Todd4State
06-10-2019, 10:51 PM
I'm back home. Finally. And some thoughts.
It's not BAD that it was the most un-Mississippi State Super Regional because what made it un-Mississippi State is we didn't do it the hard way. We didn't have to wiggle out of extremely tight jams every inning and have to have some dramatic moments at the plate against a guy that was for the most part dominating us or at the very least giving us problems. Or have to go to a third game to finish it off. We just went in and took care of business. Really outside of some errors at third base, a home run, a rough first inning of game one and a douchebag umpire at first base in game two- it was almost perfect. About as close as you can reasonably hope to get in baseball.
It was almost like a cheesy movie. But it was real.
Ethan Small was very good and worked around the "strike zone". Peyton Plumlee has also stepped up and has now won the Super Regional Final to go along with the Regional and the Governor's Cup. We used our three main guys and didn't overextend anyone- Leibelt, Colby White, and fittingly Cole Gordon closed it out. Not using Ginn will help us too. Now when he does pitch he will be even closer to 100%. Three runs allowed all told- only two earned. 25 K's to 8 BB's and 14 hits allowed (9 in game one) which is skewed by a BS strike zone in game one. That's dominating.
Dustin Skelton was our most improved player this year. He made MLB plays on bunts and controlled their running game. He made some huge plays for us killing their rallies by throwing guys out. And then at the plate his triple was huge in game two and then he had a big double in game one. Chipper Jones Mini-Me, Tanner Allen was solid hitting .300 and giving us a cushion in game one with a RBI. He made some nice picks at first. Foscue had some tough AB's and got messed over a couple of times but was still steady. He also knocked someone's drink out of their hand in the LFL in batting practice. Gilbert has to improve some defensively. Or at least be more consistent. Gautreau should be hitting him 100 ground balls a day from here on out. He hit well though- hitting .500 and his biggest hit started our rally in game two. Westburg is really improving as a player defensively. He went three for eight with a double and is looking better at the plate. It's only a matter of time before he puts it all together. If he does- he's a possible first round pick next year.
Rowdey wasn't quite as good as he was when he was the Regional MVP and he only had one hit which was a double. Took some good at bats and played solid defense as always though. Mangum is obviously the best CF in MSU history and it looks like he is out of his slump. I can't believe he has never stolen a home run before but then again Ole Miss usually doesn't hit balls that far against our pitching. He is good enough to almost take over a game when he is on. His last hit was so appropriate- single through the infield to the opposite side. I don't have a problem with him getting thrown out at third base. He's our fastest runner and it took a perfect throw to get him. And they had to go to replay to make sure. You play those odds in that situation and it goes in our favor most of the time- especially with only one out. Speaking of appropriate endings- MacNamee's home run was also so fitting. MLB made a mistake by not drafting him. It could be a blessing because now Mac may be able to pick the team he wants to go to. So, if he has to choose between the Yankees and the Marlins he can choose the Yankees. Josh Hatcher had a nice first game hitting a double and picking up a RBI.
We are off to Omaha again where we belong. So far the seniors of this group have- been to Omaha twice, been to four Super Regionals and been a National Seed twice, won the SEC, and have won four Governors Cups in a row. This is a special group that has to be up there with the seniors from 1987-1990- and probably better- and we may be experiencing the best run in MSU baseball history right now. All of this while we have been relatively unstable with four coaches, four pitching coaches- I'm counting Butch, and three hitting coaches and a stadium build resulting in a crazy road schedule their junior year. Our guys have been through a lot- and even our sophomores have too. But we have Omaha experience and I truly believe in postseason baseball that is the biggest advantage that you can have. Especially if there is no homefield. We have about as much as anyone in the field this year. Arkansas went last year with us. Florida State and Louisville went a couple of years ago so their juniors and seniors have been. Texas Tech went three years ago so their seniors have been. The rest- Vanderbilt, Auburn, and Michigan have never been. If you have never been- it's a great event to go to. I didn't have to sell my girlfriend's other boyfriend's prosthetic leg or mortgage my trailer either. If we show up like we do and have in the past we will build our reputation for being one of the best fanbases in college baseball. Let's get it done Dawgs!
