Diamond Hogs in Post-Season?

[Kenny Dowell Loggains]

LSU was tough to watch!  Just seeing how all of you think the Diamond Hogs will fare in the post-season?  Regional champs?  Super Regional Champs?  Contender in the CWS?

[razorjacket2006]

Definatly CONTENDERS

[hogfan064]

There's no reason to believe that the Hogs will be in the CWS.   Most years the SEC sends 2-4 teams to Omaha.  There's no doubt Arkansas is one of the SEC's top 3 teams.

[PAHog]

Less than a trip to Omaha would be a disappointment.  If we can pick the bats up off of our shoulders, we got a shot at a title.

[razorpimp]

I have a feeling they will follow the leaders (our other programs) and falter in the post season.....those losses to LSU hurt....they are very down this year and from what I saw, our team looked a little intimidated....that doesn't bode well for the postseason.

[jst01]

the one thing you should never do when playing an inferior team at home is let them set the pace of the game!  they came out more aggressive than us in everyway in Sundays game.  Yes we have been well above average this year hitting with 2 outs, but that wont continue.  If they dont start to get aggressive at the plate then we may not make it to the Super's. 

[Hollywood_HOGan45]

for some reason, most of our good teams just seem to falter down the stretch.

[coach, my back hurts]

I will be surprised to see this team in the SuperReg.  We are tiny and have no feared hitters......AT ALL.

The only thing we have is above avg pitching.  I didnt watch Schmidt pitch Friday, but i saw Todd and Welker throw and  WAS NOT impressed with either.  And the way Schmidt has been struggling it leads to believe that is all they are is just avg.

I dont know if its DVH style of play or its Butlers way of teaching, but something has got to change.  All we are is a little team that is scrappy.  Teams like that get bitch slapped when post season rolls around.  I understand we have done well in conf, but understand that it is a little easier to gamble on that SacFly from 2nd base when a trip to the WS isnt on the line.  Just another SEC game when you have 28 more to go.

And IMO, depending on who we get in our Reg, we may not make the Reg championship game.  Just being real with the product i saw.

[BigDave70]

It will be a different looking team by the time the regionals get here

[coach, my back hurts]

It will be a different looking team by the time the regionals get here

You could be right.  What i saw this weekend was a team that plays like it is playing their 50 game of the season.  They looked flat and the crowd was flat.  I got to the game about the 3rd inning Sat and i dont recall 1 HogCall the rest of game.  Excluding the 7th inning HogCall.

I think the attitude could, and should, be different come Regional time.  Players and fans alike.  Sometimes in baseball the long season can become stagnant(SP).  Hopefully we can hold on for 3-4 more weeks until June1st.

[hogman64]

I think CWS.. you cant judge a baseball team by a series.........just look at the whole year,  think we definitly are one of the top two teams in the SEC and top 8 in the nation...........Main need.......someone to step up as a middle reliever.........keep thinking maybe Dallas K. could do it.........

[BigDave70]

Between Dallas K and Hill I think we might have a chance in the middle innings if we need them, But this is'nt DVH's first rodeo he knows what he's doing

[WhenPigsFly]

You guys saying we won't get out of our regional are only going off what we looked like this weekend.   We are much better than we showed against LSU.

You hit the regionals and there are no SEC teams to play against and it's a lot different.

[PintailKiller]

Baseball is not like the other sports, thats why they play so many games.  1 series does not make a year.  The Hogs have proven that they can play with and beat the best in the nation.  They will be fine.  Schmidt, Todd, and Welker will be fine and are above average pithcers.  No-one wins them all and everyone has off nights - otherwise AJ Burnett would throw no-hitters every time out.

[PorcineSublime]

You guys saying we won't get out of our regional are only going off what we looked like this weekend.   We are much better than we showed against LSU.

You hit the regionals and there are no SEC teams to play against and it's a lot different.

