I remember, he wasn’t the pitching coach that year. Even Allen admitted he didn’t know anything about pitching and told Pierce that. I’m not knocking Allen’s ability as a recruiter and fielding coach, but he’s no pitching coach, at least not yet. And I’m not trying to **** on Pierce overall, just that he made a bad decision. Pierce has some really good baseball qualities. Hopefully he knows to keep a good pitching coach on staff and with the kind of talent we have coming in, if he loses Woody, I would highly recommend sparing no expense for one.
Portal Transfers & Recruits
- Thread starter Chop
- Start date
I remember, he wasn’t the pitching coach that year. Even Allen admitted he didn’t know anything about pitching and told Pierce that. I’m not knocking Allen’s ability as a recruiter and fielding coach, but he’s no pitching coach, at least not yet. And I’m not trying to **** on Pierce overall, just that he made a bad decision. Pierce has some really good baseball qualities. Hopefully he knows to keep a good pitching coach on staff and with the kind of talent we have coming in, if he loses Woody, I would highly recommend sparing no expense for one.
6/20/2023
At this point in time, we have 3 incoming transfers from the portal, and we've lost 3 players to the portal. Looking at whether the incoming players are an improvement over the outgoing players could be helpful.
Incoming: Cummings, Werchan, Rigney
Outgoing: Minchey, Burke, Daly
Werchan's bat looks roughly equivalent to Daly's, but Werchan can bunt really, really well. Plus, Werchan has blazing speed. Over 20 stolen bases. OF vs. IF, so it's sort of an apples-to-oranges comparison though. If Werchan is an opening day starter in our OF, that's not a good sign IMHO. But he will have important situational roles to play.
Cummings looks like a slide-in replacement for one of our very good OF this year. A very good pickup. A or A+
Rigney is an A- pitcher, if he stays healthy. Good-to-very good pickup, if he stays healthy.
Minchey was a project, but a very interesting project with good velocity. Next year, he'll probably still be a development/project sort of guy. His Junior or Senior year, he could be ready. He's got good stuff. A lot of people are rooting for this guy due to his interesting home-schooled/no high school baseball background. I hope he goes far, provided he doesn't transfer to OU or something...
Burke's transfer was a loss for us. IMHO, Burke was underutilized. His numbers were quite good, yet he didn't get enough innings. There may be something in the dugout or at practice that happened? I'd put Burke as an A- college relief pitcher. He may have hit his ceiling, but his ceiling is a sub-3.00 ERA, sub-1.50 WHIP, and without too many walks. In other words, a good college reliever.
Overall, I think we're slightly ahead in ranking our incoming vs. outgoing transfers at this point. If Rigney stays healthy and comes through, we're noticeably ahead overall, at this point.
At this point in time, we have 3 incoming transfers from the portal, and we've lost 3 players to the portal. Looking at whether the incoming players are an improvement over the outgoing players could be helpful.
Incoming: Cummings, Werchan, Rigney
Outgoing: Minchey, Burke, Daly
Werchan's bat looks roughly equivalent to Daly's, but Werchan can bunt really, really well. Plus, Werchan has blazing speed. Over 20 stolen bases. OF vs. IF, so it's sort of an apples-to-oranges comparison though. If Werchan is an opening day starter in our OF, that's not a good sign IMHO. But he will have important situational roles to play.
Cummings looks like a slide-in replacement for one of our very good OF this year. A very good pickup. A or A+
Rigney is an A- pitcher, if he stays healthy. Good-to-very good pickup, if he stays healthy.
Minchey was a project, but a very interesting project with good velocity. Next year, he'll probably still be a development/project sort of guy. His Junior or Senior year, he could be ready. He's got good stuff. A lot of people are rooting for this guy due to his interesting home-schooled/no high school baseball background. I hope he goes far, provided he doesn't transfer to OU or something...
Burke's transfer was a loss for us. IMHO, Burke was underutilized. His numbers were quite good, yet he didn't get enough innings. There may be something in the dugout or at practice that happened? I'd put Burke as an A- college relief pitcher. He may have hit his ceiling, but his ceiling is a sub-3.00 ERA, sub-1.50 WHIP, and without too many walks. In other words, a good college reliever.
