To everyone that has posted in the baseball threads this season

[Cardiac Red]

How in the world did the team we watched the last 2 weeks of regular season that lost games in every mind numbingly way possible, somehow turn into a Super Regional winning team now headed to the College World Series ???

Some (including me) have mentioned several times Williams needed to go and if CDM didn't want to pull the trigger on it maybe he needed to go as well.. At the time, most of the comments were warranted. We were limping to the finish line and looked poorly coached. Weird lineups, poor base running, poor pitching, poor decisions on who was going to pitch. How many walks and hit batsman did we have.

If someone wanted to bet me my house and bank account that we would win more than one game in the Regional, Id be broke and homeless right now. Just an amazing turn around.

We've come this far, let's just finish it off by winning the World Series. Go CARDS !!

 

[UofLouisville]

The starting pitchers are why. Period. We had to rely on a very suspect bullpen for 6 or 7 innings in alot of that 10-14 stretch in conference play. Our starters looked nothing like this post season stretch during the end of the season. What's even more amazing is the long ball instead of baserunners stealing and putting pressure on the d. I would really like to see more of the latter while maintaining the former. Then we have a serious shot.

 

[2330859]

CR: I have posted twice on this site expressing to some degree the same sentiments. In fact, I specifically apologized to Roger, Dan and this UL Baseball Team, acknowledging my own shame in suggesting “they had lost it”. However, I avoided the same criticism to individual players like EK Jr., only because I see the kids differently than our coaches, but in truth ……. Its always been the players who were responsible for the numerous Wild Pitches, Walks, HBPs, base running errors and swinging at balls that were nowhere close to the strike zone. As CDM said recently that he “did not get a single hit, or a single out”, yet he was the first to assume the responsibility for the losses and I have never heard him take credit for a single win.

For all of our frustration; imagine how much it must have fell on to this coaching staff to see performance like what we witnessed off and on all season. We saw some of those same mistakes in the one loss to Miami, so I suspect it could return this weekend. With that said, I am just totally proud of where we are and humbled by being so wrong about what this team could accomplish.

 

[Bardman]

I do think the team lost it. Yet, they found it again. Is it coaching or player execution? We can ask that same question when the team was struggling! Inrealize we lost Detmers fairly early; however, I am still not sold on that Williams is still the guy he once was. Nothing against him personally - just on a recruiting and development perspective. The starters and pen have been pretty darn good over the last couple of weekends. The pool of pitchers used has been Really small though. Shen they expanded that pool (Starke) he was left in too ling and got punished. I don’t care if it coaching or player execution right now. All I care about is that they play up to their abilities. If they lose, they do it playing their best.

 

[PushupMan]

A veteran catcher who is also one of our best hitters is the top answer for me. Significant boosts to both the offensive and defensive sides of the equation, turning a good but flawed team into a great one.

The walks, wild pitches and passed balls are way down in the tournament, and those extra base runners and free bases turn into runs more often than not.

The pitching roster overhaul in the offseason, the development of Eberle, the decision to give Forbes the time he needed to heal his forearm injury, the move of Biven from bullpen to starter (basically plugging the hole left by Detmers’ season-ending injury). The “all hands on deck” season-long audition of no less than 22 pitchers, which we’ve systematically whittled down to the “big 7” we’re seeing now … I think I’ve seen plenty of evidence that Roger Williams has been working his butt off.

Certainly, the criticism was warranted, and we were all frustrated, but even though I felt some of that same frustration, I could never endorse the opinion that Roger Williams had lost the ability to coach at an elite level and should be fired. And just the fact that we had clearly done enough to get back in the NCAA tournament to me meant that Dan and Roger deserved a little patience.

 

[earsky]

The starting pitchers are why.

Yeah,the re-emergence of Forbes, Biven taking the reigns and the Freshman phenom Eberle bringing up the rear has allowed Williams to streamline his bullpen down to the guys he trusts to perform on the postseason stage. CWS is a different animal if we fall into the loser's bracket. So,let's not do that. Forbes is looking at the biggest game of his young career Friday night.

 

[cocoa]

A veteran catcher who is also one of our best hitters is the top answer for me. Significant boosts to both the offensive and defensive sides of the equation, turning a good but flawed team into a great one.

The walks, wild pitches and passed balls are way down in the tournament, and those extra base runners and free bases turn into runs more often than not.

The pitching roster overhaul in the offseason, the development of Eberle, the decision to give Forbes the time he needed to heal his forearm injury, the move of Biven from bullpen to starter (basically plugging the hole left by Detmers’ season-ending injury). The “all hands on deck” season-long audition of no less than 22 pitchers, which we’ve systematically whittled down to the “big 7” we’re seeing now … I think I’ve seen plenty of evidence that Roger Williams has been working his butt off.

Certainly, the criticism was warranted, and we were all frustrated, but even though I felt some of that same frustration, I could never endorse the opinion that Roger Williams had lost the ability to coach at an elite level and should be fired. And just the fact that we had clearly done enough to get back in the NCAA tournament to me meant that Dan and Roger deserved a little patience.

Bingo Pushup!

 

[CardX]

Bingo Pushup!

It's not a coincidence Klein came back and the Cards started playing their best ball.

 

[earsky]

Don't disagree about Klein at all. I heard Mac 3-4 weeks ago talking about the pitching staff needing 1 or 2 more dogs to round out the rotation we've seen the last two weekends. I think they found one and were trying to find another with Starke on Saturday. I think Starke could be somebody we use situationally against lefties LATE.

I do think this could be a great team if we get a bit more out of the bottom of the lineup. Not quite there yet..

 

[Cardiac Red]

A veteran catcher who is also one of our best hitters is the top answer for me. Significant boosts to both the offensive and defensive sides of the equation, turning a good but flawed team into a great one.

The walks, wild pitches and passed balls are way down in the tournament, and those extra base runners and free bases turn into runs more often than not.

The pitching roster overhaul in the offseason, the development of Eberle, the decision to give Forbes the time he needed to heal his forearm injury, the move of Biven from bullpen to starter (basically plugging the hole left by Detmers’ season-ending injury). The “all hands on deck” season-long audition of no less than 22 pitchers, which we’ve systematically whittled down to the “big 7” we’re seeing now … I think I’ve seen plenty of evidence that Roger Williams has been working his butt off.

Certainly, the criticism was warranted, and we were all frustrated, but even though I felt some of that same frustration, I could never endorse the opinion that Roger Williams had lost the ability to coach at an elite level and should be fired. And just the fact that we had clearly done enough to get back in the NCAA tournament to me meant that Dan and Roger deserved a little patience.

Really good points, especially about Kline because the turnaround pretty much started when he came back.. Its still hard to believe the transformation in such a short amount of time..

 

[Bardman]

Matt coming back - no doubt has done something to the psyche of this team. I wonder, based on missing so much time this year, if he’ll drafted high enough to leave. Would love to have him back next year.