Well thought out comment, not agreeing or disagreeing, just well said.Not a Pierce hater, but success doesn't mean he should have been hired. He could go on to win 20 consecutive CWS titles and go down as the greatest college baseball coach in history. It wouldn't change the fact that he had only 5 years experience as a college HC when interviewed for the job. IMO being qualified for a job and being successful at it are two different things.
While I don't believe he should have been hired - I'm glad he was.
BTW, I admire your optimism about the Super Regionals.
Austin Regional June 3-6, 2022
- Thread starter FWHORN
- Start date
IMO being qualified for a job and being successful at it are two different things.
While I don't believe he should have been hired - I'm glad he was.
yeah, that just sounds like a different hiring philosophy. i think the BEST candidate for the job should be hired. Sometimes the best guy IS, IN FACT, LESS QUALIFIED. that doesn't make him/her the wrong choice. In any business there is a difference between BEST candidate and MOST QUALIFIED candidate.
FWHORN
10,000+ Posts
On the Pierce question and his experience, I always go back to Gus was HS coach with no experience at all.
Pierce was Wayne Graham’s top lieutenant and helped win Rice an NC, he was and remains a highly respected and successful recruiter, and he had five years of head coaching, so he wasn’t a blank slate. He was also not the first choice but of those willing to take the job he was best choice that was available when the hire was made. In five full seasons he has now won three regionals, two CWS berths, and three 40 plus win seasons. Pretty darn good.
Pierce was Wayne Graham’s top lieutenant and helped win Rice an NC, he was and remains a highly respected and successful recruiter, and he had five years of head coaching, so he wasn’t a blank slate. He was also not the first choice but of those willing to take the job he was best choice that was available when the hire was made. In five full seasons he has now won three regionals, two CWS berths, and three 40 plus win seasons. Pretty darn good.
Augie’s first 2 seasons were similar to year 1 and 3 for Pierce.
FWHORN
10,000+ Posts
Actually, even though Texas had a winning record in Augie’s first year the Horns had a losing record in conference and didn’t even make the tournament, while in Pierce’s first year he got Texas to a regional and lost in the final on the road at Long Beach State. Pierce has had one bad year here, 2019, when literally everything that could go bad did. That year is definitely comparable to Augie’s second. Keep in mind that even in Augie’s third year when Texas finally made a regional the Horns promptly went 2 and Q. Pierce’s record actually compares very favorably to Augie’s record through the first five years. Of course in year six Augie’s Horns win it all and that starts a four year run of NC, national semi’s, second, NC. Maybe the best four year run in Texas baseball history.
The jury is still out on this year and this weekend and hopefully the following ones will tell us if it will rank as a successful one.
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Let's also note that when we say fifth season with 2 CWS appearances, the COVID year we were just mashing people and were odds-on favorites to make Omaha too. So I say either credit Pierce with 2 trips in 4 seasons, or put the asterisk on there and acknowledge the likelihood of 3 out of 5.
And in a week we will know how those numbers change.
Either way, the Pierce haters (who are conspicuously absent whenever we perform well) can suck it.
And in a week we will know how those numbers change.
Either way, the Pierce haters (who are conspicuously absent whenever we perform well) can suck it.
Well deserved. Skye Messinger has been gold for us this year. After a slow start, he rapidly took his batting average up to above 0.350, where it has stayed, and with lots and lots of doubles and RBIs plus a decent number of HRs. Not only that, but he has a major league ready glove that has saved our bacon on plenty of occasions. He’s good in the clutch. He’ll be missed next year.
Here’s to the big Coloradan!
It’s in the dugout. Other team cannot see it unless they look hard.
Softball wins! They’re the first unseeded team to make the finals of the WCWS
I'm a big believer in "act like you've been there", but the football helment thong doesn't bother me at all. It's not dog-piling.
It is ritual. Most teams have one as an incentive…Most teams have rituals for Doubles (we changed it to the Swan during a slump from Ring it up) Out of Dug out Home Runs at the plate-we put our helmets together, Air Force salutes etc -, In Dugout Home Run.