I agree 100%, we did not look good this weekend, but we have beaten many of the best teams in the country and handled them well at that. We were a lost ball in RF from sweeping the #1 team in the country. If you look at the teams we struggled against this year, it was teams we should have beaten easily.

We will not have letdowns in the regional, someone will have to take it from us. A super regional will be a little tougher though, especially if we don't get to host. I would still pit our top three pitchers against anyone elses for three games, but home field can be a big deal in the playoffs. The road to Omaha must go through Fayetteville (SR) or we will likely fall short.

[hogman64]

I bet there are not 5 teams in the country that have a better 3 man rotation than Welker, Schmidt and Todd.........that's BIG once we get in regionals and super..........

[WhenPigsFly]

Other teams have the same pitching problems (depth) as we do , some much more.  A 2 or 3 regional seed will not have more depth than we do.  That doesnt mean they can't win, but we will definitely be in the driver's seat.    Being the 1 seed in our regional this year (which we will be) will make a huge difference than being the 2 as last year.

[Publius]

I agree that you shouldn't judge a team by one weekend series, and that LSU has been playing much better ball than they were earlier in the year (by the way, they play Vandy next weekend so maybe they can help us out).  But with that said, I don't like the trend we have developed lately of not getting the big two out hit and leaving too many runners on base.  It started with the Saturday debacle at Auburn, when we had the bases loaded at least twice early on and could not get the big hit to ice the game...and the rest is history in what so far is the worst and most significant loss of the year.  We did this same thing at the end of last year when we struggled to beat Princeton and looked just awful in the Fayetteville regional.  If that trend continues, then there will be no super regional in Fayetteville, let alone a CWS experience, regardless of how good our pitching is.  Starting pitching is always important but it is not nearly as important as it is in the big leagues. In the college game, you have got to score runs and I just hope that we don't see a repeat of the deep freeze our hitters went into last season at this time.

[WhenPigsFly]

This team hits the ball much better than last year's team.  Walker is really the only weak spot in the lineup and he is coming on (as usual) at the end of the season.

We will not open the Regional this year against a team that has beaten us twice (ORU last year), but will play a weak 4 seed.  Then we'll see a 2 or 3 seed that has used it's ace to win the previous day.

In our rotation, all three have been our "ace" at one time or another.  Right now, it's appears Todd is our ace, and he would pitch that second game.

[Publius]

This team hits the ball much better than last year's team.  Walker is really the only weak spot in the lineup and he is coming on (as usual) at the end of the season.

We will not open the Regional this year against a team that has beaten us twice (ORU last year), but will play a weak 4 seed.  Then we'll see a 2 or 3 seed that has used it's ace to win the previous day.

In our rotation, all three have been our "ace" at one time or another.  Right now, it's appears Todd is our ace, and he would pitch that second game.

There's no question that this team is better than last year's, but the two out hitting has to improve for this team to go deep into post season.  I agree with the comment about Todd; IMO, he is the hottest arm we have and as of now, is the ace of the staff (3-0 with 2 complete games and 1 near complete game over his last 3 SEC starts).

[chiefsfan]

For those of you that say the Hogs have the best 3-man rotation in the country, you may be correct. However, there are no perfect pitchers and all it takes in the postseason is a bad pitching game or two and the season is over.  Or, look at the Cardinals last night against Colorado and you will find an example of a well-pitched game but the Cardinals hitters swallowed their bats and canceled out a good pitching performance, losing 3-2.

A Regional can be won with a minimum of three games  only if the championship team does not lose a game, but in reality, most winning teams have to play 4 or 5 games in 4 days. Do you see 4-5 games worth of pitching depth on the Hogs baseball team? Remember that DVH has been steadfast in only pitching Schmidt once per weekend.

that wont necessarilly be true in the postseason.  we might see different rotations.  For instance, DVH might throw Todd on Friday against a mid major, and save Schmidt for a Saturday game against a major conference team.   Welker throws on Sunday.  Keuchel starts the fourth game, if a fifth game is needed, it isnt till Monday, and Evan Cox would start, and Todd could be available for a few innings

[WhenPigsFly]

I will be surprised to see this team in the SuperReg.  We are tiny and have no feared hitters......AT ALL.

