Isn't Wimberly where real cowboys come from?
Raichle -- I think she's Rooben's sister. They both make good sandwiches.
PITCHING
- Thread starter Chop
- Start date
Raichle -- I think she's Rooben's sister. They both make good sandwiches.
They are nicknamed the Texans, but they're about to lose that. It's becoming the new Fredricksburg where over priced candle and jelly shops, man buns and 26 year old women who drink too much wine are becoming too common.
Yep, they graduate, get a teaching job then spend weekends in Wimberly and Fredricksburg. It's a cycle.
Teachers can't afford the overpriced crapola in Fredricksburg or Wimberley. They need to marry up somewhere in between.
No, Bandera
Re: Wimberley and real cowboys
Now here's a real old-school, hard core, working cattle ranch reminiscent of the JA, Matador, Triangle, and Waggoner...
7aranch.co
(that riverfront does look inviting)
Now here's a real old-school, hard core, working cattle ranch reminiscent of the JA, Matador, Triangle, and Waggoner...
7A Ranch - Blanco River Cabins and Lodges Wimberley, TX
Family Friendly Blanco River Cabins and Large Group Lodging in Wimberley, Texas.
7aranch.co
(that riverfront does look inviting)
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Burns looks better than advertised.
Spencer looks better than advertised.
Riojas looks as good as advertised.
Mercer -- we'll see. He's supposed to be very good. He's off to a rocky start. Hopefully that was just an outlier game for Mercer.
Bing -- see Mercer.
Grubbs -- still one of our best, but his innings will be significantly limited by his injury comeback and safety.
Harrison -- even better than at his pre-injury prime.
We're probably top 1/3 of the SEC in our pitching staff's overall grade. Our bats rank even higher, but there's a lot of hitting power in this new conference.
Spencer looks better than advertised.
Riojas looks as good as advertised.
Mercer -- we'll see. He's supposed to be very good. He's off to a rocky start. Hopefully that was just an outlier game for Mercer.
Bing -- see Mercer.
Grubbs -- still one of our best, but his innings will be significantly limited by his injury comeback and safety.
Harrison -- even better than at his pre-injury prime.
We're probably top 1/3 of the SEC in our pitching staff's overall grade. Our bats rank even higher, but there's a lot of hitting power in this new conference.
Spencer and Harrison are solid 1-2 starters. We’ll see about Bing. He had control problems the first weekend. Coach says that’s not his normal. Grubbs is the iron man out of the bullpen. Burns is the best reliever thus far. Burns may be our best pitcher period. He is greatly exceeding expectations. Burns is completely kicking some a$$ out there.
Riojas is real good, but we saw him stumble vs Dartmouth. The big dude from N Dakota (Rerick) is off to a rocky start, but he does bring the heat.
Riojas is real good, but we saw him stumble vs Dartmouth. The big dude from N Dakota (Rerick) is off to a rocky start, but he does bring the heat.
This would be considered old news, but it never made the news, and it's a good thing it didn't. The roster cuts to get to the new 34 man roster limits.
Here are 2 that were cut that should NOT have been cut:
O'Hara -- by the end of last year, he could make a strong case that he was our most reliable reliever. Quite similar to Ace W.
Zaharias -- great athleticism and top of the heap in his pocket of California (Silicon Valley). He was injured his true Freshman year, so he didn't even get the chance.
Can anyone think of a pitcher who should have been cut instead of these 2?
Here are 2 that were cut that should NOT have been cut:
O'Hara -- by the end of last year, he could make a strong case that he was our most reliable reliever. Quite similar to Ace W.
Zaharias -- great athleticism and top of the heap in his pocket of California (Silicon Valley). He was injured his true Freshman year, so he didn't even get the chance.
Can anyone think of a pitcher who should have been cut instead of these 2?
With Spencer and Harrison locking down the top 2 spots, maybe we'll run Burns and Grubbs as a tag team Sunday pitching duo. Burns 5-6 innings (or until he fades), Grubbs 3-4 innings (still being a bit cautious in his injury comeback). As Grubbs can take on more and more innings as the season progresses, he might throw 1/2 a game or more.
From Hornstake podcast:
Grubbs and Riojas are not likely to start. Coach Schloss likes them in the pen. Says it’s a luxury to have one guy but to have two like Grubbs and Riojas is a big deal to him. He didn’t say it but it sounds like he likes the flexibility these two provide from the pen or any spot they are needed. Says Grubbs can do anything, I.e. start, relieve, close. Having said that, coach said if they can win one game, they are going all out to win each one, try to win them all but says it’s tough to win on the road in the SEC and approaches road trips and any win is a positive, even if only one win. What I took away from that is every pitcher is available each and every game.
