Baseball

Sparklecity

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Jan 20, 2022
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Yay, we scored 2 runs
 
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Goofy141!

Active member
May 29, 2023
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Unfortunately the taters are getting to where we use to be - we are a shell of the baseball program we use to be - no pride on this team
 

Fried Chicken

Well-known member
Jan 30, 2022
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We have had way too many mediocre former Clemson transfers into this program. Should’ve never allowed that garbage.

Disappointed in the way we finished off Games 2 & 3. We need to just get better throughout the season, but we have to upgrade in talent pretty much all over the field.

Kingston was never anything but average his entire career, even at South Florida. Can’t believe we gave that guy so long to suck the life out of this program. We don’t have the advantages we had recruiting in 2010-2015 anymore. Going to be an uphill battle.
 

PrestonyteParrot

Well-known member
May 28, 2024
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Unfortunately the taters are getting to where we use to be - we are a shell of the baseball program we use to be - no pride on this team
Definitely missing the type of players who were spark plugs from the past like Wingo, Merrifield, Thomas, Morales, Walker, Roth, etc.
Scrappy spirit seems to be missing.
 

Vincent Hanna

Member
Feb 19, 2022
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Please
Do explain - I am assuming you’re talking about the Maneri hire?
Not Mainieri but the total decline of the baseball program under Tanner. Even if successful, Mainieri isn't one to lead us beyond a certain window. Which is why Lee being the de facto head-coach-in-waiting is an awful idea given what he's shown.

Haven't beaten our rival in 2+ years. Trotting a bunch of eunichs out there to play embarrassing offensive baseball should raise legitimate questions.
 

sclawman77

Member
Dec 18, 2024
134
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Players coming into college now were like 4 or 5 when we were winning championships-basically no memory. Plenty of other SEC programs have greatly improved or won titles since then-Ole Miss, Miss State, Tenn-while we continue to get worse.
 

Dabo's Weenie

Active member
Nov 30, 2024
263
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Who has seen this team enough this year to offer an opinion on their strengths/weaknesses and what needs to be addressed first to improve them?

Was looking forward to baseball season but haven't had the time the last couple months to even listen to a game much less watch one, so I'm left to look at stats which don't tell the whole story.
With what seems like almost the entire conference ranked except the Cocks, it has the potential to be a long season if they don't show noticeable improvement.
 

USCBatgirl21

Joined Sep 5, 2006
Jan 31, 2022
6,681
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Who has seen this team enough this year to offer an opinion on their strengths/weaknesses and what needs to be addressed first to improve them?

Was looking forward to baseball season but haven't had the time the last couple months to even listen to a game much less watch one, so I'm left to look at stats which don't tell the whole story.
With what seems like almost the entire conference ranked except the Cocks, it has the potential to be a long season if they don't show noticeable improvement.
Me. Most won't like it, but IDGAF. Here's what I said on TIF after the Clemson series.

As I said before, we are going to lose a lot of games this year, and there are going to be losses that really sting. There are things that have gone on, and continue to be worked on, behind the scenes that will makes us much better in the long run. We're just going to have to suffer a little bit more this season. But we will also win some games we're not supposed to. This season is going to be a rollercoaster. I am still more excited about our long term outlook than I have been in a long while. Coach Manieri will not win us our next trophy. But the parts will be put in place for it to happen not long after he's gone. I still believe we have one of the best staffs in college baseball. But even with the best, it takes a while to right the wrongs of the past. Especially with how bad things had gotten. Those wanting to pile on Monte need to remember that our assistants under MK were basically that in name only. Their decisions/ways of coaching were overridden A LOT by MK. Let's see what Monte can do under a true mentor and winner like Coach Mainieri, who can get him back to his long term winning ways.

Going into this weekend, I did not expect a win Friday up there. It's just damn hard to win up there on the diamond. Saturday I saw as a toss up. I really wanted to win Sunday at home, but deep down I was uneasy. Looking objectively at the 2 teams side by side - the sweep this year, while it stings like no other (y'all just don't know how much I absolutely HATE that damn orange baseball team), it does not surprise me.

Our hitting approach has improved (many of y'all were saying it the first two weeks, but seem to have forgotten while being all in your feelings), but I saw some regression back to old bad habits that our former HC had a hand in. I also saw us hit some hard ones but they were right at people. If you can be objective about the weekend, you can admit that to yourself. These were 3 really good baseball games up until the 9th Saturday and Sunday. Friday was one helluva game. Kaufer and Pet get just a smidge more on those and we are walking out of there with a win. Saturday bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the 1st did us in, but it was still a one run game until our lack of a closer reared its ugly head Much was the same yesterday. I was quite surprised at how our pitching held up this weekend overall though. Pitchers got the MVP awards for both sides in the series, so that says a lot. They stepped up when needed.

