Great job by Small tonight

[Todd4State]

But our hitters have to step up. We're swinging at too many balls out of the strike zone. Just look overaggressive right now. I like moving Westburg down but I'd kind of like to see Tanner hit second tomorrow.

[SaintDawg]

Fantastic pitching by Small tonight. Plumlee also. They 3 hit the #2 team in the nation. Vandy was just lucky enough to get one score.

[MarketingBully]

But our hitters have to step up. We're swinging at too many balls out of the strike zone. Just look overaggressive right now. I like moving Westburg down but I'd kind of like to see Tanner hit second tomorrow.

The big positive of this week is our pitching. They have given us every chance to win. We have to get back to our approach that made us so good all year. Grind out at bats. Have a pitch you are looking for and foul off anything close and lay-off stuff out of the zone. In Hoover, we have completely abandoned our approach and are just up there guessing. That’s not good. I’d say 3/4 of our at bats this week have been really bad. It’s not fun to watch. Hell, even Jake seems to be doubting himself. He took two low pitches that were balls (called strikes) that earlier in the year he rips both of those balls for base hits. It’s everyone in the lineup.

[Todd4State]

The big positive of this week is our pitching. They have given us every chance to win. We have to get back to our approach that made us so good all year. Grind out at bats. Have a pitch you are looking for and foul off anything close and lay-off stuff out of the zone. In Hoover, we have completely abandoned our approach and are just up there guessing. That’s not good. I’d say 3/4 of our at bats this week have been really bad. It’s not fun to watch. Hell, even Jake seems to be doubting himself. He took two low pitches that were balls (called strikes) that earlier in the year he rips both of those balls for base hits. It’s everyone in the lineup.

I think we're pressing- at least Lemonis thought we were before his pep talk and the hitting did get better after that. I think that's been our biggest weakness on the big stage whether it has been a big series, the SEC Tournament or Omaha. We have to find a way to go out have fun and just play with good fundamentals- or I should say hit with good fundamentals. But we can't wait until the 14th inning to make that adjustment.

We also need to get MacNamee back next weekend. I hope we do.

Jake got messed over by the umpire his last AB. Not his fault there. But it's not just him. It's the whole team. We're swinging at below average breaking balls out of the zone. Someone needs to tell our guys that walks are OK.

[Todd4State]

Fantastic pitching by Small tonight. Plumlee also. They 3 hit the #2 team in the nation. Vandy was just lucky enough to get one score.

Our pitching has been very good. And that is encouraging. Even the guys that have been struggling are looking more competent.

[Homedawg]

The big positive of this week is our pitching. They have given us every chance to win. We have to get back to our approach that made us so good all year. Grind out at bats. Have a pitch you are looking for and foul off anything close and lay-off stuff out of the zone. In Hoover, we have completely abandoned our approach and are just up there guessing. That’s not good. I’d say 3/4 of our at bats this week have been really bad. It’s not fun to watch. Hell, even Jake seems to be doubting himself. He took two low pitches that were balls (called strikes) that earlier in the year he rips both of those balls for base hits. It’s everyone in the lineup.

Sometimes you get in funks. Sometimes, the other pitchers stuff is good and hard to lay off or in last nights case hard to get on top of. Sec top of the line pitching is tough. We've seen it the entire tournament. It's not just us. We haven't abandoned our approach. We've send some great pitching. And tonight wasn't helped by the ump w a hula hoop zone. To be fair it was big both ways. But certainly pitcher friendly

[ShotgunDawg]

We’ll be fine. Just not identifying sliders right now.

Can’t click all the way to Omaha so best to struggle now.

Pitching looks good and that’s more important

[Coach007]

I have no complaints at all.

[Todd4State]

Sometimes you get in funks. Sometimes, the other pitchers stuff is good and hard to lay off or in last nights case hard to get on top of. Sec top of the line pitching is tough. We've seen it the entire tournament. It's not just us. We haven't abandoned our approach. We've send some great pitching. And tonight wasn't helped by the ump w a hula hoop zone. To be fair it was big both ways. But certainly pitcher friendly

And then last night you had the umpire calling those big breaking curveballs strikes and most umpires don't do that.

[Todd4State]

I have no complaints at all.

Well.....

OK.

[The Federalist Engineer]

Gotta shake up the batting order to reflect who can produce TODAY. Will be great to get MacNamee back for the Regionals.

Hancock, Landon Jordan, and Gilbert are playing at a nice level.

[Todd4State]

Gotta shake up the batting order to reflect who can produce TODAY. Will be great to get MacNamee back for the Regionals.

Hancock, Landon Jordan, and Gilbert are playing at a nice level.

I agree.

I think I would move Allen up to second and move Rowdey down. I like Hancock and Gilbert where they are. Foscue has been consistent.

Maybe go:

1. Mangum
2. Allen
3. Foscue
4. Skelton
5. Hatcher
6. Westburg
7. Hancock
8. Landon
9. Gilbert

And yes, I know there is a big hole in the 4-6 spots there.

[ShotgunDawg]

Those were the best two teams in college baseball on the field tonight & Vandy actually struggled more at the plate more than us.

We'll be fine. No panic at all. This team will click when they have too.

[Todd4State]

Those were the best two teams in college baseball on the field tonight & Vandy actually struggled more at the plate more than us.

We'll be fine. No panic at all. This team will click when they have too.