Another UT Ritual is the fans call out the home run hitter as a curtain call. And we don’t Dog pile until we win it all.
This isn’t showboating it’s supposed to provide fun and energy…..
Showboating would be prancing like Deon Sanders with your hand on your neck and leaning back as you run the bases-lol.
Some things (like the fb helmet slap) are just kids having fun playing a game. You can't regulate all the fun out of it for them.
It’s being reported that Skenes has entered the transfer portal. Did he like playing at DFF enough to make it home? I didn’t know that transferring from a service academy was an option but by all means come on down!
I didn't know he could do that either, but yeah, he'd be put on the mound right away, and at DH. If Silas is gone, he'd start at catcher.
Other Seniors who should be grad transfer targets: Alex Rao from Notre Dame (pitcher); Maui Ahuna from Kansas (SS - could be 3rd base) 0.400 batting average.
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So the Regular season means something but not much, and Texas knows it.
We are playing East Carolina which on paper seems easy. But East Carolina is country loud.
It is baseball and you have to lose to win.
Im good with one loss here, almost expect it. Almost need it. I’d rather take a loss here than in Omaha early. Bracket left is way harder than Bracket Right. .
We are playing East Carolina which on paper seems easy. But East Carolina is country loud.
It is baseball and you have to lose to win.
Im good with one loss here, almost expect it. Almost need it. I’d rather take a loss here than in Omaha early. Bracket left is way harder than Bracket Right. .
On espn that I glanced at while at a restaurant I saw the California Angels put on a sombrero (?) in the dugout after hitting a home run?
That must have been a LONG time ago...the team now known as the Angels is the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or some crap like that...
And of course, there are far too many teams that pander to the Hispanic communities through stunts like that and by adding "Los" in front of their name...I even saw Los Reales on the wall behind home plate in the Astros series against KC some time in the past week. I guess it is a good thing there are no 'Ers' playing in the league.
/ducks and runs
UT Horn Fan
500+ Posts
Transferring makes sense. During the game the announcers said that at Air Force once a player enters their junior year they are obligated to serve when done with baseball. If they want to go pro, they have to apply for and receive permission to delay their service. Once done with pro ball they must return to complete their service. If a player wants out of that, they must transfer out prior to their junior year.
I forgot Skenes was only a Sophomore. Hell, I'd welcome him with open arms if he wanted to play for the Horns.
Paul Skenes:
6' 6"
235 lbs
On the mound:
2.73 ERA
96 Strikeouts
30 Walks
Mountain West Conference 1st Team All- Conference and Co-Pitcher of the Year
At the plate:
0.314 batting average
13 Homeruns
10 Doubles
38 RBI
Would play pitcher
Could also play catcher, first baseman, DH
Skenes is the second Falcon to win the MW Pitcher of the Year award since 2016, when Griffin Jax shared the honors with Fresno State’s Jimmy Lambert. The sophomore recorded a 7-1 mark on the mound in Conference action with a league-best 2.40 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 10 starts. Skenes allowed 16 earned runs and 22 walks in 60 innings pitched.
Mountain West Announces 2022 All-Conference Awards
6' 6"
235 lbs
On the mound:
2.73 ERA
96 Strikeouts
30 Walks
Mountain West Conference 1st Team All- Conference and Co-Pitcher of the Year
At the plate:
0.314 batting average
13 Homeruns
10 Doubles
38 RBI
Would play pitcher
Could also play catcher, first baseman, DH
Skenes is the second Falcon to win the MW Pitcher of the Year award since 2016, when Griffin Jax shared the honors with Fresno State’s Jimmy Lambert. The sophomore recorded a 7-1 mark on the mound in Conference action with a league-best 2.40 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 10 starts. Skenes allowed 16 earned runs and 22 walks in 60 innings pitched.
Mountain West Announces 2022 All-Conference Awards
Skenes is a taller version of Kieschnick...
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