Overall, I think we're slightly ahead in ranking our incoming vs. outgoing transfers at this point. If Rigney stays healthy and comes through, we're noticeably ahead overall, at this point.
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good point comparing what’s come in so far and what’s left.
I’m not excited about Werchan cause he doesn’t replace anyone evenly that we lost but like you mention, he could be very useful bunting people over and putting stress on a defense situationally.
Ditto what you said about Rigney, health a big concern.
Cummings appears to be an even replacement for EK or Campbell so that’s ONE.
as for the losses:
I loved Daly, hate to see him go, great kid but in Texas, he’s easily replaceable, too many great gloves and arms here and his bat should be easy to replace, in fact, several incoming freshmen could replace his defense.
Burke- I guess it’s a toss up, I mean we didn’t have many guys in the pen that could throw strikes and he did but he’s like Ace, not crafty enough and not a great fastball to last more than an inning or two in D1 but definitely helped us out. TBD on his loss but I’m going to say it’s an overall negative loss.
Minchey- didn’t really help our team so I think easily replaced.
I think we're counting on Belyeu to bat over 0.300 and hit 10+ homers. He's got the speed and range. If that happens, then we've got 2 of our OF positions nailed down. The 3rd will need to be a portal transfer or an incoming Freshman.
Then, there's Thomas with a good bat and blazing speed. If somebody else can bat like a 1st baseman should, and play the position well enough, then Thomas could be an OF as needed.
I haven't heard any reports on Schuesler's recovery. I think it was a finger/hand injury. He has a good bat and could play C, DH, and maybe 1B.
Then, there's Thomas with a good bat and blazing speed. If somebody else can bat like a 1st baseman should, and play the position well enough, then Thomas could be an OF as needed.
I haven't heard any reports on Schuesler's recovery. I think it was a finger/hand injury. He has a good bat and could play C, DH, and maybe 1B.
Yes, he was.
This is taken from the following profile from UT:
Sean Allen - Baseball Coach - University of Texas Athletics
Dang time flies fast, I stand corrected. he was given assistant coach of the year for coaching the lowest era his first year in the position with only 17 games under his belt (I’m not sure why they even handed out an award for that year). His 2021 campaign wasn’t terrible but the wheels fell off in the 2022 campaign was a total disaster. I do remember him telling Pierce he didn’t know anything about pitching though and at Texas I think that was a bad decision. This isn’t Tulane or Sam Houston St. where he can get away with poor decisions like that and it can cost him his job here. I heard from inside the program that the pitchers were having to find and use their own pitching coaches more so than usual because of it.
Do you think putting Allen at pitching coach was a smart decision? Or that he deserved another year in the role after the 2022 season??
I don't think it was either bad or good. It was what it was. He had been with Pierce a long time, and DP was trying to broaden his experience. Allen did some good, and when the wheels came off, he had to take the blame, which he did. I said then, and I still say, tho, that a pitching coach's job at this level is not to teach pitchers how to throw strikes. If you need an outside coach to help you with that, then you do not belong here. I mainly was taking issue with your assessment that he was "a total disaster".
I know you are trying to soften how wrong you were, but you again are wrong. He earned his ACOY award after the 2021 season, not 2020.
I wasn’t trying to soften ****!! I was wrong about the timeline and don’t care, I damn sure ain’t wrong about horrible a pitching coach he was. He sucked and the players thought so too!! You are on your own in this one.
I wasn’t even advocating for him to be fired, just merely said it was a poor decision by Pierce to put someone in that position at a school like Texas, put him back at recruiting/defensive coach or if he is asking to develop more as a coach than he would have needed to leave this team, go to a lesser college to develop his pitching coach skills. Pierce did him a great disservice with that move. This is a premier baseball school, I don’t believe you put unqualified coaches in a position so crucial for team success.
would you be ok with Sark naming Bo Davis the QB coach for 2023? That’s essentially what Pierce done.
There are many examples of unqualified coaches or players winning awards they shouldn’t have. Les miles winning the national championship with Sabans kids at LSU, les is not a great coach, I could probably argue he isn’t even a good coach but he didn’t screw it up the year he took over. It finally caught up to him, I don’t know if he won coach of the year or not but pretty good example of what I’m talking about and then he couldn’t do squat at Kansas either.
would you be ok with Sark naming Bo Davis the QB coach for 2023? That’s essentially what Pierce done.