Schloss said that whoever he has starting this Sunday is likely to be the Sunday starter the next weekend for conference play. So be on the look out there. Reiterated that Volantis is a starting pitcher, he’s very high on Volantis. Schloss wonders how Bing would do on short stints (reliever). Sounded like Spencer and Harrison are locked in to Friday, Saturday starting roles and Sunday is still open but that he sounds like he wants Volantis to take one of the weekend starting roles…..eventually.
Would be a pretty solid team if Spencer, Harrison and Volantis can pitch 6-7 innings with Grubbs, Riojas, Burns, A Dup, Bing, Jason Flores, Hamilton and Tumis, Moffet, Rerick and mcreery in the pen. Tuesday games could be Johnny all staff type situations if coach goes all out to win the conference games as he should.
Grubbs and Riojas are not likely to start. Coach Schloss likes them in the pen. Says it’s a luxury to have one guy but to have two like Grubbs and Riojas is a big deal to him. He didn’t say it but it sounds like he likes the flexibility these two provide from the pen or any spot they are needed. Says Grubbs can do anything, I.e. start, relieve, close. Having said that, coach said if they can win one game, they are going all out to win each one, try to win them all but says it’s tough to win on the road in the SEC and approaches road trips and any win is a positive, even if only one win. What I took away from that is every pitcher is available each and every game.
Schloss said that whoever he has starting this Sunday is likely to be the Sunday starter the next weekend for conference play. So be on the look out there. Reiterated that Volantis is a starting pitcher, he’s very high on Volantis. Schloss wonders how Bing would do on short stints (reliever). Sounded like Spencer and Harrison are locked in to Friday, Saturday starting roles and Sunday is still open but that he sounds like he wants Volantis to take one of the weekend starting roles…..eventually.
Would be a pretty solid team if Spencer, Harrison and Volantis can pitch 6-7 innings with Grubbs, Riojas, Burns, A Dup, Bing, Jason Flores, Hamilton and Tumis, Moffet, Rerick and mcreery in the pen. Tuesday games could be Johnny all staff type situations if coach goes all out to win the conference games as he should.
Here's Perfect Game on Hudson Hamilton:
"Very fast arm, generates big spin on the fastball into the 2600s, cuts it some at times, up to 90 at this event but has been steadily low-90s through the summer and fall, peaking at 93 in long looks. Hellacious bite to the slider and mimics intent on it, 2700+ RPMs* and spun in the low-80s, true swing-and-miss offering now and for the next level. Pounds the zone with both offerings and can really command both pitches to either side, more in there long-term but already a loud power-arm profile with some potential draft intrigue going into the spring."
Note, his fastball now sits in the low 90s and peaks at 95+ mph. If you watched the A&M-CC game, you got to see his wicked slider and could compare it to that of Riojas. Riojas' slider has a similar straight vertical 12-6 drop at the plate, but it's not as pronounced (distance or speed) as Hamilton's "Hellacious bite" slider.
We've got to see more of him (and Navarre). Who knows? Perhaps the knock on Hudson based on last year is that he's actually TOO ballsy and challenges the batters up high with fastballs too much, sometimes resulting in home runs. I'd rather a pitcher have this problem than walking multiple batters in an inning.
* that slider is upper-end Major League stuff ladies and gentlemen. Avg MLB spin rate on a slider is around 2400 rpm. Yes, I know there's more to it than spin rate, but it's a good objective gauge. Plus his film shows that "Hellacious" bite right at the plate. That's not just numbers on a stat sheet. Tumis brings roughly similar stuff to the mound but with strange and unnatural movement at times to some of the breaking pitches he throws.
"Very fast arm, generates big spin on the fastball into the 2600s, cuts it some at times, up to 90 at this event but has been steadily low-90s through the summer and fall, peaking at 93 in long looks. Hellacious bite to the slider and mimics intent on it, 2700+ RPMs* and spun in the low-80s, true swing-and-miss offering now and for the next level. Pounds the zone with both offerings and can really command both pitches to either side, more in there long-term but already a loud power-arm profile with some potential draft intrigue going into the spring."
Note, his fastball now sits in the low 90s and peaks at 95+ mph. If you watched the A&M-CC game, you got to see his wicked slider and could compare it to that of Riojas. Riojas' slider has a similar straight vertical 12-6 drop at the plate, but it's not as pronounced (distance or speed) as Hamilton's "Hellacious bite" slider.
We've got to see more of him (and Navarre). Who knows? Perhaps the knock on Hudson based on last year is that he's actually TOO ballsy and challenges the batters up high with fastballs too much, sometimes resulting in home runs. I'd rather a pitcher have this problem than walking multiple batters in an inning.
