Dawg83

I’m no expert on OM pitching but it seems awfully risky to start McDaniel against this offense after USM hit him like batting practice a week ago. I would definitely go a different direction if I was Bianco. It’s the same deal with State and Fristoe, if State ends up having to play a third game, no way I’d use the same Game 3 starter as you did last week.

Winner take all games in Fayetteville and Tucson this evening, then four other teams with a chance to clinch. Obviously OM’s Super is totally up for grabs now, feel like State’s could be too. Won’t be shocked at all if Notre Dame forces a Game 3. I feel like Texas and Tennessee are in the best spots to clinch right now. You can maybe put Arkansas in that mix as well, they’ve barely used Kopps this weekend so NC State will have to go through him today. Columbia, Tucson, and Starkville still feel like coin flips to me.

Quite a response by Ole Miss tonight. They seem to be in total command. Guess we will see how long they can ride Nikhazy and save pitching for tomorrow.

Highly entertaining game in Starkville today. Truly think the crowd may have been the difference. How else do you explain an elite fielding team making four errors like that? Gotta like the spot State is in at the moment. ND threw their two best arms today and I thought State hit them well. If you can get a good start from MacLeod tomorrow I think you have a great chance to close it out in two games. If not, still think you’ve got a good chance in a potential Game 3 with Harding.

Arizona was impressive. They can really swing it up and down the lineup. Bullpen was better than expected as well. FYI, Arizona didn’t throw their best guy tonight either. He’s likely not as good as Nikhazy but he’s a tough lefty. Not sure tomorrow is a slam dunk for OM even with Nikhazy throwing, but that team does seem to play with a lot of confidence when Doug is on the mound. Should be a really interesting game.

Yep, whoever makes it out of Tucson is going to really have their work cut out for them. "Congrats on making it to Omaha! Your reward is Kumar Rocker in Game 1" "Oh but don't worry, your second game will be against one of these two teams that nobody has been able to beat all season"

Stanford up big on Texas Tech in Lubbock. Stanford is a team that hasn't lost a series all year, only reason they didn't win the PAC-12 was due to a COVID cancellation when they were supposed to play the worst team in the league. They are probably more of a national title contender than they've been given credit for. As I've previously mentioned, that side of the bracket in Omaha has the potential to be an absolute murderer's row.

Vandy wins Game 1 against ECU 2-0. Rocker was outstanding, so was ECU's ace, but he got zero help from his offense. Vandy did just enough at the plate to get the win. Rocker's postseason numbers in his career are absurd.

Vandy and ECU in one heck of a pitcher's duel right now. 1-0 Vandy in the 8th, both teams have 1st round caliber aces and it has showed today.

What ND did in their Regional is remarkable, and if they continue to hit the ball well then State is probably in deep trouble. Regarding your comment on "how many runs were scored in Starkville last weekend" I do think it's worth noting that the vast majority of those weren't against State. Campbell, VCU, and Samford had some absolute shootouts. State only gave up 4, 4, and 5 runs in their games. And apparently the forecast as it is now calls for a inward blowing wind this weekend. Based on that and the quality of pitching that the two teams have, I would be pretty surprised if the scoring is out of control like it was in certain games last weekend. I stand by what I said earlier in the week that on paper State/Notre Dame looks like the best matchup of the 8. Total coin flip, in my opinion. Gave State a slight edge since the games are at Dudy Noble.

Last minute Super Regional Predictions: ECU over Vandy in 3 games Stanford over Texas Tech in 2 games Arkansas over NC State in 3 games Arizona over Ole Miss in 3 games Texas over USF in 2 games State over Notre Dame in 3 games Dallas Baptist over Virginia in 2 games Tennessee over LSU in 2 games

I just wonder about the fit at LSU. Casey has only ever coached in the state of Oregon. The pressure in Corvallis can't remotely be what it is in Baton Rouge. He's also 62 now. Granted, I realize he is only 3-4 years removed from having some absurdly loaded teams at Oregon State where they won a title and probably should have gotten another one (They went 56-6 in 2017 and lost in the CWS semi's). Clearly a great coach and it's hard to argue with hiring someone that has won three national titles. I think the potential there is massive and he would be an upgrade from Mainieri, but I could also see it maybe not going as great as some would expect.

Casey caught a ton of heat after the Luke Heimlich situation a few years ago, and retired shortly after (it also coincided with them winning a national title, but he caught a ton of heat for how he handled that ordeal). If LSU does indeed hire Casey, they are doubling down on these controversial coaches if you look at who all is employed by that school currently.

Pat Casey (retired Oregon State coach) is apparently the front runner for the LSU job. Wow. On a bunch of different levels wow.

Schloss should do really well there. There was MAJOR smoke he was Starkville bound three years ago but then State went on that surprise Omaha run and the Schloss deal fell apart in the meantime. This is probably the biggest name coach to leave for another major job in quite some time. And you could have more to follow suit depending on what happens with LSU and O'Sullivan, and if that domino falls then you have another elite job to be filled with Florida. There is speculation that they would target McDonnell heavily if O'Sullivan takes the LSU job.

