2024 Season updates

Some buzz that Thomas will be in the outfield this year. Not sure who will be first base.

Could be: Thomas, Boehm, Storm, Belyeu?

Whomever our starting 3 OF are, I want to see Belyeu get lots and lots of at-bats!!! He looked good in limited action last year, and consistently hit very well in California Summer Ball. He could be the Thomas of 2024.

:bevo::bevo::bevo:
 
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C -- word is that Nik Sanders is doing well. This position is wide open:

Schuesler
Sanders
Galvan
Service

Schuesler has the proven bat, and he's better defensively than Galvan. Galvan brings massive power to the plate. Sanders is challenging for the starting position. Service may be a utility player for next year. I'd like to get Service's bat in the lineup on regular occasion--he's a talent that doesn't need to be sitting on the bench for 2 years. Maybe at DH every other game, or every third game, or something.
 


Sounds like Shaw may see the mound again early in the season. That would be a quick recovery.
 
I've been a busy bee for the last 4 months and haven't been able to get on here.

With the incoming portals and with such high caliber incoming freshmen, this team looks stacked. I have no idea how coach Pierce makes everyone happy. Pitching he can get everyone in but fielding and hitting will be tough. starting some of them in the third game i guess would suffice. Upper classmen are going to have to work their tales off (I'm looking at Belyeu), these incoming freshmen aren't coming in here to sit the bench (i.e. Gasparino).

With JThomas moving to the outfield that only leaves one opening between Belyeu, Cummins and Gasparino. I imagine if WG continues to show out at the plate, he could DH him? Maybe rotate WG and Cummins between RF and the DH? Im not sure i see a spot for Belyeu. IF WG and Cummins are this good, I don't see anyone else at DH, means Galvan may not see DH much. Pierce could have a lot at his disposal in the dugout.

Chop - I know you said on another thread that Moreland thinks Belyeu starts in one of the other positions but I'm not so sure. Cummins and Gasparino appear to be no joke.

and if he wanted to open a spot for one of them by moving JT back to 1st then he has the same issue with the infield. Even without JT at first it may still be an issue on the infield, way too many quality players for the positions available.


This team looks extremely strong at every position. Folks should get on the train now cause I don't see these guys losing many games. I wouldn't be surprised if this team isn't ranked in the top 5 to start the season and if they aren't it will be a serious travesty but make no mistake, they will make their way to the top five in short order. This could potentially be the strongest team i've seen from Pierce.
 
And Coach is real high on Hurley this year. That was not the case last year. Hurley coached one of the teams in the 3rd game. In his interview, Hurley said he is moving towards being more of a sinker/slider thrower and less of a curve baller. And that has worked real well for him in Fall Ball practices.

Hurley also put on 15 lbs of muscle over the off-season (part of Coach's new-found focus on physical fitness, I suppose...?). He should mentor Tumis--a new pitcher with wildly nasty stuff, and the build of Rik Ocasik.
 
Chop said:
He should mentor Tumis--a new pitcher with wildly nasty stuff, and the build of Rik Ocasik.
Click to expand...
That's it! Tumis' theme music when he's warming up before the start of the inning--The Cars "Let the Good Times Roll".
 
Chop said:
And Coach is real high on Hurley this year. That was not the case last year. Hurley coached one of the teams in the 3rd game. In his interview, Hurley said he is moving towards being more of a sinker/slider thrower and less of a curve baller. And that has worked real well for him in Fall Ball practices.

Hurley also put on 15 lbs of muscle over the off-season (part of Coach's new-found focus on physical fitness, I suppose...?). He should mentor Tumis--a new pitcher with wildly nasty stuff, and the build of Rik Ocasik.
Click to expand...

I think moving to a sinker/slider for him is a good move if he can locate them, his curve is good but doesn't need to be thrown a lot and can be effective when he chooses to throw it less.
 
Looks like 40 is the roster limit. Not sure what has to be done or when. and he's adding Storm in January. Interesting thing to watch.
 
2024 BASEBALL SCHEDULE SET:

Plenty of worthy competition in early March!