The only thing we have is above avg pitching.  I didnt watch Schmidt pitch Friday, but i saw Todd and Welker throw and  WAS NOT impressed with either.  And the way Schmidt has been struggling it leads to believe that is all they are is just avg.

I dont know if its DVH style of play or its Butlers way of teaching, but something has got to change.  All we are is a little team that is scrappy.  Teams like that get bitch slapped when post season rolls around.  I understand we have done well in conf, but understand that it is a little easier to gamble on that SacFly from 2nd base when a trip to the WS isnt on the line.  Just another SEC game when you have 28 more to go.

And IMO, depending on who we get in our Reg, we may not make the Reg championship game.  Just being real with the product i saw.

Hate to bother you with the facts, but here goes (these are for SEC games only):

Batting average--3rd in the league
Doubles--1st in the league
Home Runs--2nd in the league
Runs scored--1st in the league

If this is a team that is just "scrappy" then they need to keep on scrappin'!

[jst01]

I didnt watch Schmidt pitch Friday, but i saw Todd and Welker throw and  WAS NOT impressed with either. 

what?!?   Todd has done nothing but be dominant.  You had to notice the stuff he had.  It was breaking the last 10 feet and fooling every hitter that came to the plate!!  they knew for a fact that he was going to try and throw the slider as his out pitch and he did it anyway to EVERYONE.  His stuff is nasty and if you didnt notice then you've been paying attention to the wrong things when watching ball. 

[chiefsfan]

but i saw Todd and Welker throw and  WAS NOT impressed with either.

Did you watch the same game as everyone else saturday?  You know the one where Jess Todd threw 8 and 2 thirds innings of shutout ball, and struck out 10 LSU batters.   He must have been off, he normally gets 20 strikeouts per game

Schmidt and Todd may both be first round draft picks this year, if you really want to talk about our average pitching staff

[hogman64]

i doubt Schmidt will hve to pitch the first game........My guess is we will take the regional in three games........dont think Todd or Schmidt will get beat in regional.......if we can pitch Welker the first game.......we will be looking great.. and we very well may get a very weak 4 seed in our region..........we need go to 4-2 or 5-1 next two weekend.. Welker needs two good outings.......

[Publius]

If I was DVH, I would look to see who will be calling balls and strikes when Schmidt pitches.  When the HP ump does not give him the corner with his breaking stuff, Nick has hard time being as dominant because his fast ball isn't as effective when he has to rely upon it as his out pitch.  Todd has a more live fast ball and a nasty slider and seems to be a little less dependent upon a liberal strike zone.  With that said, both pitchers are very good and I feel pretty good when they are on the mound.

[PigWig]

Granted it was a midweek game and the starters weren't pitching, but I feel that Wichita State game should give a good indication of how the Hogs will fare against teams in the regional.  Home games, large crowds, players are up for the big games, and I think we will see a similar result. I do not know how deep we advance in the post-season but I think we will be ready to play.

[Publius]

Granted it was a midweek game and the starters weren't pitching, but I feel that Wichita State game should give a good indication of how the Hogs will fare against teams in the regional.  Home games, large crowds, players are up for the big games, and I think we will see a similar result. I do not know how deep we advance in the post-season but I think we will be ready to play.

I agree...and IMO, that was the last really solid game we played.

[coach, my back hurts]

I will be surprised to see this team in the SuperReg.  We are tiny and have no feared hitters......AT ALL.

The only thing we have is above avg pitching.  I didnt watch Schmidt pitch Friday, but i saw Todd and Welker throw and  WAS NOT impressed with either.  And the way Schmidt has been struggling it leads to believe that is all they are is just avg.