I think last night may have played into tonight some as well as Vandy wanting some payback for last year. Vandy looked to me like they had some issues with defense when they aren't on that turf that they have in Nashville. They just whiffed on at least three balls and it looked to me like they expected them to bounce up into their gloves.

If we face them later in Omaha I know our guys are going to be very aware to lay off the slider. Walker for LSU shut us down earlier in the year and we got him the second time around yesterday.

[Dental Dawg33]

We had runners in scoring position several times and never could get that clutch hit. Vandy did once, and the hit was 3 feet from being foul on a weak fly to LF. They?ve played east opponents all year but they?re still a top 3-5 team anyway you want to look at it. Small was fantastic other than the bunt error throw (they called a hit and I won?t argue it) but that was a play you?re lucky to make 50% of the time being a LHP.
We do have to get some more discipline at the plate and quit guessing, getting a 2-0 count and popping up a high fastball. Jake is jake and will be fine but man I wish he?d see a few pitches sometimes. I think he?s harder to get out with 2 strikes on him than with an 0-0 count. But he will be fine, there is a reason he holds the hit record, just in a funk. Westy will come back around as well. It just seems bad right now because we have a fair amount of our lineup struggling at the same time, where as throughout the year it?s just been one or two guys struggling but the others have been mashing. Like someone previously said, right now is the right time to be struggling, we will get it together come regional play.

[basedog]

We are way better hitting at Dudy Noble than on the road. Tough to see so many struggling with men on base.

Man watching Westburg is the mystery, dude was hitting the ball so hard first half of the season and now it's either a soft pop up or grounder to an infielder or striking out.

Jake has let the "game" get into his head, I bet he has never been in a slump at the plate like this before. Hopefully he will find his mojo before the season ends.

Winning three in a row can be done by Msu, but pitching in the tourney has been outstanding by the top 7 or 8 teams.

[Irondawg]

Yep the umpire had a big zone and it seemed we were hitting 1-2 or 0-2 almost all night. Very few hitters counts and then we missed their few mistake pitches. Just two good pitchers going at it with a generous strike zone.

[tcdog70]

The big positive of this week is our pitching. They have given us every chance to win. We have to get back to our approach that made us so good all year. Grind out at bats. Have a pitch you are looking for and foul off anything close and lay-off stuff out of the zone. In Hoover, we have completely abandoned our approach and are just up there guessing. That’s not good. I’d say 3/4 of our at bats this week have been really bad. It’s not fun to watch. Hell, even Jake seems to be doubting himself. He took two low pitches that were balls (called strikes) that earlier in the year he rips both of those balls for base hits. It’s everyone in the lineup.

amen--the middle and away approach has left the building. Jake is in a funk along with Westy and now Allen has regressed.

[shoeless joe]

I think we're pressing- at least Lemonis thought we were before his pep talk and the hitting did get better after that. I think that's been our biggest weakness on the big stage whether it has been a big series, the SEC Tournament or Omaha. We have to find a way to go out have fun and just play with good fundamentals- or I should say hit with good fundamentals. But we can't wait until the 14th inning to make that adjustment.

We also need to get MacNamee back next weekend. I hope we do.

Jake got messed over by the umpire his last AB. Not his fault there. But it's not just him. It's the whole team. We're swinging at below average breaking balls out of the zone. Someone needs to tell our guys that walks are OK.

There was nothing below average about fellows slider last nite. It was pure filth. Best use of a back foot breaker I’ve seen at the college level in a long damn time

[Tbonewannabe]

Yep the umpire had a big zone and it seemed we were hitting 1-2 or 0-2 almost all night. Very few hitters counts and then we missed their few mistake pitches. Just two good pitchers going at it with a generous strike zone.

Allen had a 2-0 count and then reached for a pitch out of the zone for a weak shot to the infield. We lost all plate discipline almost all the way through the lineup. Hancock, Gilbert, and Foscue are the only guys who looked normal out there.

[ScoobaDawg]

I think last night may have played into tonight some as well as Vandy wanting some payback for last year. Vandy looked to me like they had some issues with defense when they aren't on that turf that they have in Nashville. They just whiffed on at least three balls and it looked to me like they expected them to bounce up into their gloves.

If we face them later in Omaha I know our guys are going to be very aware to lay off the slider. Walker for LSU shut us down earlier in the year and we got him the second time around yesterday.

I can't speak to how much he used his slider or how effective it was in the SR game of 2018.. but we have seen him before.. and hit him before.

[MarketingBully]

I can't speak to how much he used his slider or how effective it was in the SR game of 2018.. but we have seen him before.. and hit him before.

Last year we attacked his fastball right away and ripped him. Last night we let fastball after fastball go by for strikes which setup his slider. Fellows has two pitches he throws and this goes back to our approach. It doesn’t look like we had one this week and are up there guessing. When we played them last year, we were confident and it looked like we trusted and stuck to our approach consistently at that time.

[Todd4State]

There was nothing below average about fellows slider last nite. It was pure filth. Best use of a back foot breaker I?ve seen at the college level in a long damn time

Almost all of them were out of the zone. In MLB they can throw that pitch for a strike.

[MarketingBully]

Almost all of them were out of the zone. In MLB they can throw that pitch for a strike.

The key to last night was we weren’t swinging at his fastball or worse we weren’t getting good contact on his fastball. You could have an average slider and get batters out when you are constantly ahead of batters 0-2. They should have been up there hunting fastball. Instead, I don’t know what the hell they were doing. Fellows is a two pitch pitcher. Small’s outing was much more impressive. Our lineup needs to go with our approach and stick with it.