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2023 Texas Baseball


Fletch

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9 minutes ago, hobbes2702 said:

Or millions of dollars in NIL

You keep harping about NIL for baseball. How close to it are you? I’m reasonably close to it. This past cycle, LSU blindsided the market. No one countered it. A few other programs spent big on a few targets of opportunity. That’s it. Texas had NIL money to play with and used some. 

Let’s not act like we showed up to a gunfight with a butter knife against the entire landscape. Texas is looking like a mediocre team in 2023 due to overall roster building and program management. It isn’t like Stanford, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, Florida, Louisville or TCU moneywhipped the NIL competition and they’re all top 10 teams. You’re obfuscating to some degree in regard to 2023 performance and making it about NIL. It’s year 6. This isn’t a booster problem. Pierce needs to show up with a team that isn’t in danger of shitting itself to an outcome below .500 and not making a 64 team field. 

Beyond that, this shit isn’t a sprint. TOF is building a platform and a foundation. The handwringing over NIL with any UT program is going to ultimately prove laughable.  

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35 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

You keep harping about NIL for baseball. How close to it are you? I’m reasonably close to it. This past cycle, LSU blindsided the market. No one countered it. A few other programs spent big on a few targets of opportunity. That’s it. Texas had NIL money to play with and used some. 

Let’s not act like we showed up to a gunfight with a butter knife against the entire landscape. Texas is looking like a mediocre team in 2023 due to overall roster building and program management. It isn’t like Stanford, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, Florida, Louisville or TCU moneywhipped the NIL competition and they’re all top 10 teams. You’re obfuscating to some degree in regard to 2023 performance and making it about NIL. It’s year 6. This isn’t a booster problem. Pierce needs to show up with a team that isn’t in danger of shitting itself to an outcome below .500 and not making a 64 team field. 

Beyond that, this shit isn’t a sprint. TOF is building a platform and a foundation. The handwringing over NIL with any UT program is going to ultimately prove laughable.  

So the arguments being made are we should hire a top 5 coach…but we couldn’t do what the top 5 NIL teams did. 

I’m glad we are building a good NIL and I agree it’s not a sprint. That doesn’t change that we lost in NIL on more than one big time player this off-season. Which is a year we needed it more than ever because we turned over 7 position starters and  2 weekend starters.

Sure the roster should be better. I would argue I have had about the most negative opinion on this roster of anyone on this forum. Pierce takes some blame for that. Our inability to win big NIL deals this season also takes some blame. How different is this team if we get Skenes? And that’s just the biggest example.

I don’t need to be close to NIL to see and read about what happened in the college baseball offseason this year. 

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You keep harping about NIL for baseball. How close to it are you? I’m reasonably close to it. This past cycle, LSU blindsided the market. No one countered it. A few other programs spent big on a few targets of opportunity. That’s it. Texas had NIL money to play with and used some. 
Let’s not act like we showed up to a gunfight with a butter knife against the entire landscape. Texas is looking like a mediocre team in 2023 due to overall roster building and program management. It isn’t like Stanford, Ole Miss, Wake Forest, Florida, Louisville or TCU moneywhipped the NIL competition and they’re all top 10 teams. You’re obfuscating to some degree in regard to 2023 performance and making it about NIL. It’s year 6. This isn’t a booster problem. Pierce needs to show up with a team that isn’t in danger of shitting itself to an outcome below .500 and not making a 64 team field. 
Beyond that, this shit isn’t a sprint. TOF is building a platform and a foundation. The handwringing over NIL with any UT program is going to ultimately prove laughable.  

I would think many here know NIL is not a sprint, and that we will be competitive long-term. But for this team, this year, we’re a frontline starter and a big bat, maybe two away from being right there. If we missed out on even just one guy, that could have been impactful. I’m not pointing the finger. It just is what it is.

For me, we’re replacing the best offensive team we’ve ever had. Damn near all the primary contributors. Two of our top arms from last year are sidelined with injuries. Our pretty highly thought of freshman are giving us nothing. Dylan Campbell has given us little.

We need to see how this season finishes out. It could go any way. I won’t be satisfied with anything less than a regional berth. On a down year. I would expect to see progression throughout the year.
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17 hours ago, hobbes2702 said:

So the arguments being made are we should hire a top 5 coach…but we couldn’t do what the top 5 NIL teams did. 

I’m glad we are building a good NIL and I agree it’s not a sprint. That doesn’t change that we lost in NIL on more than one big time player this off-season. Which is a year we needed it more than ever because we turned over 7 position starters and  2 weekend starters.

Sure the roster should be better. I would argue I have had about the most negative opinion on this roster of anyone on this forum. Pierce takes some blame for that. Our inability to win big NIL deals this season also takes some blame. How different is this team if we get Skenes? And that’s just the biggest example.

I don’t need to be close to NIL to see and read about what happened in the college baseball offseason this year. 

 

16 hours ago, Had Enough said:


I would think many here know NIL is not a sprint, and that we will be competitive long-term. But for this team, this year, we’re a frontline starter and a big bat, maybe two away from being right there. If we missed out on even just one guy, that could have been impactful. I’m not pointing the finger. It just is what it is.