It's really interesting to look at how both sides of the bracket are shaping up so far. On the Arkansas side of the bracket (1, 4, 5, 8 seeds), all four Top 8 seeds won their Regional and 7 of 8 seeded teams advanced to the Supers. The lone exception was NC State beating the 16 seed LA Tech, which frankly was what many expected. Then you get to the other side of the bracket and it's a bit weirder. 3 of the 4 Top 8 seeds advanced, but only 4 of the 8 seeded teams advanced, and you have three 3 seeds and one 4 seed in Super Regionals. It's entirely possible Ole Miss could get to Omaha and have to go through a murderer's row of Arkansas, Vandy, and Texas Tech/Stanford, but then State could get to Omaha and their opposition be South Florida, Dallas Baptist, and LSU's weakest team in the last decade. My guess is it doesn't end up quite like that, but it's kind of crazy how one side of the bracket went pretty much all chalk and the other side has some potential weirdness going on.

Not a fan of how either OM or USM pitched that game. Don’t like seeing starting pitchers brought back like that. But congrats to OM on the win. And I think USM is going to be a force to be reckoned with the next couple of years. Trimble is a STUD. Speaking of overusing pitchers… Arkansas trailing Nebraska early. They brought Kopps on in the 3rd inning after he’s already thrown 95 pitches this weekend coming in. SMH.

I think both pairings are really good matchups, maybe the two best ones out there. I've long thought Ole MIss was built better for a Super than a regular Regional. The difference of only needing two wins versus three is huge when you don't have a ton of pitching depth. If you can win Nikhazy's start, the odds of you being able to slug your way to one more win are pretty solid. OM and Arizona are actually very similar teams. Both have a very good lefty ace, and both can really hit. The gaps in that park play huge, State played a tournament out there a few years ago and there were a ton of extra base hits. I think an OM/AZ super would be an absolute slugfest, and highly entertaining. Truthfully I am not really sure what to make of Notre Dame. Obviously they've had a great year and they were totally dominant in their Regional. At the same time, they've played exactly ZERO games against any of the other Top 16 seeds. And you just don't know how teams are going to respond to the massive crowds. Dudy Noble during a Super Regional is just a different animal. It totally ate Clemson alive in '07 and did the same to Stanford in '19. But then Arizona came in here in '16 and handled it well. The crowd is a major x-factor, and it's totally new territory for ND. Especially given that this is a program playing in their first Super in almost 20 years as well. Both Supers are totally a coin flip, in my opinion. No result would shock me in the least.

Just saw this note, apparently State is the only team in the country to advance to the Super Regionals each of the last five years. What a statement that is about how remarkably steady your program is, and that's in spite of all kinds of coaching turnover. Obviously there's one big missing piece of hardware that State is still trying to grab for the first time, but you've gotta think if you keep putting yourself in the mix at the end, eventually the breaks will fall your way. That's not a guarantee, as Mike Martin and Florida State know better than anybody. But the odds are in your favor to eventually win it all if you keep hanging around the top tier of teams.

That was way more stressful than it needed to be. LOL. State didn't hit the ball great against a depleted pitching staff, and a terrible start from Fristoe added to the stress too. But 8 innings combined from Harding and Sims were the difference in the game. Sets up a heck of a matchup with Notre Dame. Total coin flip of a Super Regional, in my opinion. I think it's going three games.

State gets Campbell tomorrow. The Camels have given up 42 runs in three games and are somehow in the Regional final, that’s kind of amazing. State’s pitching is in significantly better shape going into tomorrow, I tend to think they win the first game and put this to bed. But we have seen a bunch of 1 seeds play tight today while sitting in the catbird seat, so you certainly can’t take anything for granted. I expect State to score runs on Campbell’s depleted pitching, if State’s arms can be semi competent they should be fine.

State officially won’t play today. They are going to try to get the first game in and do an “if necessary” Monday doubleheader.

My biggest takeaway from Starkville to this point is that I’ve never seen a Regional where the 2 thru 4 seeds have pitching depth that’s this bad. All three teams can hit but good gosh the pitching has been ugly. Obviously State still has one more game to win, but I tend to agree with those who think State got a gift this weekend. Would be a colossal failure if they somehow don’t make it out of this. I’ll say this though, not to look too far ahead but we appear to be trending toward State-Notre Dame at The Dude next weekend, would be an incredible atmosphere and in my opinion maybe the most intriguing Super matchup of those still on the table. Like I said, not quite there yet though.

Two teams with bad, bad pitching. And both can hit.

SEC ended up going 6-3 on Day 1. Losses by Florida, Bama, and LSU. And 15 of the 16 one seeds won as well, that feels like more than usual. Make of that what you will.