Which team was the best that we faced?

[redstickdawg]

either in the regionals or at the CWS? I have a tough time deciding between ND and Texas. I think that other than the 2 dominant pitchers Vandy wasn't all that and the 2 & 3 games in the championship series revealed some character issues with that team, Right fielder, etc.
Your thoughts?

[smootness]

Texas

[Catfish]

Texas

This

[Offshore Dawg]

Doesn't matter much now !!

[Todd4State]

Texas. Easily.

[Commercecomet24]

Overall Texas but notre dame was the best hitting team by far.

If notre dame would've had better arms they would've been very very tough

[ZedFedder]

Texas. Beat them by only 1 run both times in CWS.

[IMissJack]

Overall Texas but notre dame was the best hitting team by far.

If notre dame would've had better arms they would've been very very tough

Totally agree

[starkvegasdawg]

Overall Texas but notre dame was the best hitting team by far.

If notre dame would've had better arms they would've been very very tough

Tell you what...if Campbell had solid pitching they would have been hell on wheels. They could flat out rake.

[Commercecomet24]

Tell you what...if Campbell had solid pitching they would have been hell on wheels. They could flat out rake.

Yeah our regional was stacked with some teams that could hit just lacked pitching depth

[DownwardDawg]

Texas was easily the 2nd best team in the CWS this year. Had we not beat them, they would have won it all. And it doesn't matter that NC State had to forfeit. Vandy would have still beaten them.

[starkvegasdawg]

Texas was easily the 2nd best team in the CWS this year. Had we not beat them, they would have won it all. And it doesn't matter that NC State had to forfeit. Vandy would have still beaten them.

Vandy was an extremely mediocre ball club outside Leiter and Rocker. You take those two out and they struggle to be a two seed in a regional.

[RocketDawg]

Yes, Texas. NC State might have given them a run for their money, but they didn't get to finish.

[terradawg]

I was impressed with Notre Dame. They were disciplined batting and in the field but the Dude effect got to them. If we had played them on a neutral field, it would have been trouble

[BeardoMSU]

Vandy was an extremely mediocre ball club outside Leiter and Rocker.

Smoke and mirrors, heavy on the smoke, lol.

Toughest teams we faced:

1. Texas
2. ND
3. VA
4. Vandy

Saying that, I know I was one who was pulling for Vandy to get bounced prior to the finals, and I definitely wanted to avoid them...but I'm very glad it didn't happen. Not because they proved to be supremely mediocre, but because in the future no one will remember that part. What they'll remember is us sending the defending national champs, Vandy...with all the advantages in the world, including Leiter, Rocker, and the suck fest that ensued all season long in every game they played...home with a brand new asshole; lucky for them, they have a whole year to enjoy it's "new car smell".

[Captain Falcon]

Notre Dame is no worse than a final four team if they had gotten past us. Vandy might have gone two and ‘cue if they were on our side of the bracket.

I tend to agree that Texas was the best team we saw in the postseason. Their pitching was very very elite, and we could not have played three closer games than we played against them. Two one run one games to bookend things and the middle game was tied going into the 9th.

[SaintDawg]

Vandy was an extremely mediocre ball club outside Leiter and Rocker. You take those two out and they struggle to be a two seed in a regional.
I said the same thing at start of the CWS and Shotgun replied, "If you call the 97 mph FR they're pitching today pedestrian, then yeah. Oh, and because of minority scholarships, both he and Rocker are walk-ons essentially."
We made the 97 mph FR look like a punk. So yeah, aside from Leiter and Rocker, they are mediocre.

[MoreCowbell]

Notre Dame

[shoeless joe]

I said the same thing at start of the CWS and Shotgun replied, "If you call the 97 mph FR they're pitching today pedestrian, then yeah. Oh, and because of minority scholarships, both he and Rocker are walk-ons essentially."
We made the 97 mph FR look like a punk. So yeah, aside from Leiter and Rocker, they are mediocre.

We made rocker look like a punk.


ND could swing it better than anyone we played. Texas just had better arms so I’d say Texas was the all around better team.

[Todd4State]

Smoke and mirrors, heavy on the smoke, lol.

Toughest teams we faced:

1. Texas
2. ND
3. VA
4. Vandy

Saying that, I know I was one who was pulling for Vandy to get bounced prior to the finals, and I definitely wanted to avoid them...but I'm very glad it didn't happen. Not because they proved to be supremely mediocre, but because in the future no one will remember that part. What they'll remember is us sending the defending national champs, Vandy...with all the advantages in the world, including Leiter, Rocker, and the suck fest that ensued all season long in every game they played...home with a brand new asshole; lucky for them, they have a whole year to enjoy it's "new car smell".

Great post!

After we lost game one I really thought we had a good chance to beat them as long as we didn't walk anyone and played good defense. And in the words of Mark Keenum AND WE DID IT!

[Todd4State]

We made rocker look like a punk.


ND could swing it better than anyone we played. Texas just had better arms so I’d say Texas was the all around better team.

Rocker's velocity was way down. I'm not too surprised we lit him up.

[Drugs Delaney]

ND

[Bothrops]

I'd give Notre Dame an edge over Texas.

[AlSwearengen]

Who had a tougher road than we did? Notre Dame was thought to be a possible top 8 seed. We faced Texas’ ace (a 1st rounder) twice, Leiter (top 5 pick), Rocker (top 10 pick), and the best arm in the whole damn thing, McQuary.