I dont know if its DVH style of play or its Butlers way of teaching, but something has got to change.  All we are is a little team that is scrappy.  Teams like that get bitch slapped when post season rolls around.  I understand we have done well in conf, but understand that it is a little easier to gamble on that SacFly from 2nd base when a trip to the WS isnt on the line.  Just another SEC game when you have 28 more to go.

And IMO, depending on who we get in our Reg, we may not make the Reg championship game.  Just being real with the product i saw.

Hate to bother you with the facts, but here goes (these are for SEC games only):

Batting average--3rd in the league
Doubles--1st in the league
Home Runs--2nd in the league
Runs scored--1st in the league

If this is a team that is just "scrappy" then they need to keep on scrappin'!

And that means what exactly?  That we happen to hit the ball well when we realize our season isnt over if we lose?  Just like DVH scoring that runner from 2nd against Vandy.  We are a really aggressive on the bases, but i would be darned surprised to see him pull the same stuff in the champ game of Reg/SupReg.  I'm sure you disagree with that too huh?

[coach, my back hurts]

but i saw Todd and Welker throw and  WAS NOT impressed with either.

Did you watch the same game as everyone else saturday?  You know the one where Jess Todd threw 8 and 2 thirds innings of shutout ball, and struck out 10 LSU batters.   He must have been off, he normally gets 20 strikeouts per game

Schmidt and Todd may both be first round draft picks this year, if you really want to talk about our average pitching staff

2 first round drafts picks?  We gonna win the WS this yr?  Are we even gonna be in the WS this yr?  When the season is over lets talk about how good these guys are.  I will eat crow if i have to.  I would honestly rather come on this board and say that i HAVE to eat crow rather than say i was right.  Because that means we will have played good.  And thats what i want. 

Maybe i was a bit more impressed with Todd than Welker, but not 1st round draft pick impressed.  Not David Price, Luke Hochevar, Andrew Miller impressed.  Those guys were 1st round draft picks right? 

I guess is what i'm sayin is that if you have 2 guys that throw upper 90's(UNC last yr) versus 2 guys that throw upper 80's/lower 90's(like we do).......I'll take my chances with the guys who throw the ball so damn hard you cant see to hit it.  I dont think we have 1 guy that throws harder than maybe 90-92 on a consistant basis.

What i saw the LSU series was not a WS team.  If they play better come Reg time then great.  I'm just being realistic.  I love the Cardinals, but they are the worst team in MLB.  Does that make me a baaaaaad person?

Were you being serious about the 20 strikeouts per game or per 9innings?

[Publius]

but i saw Todd and Welker throw and  WAS NOT impressed with either.

Did you watch the same game as everyone else saturday?  You know the one where Jess Todd threw 8 and 2 thirds innings of shutout ball, and struck out 10 LSU batters.   He must have been off, he normally gets 20 strikeouts per game

Schmidt and Todd may both be first round draft picks this year, if you really want to talk about our average pitching staff

2 first round drafts picks?  We gonna win the WS this yr?  Are we even gonna be in the WS this yr?  When the season is over lets talk about how good these guys are.  I will eat crow if i have to.  I would honestly rather come on this board and say that i HAVE to eat crow rather than say i was right.  Because that means we will have played good.  And thats what i want. 

Maybe i was a bit more impressed with Todd than Welker, but not 1st round draft pick impressed.  Not David Price, Luke Hochevar, Andrew Miller impressed.  Those guys were 1st round draft picks right? 

I guess is what i'm sayin is that if you have 2 guys that throw upper 90's(UNC last yr) versus 2 guys that throw upper 80's/lower 90's(like we do).......I'll take my chances with the guys who throw the ball so damn hard you cant see to hit it.  I dont think we have 1 guy that throws harder than maybe 90-92 on a consistant basis.