* that slider is upper-end Major League stuff ladies and gentlemen. Avg MLB spin rate on a slider is around 2400 rpm. Yes, I know there's more to it than spin rate, but it's a good objective gauge. Plus his film shows that "Hellacious" bite right at the plate. That's not just numbers on a stat sheet. Tumis brings roughly similar stuff to the mound but with strange and unnatural movement at times to some of the breaking pitches he throws.
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Ace has gotten zero work this year - I hope Coach is not shutting my boy out.
Don't worry until Conference time in a couple of weeks.
Our new coaches should've reviewed real game film from last year. If they did, then they'd know that Ace Whitehead, O'Hara, Tumis, and Hudson Hamilton are good pitchers in real live games against real competition---A LOT BETTER THAN SOME OF THE DUDES THEY KEEP TROTTING OUT TO THE MOUND IN RELIEF THIS YEAR.
Coach Schloss is known for a guy who likes good control and strike throwing---me too, and that's Ace W. and O'Hara to a "T", and per last night, Hudson Hamilton is pretty close. Hudson would occasionally get burned by the good power hitters when he'd fearlessly challenge them with fastballs up high.
Granted, per last year's performances, Tumis has the occasional night where he's just off, but when he was on (which is most of the time), he was easily the most un-hittable pitcher on the staff. How can you sit a guy with stuff like that on the pine???? I think the SEC is tailor-made for pitchers like Tumis. You can't just trot out there and throw batting practice to some of these SEC lineups (like most of them...).
I been puzzled by this, too. Something that might make sense (given that it appears we both think our coaches are not vacuous) is they want to see if we can get even more depth so we're giving other guys a chance to show if they've got the ability to perform, too. I don't think we'll know for sure who the coaches plan on until conference starts. And maybe a ways into it before all the roles are settled.
There's a report on Whitehead in a baseball article quoting Schlossnagle as saying he's still recovering from injury and is "a ways off." Anyone have more recent information?
Des Moines Register, Jan. 26, 2025: Danny Davis on UT baseball
There's a report on Whitehead in a baseball article quoting Schlossnagle as saying he's still recovering from injury and is "a ways off." Anyone have more recent information?
Des Moines Register, Jan. 26, 2025: Danny Davis on UT baseball
Coach said he needed to look at Hamilton, Tumis and Navarre. He’s also trying to win games, trying to look at pitchers while being in tight games (whole series with Dartmouth) made it more difficult I’m sure. TBH, I didn’t know Ace was injured.
We likely won’t know a lot till Missouri, Georgia and Kentucky. LSU is going to present some significant challenges and will require unorthodox pitching management that we may not see the rest of the season and/or not until we face Arky in fayetnam. The miss st series we will be trying to establish our pitching identity.
That Tuesday game after LSU is going to be very interesting if all the games over the weekend are close. Coach is going to empty the gun that weekend.
We likely won’t know a lot till Missouri, Georgia and Kentucky. LSU is going to present some significant challenges and will require unorthodox pitching management that we may not see the rest of the season and/or not until we face Arky in fayetnam. The miss st series we will be trying to establish our pitching identity.
That Tuesday game after LSU is going to be very interesting if all the games over the weekend are close. Coach is going to empty the gun that weekend.
LSU can get on base and can bash the ball.
LSU has scored in the double digits in 8 out of 13 games thus far.
Through 3/5/25:
Team ERA: 2.98
Team WHIP: 1.16
Great numbers thus far. If we can keep Team ERA sub 4.00 and Team WHIP sub 1.40, that's an accomplishment with the schedule we'll be playing. There are some batting lineups on our schedule that can really rake (sort of like ours).
Team ERA: 2.98
Team WHIP: 1.16
Great numbers thus far. If we can keep Team ERA sub 4.00 and Team WHIP sub 1.40, that's an accomplishment with the schedule we'll be playing. There are some batting lineups on our schedule that can really rake (sort of like ours).
"In general" our pitching was awful last year. I believe that's more of an indictment of the former coach than the talent we had. I feel like we are going through an evaluation "preseason" time to see who can get it done because I see us trotting out several pitchers in the Tuesday games whether it's needed or not. I have a feeling that by the end of the year we'll be just fine with the decisions made.
BTW, Ace is one of my favorites. If he is injured, I hope he gets better and on the mound soon.
Our overall pitching this year is somewhere from good to excellent.
I’ll have to see some data on last year—as in team ERA and team WHIP. I don’t remember our pitching being awful. It was certainly top quarter of the conference. In fact, I think it was actually THE BEST in the Big 12–the #2 or #3 conference in college baseball. I think we’re even better on the mound this year overall, but I wouldn’t call last year’s pitching awful.
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