And Notre Dame had about 3 good pitchers that we were able to do enough against to get past them and into their bullpen.

And while we are at it, I don’t want to hear anything about Arkansas. Even though they won the sec tournament, their level of play over the last month of the season had dropped off. More than once, we have been in that situation.

[chef dixon]

Texas line up couldn't hold a candle to ND

[KOdawg1]

I was more scared of Notre Dame.

That may not mean they were the best team we played, but if we have to win a series vs. either Texas or Notre Dame, I'm taking Texas.

[Drugs Delaney]

ND, four pitchers In one inning, he was not 17ing around

[Commercecomet24]

Rocker's velocity was way down. I'm not too surprised we lit him up.

Overuse got him. Corbin ran him and Leiter into the ground. Leiter had to take a weekend off earlier In the year with a tired arm.

[shoeless joe]

Texas line up couldn't hold a candle to ND

But it was a solid line up. ND literally had 2.5 above average pitchers. Texas had 4-5 big time arms.

[redstickdawg]

Notre Dame is no worse than a final four team if they had gotten past us. Vandy might have gone two and ?cue if they were on our side of the bracket.

I tend to agree that Texas was the best team we saw in the postseason. Their pitching was very very elite, and we could not have played three closer games than we played against them. Two one run one games to bookend things and the middle game was tied going into the 9th.

In my view ND should have been a SR host as they blew away the ACC and were clearly better than Ariz and probably TT that hosted.

Texas had better arms but they didn't have the bats that ND has, both excellent teams and like someone said I am really glad that we played ND at the Dude. That made a difference especially in the 1st game as they made 4 errors and had not made 3 in a game prior to that.

[Choctaw Dawg]

Who had a tougher road than we did? Notre Dame was thought to be a possible top 8 seed. We faced Texas’ ace (a 1st rounder) twice, Leiter (top 5 pick), Rocker (top 10 pick), and the best arm in the whole damn thing, McQuary.

And Notre Dame had about 3 good pitchers that we were able to do enough against to get past them and into their bullpen.

And while we are at it, I don’t want to hear anything about Arkansas. Even though they won the sec tournament, their level of play over the last month of the season had dropped off. More than once, we have been in that situation.

Arkansas' approach at the plate was atrocious at the end of the year. Every batter swung for the fences every single pitch, and sure they were doing it all year but it bit them in the ass when they faced Nebraska and NC State.

[redstickdawg]

Arkansas' approach at the plate was atrocious at the end of the year. Every batter swung for the fences every single pitch, and sure they were doing it all year but it bit them in the ass when they faced Nebraska and NC State.

Swinging for the fences at TD Ameritrade is a good recipe for 2 and Q. That's why I didn't think that Arkie would do much if they had made it to Omaha.

[CaptainObvious]

Swinging for the fences at TD Ameritrade is a good recipe for 2 and Q. That's why I didn't think that Arkie would do much if they had made it to Omaha.

As Tennessee did. They played home games in a glorified Softball yard. Their Big Boppers were screwed in Omaha.

[Lord McBuckethead]

The best was Arkansas, but in the post season it was Texas, ND, and then Arizona. Vandy just went too cold on offense to be considered.

[BiscuitEater]

Notre Dame got hot at the right time

Texas picked up momentum and proved tough

[SPMT]

I tell you what...if all our starting pitchers had been 100% and if our hitters were like ND we would?ve.....

Yeah, who gives a 17. We won it all.

[DownwardDawg]

Vandy was an extremely mediocre ball club outside Leiter and Rocker. You take those two out and they struggle to be a two seed in a regional.

Yea but to my point, NC State would have faced Leiter. No way they would have beaten him.

[DownwardDawg]

Texas line up couldn't hold a candle to ND

I agree, but once you make it to Omaha, it's all about pitching and defense. The hitting teams generally don't win it. That's why I kept telling everyone who would listen, "if" we make it to Omaha, we will be very dangerous.

[redstickdawg]

I agree, but once you make it to Omaha, it's all about pitching and defense. The hitting teams generally don't win it. That's why I kept telling everyone who would listen, "if" we make it to Omaha, we will be very dangerous.

That's why I thought we were dangerous and could go a long way in Omaha, we had enough hitting (avg & HR's) to get a SR host (key) and once there we had as much pitching depth as anyone. We also played perfect defense which was a major improvement. I think that Lemonis designed this team for playing in Omaha rather than setting it up for the regular season.

[Offshore Dawg]

That's why I thought we were dangerous and could go a long way in Omaha, we had enough hitting (avg & HR's) to get a SR host (key) and once there we had as much pitching depth as anyone. We also played perfect defense which was a major improvement. I think that Lemonis designed this team for playing in Omaha rather than setting it up for the regular season.
And why not the entire season is about getting to Omaha.

[redstickdawg]

And why not the entire season is about getting to Omaha.

and in perfect hindsight tanking the SECT was a great move, waste of time and also a good time to let everyone rest before the real tournament starts. This is a similar approach that Bertman used in his run during the '90's.

[RougeDawg]

TX was the best, most complete team. Above average pitching, some power in the lineup, and their guys could bunt with their eyes closed when the situation called for it.

Had a dude come up to me in Dallas airport yesterday and say we broke his heart. Told him they had a great team and could have won it all with just a few breaks here and there. Needless to say Texas will be in Omaha on a regular basis for the foreseeable future.