What i saw the LSU series was not a WS team.  If they play better come Reg time then great.  I'm just being realistic.  I love the Cardinals, but they are the worst team in MLB.  Does that make me a baaaaaad person?

Were you being serious about the 20 strikeouts per game or per 9innings?

Actually, the Cards aren't the worst team in baseball, at least not record wise.  That distinction goes to the Nationals with a record of 9-25.  In fact, the Cards aren't even the worst in their division...that would be the Reds who are a game back of the Cards and Pirates.

[coach, my back hurts]

God i love this site sometimes.  Ppl will argue the fact that a team isnt actually the worst team in a league,.......they will just argue that they are in fact the 4th or 5th worst team in the league.  BIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGG difference.

And i guess that it doesnt help my argument because they won 2 games in a row.  I've been out of town.  So i guess they jumped out of that bottom 10 into the middle 10.

I actually dont expect them to be that bad for too long.  At one time though they were pretty sh!tty.  I expect them to be back in the hunt for the Central........with about a .500 record. 

[Publius]

Go, Cards...maybe once they get Carpenter and Mulder back, things may perk up.  I'm afraid that it may be a long hot summer in St. Louis this year.

[Purple Tiger]

I bet there are not 5 teams in the country that have a better 3 man rotation than Welker, Schmidt and Todd.........that's BIG once we get in regionals and super..........

Agreed! Ya'll have a 3 man rotation second to none in my opinion.

[coach, my back hurts]

Okay.....if everyone agrees that we have THE BEST 3man rotation in the country and have one of the best hitting teams in the SEC, which also translates to country cause the SEC is the best conf, then we are a LOCK to win the WS right?  No doubt about it? 

Were am i going wrong here in prediction that we wont make it out of a Reg?  The best pitching in the world and the best hitting team in the country............in big games.  Well hell, every game starting June1st is big.  I guess i better make my reservations for Omaha.  We might sweep through the whole tournament.  Teams like Vandy, FSU, TX, Virginia, Rice, OrgSt, SanDiego, SCar, OleMiss, Creighton, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wichita, etc, etc, wont have anything to do with us going home early because we step up big in big games. 

It has nothing to do with a 9th inning GrandSlam in '99, or a 8hole hitter who has struggled to hit over .200 the whole season all of sudden decides to rip pitchers a new one in the Reg.  It all has to with Schmidt being the 2nd best pitcher in the country and Todd and Welker not being far behind, along with the most powerful 1st Baseman in the country and the best 3rd Baseman, Leftfielder, and defensive catcher in the country to boot.  Who can beat us?

[jst01]

Okay.....if everyone agrees that we have THE BEST 3man rotation in the country and have one of the best hitting teams in the SEC, which also translates to country cause the SEC is the best conf, then we are a LOCK to win the WS right?  No doubt about it? 

Were am i going wrong here in prediction that we wont make it out of a Reg?  The best pitching in the world and the best hitting team in the country............in big games.  Well hell, every game starting June1st is big.  I guess i better make my reservations for Omaha.  We might sweep through the whole tournament.  Teams like Vandy, FSU, TX, Virginia, Rice, OrgSt, SanDiego, SCar, OleMiss, Creighton, Missouri, Oklahoma, Wichita, etc, etc, wont have anything to do with us going home early because we step up big in big games. 

It has nothing to do with a 9th inning GrandSlam in '99, or a 8hole hitter who has struggled to hit over .200 the whole season all of sudden decides to rip pitchers a new one in the Reg.  It all has to with Schmidt being the 2nd best pitcher in the country and Todd and Welker not being far behind, along with the most powerful 1st Baseman in the country and the best 3rd Baseman, Leftfielder, and defensive catcher in the country to boot.  Who can beat us?

gotta love that sarcasm, lol.    Im not sure that with college baseball players you can ever say that anyone is the absolute best in the country.  Its very cliche but baseball is a game of inches and the best team loses sometimes.  We do have an above average pitching staff that has proven they can beat anyone.  Our offense looks great when they are aggressive at the plate and force the defense to make plays.  We also have games where we use power to win.   I think they put too much pressure on themselves with LSU to impress the huge crowds and trying to keep up with Vandy for the overall title.  The team as a whole is well coached, has a ton of talent but the only thing that matters is which team will play the best TEAM ball and make the fewest mistakes consistently down the stretch. 

