Here is why you pitch Woodruff vs Samford

[Coach34]

Stratton is the constant in the equation- he is going to pitch well no matter who he faces.

Woodruff is the key to winning the Regional then- because winning the 1st 2 games are paramount- not just Game 1. So do you let him face one of the top 3 teams in the nation- or do you let him face Samford?

Those of you may ask- well, what if we lose to Samford with Woodruff pitching? Well, if he cant beat Samford, he damn sure wasnt going to beat Fla State- and we will end up in the same place either way- the loser's bracket.

Woody threw 9 scoreless in the SEC Tourney against some very good teams- give him the ball vs Samford and let him get us to the 5th or 6th and we can start using our match-ups out of the pen.

 

[Coach34]

Stratton is the constant in the equation- he is going to pitch well no matter who he faces.

Woodruff is the key to winning the Regional then- because winning the 1st 2 games are paramount- not just Game 1. So do you let him face one of the top 3 teams in the nation- or do you let him face Samford?

Those of you may ask- well, what if we lose to Samford with Woodruff pitching? Well, if he cant beat Samford, he damn sure wasnt going to beat Fla State- and we will end up in the same place either way- the loser's bracket.

Woody threw 9 scoreless in the SEC Tourney against some very good teams- give him the ball vs Samford and let him get us to the 5th or 6th and we can start using our match-ups out of the pen.

 

[Bulldog from Birth]

And you have the horses (Routt, Pollorena, Reed, etc.) prepped and ready to come in if Woodruff gets in trouble.

BFB

 

[CadaverDawg]

I've been back and forth, but let's face it, if this team is going to win a Regional or Super Regional we can't be afraid to roll the dice a little. If you're going to risk anything, it should be with our pitching staff. So let's take the chance of Woodruff beating Samford(if he's on he should), and that would put us in great shape to win the Regional. I like it.

 

[Goat Always Be Grindin]

that's where your rationale goes out the window.<div>
</div><div>This Josh Martin guy is for real, got drafted in the 25th round last year. We need to take him seriously. I am starting to believe this may be the exception to the rule. But, with the way we manufacture runs, maybe we can beat him. Not sure how good their hitting is.</div>

 

[8dog]

at coming through the loser's bracket with all our arms.

 

[Coach34]

that's where your rationale goes out the window.<div>
</div><div>This Josh Martin guy is for real, got drafted in the 25th round last year. We need to take him seriously. I am starting to believe this may be the exception to the rule. But, with the way we manufacture runs, maybe we can beat him. Not sure how good their hitting is.</div>

Fla State with their Ace on the mound is 2x > Samford

 

[DAWG61]

pitch Stratton with MSU already 0-1 vs UAB or Woodruff against FSU with MSU already 1-0? Samford is a much better team than UAB and if we lose to Samford without Stratton we are forced to pitch him against the 4th seed UAB. We can't be eliminated without pitching our #1. Stratton has to pitch game 1. We can argue this till we are blue in the face but we can't be pitching our #1 in an elimination game vs UAB.

 

[Coach34]

should we happen to lose to Samford- we would go with Graveman vs UAB- and then pitch Stratton in Game 3


Bottom line- Woodruff has to win his game when he pitches also- so I want him going vs Samford instead of Fla State

 

[QuaoarsKing]

We absolutely don't throw Stratton against UAB. That would be surrendering the Regional. We'd throw Pollo or Routt and probably use Stratton in the third game against the FSU/Samford loser.
<div>
</div><div>Remember the debate back in 2006 when we were in the Clemson regional? Polk and McNickle actually got it right that year by not pitching Justin Pigott against UNC-Asheville even though it was an elimination game, saving him for Elon, which he won, giving us a outside shot at winning the regional (we came in 2nd)</div>

 

[DAWG61]

the risk of losing both games and never using your best pitcher. Brilliant strategy****

 

[VegasDawg13]

If you don't win it, who gives a **** if you go 0-2 or 3-2?

 

[QuaoarsKing]

Even Ron Polk got it right. Don't waste your ace against a 4 seed, no matter what game it is.

 

[DAWG61]

I can promise you you will be a red-faced steaming pile of pissed off mother17er if you have to sit and ponder for a year on the fact MSU is no longer playing baseball in 2012 and didn't start Stratton once. There is such a thing as too much strategy. This would be an example.

 

[Coach34]

the risk of losing both games and never using your best pitcher. Brilliant strategy****

If you go in assuming you will lose when Stratton doesnt pitch, then you have no shot to win it anyway

 

[DAWG61]

my point has nothing to do with who wins or losses. My point is that we can't be eliminated as a team and never have started our ace. We can't be watching from the couch two weeks from now and be saying "man I wish we had pitched Stratton, damn he was pretty good, why didn't we pitch him, durrruuurr durrrrr derrrrdeeedooo".

 

[boomboommsu]

...because the strategy with the better chance carriers a small chance of losing out in a different way, that some might consider frustrating?

Brilliant strategy**

 

[formerpolkie]

baseball team.

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

I had to pick that one out.

If Cohen and Butch want to pitch the chick with the UT hat and clip board, I am okay with that. I am also okay with all the morans on here questioning the staff that turned this bunch into one of the hottest teams in college baseball because they would second guess Jesus.

Cohen and Butch seemed to have been making the right decisions for the past few weeks and they know these players better than the exspurts here on the board.

Yeah, it is a little blind faith but I think the staff has earned it.

 

[woozman]

61 is right, you have to pitch Stratton in game 1.

 

[Coach34]

.

 

[patdog]

No way Stratton should start. LSU's been the most successful postseason team in the last 22 years. They never use their ace in the first game of a regional.

 

[FlabLoser]

No way Stratton should start. LSU's been the most successful postseason team in the last 22 years. They never use their ace in the first game of a regional.

I agree completely. Our goal is t win the whole thing, not just the 1st game. We've got great depth on the mound and our best guy should be saved for the best foreseeable opponent.

C tres cautro said it best - if Woodruff can't beat Samford, you damn sure don't want him to try beating Flarda State.