2/16/2024 San Diego Austin, Texas TBA
2/17/2024 San Diego Austin, Texas TBA
2/18/2024 San Diego Austin, Texas TBA
2/20/2024 Houston Christian Austin, Texas TBA
2/23/2024 Cal Poly Austin, Texas TBA
2/24/2024 Cal Poly Austin, Texas TBA
2/25/2024 Cal Poly Austin, Texas TBA
2/27/2024 St. John’s Austin, Texas TBA
3/1/2024 vs. LSU Houston, Texas / Minute Maid Park TBA
3/2/2024 vs. Texas State Houston, Texas / Minute Maid Park TBA
3/3/2024 vs. Vanderbilt Houston, Texas / Minute Maid Park TBA
3/5/2024 Texas A&M Austin, Texas TBA
3/8/2024 at Texas Tech * Lubbock, Texas TBA
3/8/2024 at Texas Tech * Lubbock, Texas 6:30 P.M. CT
3/9/2024 at Texas Tech * Lubbock, Texas 2:00 P.M. CT
3/12/2024 Incarnate Word Austin, Texas TBA
3/15/2024 Washington Austin, Texas TBA
3/16/2024 Washington Austin, Texas TBA
3/17/2024 Washington Austin, Texas TBA
3/19/2024 Air Force Austin, Texas TBA
3/20/2024 Air Force Austin, Texas TBA
3/22/2024 Baylor * Austin, Texas TBA
3/23/2024 Baylor * Austin, Texas TBA
3/24/2024 Baylor * Austin, Texas TBA
3/26/2024 A&M-Corpus Christi Austin, Texas TBA
3/28/2024 at Kansas State * Manhattan, Kan. 6:00 P.M. CT
3/29/2024 at Kansas State * Manhattan, Kan. 6:00 P.M. CT
3/30/2024 at Kansas State * Manhattan, Kan. 2:00 P.M. CT
4/2/2024 Abilene Christian Austin, Texas TBA
4/4/2024 BYU * Austin, Texas TBA
4/5/2024 BYU * Austin, Texas TBA
4/6/2024 BYU * Austin, Texas TBA
4/9/2024 at Texas State San Marcos, Texas TBA
4/10/2024 Texas State Austin, Texas TBA
4/12/2024 at Houston * Houston, Texas TBA
4/13/2024 at Houston * Houston, Texas TBA
4/14/2024 at Houston * Houston, Texas TBA
4/16/2024 UTRGV Austin, Texas TBA
4/19/2024 TCU * Austin, Texas TBA
4/20/2024 TCU * Austin, Texas TBA
4/21/2024 TCU * Austin, Texas TBA
4/23/2024 UT Arlington Austin, Texas TBA
4/26/2024 at Oklahoma * Norman, Okla. TBA
4/27/2024 at Oklahoma * Norman, Okla. TBA
4/28/2024 at Oklahoma * Norman, Okla. TBA
4/30/2024 Sam Houston Austin, Texas TBA
5/3/2024 Oklahoma State * Austin, Texas TBA
5/4/2024 Oklahoma State * Austin, Texas TBA
5/5/2024 Oklahoma State * Austin, Texas TBA
5/10/2024 at UCF * Orlando, Fla. TBA
5/11/2024 at UCF * Orlando, Fla. TBA
5/12/2024 at UCF * Orlando, Fla. TBA
5/16/2024 Kansas * Austin, Texas TBA
5/17/2024 Kansas * Austin, Texas TBA
5/18/2024 Kansas * Austin, Texas TBA
 
On paper, this team is better than last year, or the year before.

We've stockpiled some serious talent up and down the lineup and pitching staff.
 
Chop said:
On paper, this team is better than last year, or the year before.

We've stockpiled some serious talent up and down the lineup and pitching staff.
Click to expand...

In my humble opinion, this team appears stronger than any Pierce has had, but they still have to play the games. That's one of the things thats so fascinating about each season, with the changing personnel, you get different iterations and this one is no different. Who is going to step up and be that leader? Who is going to be that bulldog on the mound? Who is going to make that great play in the field consistently?

Who takes Gordon's spot on the team?
Who takes Campbells spot on the team?
How well is this team going to jell offensively?
Just how strong is this defense going to be?

Can't wait to see them develop throughout the season. The pitching is still questionable as to just how strong it could be and I haven't seen them pitch enough to know what the possibilities are just yet but we look deep, whether or not we have enough to shut down the best teams in the country in a 3 game set remains to be seen.
 
aUTfan said:
Who takes Gordon's spot on the team?
Who takes Campbells spot on the team?
How well is this team going to jell offensively?
Just how strong is this defense going to be?
Click to expand...

Who takes Gordon's spot on the team?

This is the toughest loss. LBJ should be all-everything, but we don't (yet) have that awesome 1-2 punch of 2 top notch starters. Witt was awesome before he got hurt, and he may be that top notch #2 starter when he's fully recovered--he's still working on it and may be a 4 innings or less pitcher for the 1st half of the year...? Hurley is pretty good IMHO - not bad, not great, pretty good. In some years, he'd be good enough to be our #3 starter. He's noticeably better than most starting pitchers in this conference. This year, he'll probably begin as our #2 starter. Howard looked really good in Fall Ball. He may start.

The pen looks better than in recent years. Of the true Freshman, Tumis will wow everyone with his stuff--he puts some kind of crazy movement sauce on the ball. I don't know if LSU's lineup could hit Tumis effectively. If he masters his control, the college baseball world will soon all know his name. When you see Tumis pitch, you think "THAT'S the guy I want pitching against the best competition we face at the crucial point in the game." His control ain't perfect though...
Selvig will get a lot of innings--very, very good control and reliable. He will probably not wow you with his stuff however (unless you're easily impressed). [another Ace Whitehead? That would be really good to have another Ace Whitehead though!] The Coaches seem to like Hamilton the best of the true Freshmen ...?


