Routt overpowered those asses. Good sign. ***
- Thread starter Shmuley
- Start date
but the only inning he "overpowered" anybody was the first. they hit a few good balls off him but we had some good plays made in the outfield. i was impressed that he was able to hold them scoreless and get out of that huge jam. however, if he could've thrown a few more strikes early in counts he could've stayed in the game for another inning and gotten the win. i know i'm splitting hairs here but just a couple observations on his performance.
Routt pitched well. Auburn got some licks but right at our folks. The jam was a good test of his attitude. He pitched enough. No need to stretch his arm this early. He can go a little longer over the next couple of weeks. I thought Cohen pulled him at the right time.
And for all the bitching from some on this board, I watched them Saturday and today. They did a good job overall of pulling off the hit and run, good base running, and good defense. Most of the bitching and criticism was premature. This is a young team that is starting to learn to play with and off each other. They are going to make some noise as the year goes on.
And for all the bitching from some on this board, I watched them Saturday and today. They did a good job overall of pulling off the hit and run, good base running, and good defense. Most of the bitching and criticism was premature. This is a young team that is starting to learn to play with and off each other. They are going to make some noise as the year goes on.
to be more aggressive on the basepaths, and maybe even more importantly, we have guys that have better baseball instincts.
We stole home today. Can anyone on here honestly say that we could have pulled that off last year?
We stole home today. Can anyone on here honestly say that we could have pulled that off last year?
We even got one in unexpectedly. Better play makes the staff look better and smarter. Sounds goofy but even good coaching can look bad when players fail to execute. I was impressed both days with how we ran the bases with few screw ups. The failed steal of third late in the 8th, I think it was, raised my eyebrow a little. But really, Auburn's catcher had been scrambling to stay in front of some pitches and we just got caught on a straight fastball and the catcher was able to make the play. Two pitches before or after that and we get the steal.
Tell you what Todd, I was impressed with this bunch. Not what I expected to see after reading the board for the last 6 weeks......
Tell you what Todd, I was impressed with this bunch. Not what I expected to see after reading the board for the last 6 weeks......
One I know for sure cost us the chance at getting another run I believe in the Friday night game where runs were crucial. But overall I was very pleased with our base running because he had several highlights this weekend to make up for the mistakes. Also I was upset to see Vickerson get thrown out for the first time all season this Saturday, screwing up his 17 for 17 mark on stolen bases.
is sometimes you get burned. Even Rickey Henderson got thrown out from time to time.
Auburn has a very good defensive catcher- Tony Caldwell. I was afraid that he was going to limit us on the bases somewhat, but that didn't happen. Vickerson getting thrown out was luck to a degree because Auburn called a pitch out and basically guessed right.
The whole key to being aggressive to me is being smart and knowing when to use the element of surprise to your advantage.
What you have to weigh is the runs that you lose from guys not scoring because they are getting thrown out on the bases vs guys getting out because we have to get three, four hits in a row. But then, that goes back to knowing what kind of players you have and what they can do and playing to their strengths.
I think it works well in college because you are dealing with inexperienced players for the most part- which is where the element of surprise comes in, and a lot of times a college team is not going to have the legit power guys that you may see in MLB- certainly there are exceptions. But, it's fairly common to find guys that hustle, play hard and can run. I think it also works well for us because in Mississippi, a lot of the coaches around the state tend to be fairly aggressive and like hard nosed players, and they kind of preach that style of play. Delta State has been that way for years.
As I've said before, I prefer to be balanced. I like being aggressive on the basepaths and the pressure it creates. But, I also like home runs- chicks dig the longball, and I dig chicks, so I want to be where they are! But what happens is when you're aggressive on the basepaths, and a pitcher makes that mistake pitch to a guy that has a lot of power- now that double to a small ball hitter is all of a sudden a two run home run. The combination of power and pressure is just lethal. Especially if you go with what always wins games- pitching and defense, and then add power and pressure- then you're talking about a championship caliber team. And I really think that's the direction that we're trying to head to with the players that we're recruiting for the future.
Auburn has a very good defensive catcher- Tony Caldwell. I was afraid that he was going to limit us on the bases somewhat, but that didn't happen. Vickerson getting thrown out was luck to a degree because Auburn called a pitch out and basically guessed right.
The whole key to being aggressive to me is being smart and knowing when to use the element of surprise to your advantage.
What you have to weigh is the runs that you lose from guys not scoring because they are getting thrown out on the bases vs guys getting out because we have to get three, four hits in a row. But then, that goes back to knowing what kind of players you have and what they can do and playing to their strengths.
I think it works well in college because you are dealing with inexperienced players for the most part- which is where the element of surprise comes in, and a lot of times a college team is not going to have the legit power guys that you may see in MLB- certainly there are exceptions. But, it's fairly common to find guys that hustle, play hard and can run. I think it also works well for us because in Mississippi, a lot of the coaches around the state tend to be fairly aggressive and like hard nosed players, and they kind of preach that style of play. Delta State has been that way for years.
As I've said before, I prefer to be balanced. I like being aggressive on the basepaths and the pressure it creates. But, I also like home runs- chicks dig the longball, and I dig chicks, so I want to be where they are! But what happens is when you're aggressive on the basepaths, and a pitcher makes that mistake pitch to a guy that has a lot of power- now that double to a small ball hitter is all of a sudden a two run home run. The combination of power and pressure is just lethal. Especially if you go with what always wins games- pitching and defense, and then add power and pressure- then you're talking about a championship caliber team. And I really think that's the direction that we're trying to head to with the players that we're recruiting for the future.