From #1 to unranked

[giveemhell]

The loss yesterday was one of the most painful I can remember, and it was clearly too much for D1Baseball to bear as the Horns dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time this season. Notable ranked teams: #1 Tennessee; #3 Oklahoma State; #9 Texas Tech; #13 aggy; #17 Texas State; #24 TCU
The Link

 

[UT Horn Fan]

coaching

 

[SabreHorn]

coaching

Or lack thereof

 

[FWHORN]

I do not absolve the coaches totally but the majority of this is on the bullpen and its total disappearance. Coaches are an easy scapegoat but this coaching staff put in place an elite staff with elite to very good arms at starting rotation, long relief, short relief, and closer and there has just been a complete failure by the bullpen to do its job. That is on the players not the coaches.

This isnt football or basketball where a scheme by the coaches is critical, this is baseball, and like it or not coaching plays far less a role in actual games at this level. Managing at this level is about setting up a lineup and a rotation and this staff did everything any other staff would have done when it came to the rotation and the lineup. This is on the players, its their failure.

 

[mchammer]

I do not absolve the coaches totally but the majority of this is on the bullpen and its total disappearance. Coaches are an easy scapegoat but this coaching staff put in place an elite staff with elite to very good arms at starting rotation, long relief, short relief, and closer and there has just been a complete failure by the bullpen to do its job. That is on the players not the coaches.

This isnt football or basketball where a scheme by the coaches is critical, this is baseball, and like it or not coaching plays far less a role in actual games at this level. Managing at this level is about setting up a lineup and a rotation and this staff did everything any other staff would have done when it came to the rotation and the lineup. This is on the players, its their failure.

When the bullpen can look good to great one day and then throw trash the next weekend, then it’s a consistency problem, not a talent issue. The batters and fielders seem to play loose and having fun (look at the camera shots of the dugout). The results show themselves. I have no idea what the problem is in the bullpen.

 

[Horn6721]

Didn't I see at least 2 runs score from poorly thrown and dropped balls?

 

[SabreHorn]

FW,

I remember asking Gus why he decided to start the transfer from SMU (Johnny Sutton) in either the SWC Tournament or the Regional Tournament in Austin. He gave me a bunch of coach speak which translated to "gut feel". Sutton had played almost no innings and had just a few at bats. I always thought he was only on the team because his parents gave a bunch of money. He went out and won the tournament MVP, then back to the bench.

 

[FWHORN]

coach speak which translated to "gut feel"

Sabre, I do think some of this does fall on the coaches and how they have motivated and responded to the failures and certainly coaches control the decisions of who to run out in what situation, how long you stay with your starter, and the odd position switch, bunt, or hit and run; but those decisions are not as huge a part of the game as they are in football or basketball where you are calling a play literally all the time. Baseball coaches may go with their gut once in an entire game and often not at all. The problem here is that literally the entire bullpen is faltering and it really doesn't seem to matter what order the coaches have put them in or what situation they get run out to, they have failed top to bottom to do their most important job, throw strikes.

I think its fair to say that Gus and Augie who I would put as two of the top five college baseball coaches of all time and maybe even two of top four (with Dedeaux, Bertman, Fraser, and Morris in the conversation) probably were the difference in a few games a year going with their incredible gut instincts. And yes, there are coaches who will make a difference in a game a couple of times a season but overall its about getting the right players on campus, getting them in the right order in the lineup and getting a pitching staff top to bottom with good arms. This coaching staff did that this year and the pitchers, more specifically the bullpen (along with one of our starters in particular) have just failed miserably.

I think all of us are just so disheartened by what truly looked like a national championship caliber team that now will be lucky to be a two seed in some SEC teams regional that we are angry and calling out the coaches or the pitching coach in particular is just the quick and easy road and doesnt address the real issue which is what the hell happened to make a staff with this much potential that was so good last year with these same coaches go completely into the ditch.

 

[giveemhell]

I think all of us are just so disheartened by what truly looked like a national championship caliber team that now will be lucky to be a two seed in some SEC teams regional

In many years, like last year, Texas baseball has eased the pain of our under-achieving football and men's basketball teams. When all 3 of our big sports are suffering in the same year, the baseball team's underachievement becomes acutely painful.

 

[Chop]

31-16

...and the best overall stats in the conference, plus the #2 and #4 pitchers in the conference.

If we don't get a regional, we'll be one heck of a spoiler in somebody else's regional. I wouldn't want to have this batting lineup as the #2 seed in my regional--if I was some other team...

Inconsistent, but very dangerous, these Longhorns...

 

[FWHORN]

Chop,

Your enthusiasm always makes me feel a little better, thanks for the optimism which has been in short supply these last few days.

 

[SabreHorn]

With these performances, how the hell do we get better than a third seed?

 

[Chop]

I still hope we get our own regional. If not, then if we go 5-6 or 6-6, plus mid-week wins, and win at least a game at the conference tourney, then we'd probably be sitting around #18-25. That would put us at a 2 seed, probably playing someone from 8-16 (some very beatable teams). If we do worse for the remainder of the season and in the tourney, we're probably sitting around 25-30, and as low as 35. That's still a 2 seed if we're #32 or better, but we'd likely draw one of the better #1 hosts. As long as it's not Tennessee... (or Miami, or UCLA, or Arkansas...). If we fall off a cliff, we'll be a #3 seed, and who knows where...?

Still UT is not somebody I'd want to see in my regional--if I was another team hosting a regional.

 

[Chop]

Texas State is sitting at #17, one spot away from hosting a regional. If we don't get our own regional, that would be a nice draw.

