Another 'crootin' coup for TSUN

[RocketCityDawg]

Ranked #4 in 2012.

Click on the 2012 tab of recruiting rankings about a couple of scrolls down the page.

http://www.perfectgame.org/college/default.aspx

 

[8dog]

their 12 class is due in large part to Maneiri pissing off the Cechinnis. That led to 4 studs coming to OM.

I know our 11 class isn't unreal or anything, but 49? Whatever. We are bringing in 3 drafted arms, 2 of which went in the top 12 rounds.

 

[rebels21]

not to flame, but isnt only getting 3 drafted prospects on campus pretty bad?? i know ole miss got 9 on campus. 3 seems very poor actually 49th seems about right..

 

[GulfCoastDawg]

dismantle our baseball program immediately we don't stand a chance.

 

[8dog]

but we had a top 25 class not long ago with only 2 signees on campus. Some of Polk's awful classes weren't even this low.

 

[Shmuley]

Our class suxez again!11!!1111!

[/guess we'll just hafta beat that Klan azz on the field multiple times aGAIN]

 

[8dog]

a very quick look at the rankings indicates that these are pre-signing rankings. Saw guys included that signed pro contracts.

 

[Todd4State]

and then you flame. LOL. Maybe I should cry like a ***** that you are belittling out class.

Let me say this- I have seen a lot of our players that we signed. I have not seen Philip Casey, Tyler Fullerton, the two JUCO catchers, or Nick Flair in person. I did see video of Mitch Slauter and Nic Amaritti, the two JUCO catchers. Based on what I've seen, I am happy with what we got.

Especially when you consider that Trevor Fitts was not drafted- he received a call from the Red Sox but told them that he was going to go to MSU. Also, Nic Amiratti- one of our JUCO catchers was drafted out of high school by the Marlins.

I am also happy that we got a fifth round draft pick dual position player- which is the highest drafted player that we have ever signed and gotten into school in years- since Paul Maholm. The three players that were drafted out of this class were drafted higher than anyone in last year's class. Hunter Renfroe was drafted in the 31st round last year, and our lowest drafted guy was drafted in the 26th round.

We got three pitchers that have a really legit chance to start on the weekends for us next year- it won't happen because we have Routt and Stratton and Mitchell, but Woodruff, Fitts, and Lindgren will compete for a spot in the rotation and as long as they stay healthy, they will pitch on the weekends for us as they progress their careers at MSU. I think Nick Flair can possibly win a job at third base right away. Obviously, we had to get JUCO catchers because we only have Hunter Renfroe at catcher right now- so they will contribute right away. Will Cox will also be a very good pitcher for us, as will Jonathan Holder. Cox won the MVP of the North Mississippi All-Star team in the State All-Star game in Jackson, and Jonathan Holder got the game winning hit for the South, and should have won the MVP- in fact the guy who did win it, Ryan Ellis tried to give Holder the trophy. And that was a game that had three of Ole Miss's baseball signees who were drafted (Golson, Laxer, and Buchanan) as well as Mason Robbins and as I mentioned, Ryan Ellis who both signed with USM.

One thing I really liked about every recruit that I saw was how hard they played the game and how competitive they were. Bottom line, you win with players like that. And yes, you have to have MLB draft type talent to win as well, but we obviously have that on our team right now as well.

Actually, Ole Miss lost their top drafted player to the Brewers in Micheal Reed. He was an instant impact guy, and that's a big loss. Ole Miss also lost some JUCO catcher, but they replaced him with Austin Knight from Sumrall who was drafted late by the Phillies.

 

[Married to a Dog]

I know of Austin's family. While Coach Knight is a tremendous coach, is Austin a good replacement for the Texas Catcher? Do you think he has a chance to contribute soon, or is a redshirt in his future?

Lafferty apparently did a stand up job recruiting Austin. He was honest with the kid, and my understanding is that was big for them when the other guy went pro.

 

[rebels21]

he probably will redshirt unless there is an injury to will allen or taylor hightower, that said i am more happy with the signing of knight than i would have been that of hornbeck( the juco cathcher that went pro). Juco recruiting is what got us where we were last year. So glad ole miss went away from juco recruiting in 2011, and appears to in 2012 and has switched back to mostly high school guys....

 

[Todd4State]

just because Ole Miss has a lot of catchers. I think he is more of a catch and throw guy- which is good to have on your team.

Since I didn't even remember the JUCO catcher's name, I don't think I can give you an accurate answer on whether Knight is a suitable replacement or not. Just being honest. Sorry about that.

If Peyton Johnson is still on the baseball team, I definately think Knight gets redshirted.

 

[Married to a Dog]

nm

 

[RougeDawg]

Crap Shoot. I think Todd4 will agree. Unless the kid has a legit 90+ mph fastball, runs a 6.7-6.9 sixty, or hits over 20 bombs in high school, it is very hard to project how he will progress and develop on the collegiate level. Some of these kids never play against top competition in high school and meet reality when they arrive at college. There are some who are decent in high school, but develop and learn the game on the next level and excel. I've seen decent high school players make a college team, not be the best on that team, develop throughout college, get drafted mid rounds, develop in the minors, and become an all star at the major league level. Baseball is the most difficult game to project how well a kid will do coming out of high school. Once you reach the collegiate level, its as much mental as it is physical. The thinking and strategy is a whole new world once you get out of high school ball.

 

[Todd4State]

Sometimes you have a player that does well in high school simply because they are more mature than the other players, but the playing field evens out once everyone catches up to them.

I guess you could say that recruiting for any sport is a crapshoot, though.

But you are right as far as the development part- that's why I think it's so important to have coaches that can develop players. I think Cohen does a great job from a hitting standpoint, and yes, I do think Butch has done a good job in general from a pitching standpoint. Back in the 80's when Polk was at his peak, we were one of the most fundamentally sound teams in the country year in and year out and we won a ton of games in part because of that.

But like I said, one thing that is known about a baseball player in high school is their work ethic and how they play the game. If you bring in players that want to win, want to work, and play the game hard, you will succeed. Like Will Cox- he had to work on some things to get an offer, and he did what we told him to do, and he earned an offer. That's the kind of player that you want on your team. And if you get a guy that has those qualities and he does have talent, you're probably talking about a potential MLB type player- like a Brandon Woodruff.

We had a lot of guys on our team last year that had those qualities and we went to a Super Regional even though we had some deficiencies as a team- that's where talent comes into the equation and gets you over the hump. We just didn't have quite enough pitching to pull it out at the end, and we didn't have quite enough power hitters to get us a better bid ultimately. We're still building to a degree, but we should still have some good success from here on forward.