For me, we’re replacing the best offensive team we’ve ever had. Damn near all the primary contributors. Two of our top arms from last year are sidelined with injuries. Our pretty highly thought of freshman are giving us nothing. Dylan Campbell has given us little.

We need to see how this season finishes out. It could go any way. I won’t be satisfied with anything less than a regional berth. On a down year. I would expect to see progression throughout the year.

Skenes is the poster boy for “Texas got beat in NIL in baseball”. LSU is paying the guy 7 figures. That shit happens in football too. Texas wins more than it loses in NIL across the board. Hunter is here in hoops because of it in the same cycle, to say nothing of football. But when someone is going to big dick the market for a single player or pull that kind of shit, Texas will pass, and it will pass in the future on stuff like that too. 

There are going to be teams every year that decide to make a run for it all and moneywhip the market. That’s why it is important to build a foundation on bedrock and never stop raising. But LSU stunning the market with almost $4M in a single cycle’s spend is not only something that isn’t sustainable, it’s also ridiculous to think that Texas, in baseball, should have been prepared for that. 

The gap between “LSU built a super team” and “Texas may not make the playoffs, have a winning record or be retaining its coach” is not due to NIL. That’s nonsense and obfuscation from the reality of poor planning and overall roster management. 

Also, this is honestly the first time I’ve even heard of someone thinking Texas’ NIL in baseball has been poor. It’s been up with everyone else’s worth a damn not named LSU. 

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Am I crazy for thinking Pierce is keeping LBJ on Tuesday until the A&M game? Would he mortgage the Tech Sunday for a better chance to win that game? It was a lot easier to say "Eh, it's a tuesday game" when he could point back to the Kody regional game and we're going to be in quite the RPI hole without any decent non-conference wins. 

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57 minutes ago, UnhappilyMarried said:

Am I crazy for thinking Pierce is keeping LBJ on Tuesday until the A&M game? Would he mortgage the Tech Sunday for a better chance to win that game? It was a lot easier to say "Eh, it's a tuesday game" when he could point back to the Kody regional game and we're going to be in quite the RPI hole without any decent non-conference wins. 

I think he's waiting for someone to step up to be the new Tuesday starter before moving LBJ.  Would Witt start on Tuesdays as part of his rehab development assuming anything comes of that?

 

 

Edited by petscii
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Stat padding weekend over.

Team average up to .268. 6 guys above .275 (Powell, Daly, Brown, Guillemette, O'Dowd, Kennedy). Up to 19 stolen bases.

Team ERA holding steady at 3.25. Only pitchers with ERA's over 4 are Sthele, Walbridge, Pierce George and Stuart. Opposing batting average at .232.

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On 3/12/2023 at 2:41 PM, petscii said:

I think he's waiting for someone to step up to be the new Tuesday starter before moving LBJ.  Would Witt start on Tuesdays as part of his rehab development assuming anything comes of that?

 

 

Actually yeah I could see us giving him like an inning or 2 in a start on Tuesday’s then come May get him some time in the bullpen

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21 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

So our 6 transfers pitchers (including the 2 JUCO guys) have combined combined for:

50.2 innings, 41 hits, 2.31 ERA, 19 walks, 62 strikeouts, .216 batting average against

Take out Stuart (5.87) and that's even better.

Shaw (0.9, 10.0 IP), Hurley (2.3, 15.2 IP), and Tole (2.57, 7.0 IP) are doing particularly well.

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7 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

North Dakota State throwing their Saturday starter tomorrow (of course) and he's a lefty (of course) and was really bad his last outing so he's due for 4 shutout innings (of course)

They'll probably follow that up with some Pu(e)tz on Wednesday.

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It isn't that I don't care about rivalries in baseball, I do, but it is not really the same deal as football. I don't really care who our permanent rivals are. It is about getting a regional host and conference championships every year not about having regular season bragging rights. 

Edited by Valmy77
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3 minutes ago, Saint Austin said:

Man, I hate OU, but despite their run last year, feel like they generally don't give a shit about baseball. I'd think I'd rather play A&M and Arkansas on an annual basis, but I'm sure we'll get OU and A&M.

They couldn't care less about baseball at OU. They invest/care more about softball than they do baseball and basketball.

Edited by Hookem2147
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7 hours ago, Saint Austin said:

Man, I hate OU, but despite their run last year, feel like they generally don't give a shit about baseball. I think I'd rather play A&M and Arkansas on an annual basis, but I'm sure we'll get OU and A&M.

It’s personal between @ChiTownDoc and I. Keep the Sooners as our main rival. Plus fuck aggy, playing ou is more fun 

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18 hours ago, Valmy77 said:

It isn't that I don't care about rivalries in baseball, I do, but it is not really the same deal as football. I don't really care who our permanent rivals are. It is about getting a regional host and conference championships every year not about having regular season bragging rights. 

LSU should be our baseball rival.. after that who gives a shit.. 

