Eastern Illinois game thread

[Quaoarsking]

We're whining about not getting the most hits in a game now?

[msstate7]

We only scored 5 runs and got out hit by a winless baseball team?

Lsu-southern (not usm) 2-2 in 10th

Texas- ut Arlington 2-2 in 9th

Davidson beat unc

Usce-winthrop 3-3 in 9th

Se Missouri st over ark 3-1 in 7th

... I'm gonna be just happy we won

[Homedawg]

I don't like bunting in the early innings. And I don't like bunting w a runner on second and no outs unless it's the winning run in the last. But we have hitting issues. We can't score in innings we bunt or don't bunt. We aren't hitting well at all w runners on. Needless to say. It's bad. It can only improve I suppose.......

[CJDAWG85]

I'm happy we won, but this should've been basically a glorified scrimmage. Just turn everyone loose and try to break out of this offensive slump and let everyone try to get some work in and have fun again.


I don't care about what everyone else is doing. I'm not a fan of them. I care about MSU and what they do on the diamond.

[maroonmania]

I'm happy we won, but this should've been basically a glorified scrimmage. Just turn everyone loose and try to break out of this offensive slump and let everyone try to get some work in and have fun again.


I don't care about what everyone else is doing. I'm not a fan of them. I care about MSU and what they do on the diamond.

Exactly, if this was an isolated event that we score a meager 5 runs against a garbage pitching staff you could just throw it off to stuff happens. Unfortunately, its a consistent trend with us to struggle to score runs so its just more of the same. Yes, our bullpen is a big problem but anyone just totally ignoring our offense is NOT paying attention. We act like we are suppose to have a pen where we can score 3 or 4 early runs and get a 1 or 2 run lead and then automatically be able to hold that lead the rest of the way without scoring any more and just shutting out the opponent past the 5th inning but that's just not reality. Guys like Girodo (as a SR), Lindgren (as a JR) and Holder that pitch like All-Americans are not going to be on your staff every year. Its not like we have any pitchers on our staff actually giving us quality innings that turned down Top 10 round money to come pitch for us.

[Brando]

Were never going to have the chance to break out of a offensive slump bunting every dang inning with the lead-off runner aboard. Turn them loose and let them play.

[Homedawg]

Were never going to have the chance to break out of a offensive slump bunting every dang inning with the lead-off runner aboard. Turn them loose and let them play.

I get it, and I don't care for bunting every time either. However, when we don't get the lead off man on we don't score. So that let them hit theory doesn't float. So they can only be turned loose w no outs and runners on?
Eta, Alabama score 8 runs w 2 outs bunting or not bunting didn't have one damn thing to do with it. They were all w 2 outs!

[Brando]

No, that's not what I'm saying. Bunting has its time and place. A team like we played today, we shouldn't have to bunt unless we are working on bunting. Now I also understand that we aren't as good pitching wise as we have been but that will work itself out. Still, I don't agree with every time we get a runner on 1st, bunt him over and give them an out. I didn't say anything about Bama. It's our damn fault they scored those runs.

[Brando]

You turn them loose, a couple guys put up good numbers today, that gets there confidence up. Then come weekend, there confidence up, they hit the ball. Then the pitchers can relax a little and do what they are supposed to do and pitch. Then what do you know, were playing good ball. Hell if we get on a roll, we could beat anyone. One thing certain in baseball, You cant take a knee or run the ball to waste clock. You always have to throw the ball over the plate. You do that, no telling what happens. It only takes one good swing to change a game.

[chef dixon]

Besides the W there is nothing new here. The worst part is we didn't even get a chance to try anything new with the pen because we were scared we would actually blow the game to this team.

[War Machine Dawg]

I don't like bunting in the early innings. And I don't like bunting w a runner on second and no outs unless it's the winning run in the last. But we have hitting issues. We can't score in innings we bunt or don't bunt. We aren't hitting well at all w runners on. Needless to say. It's bad. It can only improve I suppose.......

