Picked last in the West by SEC coaches

[smootness]

This is a valid point. Very valid. However, our pitching issues are the thing that can show huge improvement. A lot of teams can’t make that big jump. It’s like having two basketball teams. One shoots 85% from the free throw line and the other shoots 12%. How much improvement can the first team realistically have? Maybe they increase to 86%. But the team that shoots 12% can get a bunch of extra points if they can just get to 50% or 60%. That’s how bad our pitching was. We had games with 10-15 walks issued.

If we improve the pitching, we can make a huge jump.

Great, and you are still much worse.

[Todd4State]

Only team I can ever think of to go win a National Championship to complete shit not capitalizing one damn way in the after math.

I'm confused if you are talking about us or Ole Miss?

[Todd4State]

This is a valid point. Very valid. However, our pitching issues are the thing that can show huge improvement. A lot of teams can?t make that big jump. It?s like having two basketball teams. One shoots 85% from the free throw line and the other shoots 12%. How much improvement can the first team realistically have? Maybe they increase to 86%. But the team that shoots 12% can get a bunch of extra points if they can just get to 50% or 60%. That?s how bad our pitching was. We had games with 10-15 walks issued.

If we improve the pitching, we can make a huge jump.

Our pitching was outlier bad.

The biggest mistake Lemonis made was not firing Foxhall after 2022. Would have been a bit controversial in baseball circles but it was the right move. And if I did give him another year he would have had a really short leash. Honestly, if I did get talked into keeping him I would have fired him after the Frisco Classic and then hired Roy Oswalt as interim PC- which he offered to do by the way after we did fire Foxhall. I would have also made it very clear that we would be going after another PC in the offseason but he would be welcome to stay as an off the field staff member.

I knew that keeping Foxhall would get Lemonis on the hot seat and here we are.

[CaptainObvious]

Our pitching was outlier bad.

The biggest mistake Lemonis made was not firing Foxhall after 2022. Would have been a bit controversial in baseball circles but it was the right move. And if I did give him another year he would have had a really short leash. Honestly, if I did get talked into keeping him I would have fired him after the Frisco Classic and then hired Roy Oswalt as interim PC- which he offered to do by the way after we did fire Foxhall. I would have also made it very clear that we would be going after another PC in the offseason but he would be welcome to stay as an off the field staff member.

I knew that keeping Foxhall would get Lemonis on the hot seat and here we are.

But down the stretch, Lemonis did take over the pitching decisions. By then the pitchers were toast.

It is amazing how good Foxhall was at North Carolina. It is amazing how good Foxhall was in 2021. He didn't forget how to coach and teach pitching in 1 year. He was given an average to below average staff to work with in 22 and 23. yes there were injuries. But there was no one to step up for those injured pitchers because recruiting had taken a dive instead or an upward curve after the Natty. Our pitchers weren't even Juco quality and we have people in this board claiming they were just mishandled. I call bs. Lemonis got that NC and thought he didn't have to work hard to maintain. He got his crap pushed in back to back years because of lazy recruiting Ala Ron Polk.

[Todd4State]

But down the stretch, Lemonis did take over the pitching decisions. By then the pitchers were toast.

It is amazing how good Foxhall was at North Carolina. It is amazing how good Foxhall was in 2021. He didn't forget how to coach and teach pitching in 1 year. He was given an average to below average staff to work with in 22 and 23. yes there were injuries. But there was no one to step up for those injured pitchers because recruiting had taken a dive instead or an upward curve after the Natty. Our pitchers weren't even Juco quality and we have people in this board claiming they were just mishandled. I call bs. Lemonis got that NC and thought he didn't have to work hard to maintain. He got his crap pushed in back to back years because of lazy recruiting Ala Ron Polk.

Was he really that good at NC State? He was fired by Auburn before they picked him up. NC State was simply a regional team when Foxhall was there. I think when Foxhall was here early on we had too much talent to screw it up. In all honesty I think our pitching staff could have been better before 2021. His pitching decisions to constantly use Trysten Barlow and Riley Self over Colby White may have cost us a NC during Mangum's senior year. And what would 2021 have been with a fully developed Eric Cerentola and maybe a better pitching coach doesn't let Fristoe hit a wall? I know we won a NC anyway in 2021 but maybe a better pitching coach gets us a SEC Championship and 45+ win regular season to go along with it. He only used Landon Sims once a weekend most weekends and that may have cost us a series or two in SEC play that year.

None of those pitchers on the 2022 team were signed after we won a NC. So there was no NC to "dive off" of at that point. Recruiting isn't the issue. We've been recruiting as well as we always have before or after the NC. We're still consistently a top 10 recruiter. Offense hasn't been an issue. If we're truly lazy why hasn't that taken a huge dive? Defense was bad last year but that's the only time it has ever been an issue so that's wait and see but I think we'll be fine. We're still getting guys drafted- that doesn't happen if your program is lazy and lacks talent.

What I think happened is Foxhall specifically got caught up in the developing velocity movement and basically didn't know what he was doing and forgot about the fundamentals of pitching. Velocity and creating pitches in the lab can certainly co-exist but there has to be a foundation of basic baseball to build off of to maximize it. And it has to be individualized. There's more to it than throw hard up in the zone and get them to swing and miss and then try to get the hitter to chase breaking balls. It can't be that for every pitcher. That style works for Landon Sims and Will Bednar. That style may not work for Eric Cerentola and KC Hunt. In other words Foxhall lost his way and maybe got burned out and now he is in coach recovery mode at Auburn.

Lemonis is a CEO coach. He is not a Tony LaRussa, Joe Maddon, John Cohen type who is going to tinker around with the team and try different things that are outside the box to win. He is going to be successful or not because of his assistants. If they do a good job- he will be successful. If they do not he will be fired. He lets the assistants do their job and he manages the team, makes out the lineup card, and occasionally calls a steal or a hit and run. Nothing too fancy. You're not going to see him selling DVD's on his offensive philosophy or anything like that. It is what it is and if Parker is successful - and I think he will be then we will be OK.

[parabrave]

I know everyone remembers the pitching debacle the last few years but don't forget the really crappy defense at 3rd, 1st and in the outfield the last few years also. That was on Lemonis

[CaptainObvious]

I know everyone remembers the pitching debacle the last few years but don't forget the really crappy defense at 3rd, 1st and in the outfield the last few years also. That was on Lemonis

According to some on here that would be on Chesebrough since Lemonis is just the CEO. But I do wonder why in College thruvare called Head Coach but in the professional league they are called Manager? Since Lemonis specializes in CEO/Manager of the Ball Bucket, maybe we need to hire a Head Coach. Hmmmm

[The Federalist Engineer]

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