Who takes Campbells spot on the team?

Amazingly, this is not a worry. The OF is so good and so deep, the problem we have there is getting everybody enough playing time so they don't hit the portal.


How well is this team going to jell offensively?

I don't know about chemistry, but we'll get a lot of hits, a lot of doubles, and a lot of homeruns with this lineup.


Just how strong is this defense going to be?

It's looking pretty good. Thomas' blazing speed should translate well to the OF. Cummings and Gasparino also look good in the OF. Gasparino (very tall) may rob some batters of homeruns at the fence! Flores may turn into the best SS glove we've had in a while. Powell = excellent glove. Jack O'Dowd may be the weak link in the IF, and he's not bad at all. D. Kennedy has a very good glove (2B or SS). That big dude we had at 1B in Fall Ball Game 3 was good in the field. And he was constantly smiling real big--he loves this game! It's good to see that.

C may be just so-so. Schuesler won't be all-confererence or anything, but he gets the job done. Galvan may still need some more coaching/work on his D behind the plate. Oliver Service=could be the most athletic catcher we've seen in quite some time, and he has a gun for an arm. But he may not even play C???
 
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Chop said:
Who takes Gordon's spot on the team?

This is the toughest loss. LBJ should be all-everything, but we don't (yet) have that awesome 1-2 punch of 2 top notch starters. Witt was awesome before he got hurt, and he may be that top notch #2 starter when he's fully recovered--he's still working on it and may be a 4 innings or less pitcher for the 1st half of the year...? Hurley is pretty good IMHO - not bad, not great, pretty good. In some years, he'd be good enough to be our #3 starter. This year, he'll probably begin as our #2 starter. Howard looked really good in Fall Ball. He may start.

The pen looks better than in recent years. Of the true Freshman, Tumis will wow everyone with his stuff--he puts some kind of crazy movement sauce on the ball. I don't know if LSU's lineup could hit Tumis effectively. If he masters his control, the college baseball world will soon all know his name. When you see Tumis pitch, you think "THAT'S the guy I want pitching against the best competition we face at the crucial point in the game." His control ain't perfect though...
Selvig will get a lot of innings--very, very good control and reliable. He will probably not wow you with his stuff however (unless you're easily impressed). [another Ace Whitehead? That would be really good to have another Ace Whitehead though!] The Coaches seem to like Hamilton the best of the true Freshmen ...?


Who takes Campbells spot on the team?

Amazingly, this is not a worry. The OF is so good and so deep, the problem we have there is getting everybody enough playing time so they don't hit the portal.


How well is this team going to jell offensively?

I don't know about chemistry, but we'll get a lot of hits, a lot of doubles, and a lot of homeruns with this lineup.


Just how strong is this defense going to be?

It's looking pretty good. Thomas' blazing speed should translate well to the OF. Cummings and Gasparino also look good in the OF. Gasparino (very tall) may rob some batters of homeruns at the fence! Flores may turn into the best SS glove we've had in a while. Powell = excellent glove. Jack O'Dowd may be the weak link in the IF, and he's not bad at all. D. Kennedy has a very good glove (2B or SS). That big dude we had at 1B in Fall Ball Game 3 was good in the field. And he was constantly smiling real big--he loves this game! It's good to see that.

C may be just so-so. Schuesler won't be all-confererence or anything, but he gets the job done. Galvan may still need some more coaching/work on his D behind the plate. Oliver Service=could be the most athletic catcher we've seen in quite some time, and he has a gun for an arm. But he may not even play C???
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Now if Tumis turns out to be as good as I think he is, we may want to make him the closer. His "stuff" will wow you.

Selvig looks like a long reliever, or a mid-week starter this year. Solid and reliable. Does NOT come out of the pen throwing balls and walking batters <----- THE SCORGE OF OUR TEAM FOR THE PAST SEVERAL SEASONS. This alone makes me thankful to have Selvig on our team.

Hamilton looks like the guy you bring in to get the strikeout. Although the Coaches may like him as a starter?

Morris - future starter. Could start mid-week games (or Sunday games) as early as this year.

Zaharias - see Morris.
 
If Hurley has taken another step in Pierce's eyes then I would venture to guess he might end up being a solid 3rd day starter. That still leaves a question at the Saturday starting spot. I'm making an assumption that LBJ will be the Friday starter if Witt is still finding his way. Or if Witt is back to near form its Witt, LBJ and Hurley with a bullpen that's deeper than it's been and deep enough to handle extra duty.

Lots of questions that won't be answered until we start the season.
 
I'm so ready for the season to start, i'm excited for the football team but essentially after this game, possibly one more I'll be hyped for baseball.
 
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