 

[aUTfan]

31-16

...and the best overall stats in the conference, plus the #2 and #4 pitchers in the conference.

If we don't get a regional, we'll be one heck of a spoiler in somebody else's regional. I wouldn't want to have this batting lineup as the #2 seed in my regional--if I was some other team...

Inconsistent, but very dangerous, these Longhorns...

I agree, someone is going to throw and fit with the selection committee for putting us in their regional and the top team is going to be scared to death that that our pitching will show up.

 

[WJHorn]

I do not absolve the coaches totally but the majority of this is on the bullpen and its total disappearance. Coaches are an easy scapegoat but this coaching staff put in place an elite staff with elite to very good arms at starting rotation, long relief, short relief, and closer and there has just been a complete failure by the bullpen to do its job. That is on the players not the coaches.

This isnt football or basketball where a scheme by the coaches is critical, this is baseball, and like it or not coaching plays far less a role in actual games at this level. Managing at this level is about setting up a lineup and a rotation and this staff did everything any other staff would have done when it came to the rotation and the lineup. This is on the players, its their failure.

This abortion of a season is partially on the players, but we have coaches for a reason - and that is to get these young men to play up to their potential. When we've had teams with strong player leadership (e.g., Clemens in 2018 and Antico last year) to hold everyone to account - and with some luck - we've made the CWS. But when we don't have that, Pierce and his staff have no clue how to motivate players and remind them that "the pride and winning tradition of the University of Texas will not be entrusted to the timid or the weak". He should have been fired the Monday after we finished LAST in the Big XII in 2019. That should NEVER, EVER happen at the University of Texas. But it looks like we're going to give it another try here in 2022. We'll keep trotting out the same rag arms (even though we have twenty six pitchers on the roster, many of whom we've scarcely seen), along with our 2B, who is having one of the worst sophomore slumps I have ever seen but continues to play in front of a Vandy transfer. It's no wonder this team can't build or sustain any confidence. To think, if we had done the right thing in 2019, we could've had Schlossnagle. Instead aggy has him and we have this joker.

 

[WorsterMan]

One word describes that debacle Sunday:

Bullpen

or Pigpen might be more descriptive.

 

[Creek]

Hansen, Stevens, Nixon have gotten worse.Witt got injured. The Bullpen is low performing.
All points to Sam Allen.
The hitting coach-Tulow? should get a raise…

 

[Reason's Voice]

I've followed Horns baseball since the last season of Clark Field in 1974. Other than the losses in the CWS finals, the Sunday loss to OSU was the most painful that I can ever remember. Disgraceful.

In the subject inning, we hit 2 and walked 5. That's 7 free passes. That's 4 runs, if OSU doesn't even touch the ball. I do not understand, with over 20 pitchers on the roster, why we keep trotting out the same guys over and over, some of whom have never succeeded one time.

A big part of coaching is making adjustments-- our coaching staff has proven that they are either not capable or not interested in making necessary adjustments, and not capable of coaching up the pitchers to do so. Last year, we had a good run. We weren't faced with this type of collapse last year and thus adjustments were not necessary. They are now, and we're not making them.

I'm constitutionally opposed to the coaching merry-go-round in which some programs constantly engage. But, I'm completely fed up with Pierce- the next time he goes to one of these non-performers in a close game, i'm going to throw a shoe through the TV.

 

[Vol Horn 4 Life]

I do not absolve the coaches totally but the majority of this is on the bullpen and its total disappearance.

I agree with part of what you said, but when it comes to pitching that's a very sensitive position. I don't remember his name, but back in the 90's there was a DOMINANT closer for the Phillie's I think. No one could hit him until he blew a world series game. He disappeared after that and was never really to be seen again.

When pitchers are having a hard time it's the pitching coach who is responsible for getting them into a head space that is better. Pitchers will lean more on coaching for ways to get back. If the coach doesn't know what he's doing it will get worse.

I'm not talking about Pierce, I'm talking about Allen. He's in over his head and has no idea how to fix it.

 

[FWHORN]

I agree with part of what you said, but when it comes to pitching that's a very sensitive position. I don't remember his name, but back in the 90's there was a DOMINANT closer for the Phillie's I think. No one could hit him until he blew a world series game. He disappeared after that and was never really to be seen again.

I think it was Mitch "wild thing" Williams

 

[Chop]

We need a pitching staff psychologist.

 

[Vol Horn 4 Life]

I think it was Mitch "wild thing" Williams

Yup, that's the guy. Pitching minds are fragile things. We need a pitching version of a slump buster.

 

[earl77]

"Baseball is a cruel game, much like golf."

 

[earl77]

I miss Augie

 

[Texanne]

Most years lately we’ve had abysmal hitting and stellar pitching. Years went by with not even a hope of a sac fly.

This year we have abysmal pitching and stellar hitting. It’s so nice to look at the lineup and not see anybody hitting less than .200. There were years when four or five of our starters were under the Mendoza line.

There’s got to be a happy medium somewhere: pitching that’s good enough to win coupled with an offense that is good enough to win. I just don’t know how to find that happy medium.

 

[Chop]

And….after all that….

We’re back in the top 8.
In the only ranking that matters.
That’s better than Tennessee, Okla State, Miss State, Miami, UVA, Florida, FSU, Wake, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Va Tech, Gonzaga, UCLA, LSU, Maryland, Tech, TCU, and a bunch of other highly acclaimed teams.

I wouldn’t want to face our batting lineup if I was another team in Omaha.