Brent Rooker

[Todd4State]

It wasn't Ross Mitchell, it was our coaches having their heads up their asses and refusing to pitch someone else. The new ball obviously screwed Ross more than the average pitcher. It sucked to have your most experienced pitcher become obsolete but they just decided to ride the year out without at least trying to get more experience for this year. Combine that with player leadership seeming to disappear and it was a perfect storm. Cohen received his mulligan so he better bring it this year.

Exactly. Now that they can't use Ross, they're going to have to use someone that's going to be more effective. It wasn't Ross's fault that he was put in a bad spot.

Butch did a HORRIBLE job last year managing the pitching staff. If he had used Laster out of the pen along with Fitts and Houston and started Sexton, Hudson, and Tatum knowing that they were going to start this year anyway and use them like we had used Fitts his sophomore and junior years- we would have been fine.

Instead we kept trotting Ross out there and kept waiting for him to turn it around, figure it out, whatever- and it never happened. We lost almost EVERY SEC game he pitched in. And at the same time we didn't maximize our best two pitchers IMO last year in Laster and Fitts.

[Todd4State]

lsu and vandy don't play as tough of a schedule as us because they don't have to play themselves. When you take away a series against a top 5 team and fill it with a last place, it's going to have a pretty decent effect on the SOS.

So we should play a more difficult OOC schedule than them why? Your answer makes zero sense in the context of why we should play a more difficult OOC schedule than those two coming off of a losing season.

We should play either Oregon OR the tournament in Los Angeles. Not both. All we needed to do was not play as many SWAC schools- that doesn't mean "hey, let's take on the entire PAC 12 and ACC."

The SEC schedule will take care of the rest.

[ScottH]

The one thing last year reinforced was the SEC does take care of SOS.

Even with the craptastic non-conference our Strength of Schedule ended up 39 (13th in the SEC ahead of 14th LSU)

[Todd4State]

The one thing last year reinforced was the SEC does take care of SOS.

Even with the craptastic non-conference our Strength of Schedule ended up 39 (13th in the SEC ahead of 14th LSU)

Yep. The thing is you HAVE to win those cupcake games- and we didn't do that. And compounded it by being horrible in the SEC.

[dawgs]

So we should play a more difficult OOC schedule than them why? Your answer makes zero sense in the context of why we should play a more difficult OOC schedule than those two coming off of a losing season.

We should play either Oregon OR the tournament in Los Angeles. Not both. All we needed to do was not play as many SWAC schools- that doesn't mean "hey, let's take on the entire PAC 12 and ACC."

The SEC schedule will take care of the rest.

I don't mind our hitters seeing some decent pitching prior to sec play. Some being more than 1 or 2. Also, either we are good or we aren't. I don't think a regional spot will turn on SOS. I don't think a regional host will either. Going like 38-18 against a tougher schedule looks just as good or better than 42-14 against a weaker schedule, I think they'd both put us in the same spot. I mean, if you are saying either play Oregon or the LA tourney, we are talking about changing 3 games from tough games to likely Ws. IMO the benefits of playing a tough OOC (preparing hitters and pitchers for sec quality talent, SOS boost, potential big hosting boost if we take care of business) outweigh the benefits of playing a Memphis type (maybe 1-3 more Ws). It isn't football where you need to get yourself to an undefeated or 1 L situation to be in position, and 2 Ls even against a tough schedule likely puts you out.

[Todd4State]

I don't mind our hitters seeing some decent pitching prior to sec play. Some being more than 1 or 2. Also, either we are good or we aren't. I don't think a regional spot will turn on SOS. I don't think a regional host will either. Going like 38-18 against a tougher schedule looks just as good or better than 42-14 against a weaker schedule, I think they'd both put us in the same spot. I mean, if you are saying either play Oregon or the LA tourney, we are talking about changing 3 games from tough games to likely Ws. IMO the benefits of playing a tough OOC (preparing hitters and pitchers for sec quality talent, SOS boost, potential big hosting boost if we take care of business) outweigh the benefits of playing a Memphis type (maybe 1-3 more Ws). It isn't football where you need to get yourself to an undefeated or 1 L situation to be in position, and 2 Ls even against a tough schedule likely puts you out.

There is a fine line between the benefit of seeing good pitching and having the teams confidence destroyed- and that lingering over the entire season. And it's not just hitting- pitchers can lose confidence if they get shelled. Ask Daniel Brown. Our team really only needs one weekend of that- and add in Cohen's constant changing of the lineup and it's a bad recipe.

One reason I feel the way that I do is the committee has shown historically that they will put in a team with 40 wins and a slightly easier schedule in as a higher seed over a team with 34 wins with a more difficult schedule. There is a lot more "regionalization" in the college baseball tournament though- at least for now as some are calling for a change to that. And when I say regionalization I mean teams that are put in the same regional based on proximity as opposed to actual resume- for example a regional with LSU, Tulane, Stephen F Austin, and Southern in it.

The NCAA usually rewards you more for winning rather than having a really difficult schedule. Depending on what mood that they are in that year.

[dawgs]

There is a fine line between the benefit of seeing good pitching and having the teams confidence destroyed- and that lingering over the entire season. And it's not just hitting- pitchers can lose confidence if they get shelled. Ask Daniel Brown. Our team really only needs one weekend of that- and add in Cohen's constant changing of the lineup and it's a bad recipe.

One reason I feel the way that I do is the committee has shown historically that they will put in a team with 40 wins and a slightly easier schedule in as a higher seed over a team with 34 wins with a more difficult schedule. There is a lot more "regionalization" in the college baseball tournament though- at least for now as some are calling for a change to that. And when I say regionalization I mean teams that are put in the same regional based on proximity as opposed to actual resume- for example a regional with LSU, Tulane, Stephen F Austin, and Southern in it.

The NCAA usually rewards you more for winning rather than having a really difficult schedule. Depending on what mood that they are in that year.

in 2002 and 2011, uga went to regionals with overall records barely above .500 because they played a tough schedule. in 2004 and 2006-2008, ucla made a regional each season despite only being 5 or 6 games over .500 because they played a tough schedule. i'm sure there are plenty of other examples, but those 2 just came to mind as programs i've seen get regional bids with unspectacular overall records because of their SOS.

[Tbonewannabe]

in 2002 and 2011, uga went to regionals with overall records barely above .500 because they played a tough schedule. in 2004 and 2006-2008, ucla made a regional each season despite only being 5 or 6 games over .500 because they played a tough schedule. i'm sure there are plenty of other examples, but those 2 just came to mind as programs i've seen get regional bids with unspectacular overall records because of their SOS.

Didn't those teams have around the #1 SOS? The NCAA seems to reward the very top but if you have like #10 you end up screwed but I could be completely wrong. SOS is such a hard thing. You play Arizona and they have a down year and there goes your SOS boost. I am sure several teams thought last year we would be a good SOS boost. With the SEC, we just don't need to lose any of those stupid SWAC games because you gain nothing. We need more UAB or Memphis games and NO losses to Ark Pine Bluff or Jackson St.