More and more of y'all are finally coming around on this. Sacrifice bunting prior to the 7th inning at the very earliest is counterproductive. Cohen's offensive approach isn't aggressive. It's downright retarded. Cue Todd to defend the cluster**** of an offense and say our only problem is the bullpen. (Yes, bullpen is the biggest problem. But offense is hot on it's heels.)

[mstatefan91]

I was there. It was interesting to me that, in the top of the 9th, EIU had one runner on with no outs and Laster was 2-0 in the count. I definitely saw Cohen and Thompson step up out of the dugout when, just then, Cody Walker got up out of his crouching stance behind the plate to trot out to Laster and give him a talk. Cohen shook his head and stepped back into the dugout with Thompson following....


So now our catcher decides whether we keep a pitcher in or not?! Seriously? I'm not making this up. I'm glad that Laster got the win but that's just dumb...

I'm starting to understand some of our pitching woes. Too much lee way with the players themselves.

[maroonmania]

More and more of y'all are finally coming around on this. Sacrifice bunting prior to the 7th inning at the very earliest is counterproductive. Cohen's offensive approach isn't aggressive. It's downright retarded. Cue Todd to defend the cluster**** of an offense and say our only problem is the bullpen. (Yes, bullpen is the biggest problem. But offense is hot on it's heels.)

I'm now convinced that Cohen has a major issue with his offensive philosophy. I, and probably others, had always blown off all of the excessive sacrifice bunting early in Cohen's MSU tenure to not having the most talented hitters around and the totally dead bats and balls being used. Now, with significant upgrades in overall talent plus a much livelier ball we seem to be bunting MORE THAN EVER. Its beyond frustrating at this point to have the most SAC bunts in the SEC and the fewest HRs. We've also got to be near the very bottom of the SEC in total number of extra base hits.

[War Machine Dawg]

I'm now convinced that Cohen has a major issue with his offensive philosophy. I, and probably others, had always blown off all of the excessive sacrifice bunting early in Cohen's MSU tenure to not having the most talented hitters around and the totally dead bats and balls being used. Now, with significant upgrades in overall talent plus a much livelier ball we seem to be bunting MORE THAN EVER. Its beyond frustrating at this point to have the most SAC bunts in the SEC and the fewest HRs. We've also got to be near the very bottom of the SEC in total number of extra base hits.

I was willing to buy that for a while, too. But when you've got guys like Hunter Renfroe, Frazier, Nick Vickerson, etc. dropping bunts all the time then there should be some questions. We've definitely upgraded the offensive talent, but we aren't turning them loose. It's frustrating to only get 1-2 years of production from some of these supposed big time hitters. And it's telling to me that these guys all seem to explode over the summers when they go off and work with different hitting coaches.

What perplexes me is why the change in Cohen's offensive philosophy? Everywhere he was before coming to State he was a power hitting coach who also had good knowledge of aggressive small ball. But once he got here all we've heard is how big our park is and how we can't really hit for power at The Dude and need to do things differently. But I never really bought that, especially after watching opponents come in here and launch it out of the yard without any real problems. I think Cohen has overthought the "problem" and compounded it. Go look at the dimensions of Swayze in Oxford and you'll see The Dude is roughly the same dimensions, maybe 10 feet of difference in the deepest part. But somehow Swayze is considered a band box when it comes to power and The Dude is the power graveyard. Cohen needs to get back to what he did at UK, NWSU, and FL.

[bulldogcountry1]

I think he's too stubborn to make any real change mid-season. I think he's going to ride this out for this season, with the only exceptions being letting Hump, Rea, or Collins swing away in one of his typical bunt scenarios if they are on a hot streak.

[maroonmania]

I was willing to buy that for a while, too. But when you've got guys like Hunter Renfroe, Frazier, Nick Vickerson, etc. dropping bunts all the time then there should be some questions. We've definitely upgraded the offensive talent, but we aren't turning them loose. It's frustrating to only get 1-2 years of production from some of these supposed big time hitters. And it's telling to me that these guys all seem to explode over the summers when they go off and work with different hitting coaches.