Hail State!
It's not BAD that it was the most un-Mississippi State Super Regional because what made it un-Mississippi State is we didn't do it the hard way. We didn't have to wiggle out of extremely tight jams every inning and have to have some dramatic moments at the plate against a guy that was for the most part dominating us or at the very least giving us problems. Or have to go to a third game to finish it off. We just went in and took care of business. Really outside of some errors at third base, a home run, a rough first inning of game one and a douchebag umpire at first base in game two- it was almost perfect. About as close as you can reasonably hope to get in baseball.
It was almost like a cheesy movie. But it was real.
Ethan Small was very good and worked around the "strike zone". Peyton Plumlee has also stepped up and has now won the Super Regional Final to go along with the Regional and the Governor's Cup. We used our three main guys and didn't overextend anyone- Leibelt, Colby White, and fittingly Cole Gordon closed it out. Not using Ginn will help us too. Now when he does pitch he will be even closer to 100%. Three runs allowed all told- only two earned. 25 K's to 8 BB's and 14 hits allowed (9 in game one) which is skewed by a BS strike zone in game one. That's dominating.
Dustin Skelton was our most improved player this year. He made MLB plays on bunts and controlled their running game. He made some huge plays for us killing their rallies by throwing guys out. And then at the plate his triple was huge in game two and then he had a big double in game one. Chipper Jones Mini-Me, Tanner Allen was solid hitting .300 and giving us a cushion in game one with a RBI. He made some nice picks at first. Foscue had some tough AB's and got messed over a couple of times but was still steady. He also knocked someone's drink out of their hand in the LFL in batting practice. Gilbert has to improve some defensively. Or at least be more consistent. Gautreau should be hitting him 100 ground balls a day from here on out. He hit well though- hitting .500 and his biggest hit started our rally in game two. Westburg is really improving as a player defensively. He went three for eight with a double and is looking better at the plate. It's only a matter of time before he puts it all together. If he does- he's a possible first round pick next year.
Rowdey wasn't quite as good as he was when he was the Regional MVP and he only had one hit which was a double. Took some good at bats and played solid defense as always though. Mangum is obviously the best CF in MSU history and it looks like he is out of his slump. I can't believe he has never stolen a home run before but then again Ole Miss usually doesn't hit balls that far against our pitching. He is good enough to almost take over a game when he is on. His last hit was so appropriate- single through the infield to the opposite side. I don't have a problem with him getting thrown out at third base. He's our fastest runner and it took a perfect throw to get him. And they had to go to replay to make sure. You play those odds in that situation and it goes in our favor most of the time- especially with only one out. Speaking of appropriate endings- MacNamee's home run was also so fitting. MLB made a mistake by not drafting him. It could be a blessing because now Mac may be able to pick the team he wants to go to. So, if he has to choose between the Yankees and the Marlins he can choose the Yankees. Josh Hatcher had a nice first game hitting a double and picking up a RBI.
We are off to Omaha again where we belong. So far the seniors of this group have- been to Omaha twice, been to four Super Regionals and been a National Seed twice, won the SEC, and have won four Governors Cups in a row. This is a special group that has to be up there with the seniors from 1987-1990- and probably better- and we may be experiencing the best run in MSU baseball history right now. All of this while we have been relatively unstable with four coaches, four pitching coaches- I'm counting Butch, and three hitting coaches and a stadium build resulting in a crazy road schedule their junior year. Our guys have been through a lot- and even our sophomores have too. But we have Omaha experience and I truly believe in postseason baseball that is the biggest advantage that you can have. Especially if there is no homefield. We have about as much as anyone in the field this year. Arkansas went last year with us. Florida State and Louisville went a couple of years ago so their juniors and seniors have been. Texas Tech went three years ago so their seniors have been. The rest- Vanderbilt, Auburn, and Michigan have never been. If you have never been- it's a great event to go to. I didn't have to sell my girlfriend's other boyfriend's prosthetic leg or mortgage my trailer either. If we show up like we do and have in the past we will build our reputation for being one of the best fanbases in college baseball. Let's get it done Dawgs!
Hail State!