There are many examples of unqualified coaches or players winning awards they shouldn’t have. Les miles winning the national championship with Sabans kids at LSU, les is not a great coach, I could probably argue he isn’t even a good coach but he didn’t screw it up the year he took over. It finally caught up to him, I don’t know if he won coach of the year or not but pretty good example of what I’m talking about and then he couldn’t do squat at Kansas either.
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Mercer has one year of eligibility left, according to some, he was the best pitcher out of the bullpen. So we have a replacement for one loss from the bullpen. This could help bridge the gap between the incoming freshmen and a depleted bullpen. Still need a lot more help but it’s only been a couple of weeks since the season ended.
I think he'll be pretty good. One of our more frequently-used relievers.I can’t believe the lack of faith displayed here for DuP. It’s like you don’t expect him to contribute anything next year. Some fans. SMH.
Remember, he's had to battle back from surgery several years ago. That's a tough uphill climb that many don't make.
And we were down to only 3 LHP on the roster.
Will Mercer
LHP
Grad transfer from Notre Dame
2.43 ERA
1.09 WHIP
37 Strikeouts
14 Walks
0.185 Opp. Batting Avg.
33.1 Innings
Had surgery several years ago.
"LHP Will Mercer (SR) ... Top lefty relief arm for the Irish. Was a starter for Notre Dame his first two years on campus, but has stepped back into a bullpen role this year. So far so good." (Mercer has also started)
"The 2023 season was easily the best of Will Mercer’s career, which began with missing his freshman campaign because of Tommy John surgery way back in 2019. With 18 career starts, it seems the full-time move to the bullpen really paid off for the Houston native, who will be a sixth-year super senior next season."
"A solid match-up option." (faint praise from that guy...)
https://www.kxan.com/sports/texas-baseball-lands-lefty-will-mercer-from-transfer-portal/
Opponent Preview: Notre Dame
Irish pitching prowess has Notre Dame eyeing national title // The Observer
Arkansas Would Gain a Lot By Raiding NCAA’s Most Gutted Baseball Team
LHP
Grad transfer from Notre Dame
2.43 ERA
1.09 WHIP
37 Strikeouts
14 Walks
0.185 Opp. Batting Avg.
33.1 Innings
Had surgery several years ago.
"LHP Will Mercer (SR) ... Top lefty relief arm for the Irish. Was a starter for Notre Dame his first two years on campus, but has stepped back into a bullpen role this year. So far so good." (Mercer has also started)
"The 2023 season was easily the best of Will Mercer’s career, which began with missing his freshman campaign because of Tommy John surgery way back in 2019. With 18 career starts, it seems the full-time move to the bullpen really paid off for the Houston native, who will be a sixth-year super senior next season."
"A solid match-up option." (faint praise from that guy...)
https://www.kxan.com/sports/texas-baseball-lands-lefty-will-mercer-from-transfer-portal/
Opponent Preview: Notre Dame
Irish pitching prowess has Notre Dame eyeing national title // The Observer
Arkansas Would Gain a Lot By Raiding NCAA’s Most Gutted Baseball Team
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Will Mercer is an 'A' grade relief pitcher. He was Notre Dame's top reliever. He started for two years at Notre Dame before moving to the pen, and he's posted good numbers against good competition. Things are starting to look pretty good on the portal front.
Your Wrong
500+ Posts
We should do well in the mercenary game. That’s two potentially great pitching additions.
The biggest questions will be the young guys that initially came to Texas. How much will they contribute? Not in playing time but production.
The biggest questions will be the young guys that initially came to Texas. How much will they contribute? Not in playing time but production.
"The biggest questions will be the young guys that initially came to Texas. How much will they contribute? Not in playing time but production."
Ace Whitehead - capable of quality innings as a closer, middle reliever, or starter. His "stuff" doesn't turn heads, but he's very reliable. A reliably decent pitcher.
Lummus - A good to very good reliever. Had the best stats (WHIP in particular) of anyone in our bullpen, not named Shaw, last year (I think). He could be one of the mainstays out of our pen this year. If he puts up similar numbers to 2023, he'll be doing quite well. Could be all-conference material as a relief pitcher. He's another guy who could even move into a starting role if needed.
