Tulane vs. Texas Game 3

[Htown77]

Attended one of our losses this weekend. I have to admit, if there is no miracle turnaround, it is time for Augie to retire. I am going to have to change to NBHorn7's side. This team is better than the way they are playing. They seem to be getting worse at the fundamentals. I wanted to see Augie get to 2,000, but that was up to him to make it happen. Unless there is a miracle turnaround in conference play or the conference tournament and postseason, it's not going to happen.

 

[car54]

Our AD will not fire Augie. We are stuck with this quality of baseball until a new AD is hired or Augie decides to retire.

 

[car54]

We should do much better in conference play. The Big 12 is down this year...Baylor, OU are weak and Kansas is Kansas. KSU is scrappy but not really good. Tech is pretty decent, as is WVU ( given up 6 runs only twice aside from TCU sweep ) and OSU is ok. TCU is going to win the conference, so expect a sweep by the Frogs.

 

[Horn87]

Attended one of our losses this weekend. I have to admit, if there is no miracle turnaround, it is time for Augie to retire. I am going to have to change to NBHorn7's side. This team is better than the way they are playing. They seem to be getting worse at the fundamentals. I wanted to see Augie get to 2,000, but that was up to him to make it happen. Unless there is a miracle turnaround in conference play or the conference tournament and postseason, it's not going to happen.

I, too, was at one of the losses this weekend (the opening of double-header on Saturday). Disappointing in that we have no hitting, especially timely, and no bullpen. Afraid it may be time for Augie to go, 2000 wins be-damned

 

[56 Bells]

Everybody but you, knows what has been critical for years, now the fielding is terrible too. Who's responsible for this?

Anytime somebody like the poster above makes reference to this. Here you come with something about the pitching, the only good phase of the game, Texas has had, even shorthanded.

Everybody also knows why you do this.

Skip is the only thing that has kept Augie from being put on a permanent time out, years ago. This staff is shorthanded if you haven't noticed.

But keep trying, when is the cutoff date for the young hitters coming around for the sixth year?

By all means reference these seven games, if you can. You mean like the misplayed fly balls, that have already cost Texas two games this season. Maybe the pop up in College Station.

NBHorn,
I always appreciate your information. We just don't agree! I'm at every game....have been for many many years. A coach can't be blamed when a player drops a routine foul ball. Just like in football, the head coach can't be blamed when a player drops a pass. It's just part of the game.
BUT decisions by coaches can be scrutinized---who they choose to play at certain positions and why....etc. As I've said FIVE HUNDRED times: Skip's a good pitching coach. BUT he constantly makes pitching changes at inopportune times. This year, thus far, those decisions have cost us 7 games. You told me, specifically, that Skip makes ALL pitching decisions---not our head coach. So he needs to take responsibility for those decisions.

I watch teams come in here to play with 1/3rd (or less) of the pitching staff we have. The pitching coaches are not constantly changing pitchers on whims. We do....and then we say we're "shorthanded" by the end of the series. Every time a pitching change is made, you're getting the "unknown." You never know when a pitcher is going to have his stuff or not. If a pitcher is pitching well enough, it might be best to let him continue pitching---thus saving the bullpen and not relying on the "unknown." It's not like we have a Houston Street in the bullpen waiting to close it out.
Skip hand-picked this pitching staff when we recruited. They have a lot of great potential, and I, personally, think they'll be doing well very soon. But right now, they're scared, uncomfortable, and have no confidence (esp. the younger ones). Surely Skip should see that.
As much as you want UT to dump Augie and have Skip replace him, I have no confidence in the "unknown" with Skip. I look at his abilities to bring pitchers around....he's great at it. But his decision-making makes me really question his ability to be our head coach immediately.
Augie has gotten us 2 national championships, and he's got a couple more left in him. You don't fire the best coach in baseball on a "whim" just because players aren't making the plays.
If Skip can get the pitching staff together, I think we'll have a great Big XII season. And if Augie can get the player's heads into the game for 100% of the game, the errors will disappear, and we'll be on our way to "re-do" the season and make a run for the Big XII and the postseason.
We've even been outhitting our opponents, but our pitching staff can't come through in the 8th-9th innings. But I think they have the ability to get there, if Skip doesn't ruin what confidence they might have left. Each time they're set up for failure, and fail, the mountain gets harder and harder to climb,mentally.
Hitting is slowly coming around...we're outhitting opponents again.....the players are too good to continue with the 2-3 errors per game....now we need the pitching staff to "come of age." Skip needs to dance longer with the ones who get us in the position to win the games vs. running to the bullpen every chance he has. Once Skip develops the pitchers and helps them regain their confidence, perhaps he'll find a closer.