What perplexes me is why the change in Cohen's offensive philosophy? Everywhere he was before coming to State he was a power hitting coach who also had good knowledge of aggressive small ball. But once he got here all we've heard is how big our park is and how we can't really hit for power at The Dude and need to do things differently. But I never really bought that, especially after watching opponents come in here and launch it out of the yard without any real problems. I think Cohen has overthought the "problem" and compounded it. Go look at the dimensions of Swayze in Oxford and you'll see The Dude is roughly the same dimensions, maybe 10 feet of difference in the deepest part. But somehow Swayze is considered a band box when it comes to power and The Dude is the power graveyard. Cohen needs to get back to what he did at UK, NWSU, and FL.

I don't think its so much the dimensions of DNF that makes it a pitcher's park, think its just more that where the field is located the ball just doesn't seem to carry very well. I will say though that if Cohen is going to be this stubborn about playing "small ball" he should have just pushed all the fences at DNF out 10 more feet rather than pulling in left field by 10 feet.

[Todd4State]

More and more of y'all are finally coming around on this. Sacrifice bunting prior to the 7th inning at the very earliest is counterproductive. Cohen's offensive approach isn't aggressive. It's downright retarded. Cue Todd to defend the cluster**** of an offense and say our only problem is the bullpen. (Yes, bullpen is the biggest problem. But offense is hot on it's heels.)

MSU fans are the only baseball fans that I have ever seen that surmise that the way to overcome a bad bullpen is to score more runs.

[Todd4State]

I was willing to buy that for a while, too. But when you've got guys like Hunter Renfroe, Frazier, Nick Vickerson, etc. dropping bunts all the time then there should be some questions. We've definitely upgraded the offensive talent, but we aren't turning them loose. It's frustrating to only get 1-2 years of production from some of these supposed big time hitters. And it's telling to me that these guys all seem to explode over the summers when they go off and work with different hitting coaches.

What perplexes me is why the change in Cohen's offensive philosophy? Everywhere he was before coming to State he was a power hitting coach who also had good knowledge of aggressive small ball. But once he got here all we've heard is how big our park is and how we can't really hit for power at The Dude and need to do things differently. But I never really bought that, especially after watching opponents come in here and launch it out of the yard without any real problems. I think Cohen has overthought the "problem" and compounded it. Go look at the dimensions of Swayze in Oxford and you'll see The Dude is roughly the same dimensions, maybe 10 feet of difference in the deepest part. But somehow Swayze is considered a band box when it comes to power and The Dude is the power graveyard. Cohen needs to get back to what he did at UK, NWSU, and FL.

You never really followed Cohen very closely then. He's always had a small ball component to his offense. The difference is he did have some power hitters. As I have said before- our offense is designed to have 4-5 power guys and 4-5 speed guys. It seems like we've always had to deal with some bullshit injuries or something crazy every year that Cohen has been here- see Gavin Collins this year. That's tipped the scales more towards the small ball component. That's why I was pissed when I found out Collins was hurt. You look at our offense without Collins- our only power source is Rea and Humphreys and sometimes Rooker when he is in the lineup.

And BTW on Collins- I have very serious doubts that he will have an impact for us this year. As I did when I first heard about his injury.

At this point it's really a matter of getting power guys to school and developing them. In the meantime we will likely continue to use the strengths of the players that we have- which is their speed. As long as we keep scoring 4-6 runs per game, we will win our share of games.

[Todd4State]

Lsu-southern (not usm) 2-2 in 10th

Texas- ut Arlington 2-2 in 9th

Davidson beat unc

Usce-winthrop 3-3 in 9th

Se Missouri st over ark 3-1 in 7th

... I'm gonna be just happy we won

But.....how can that be? War Machine Dawg says we have a problem and we are bad because he says so.*****

[Smitty]

MSU fans are the only baseball fans that I have ever seen that surmise that the way to overcome a bad bullpen is to score more runs.

Are we leaving runs on the field or not?