Grubbs - Ground ball pitcher/sinker-slider guy. He's been hit pretty hard before, but he should develop into a good pitcher. As a Sophomore, he could be anywhere from middle or situational relief to a mid-week starter. He'll keep developing. Lots of potential in this one.
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Your Wrong
500+ Posts
Maybe Ace can add a mile or two to his fastball. Just an assumption, but I’d assume he’s rather immature in baseball relative to his peers, which should mean more growth can happen. He made a considerable jump from year 1 to year 2. We will see if he can jump some more.
Lummus and Grubbs. I expect continued development and improvement there. I feel positive about them. There’s ton of value in guys who can give you just one great inning per outing. And truthfully, the key in many games is just don’t completely blow up in an inning.
I feel very confident we will put out a good product next year. And really for years to come.
Lummus and Grubbs. I expect continued development and improvement there. I feel positive about them. There’s ton of value in guys who can give you just one great inning per outing. And truthfully, the key in many games is just don’t completely blow up in an inning.
I feel very confident we will put out a good product next year. And really for years to come.
Where is this article?
I've got to read it........like now........
That's how AppleJack died
Pierce George to the portal.
Some folks might say that he was a tad on the wild side...
He needs lots of innings to get his control under control (pun fully intended). He probably wouldn't get them here next year--too many more talented arms in front of him. Good luck to this young man as he finds his way on the baseball diamond and in the world. Never hold any animosity or resentment for those who feel they need to play elsewhere.
I hope he gets that control nailed down and becomes a really good college pitcher (that is, unless he transfers to OU or some such place...). All the best to 95mph+ flame-thrower Pierce George!
Texas pitcher Pierce George in the transfer portal
Some folks might say that he was a tad on the wild side...
He needs lots of innings to get his control under control (pun fully intended). He probably wouldn't get them here next year--too many more talented arms in front of him. Good luck to this young man as he finds his way on the baseball diamond and in the world. Never hold any animosity or resentment for those who feel they need to play elsewhere.
I hope he gets that control nailed down and becomes a really good college pitcher (that is, unless he transfers to OU or some such place...). All the best to 95mph+ flame-thrower Pierce George!
Texas pitcher Pierce George in the transfer portal
Wow, interesting pick up, another lefty, was the #1 rated left handed pitcher from Cali. 2022 but didn't pitch any for Duke this past year. very interesting.
Oliver Santos
That could be a pretty big pick up in my estimation. Helps long term, could help significantly in the short term, he's already apart of the college system so don't have to fret him leaving for the pro's. Sort of leverage against losing someone off the commitment list to the draft.
I"m not gonna lie, this one gets me a little excited. a little because I know we still don't have an offense to go with any pitching we bring in and I would prefer to give our freshman class that already went through a season a shot at playing instead of bringing in a bunch of transfers for offense too. Belyeu, Galvan, J Dup, Flores and O'Hara.
That could be a pretty big pick up in my estimation. Helps long term, could help significantly in the short term, he's already apart of the college system so don't have to fret him leaving for the pro's. Sort of leverage against losing someone off the commitment list to the draft.
I"m not gonna lie, this one gets me a little excited. a little because I know we still don't have an offense to go with any pitching we bring in and I would prefer to give our freshman class that already went through a season a shot at playing instead of bringing in a bunch of transfers for offense too. Belyeu, Galvan, J Dup, Flores and O'Hara.
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Did I miss a post about Guilmette? I hadn't heard he's leaving but he's only a junior and he posted a thank you Texas tweet. Is he going into the draft?
Your Wrong
500+ Posts
They don’t officially declare like football/basketball to my knowledge. Either 21 years of age or3 years service makes them draft eligible - last I knew anyway.
Then it’s just a matter of who picks them and what they offer. And now there’s a competing NIL.
So he’s draft eligible but where he’s playing next year is tbd. Maybe Texas. Maybe not.
Then it’s just a matter of who picks them and what they offer. And now there’s a competing NIL.
So he’s draft eligible but where he’s playing next year is tbd. Maybe Texas. Maybe not.
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