State getting some early "Champion" talk (per D1 Baseball)

[PKADogs55]

https://d1baseball.com/postseason/regionals-roundtable-staff-takes-on-field-of-64/

This was mentioned on SPS, but looks like Aaron Fitt has MSU as his National Champion. I had no idea that Kendall Rogers had us as his National Champion (until last week). Man I hope our guys just come out and put on a clinic all the way through this whole thing!

[DawgNamedScuba]

You just jinxed it......

[PKADogs55]

17 ....... maybe I did!

[Todd4State]

We could do it. The problem is when there are expectations this team presses and tries to do too much. That's why I think we won't do it to be honest with you.

[PKADogs55]

Well they certainly turned it on last year when it came time. Guess we will see if there is any bit of that magic left. I think they will get it going.

[AlSwearengen]

I?m with Todd unfortunately. Of the national seeds, I think Vandy and maybe UCLA without knowing much about them are the two best teams, then you can probably lump the rest together. He is labeling us as his favorite b/c we have World Series experience but I don?t put a whole lot of weight into that. It helps, but there are too many other factors that weigh more in my opinion.

We have a good team but when 3 of your top 5 in the lineup (Mangum, Westburg, and Mac) have been slumping, you can?t expect to beat the teams we will have to beat.

Earlier in the year, I was concerned about pitching. Right now, our approach at the plate seems so erratic. We will go two or three weeks and look patient at the plate, making the pitcher work. Then, all of a sudden, impatient, swinging at sliders in the dirt, and letting fastballs down the middle go by. We let pitchers get out of an inning throwing less than 10 pitches because of a fly out and 2 week grounders.

This team has the ability but I don?t know what to expect from them at the plate.

[Covercorner2]

I?m with Todd unfortunately. Of the national seeds, I think Vandy and maybe UCLA without knowing much about them are the two best teams, then you can probably lump the rest together. He is labeling us as his favorite b/c we have World Series experience but I don?t put a whole lot of weight into that. It helps, but there are too many other factors that weigh more in my opinion.

We have a good team but when 3 of your top 5 in the lineup (Mangum, Westburg, and Mac) have been slumping, you can?t expect to beat the teams we will have to beat.

Earlier in the year, I was concerned about pitching. Right now, our approach at the plate seems so erratic. We will go two or three weeks and look patient at the plate, making the pitcher work. Then, all of a sudden, impatient, swinging at sliders in the dirt, and letting fastballs down the middle go by. We let pitchers get out of an inning throwing less than 10 pitches because of a fly out and 2 week grounders.

This team has the ability but I don?t know what to expect from them at the plate.

I think you guys are putting too much stock into the SECT. This time last week we were coming off a road sweep @ Ole Miss, a win vs. Memphis, and another SEC series win. When we needed wins to lock up a national seed, guess what, we did it.

We will also be playing at home all the way to Omaha. We have only lost 5 games there all year.

I get that Vandy played well in the SECT, and they would be my favorite, too, but other contenders like Arkansas, UGA, etc. didn't look too hot either. That same Vandy team also only scored one run against us.

I think there's about at 90% chance one of these teams wins it all:

Vandy
UCLA
Arkansas
State

[Todd4State]

I think you guys are putting too much stock into the SECT. This time last week we were coming off a road sweep @ Ole Miss, a win vs. Memphis, and another SEC series win. When we needed wins to lock up a national seed, guess what, we did it.

We will also be playing at home all the way to Omaha. We have only lost 5 games there all year.

I get that Vandy played well in the SECT, and they would be my favorite, too, but other contenders like Arkansas, UGA, etc. didn't look too hot either. That same Vandy team also only scored one run against us.

I think there's about at 90% chance one of these teams wins it all:

Vandy
UCLA
Arkansas
State

Oh I think we get to Omaha. But to my point we're 0-4 against those teams you listed.

[dawgs]

I'd rather slump last weekend at the plate than one of the next 3-4 weekends. Staying hot for 5 weekends in a row is tough to do. If there's 1 weekend out of the sect, regional, super regional, and both cws weekends that I'd be fine slumping, it's the sect.