This is going to take time y'all. And spare me the "no it doesn't with the portal" BS. Those guys have to want to come here. They are too young to remember 2010 & 2011, so spare me that BS too. And quite frankly, we don't have a program right now that is going to draw the top guys. And spare me the NIL crap. Baseball doesn't have the kind of NIL support that FB and MBB has, so unless you're going to pony up some serious cash for our baseball NIL reserves, just stop. We are doing something we have not had to do in damn near 29 years - rebuild our baseball program. It ain't going to happen overnight, but it also won't take too long either. Just as the last couple seasons were 1996 all over again, this is going to be like 1997 (without the epic night of April 23, 1997 unfortunately). These guys need to know if we stand with them and support them. Y'all just have to decide if you're going to be in the ballpark for the rollercoaster ride and let the guys actually see you have their backs, or if you are going to sit at home and only care about baseball when it's the big games. I know where I'll be (as long as Smalls isn't teeing it up in a tournament.)

GO COCKS!
 

Dabo's Weenie

Active member
Nov 30, 2024
263
286
63
Me. Most won't like it, but IDGAF. Here's what I said on TIF after the Clemson series.

As I said before, we are going to lose a lot of games this year, and there are going to be losses that really sting. There are things that have gone on, and continue to be worked on, behind the scenes that will makes us much better in the long run. We're just going to have to suffer a little bit more this season. But we will also win some games we're not supposed to. This season is going to be a rollercoaster. I am still more excited about our long term outlook than I have been in a long while. Coach Manieri will not win us our next trophy. But the parts will be put in place for it to happen not long after he's gone. I still believe we have one of the best staffs in college baseball. But even with the best, it takes a while to right the wrongs of the past. Especially with how bad things had gotten. Those wanting to pile on Monte need to remember that our assistants under MK were basically that in name only. Their decisions/ways of coaching were overridden A LOT by MK. Let's see what Monte can do under a true mentor and winner like Coach Mainieri, who can get him back to his long term winning ways.

Going into this weekend, I did not expect a win Friday up there. It's just damn hard to win up there on the diamond. Saturday I saw as a toss up. I really wanted to win Sunday at home, but deep down I was uneasy. Looking objectively at the 2 teams side by side - the sweep this year, while it stings like no other (y'all just don't know how much I absolutely HATE that damn orange baseball team), it does not surprise me.

Our hitting approach has improved (many of y'all were saying it the first two weeks, but seem to have forgotten while being all in your feelings), but I saw some regression back to old bad habits that our former HC had a hand in. I also saw us hit some hard ones but they were right at people. If you can be objective about the weekend, you can admit that to yourself. These were 3 really good baseball games up until the 9th Saturday and Sunday. Friday was one helluva game. Kaufer and Pet get just a smidge more on those and we are walking out of there with a win. Saturday bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the 1st did us in, but it was still a one run game until our lack of a closer reared its ugly head Much was the same yesterday. I was quite surprised at how our pitching held up this weekend overall though. Pitchers got the MVP awards for both sides in the series, so that says a lot. They stepped up when needed.

This is going to take time y'all. And spare me the "no it doesn't with the portal" BS. Those guys have to want to come here. They are too young to remember 2010 & 2011, so spare me that BS too. And quite frankly, we don't have a program right now that is going to draw the top guys. And spare me the NIL crap. Baseball doesn't have the kind of NIL support that FB and MBB has, so unless you're going to pony up some serious cash for our baseball NIL reserves, just stop. We are doing something we have not had to do in damn near 29 years - rebuild our baseball program. It ain't going to happen overnight, but it also won't take too long either. Just as the last couple seasons were 1996 all over again, this is going to be like 1997 (without the epic night of April 23, 1997 unfortunately). These guys need to know if we stand with them and support them. Y'all just have to decide if you're going to be in the ballpark for the rollercoaster ride and let the guys actually see you have their backs, or if you are going to sit at home and only care about baseball when it's the big games. I know where I'll be (as long as Smalls isn't teeing it up in a tournament.)

GO COCKS!

Thanks for taking the time to elaborate to this degree - it explains a lot and unfortunately confirms what I suspected: this isn't going to be a quick fix. However, I feel better knowing that people who follow it a lot closer than I do are optimistic we have the people in place to right the ship; it just has the potential to look really ugly when you're trying to do it with a conference schedule that pits you against a Top 20 team almost every weekend.

Oh well, buckle up and GO 'COCKS!
 

PrestonyteParrot

Well-known member
May 28, 2024
1,538
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Pitching is a major issue for this team although not the only one. Lack of clutch hitting, i.e. putting the bat on the ball with runners on base, and sloppy fielding are some others.
We have lots of throwers, but I have yet to see any crafty ''pitching''. Hopefully the staff is still developing and will improve with time.
 
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Bubba Fett

Joined Oct 6, 2000
Feb 1, 2022
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Yep, I'm having to downgrade my expectations for this year, but I see the hope.

I think we'll be at our best late, so maybe we'll be good down the stretch.