I say "have faith in UT's players....have faith in the system....and have faith in our great head coach."

 

[NBHorn7]

I have been following UT baseball since 1977. Nobody is bigger than the program, Coach Gus wasn't and was let go, he had the most wins in college baseball then. He was a former Texas player and an icon in Longhorn sports, but it was time for him to go.

Part of being a great coach is knowing when to hang it up, when your hurting or not advancing the program any more. DKR retired at 52, because he knew this. He hated all the cheating in recruiting and he knew he was not doing the job anymore. He could have held on too, but to his credit, he didn't.

I defended Augie when others wanted him fired, after his first two terrible seasons, he was getting his team together.

That isn't the case anymore, the facts are the facts. Gus had a system then too, it was still time for him to go. Augie has two more national championships in him? I don't even know what to say to that, this is the blind loyalty I refer to. I can't do that for any coach. Age catches up to us all sooner or later, if you feel you can't get out there and do your job anymore, you should retire. That's why there are very few coaches in their 70's in major college sports, much less their late 70's.

At the very most, Augie gets possibly next season, do you really not know this? So your saying in reality that Texas is going to win the national championship this year and next year? That's borderline delusional in all honesty.

I have faith in the program, when it's obvious that the program is being hurt by lack of effort by coaches, then it's time for them to retire or be let go.

That is what has been going on for a long time, as I said Harmon was a scapegoat firing, nothing has improved. The recruiting has suffered because it wasn't being done, with the effort required. They bring in Nicholson, who didn't know the Texas recruiting scene. He can't even coach third base, because he doesn't know what he is doing there. He had to be replaced by our pitching coach, who has a full plate of his own already.

The fielding is terrible on a field turf surface that assures consistently good hops for the most part.

The hitting has been the major problem for years, that shouldn't have happened and it sure shouldn't be going on this long. This isn't conjecture, these are hard facts, not a whim. Thinking this program is going to win two more national championships under the present regime, is what is whimsical. It's just the baseball equivalent of whistling by the Disch-Faulk graveyard, not the one south of it. Texas hasn't even hosted a regional since 2012, I'm not looking for one there this year either.

The pitching has been the only aspect of the game, that has kept the program afloat, during this period. It saved the jobs of the other coaches, this is also a hard fact. Without the CWS run and the Big 12 Tournament win, both keyed by remarkable pitching performances, this discussion would be moot.

 

[Brad Austin]

At 8-12 this season could be over by Sunday. Tonight is a must-win, IMHO. No way we can afford to begin conference against #6 TCU at 5 games below .500.

In this crucial game we are giving Freshman Nick Kennedy his first start as the opening act of a likely staff effort. Playing with fire in a game we badly need.

Kennedy has yet to throw 2 full innings in a college game...

4 games, 4.2 IP, 7.76 ERA, 8 hits, 2 BB, 4 ER's, .364 OBA

So let's say our grab-bag pitching approach tonight results in a loss. We enter TCU 8-13. There's no chance of recovery from 9-15 or 8-16 when we fail to win that series.

I'd have put huge emphasis (better starter) on winning tonight and at least taking one from TCU. 10-14 wouldn't be pretty, but is still breathing. Anything less than 2-2 this week is a death sentence. Lose tonight and those two wins are highly doubtful.