After Arkansas, a lot of folks were concerned we were slumping about to lose a national seed, then we got hot and sweep uga (national seed), take 2 of 3 @ a&m (should be a host), sweep OM in Oxford (host), and take 2 of 3 from South Carolina, and finish the regular season going 13-2 over our last 15. Don't think we can play enough games to get to 13-2 the next month, but if we repeat a run like that, we will be in good shape to bring home a natty.

[dawgs]

Oh I think we get to Omaha. But to my point we're 0-4 against those teams you listed.


It's hard to keep beating good teams. If we swept Arkansas in the regular season and were matched up with them in the natty series, same folks would be scared shitless that they would be due some Ws against us because we can't just keep beating a good team forever.

[Covercorner2]

Oh I think we get to Omaha. But to my point we're 0-4 against those teams you listed.

I guess we will see what the results will be when it really matters and everything is on the line. I expect a much better showing. Like dawgs has said, in baseball you have ups and downs, but what matters the most is playing your best when it matters most, and this team and last year's team has shown the capability to turn it on.

Also, IMO, Vandy is the only "elite" team on our entire side of the bracket, and we have shown we can shut them down already.

[Dawg2003]

We could do it. The problem is when there are expectations this team presses and tries to do too much. That's why I think we won't do it to be honest with you.

I've wondered this too. The identity of last year's team was always the underdog. It's hard to change that mentality the next year. You get a loss of identity.

[StarkVegasSteve]

I think the reason we're a trendy pick stems from the fact that this team has been through the battles and faced the adversity that comes in the NCAA Tournament. Let's not forget that we won 5 elimination games on the way to Omaha last year. I think they're on to something with the Omaha experience. Getting to Omaha is the first part, knowing how to play in Omaha is a completely different animal. We learned that the hard way in 2013.

[Mjoelner34]

If we swept Arkansas in the regular season and were matched up with them in the natty series, same folks would be scared shitless that they would be due some Ws against us because we can't just keep beating a good team forever.

True! And, the funny thing is, it'd probably be the same folks saying we probably can't beat them because we got swept there.

[99jc]

I have said it from day one we will win the Natty this year book it.

[KOdawg1]

Don't let our players anywhere near that link

[Homedawg]

We could do it. The problem is when there are expectations this team presses and tries to do too much. That's why I think we won't do it to be honest with you.

It won't be pressing. It will be our defense before it's over. Book it.

[TaleofTwoDogs]

If we were serious about winning the natty, the first thing we should do is shut down DNF during the regionals and not let any fans into the stadium, that way we take all the pressure off the players. **

[Todd4State]

It won't be pressing. It will be our defense before it's over. Book it.

Wouldn't totally shock me. I would love to have Stovall and LA back right now.

[Randolph Dupree]

If we come out looking for something to drive up the middle and pitch like we have we will win the whole thing. If we pitch tight and/or swing for the fences we're hosed. I honestly believe we control how far we go. The talent is there to win the whole thing.

[Todd4State]

If we come out looking for something to drive up the middle and pitch like we have we will win the whole thing. If we pitch tight and/or swing for the fences we're hosed. I honestly believe we control how far we go. The talent is there to win the whole thing.

I agree. I actually think we are the best team in college baseball on paper. But I just don't believe that we will get out of out way and that we will indeed play tight. We've done it too many times and the coaches as much as I like them take too long to adjust. There needs to be a dugout meeting no later than after the second time through the order when we're overaggressive. Not the 14th inning like the SEC Tournament.

[CadaverDawg]

I like this team, but somewhere late in SEC play we tweaked our approach and it was a really bad move. Like many of you have said, we now rarely work the count and look totally confused at the plate....lots of check swings, looking like we're guessing, swinging at awful pitches, taking fastballs down the pipe in hitters counts, swinging at shit pitches and hitting weak tappers on 2-0 counts, etc, etc, etc.
What concerns me is it seems like too much bad at the plate to fix in one week, but hopefully I'm wrong. We need guys like Westburg to be leaders and get their heads up and set a good example, not be selfish at the plate. When you're struggling, move a runner over with a grounder to the right side, work a count and draw a walk or run a pitch count up....don't just continue guessing and swinging at awful pitches.

I actually like our pitching right now (just Small, Ginn, Plumlee, Smith, Leibelt, Gordon, White and maybe Barlow if he will stop trying to impress the radar gun and trust his stuff), but I am not sure I trust our coaches not to put Self or James into a close game, and we can't afford that. One idiot move like that and we'll be watching the Supers and Omaha from home.

