his father for a few minutes last year at one of the games. Great guy. Said his son was chompin' at the bits to get on the mound.

I think Pomeranz is the newcomer to watch this year. Heralded recruit who has a lot of potential. Like I said before, I wouldn't be shocked if he was in the weekend rotation, but will probably be a reliever this year, at least to start.

I really think the key is for our starters to give us at least 6 solid innings every outing and keep an ERA under 3.00. I think we could look up at the end of the year and see Lynn under 2.00 easily. If we can get 5.1 or 6 innings average out of our starters and our bullpen guys can be clutch when they inherit runners on base I think they'll do okay. Most years I'm not worried about relievers coming in with empty bases, but we're hit and miss when it comes to them coming in with runners on base. We have GOT to turn more double plays in those situations this year! We were way below average in double plays overall last season. If we can get the double play ball to work for us then of course we'll see our bullpen do better. Easier to pitch with confidence when you know your defense has your back. Focus on getting outs however they can, not necessarily striking the batters out and I think they'll be fine. Overall, I think we'll see a boost in our bullpen, but our starters will be key as always.

I was impressed with Goforth, I think is how you spell his name. This fall he was throwing some heat in the 90+ area. Do you remember the lefty that was hitting 90+ this fall too? The name escapes me but he was impressive too. Lots of young players that have unbelievable potential.