I said last week that I would have been OK with winning one game this weekend, and I am very happy that we did that for sure. Normally, I would set higher goals, but when you're facing the number one team in the country on the road with a scrappy team, you also have to be realistic.
Friday, I thought we lost because we were intimidated and we beat ourselves mentally. I think they were all in our heads because they were number one, at their place and they had their ace who was one of Team USA's top pitchers last summer. As a result, some things happened that normally don't do- we made a season high five errors, and Devin Jones had his worst outing of the year, and it was a total trainwreck. I was worried about the team after Friday's game because we have had three teams in a row that were very fragile mentally, and we have all seen what happens in the SEC when you have a team that doesn't have it upstairs.
Saturday, I was at least encouraged that we played error free defense and that Chris Stratton gave us a chance to win. Now, I certainly was not happy with the hitting, but at least we were presentable, and that made me feel a little bit better.
Sunday, I was pretty shocked to see CT Bradford starting. That was a horrible move- especially since I felt like we had a chance to win because last year we hit the pitcher that Vandy was throwing and we got some runs off of him. I felt like four runs was probably insumountable. At least Cohen pulled him out of the game after one inning, and you have to give Cohen credit for putting in Taylor Stark and for finally giving Adam Frazier a chance- and even better they came through and we found a way to win the game. Yesterday, our freshmen accouned for seven of the nine RBI's our team had. It's exciting because it was a comeback win over the number one team in the country on the road, and it's exciting because we all caught a glimpse of the potential and talent that we are FINALLY bringing in.
Even better, that win comes right before we have an off-week- which is where we are now. This is a chance for our players to rest a little bit and it's also a chance for the coaches to work with the players on an individual and team basis and continue to build off of what we have done well and correct what we haven't done so well. Coming off of a win like that, the players and coaches should "feel better" about about themsleves, and I think that will help with their learning.
Now, we have Auburn coming in this weekend, and they're a pretty good team. They're not as good as Vanderbilt- and someone on here said that they thought Auburn was better than us, and they're probably right. But, there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to have a good showing against them, and what I want to see this weekend is our team build upon that big win over Vanderbilt. Auburn plays in a cigar box of a ballpark. Being at Dudy-Noble will help us neutralize what they want to do- which is slug the ball. What I want to see us do this weekend is beat Auburn two out of three. That would be a great step in the right direction for this team, and that is something that I feel like is realistic for this team.
I'm also expecting some changes to the lineup this weekend. With Brownlee being hurt, I think we will see more Taylor Stark, which is probably an upgrade offensively, and it will not hurt our speed or defense. I also expect Adam Frazier to start at second base. Many, including me, have called for Sam Frost to sit. Well, the fact of the matter is up until yesterday, neither Frazier nor Demarcus Henderson had proven that they were better than Frost either- until yesterday. Now, I do agree that they didn't really get the chance to prove what they could do either, but I expect to see more of Frazier and less of Frost. I also expect Nick Routt to start on Sunday. He looked very good on Weds., and even if he only gives us three innings, well, that's better than what CT gave us. Luis Pollerena, Caleb Reed, and others can fill the void for the other six innings.
Also, has anyone else noticed how well Andrew Busby has pitched lately?
I think our team is going to get better and better as the season wears on, and that's certainly a step in the right direction.
Friday, I thought we lost because we were intimidated and we beat ourselves mentally. I think they were all in our heads because they were number one, at their place and they had their ace who was one of Team USA's top pitchers last summer. As a result, some things happened that normally don't do- we made a season high five errors, and Devin Jones had his worst outing of the year, and it was a total trainwreck. I was worried about the team after Friday's game because we have had three teams in a row that were very fragile mentally, and we have all seen what happens in the SEC when you have a team that doesn't have it upstairs.
Saturday, I was at least encouraged that we played error free defense and that Chris Stratton gave us a chance to win. Now, I certainly was not happy with the hitting, but at least we were presentable, and that made me feel a little bit better.
Sunday, I was pretty shocked to see CT Bradford starting. That was a horrible move- especially since I felt like we had a chance to win because last year we hit the pitcher that Vandy was throwing and we got some runs off of him. I felt like four runs was probably insumountable. At least Cohen pulled him out of the game after one inning, and you have to give Cohen credit for putting in Taylor Stark and for finally giving Adam Frazier a chance- and even better they came through and we found a way to win the game. Yesterday, our freshmen accouned for seven of the nine RBI's our team had. It's exciting because it was a comeback win over the number one team in the country on the road, and it's exciting because we all caught a glimpse of the potential and talent that we are FINALLY bringing in.
Even better, that win comes right before we have an off-week- which is where we are now. This is a chance for our players to rest a little bit and it's also a chance for the coaches to work with the players on an individual and team basis and continue to build off of what we have done well and correct what we haven't done so well. Coming off of a win like that, the players and coaches should "feel better" about about themsleves, and I think that will help with their learning.
Now, we have Auburn coming in this weekend, and they're a pretty good team. They're not as good as Vanderbilt- and someone on here said that they thought Auburn was better than us, and they're probably right. But, there is no reason why we shouldn't be able to have a good showing against them, and what I want to see this weekend is our team build upon that big win over Vanderbilt. Auburn plays in a cigar box of a ballpark. Being at Dudy-Noble will help us neutralize what they want to do- which is slug the ball. What I want to see us do this weekend is beat Auburn two out of three. That would be a great step in the right direction for this team, and that is something that I feel like is realistic for this team.
I'm also expecting some changes to the lineup this weekend. With Brownlee being hurt, I think we will see more Taylor Stark, which is probably an upgrade offensively, and it will not hurt our speed or defense. I also expect Adam Frazier to start at second base. Many, including me, have called for Sam Frost to sit. Well, the fact of the matter is up until yesterday, neither Frazier nor Demarcus Henderson had proven that they were better than Frost either- until yesterday. Now, I do agree that they didn't really get the chance to prove what they could do either, but I expect to see more of Frazier and less of Frost. I also expect Nick Routt to start on Sunday. He looked very good on Weds., and even if he only gives us three innings, well, that's better than what CT gave us. Luis Pollerena, Caleb Reed, and others can fill the void for the other six innings.
Also, has anyone else noticed how well Andrew Busby has pitched lately?
I think our team is going to get better and better as the season wears on, and that's certainly a step in the right direction.