Just a lot to fix and not much time to fix it. We could still make it to Omaha, but like many of you, I feel like we peaked early and aren't playing the type of ball that can compete for a Natty right now. I hope like hell im wrong and that we heat up soon. We traditionally make our best runs as underdogs that got hot late, so it will take us getting hot again as a favorite to win it all, and I think that's why you're seeing such pause and pessimism among our fan base. It's not familiar territory to be a slumping favorite going into this tournament...who knows what we'll see. Home field sure can't hurt.

[Dawg2003]

Assuming we win the first game, I think that we can get out of the regional if we win the next game. It we don't win that second game, I don't think we get out. I just don't like the trajectory of this team right now.

[PKADogs55]

I guess we will find out tomorrow which Dawgs team has come to play. As many on here have stated, I think they are going to come out firing on all cylinders. The SECT got a lot of people discouraged ... I wouldn't give it a second thought.

[State82]

I just don't like the trajectory of this team right now.

Me either. It is concerning. Jake is 4 for 35 since the UM series and hasn’t looked good at all at the plate. It’s bewildering. If he was barreling up on balls I would not be concerned at all but that is far from the case. And we won’t even get into Westburg’s situation.

[Dawg2003]

Me either. It is concerning. Jake is 4 for 35 since the UM series and hasn’t looked good at all at the plate. It’s bewildering. If he was barreling up on balls I would not be concerned at all but that is far from the case. And we won’t even get into Westburg’s situation.

There's just something off about all of it. Miami seems like a team that could come out of our regional, and I wouldn't be surprised. I trust Ethan to shut them down, but how many innings can he go? It's funny because I had a lot of confidence in our hitting this time last year. I think this entire weekend depends on winning that second game. If we lose that game, I don't see us getting out of this regional. I also think there's entirely too much pressure on this team to be the team that wins the first natty.

[BuckyIsAB****]

Me either. It is concerning. Jake is 4 for 35 since the UM series and hasn’t looked good at all at the plate. It’s bewildering. If he was barreling up on balls I would not be concerned at all but that is far from the case. And we won’t even get into Westburg’s situation.

It looks to me like Westburg is trying to get a walk every AB

[dawgs]

There's just something off about all of it. Miami seems like a team that could come out of our regional, and I wouldn't be surprised. I trust Ethan to shut them down, but how many innings can he go? It's funny because I had a lot of confidence in our hitting this time last year. I think this entire weekend depends on winning that second game. If we lose that game, I don't see us getting out of this regional. I also think there's entirely too much pressure on this team to be the team that wins the first natty.

Every good MSU baseball team is gonna be pressured to finally breakthrough and win the natty. It's like that at every program that's been a historically good program and somehow never landed a natty, and yet there programs that breakthrough in that situation every few years. It might as well be our turn this year or maybe it won't, but this idea that we will only win a natty in some year where we are a 2 seed with a 35-25 record and no real CWS expectations is ludicrous.

[PKADogs55]

There's just something off about all of it. Miami seems like a team that could come out of our regional, and I wouldn't be surprised. I trust Ethan to shut them down, but how many innings can he go? It's funny because I had a lot of confidence in our hitting this time last year. I think this entire weekend depends on winning that second game. If we lose that game, I don't see us getting out of this regional. I also think there's entirely too much pressure on this team to be the team that wins the first natty.

Have we not faced pressure this season? We bounced back from last years Omaha run with a top 6 National Seed (With a new Head Coach). Undefeated in Midweek games this year (Granted we blew most of those out, but we did have to fight and scratch a few of them). Picked to finish 6th in the SEC West ... they finished tied for 1st. I realize there is pressure for us ... most teams are gonna feel pressure this time of year. I think its the fans having the expectations. But, we will see how it plays out.

[Percho]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHcEWhbQkEg

[bostondawg]

Assuming you guys saw, but we're going JT Ginn tomorrow.

[PKADogs55]

Assuming you guys saw, but we're going JT Ginn tomorrow.

Have to defer to Lemonis on this one ... maybe it will help get J.T.'s confidence back up after the SECT.

[bigplayslay]

After reading this thread I realized why I stopped getting on here. Sheesh