By losing to UTSA and the series against TCU, we'll either be 6 or 8 games below .500. Good luck overcoming that deficit, never happen. Must-win tonight. Hope the lax pitching choice pays off in this season-defining moment.

 

[NBHorn7]

Cooper is going to start being used in weekend series now, where he is vitally needed, he might pitch an inning or two, if needed. Sawyer remains on the shelf.

Who would you start? Kennedy will be on a short leash most likely, but only other freshmen, Duke, and Malmin are available. You want to really pitch one of the weekend starters? Midweek starters aren't really starters often anyway. Somebody has to start, Cooper has been doing that for evaluation purposes. How many times have you seen multiple pitchers used in midweek games?

You should be able to beat UTSA, without using the top line pitching, in a home game.

If Texas can't do that, they don't deserve to go anywhere. UTSA has a team era of like 5.07. If a midweek home game against UTSA is your season defining moment, what does that say about the current baseball progam? You know, the one that is going to win two more national championships.

You should be able to put some runs up I would hope.

The conference as a whole is pretty bad, except for TCU and maybe OSU, that may be the saving grace, to maybe make the post season.

 

[Brad Austin]

I agree with what you're saying under normal circumstances. But 8-12 with one game left until a daunting match-up with #6 TCU is far from our norm after 20 games.

If you don't think the difference between 9-12 and 8-13 heading into TCU is season-defining, I don't know what to tell you.

I'm certainly not in favor of pulling one of the weekend starters to pitch on a Tuesday. Not what I'm saying at all. Just that I have serious reservations starting Kennedy and risking being down 3-0 after a few innings with our inconsistent bats.

Our weekend rotation will improve with Cooper moving there, but I'd wait a week and let him secure this crucial win to keep us near .500 before playing the best opponent we've faced all season. The same season we've already lost 12 of 20 to lesser teams.

Johnston, Culbreth, and Mayes as the weekend rotation is the least of our problems and could handle it another week. 3 weekend starters under 2.63 ERA is solid enough to win.

It's crucial we stop the bleeding now. Cooper is our best chance for that and then could make his move next week.

 

[NBHorn7]

I'm telling you that I would take my chances against UTSA. This game won't make any difference, if you get swept by TCU.

You need all your bullets this weekend, we are short on ammo. Also remember the TCU series starts on Thursday, so you have to juggle the pitching staff accordingly for that.

 

[Brad Austin]

I understand what you're saying. I also think if we won tonight with Cooper but couldn't beat TCU once with our normal weekend rotation this season is done anyway.

Basically it sucks we are even debating this nonsense. The bottom line is even having this conversation tells me this season is a wash.

It's a shame we have 4 really solid starting pitchers getting wasted by poor relief, shoddy defense, and inconsistent hitting. Those 4 starters are good enough to have this team 15-5 with capable support instead of 8-12.

 

[NBHorn7]

I totally agree with you, your damned if you do, or if you don't. That is the state we are in, shouldn't be this way, but it is.

It's why I make all those posts like the one's above.

We actually have 5 solid starters, but Sawyer has pitched only two innings this season, due to injury. Losing Hollingsworth was also a real blow.

One or two of these starters would certainly shore up that bullpen, I have heard nothing about Sawyer since the first week of the season, just he has a sore arm. That could mean a lot of things, he is really needed back.

 

[car54]

Skip tries to coach like he is in MLB pulling pitchers for lefty/righty match-ups and such. That crap doesn't work well in college due to " you don't know what you are getting" from one game or inning to the next with these young guys.

 

[ViperHorn]

I have faith in the program, when it's obvious that the program is being hurt by lack of effort by coaches, then it's time for them to retire or be let go.

This. The HC is responsible for the product on the field. If one of his assistants isn't up to the task and the HC doesn't correct the situation, the HC is the responsible party.