A Q&A with Todd4State on the upcoming baseball season

[OURstateBlog]

Hey guys I just wanted to share with y'all the Q&A we did with Todd to get ready for the baseball season this Friday. A lot of good information in here, so much so we had to spread it out over 3 posts ha. Anyways, you can read Part 1 and Part 2 at the attached links, and Part 3 will be up on the site in the morning.

Also, I promise this is not a Jeremiah Short thing CAN I GET A RT?!?!

Anyone else think this team could start the season off 16-3, 17-2 before SEC play?

I'll hang up and listen

 

[Todd4State]

It sounds like Ben Bracewell will be our opening day starter. I'm very interested to see how that goes. Cohen might be thinking Bracewell for five and then Caleb Reed for the last four? Especially initially because I doubt that they are going to extend Ben very early in the year.

At catcher it sounds like it is mainly going to be Slauter and Nic Amaritti.

Finally, lately I've been hearing that Taylor Stark has a spot in the outfield with CT and Brownlee.

I had a great time writing that!

To answer your question- we could, but I think it will be tough. Washington State is a very good team, Memphis is respectable, and UConn is one of the better programs in the north. I think something like 14-5 is more likely. Our hitting is going to cause us some problems at times.

 

[MSDawg34]

when you have to choose between players like Brandon Woodruff and Taylor Stark.

Do you still see Renfroe as the DH or will Woodruff take that spot.

As to catcher, I hope its Slauter. In the two intersquad games I attended he absolutely smoked the ball. Small sample size of course.

 

[dawgphd]

asdf

 

[State82]

Todd, you going to contribute to that blog from time to time during the season?

 

[Goat Grindin]

and you've still been carrying this Woodruff in RF party line, along with "Routt and Stratton will be our top 2 guys" BS. Mitchell and Bracewell have always been and are now the best we have on the club.<div>
</div><div>It helps to know some folks who really know what is going on up there.</div>

 

[Uncle Ruckus]

[No message]

 

[Goat Grindin]

Not you dawgphd, but the scores of others who bashed and bashed and bashed the man. Obviously none of them knew much about baseball nor did they attend many games. They all know who they are, one in particular.

 

[OURstateBlog]

as to which 2 are the best is a great problem to have. All 4 should be outstanding this year, barring injuries.

 

[patdog]

just because of one mediocre season with one hot postseason, helped out with a big assist from #4 seed Austin Peay beating GA Tech. Just like everyone was all over the Polk is Back bandwagon after he did much the same thing and all over the Crxxm is a Good Coach bandwagon after 2007. Not saying Cohen isn't a good coach (I think he is), but he's going to have to show me a little more before I'm fully convinced. I'm hearing a lot of hype about a lot of players who have never played and weren't especially highly recruited. Maybe we do have a lot of "sleepers" on this team that Cohen found while all the rest overlooked them. I sure hope so.

 

[OMlawdog]

As much talk about last year, I didn't even realize until I looked it up that MSU had a losing SEC record last year. With the talent in the SEC this year going 15-15 would be really solid year for either Ole Miss or MSU. FL, SC, Vandy, LSU and Arkansas are all legitimate top 10 teams.

Thats 15 games against top 10 teams. That is just brutal for both Ole Miss and MSU.

Bottom line for Cohen is that this year's team is all his and though I think MSU has plenty of arms, the bats could be an issue all season. For Bianco, I don't think he has the arms yet. I think the offense should be solid, but I don't see enough offense to do be able to compete in the SEC.

I think both teams will be fighting for the 7-8 spot in the SEC tourney unless the arms at Ole Miss are better than I think and the bats at MSU are better than I think.

 

[patdog]

I think both teams will be fighting for the 7-8 spot in the SEC tourney unless the arms at Ole Miss are better than I think and the bats at MSU are better than I think.

that's what they expect too. SEC baseball is just like SEC football. You've got to have one hell ofa team to getinto the upper half of the conference.

 

[alabamadog]

they lost all three weekend starters and their midweek starter had tommy john surgery at the end of the year. They also lost some good hitters. I know their recruiting classes have been ridiculous and they have a pitcher who went in the first round out of high school, but their lack of experience keeps them out of the top ten.