[Publius]

Go, Cards...maybe once they get Carpenter and Mulder back, things may perk up.  I'm afraid that it may be a long hot summer in St. Louis this year.

Most Cardinal insiders don't really think that Carpenter will be back this year or that Mulder will be very effective if he does pitch at all this year.

I saw Mulder pitch last year at Memphis on a rehab start and he looked terrible.  I'm afraid his career may be over.

[coach, my back hurts]

Go, Cards...maybe once they get Carpenter and Mulder back, things may perk up.  I'm afraid that it may be a long hot summer in St. Louis this year.

Most Cardinal insiders don't really think that Carpenter will be back this year or that Mulder will be very effective if he does pitch at all this year.

I saw Mulder pitch last year at Memphis on a rehab start and he looked terrible.  I'm afraid his career may be over.

What did Carp have surgery on?  Shoulder, elbow?

His career could be in jeopardy as well.  Its hard for alot of players to come back after a major surgery.  They need to trade Edmonds and Rolen and get a few stud pitchers and really work on developing a young INF and OF.

[Publius]

Go, Cards...maybe once they get Carpenter and Mulder back, things may perk up.  I'm afraid that it may be a long hot summer in St. Louis this year.

Most Cardinal insiders don't really think that Carpenter will be back this year or that Mulder will be very effective if he does pitch at all this year.

I saw Mulder pitch last year at Memphis on a rehab start and he looked terrible.  I'm afraid his career may be over.

What did Carp have surgery on?  Shoulder, elbow?

His career could be in jeopardy as well.  Its hard for alot of players to come back after a major surgery.  They need to trade Edmonds and Rolen and get a few stud pitchers and really work on developing a young INF and OF.

Elbow for bone spurs.

[jst01]

Go, Cards...maybe once they get Carpenter and Mulder back, things may perk up.  I'm afraid that it may be a long hot summer in St. Louis this year.

Most Cardinal insiders don't really think that Carpenter will be back this year or that Mulder will be very effective if he does pitch at all this year.

I saw Mulder pitch last year at Memphis on a rehab start and he looked terrible.  I'm afraid his career may be over.

What did Carp have surgery on?  Shoulder, elbow?

His career could be in jeopardy as well.  Its hard for alot of players to come back after a major surgery.  They need to trade Edmonds and Rolen and get a few stud pitchers and really work on developing a young INF and OF.

you'd be crazy to trade Rolen.  He is having a tough time now but he's only 30, and he'll be great again at the plate.  he has more 2004 seasons in him i think, .300avg 30+ HR 110+RBI  Jim can crawl back to Cali for all I care!

[coach, my back hurts]

Yeah i like Rolen too.  One of my favorite players, but look how the Tigers have built their team.  Several yrs ago Bonderman and Maroth were two of the worst pitchers in the league.  I knew by watching them that i wasnt going to last long.  They looked WAY to good to have numbers that bad.  Eventually they got some decent hitters and look at them now.  AWESOME pitching with an avg lineup.  They are solid contenders to get back to the WS this yr.  I just want the Cards to do the same.  Go after or draft some young arms and develop a dominate pitching staff.  With Pujols and Duncan being a solid middle of the lineup all you would have to do is find some quality hitters to put around them and you would have a great team.

They have Wainwright, which i like alot, and have a fairly young bullpen.  I would just like for their 1stR pick last yr to make it up quickly and maybe go after another 1or2 this yr.  Maybe Schmidt