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What is a way this team can upgrade LF defense that isn’t throwing Duplantier in the 9 spot holding our breath? Maybe I’m just beating a dead horse at this point but can we get Jared Thomas some reps out there out there (or in RF with Campbell over in LF) and Powell shifted over to 1B with Carlson at 3B? Carlson seems to be in the doghouse. 

Would love to find a way to get another reliable right handed bat in the lineup considering we have a big sign on our foreheads that says throws lefties.
 

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1 hour ago, Hookem2147 said:

What is a way this team can upgrade LF defense that isn’t throwing Duplantier in the 9 spot holding our breath? Maybe I’m just beating a dead horse at this point but can we get Jared Thomas some reps out there out there (or in RF with Campbell over in LF) and Powell shifted over to 1B with Carlson at 3B? Carlson seems to be in the doghouse. 

Would love to find a way to get another reliable right handed bat in the lineup considering we have a big sign on our foreheads that says throws lefties.
 

Yeah Thomas is slowly becoming a solid hitter, looking forward to what he looks like by years end. would love to see him in right and DC in left. Really wish little Duplantier could field, would love to stick him at 3rd. 

Why not Constatine at first and Thomas in left? He's got a nice swing and seems like he's got some power

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In a perfect world, we'd get LSU and then ARK or A&M.  So we'll probably get some combo of A&M, OKL, and Mizzou.

One bright spot though is that the constant rotating of the other 8 series, means a consistent opportunity for 4 good road trips.  I mean, most of the towns are dogshit but their stadiums and gameday atmospheres are cool.  And you won't have to wait long to visit them.  Every single year, multiple opportunities to visit Gators, Vandy, Georgia, Ole Miss, LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, et. al.  If we were locked into 4 year cycles, it could make for a really fun half decade or a miserable one.  This way though, we can churn and burn.  That's the one upside.  

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8 hours ago, Fletch said:

Yeah Thomas is slowly becoming a solid hitter, looking forward to what he looks like by years end. would love to see him in right and DC in left. Really wish little Duplantier could field, would love to stick him at 3rd. 

Why not Constatine at first and Thomas in left? He's got a nice swing and seems like he's got some power

Constantine is in year 3 at Texas and still looking for his first career hit. Need to see way more of him before I give him regular playing time.

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Pitching match ups for the UNO series (from the UNO web site):

FRIDAY: UNO-LHP Tyler LeBlanc vs. UT-LHP Lucas Gordon
SATURDAY: UNO-LHP Brandon Mitchell vs. UT-RHP Travis Sthele
SUNDAY: UNO-RHP Collin Horton vs. TBA

The first 2 guys are lefties with decent numbers, but they've beaten no one.  The Sunday guy has given up 7 bombs in 20 innings.  Note Stehle moved to Saturday, with Morehouse now out of the pen and LBJ on Sunday?

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3 minutes ago, zlavydra said:

Pitching match ups for the UNO series (from the UNO web site):

FRIDAY: UNO-LHP Tyler LeBlanc vs. UT-LHP Lucas Gordon
SATURDAY: UNO-LHP Brandon Mitchell vs. UT-RHP Travis Sthele
SUNDAY: UNO-RHP Collin Horton vs. TBA

The first 2 guys are lefties with decent numbers, but they've beaten no one.  The Sunday guy has given up 7 bombs in 20 innings.  Note Stehle moved to Saturday, with Morehouse now out of the pen and LBJ on Sunday?

Maybe they want to piggback Sthele and Morehouse. Both seem to be good for 3-4 innings at a time before the wheels fly off. Maybe set it up where each is only facing each guy in the order once or twice and never a third time.

Also, I am so damn tired of facing left handed starters.

Edited by Hookem2147
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5 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

Constantine is in year 3 at Texas and still looking for his first career hit. Need to see way more of him before I give him regular playing time.

Shit it’s already been 3 years? Why’d I think he was a redshirt freshman or something. Ok. Never mind 

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I need to ask a difficult question. I’ve been a pretty strong baseball fan since the 70’s. This year I disconnected from the team and haven’t paid attention to their performance. Haven’t even watched many games. 

Can someone knowledgeable help me understand why they’ve struggled this season and aren’t ranked? Any program can have down years. I’m just wondering if this is a glimpse of the future for this program. 

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51 minutes ago, Dbeasy said:

I need to ask a difficult question. I’ve been a pretty strong baseball fan since the 70’s. This year I disconnected from the team and haven’t paid attention to their performance. Haven’t even watched many games. 

Can someone knowledgeable help me understand why they’ve struggled this season and aren’t ranked? Any program can have down years. I’m just wondering if this is a glimpse of the future for this program. 

Baseball rankings early in the season are based on perception and mainly clickbait to drive traffic to sites.  We lost a lot of position players from last season.  We had some portal damage and some think we did not load up sufficiently in the offseason.  We then lost some tight games early againt solid teams with less than stellar run production as pitching was getting tuned up. 

We are now playing the cream filling before conference.  Hitting/Pitching seems to be improving some.

The only poll that matters is Omaha.

Or it's because DP is the worst possible coach ever and maybe you touch yourself.   Somewhere in the middle I'm sure.
 

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