Good Luck Hogs

[OstatePokes]

Good luck this weekend.  Should be some great baseball and some very competitive games. 

I'm expecting there will be a lot of fans making the drive from Arkansas so it should be a great environment.  If anyone has any questions feel free to ask me, or go over to Orangepower.com.  I did see a couple posters on here mention the artificial turn at Allie P, not sure where they heard that, it's a natural grass field with a small patch of field turn behind home plate.

Excited to see Benintendi this weekend, just hoping he won't come up with too many runners on base. 

[SPAL]

We will have to disagree on Benny.....I hope he comes up with runners everywhere.

Welcome to hogville. We have a nice forum here with great discussion with some awesome members. Hope you can add some quality to that mix from an opponent perspective.

I gather since you ventured to our turf voluntarily, you won't mind some good natured ribbing if it should arise?

So tell us about your squad. Are you prepared to throw Freeman against the Johnnies?

[jry04]

We will have to disagree on Benny.....I hope he comes up with runners everywhere.

Welcome to hogville. We have a nice forum here with great discussion with some awesome members. Hope you can add some quality to that mix from an opponent perspective.

I gather since you ventured to our turf voluntarily, you won't mind some good natured ribbing if it should arise?

So tell us about your squad. Are you prepared to throw Freeman against the Johnnies?

I pray they throw freeman. I have been reading on orangepower, and most seem to think they will save him for game 2.

[SPAL]

I'll admit, I dont know much about their second guy behind freeman.

[OstatePokes]

We will have to disagree on Benny.....I hope he comes up with runners everywhere.

Welcome to hogville. We have a nice forum here with great discussion with some awesome members. Hope you can add some quality to that mix from an opponent perspective.

I gather since you ventured to our turf voluntarily, you won't mind some good natured ribbing if it should arise?

So tell us about your squad. Are you prepared to throw Freeman against the Johnnies?

Haha nothing wrong with a little back and forth.  I would expect that we will save Freeman for Saturday and throw Jon Perrin on Friday.  Perrin was the ace of the staff last year and started the Saturday game last year in the regional.  He had offseason shoulder surgery but never seemed to settle in this year.  He is a senior and a gamer, but doesn't have outstanding stuff.  He had a streak going this year where he would alternate between a really good start and then a bad one.  Lately, he has got in some hot water early but then settled down.  Our third pitcher will probably be Conor Costello, who should be familiar to all of y'all.  Conor has a good fastball in the low to mid-90's.  He was really starting to rake at the plate, but then he tore his esophagus after a Friday night game when he swallowed some steak the wrong way.  He missed a few weeks and finally came back, but has been pitching a lot, and honestly doing a great job.  Trey Cobb is our best option out of the bullpen for long relief.  He has a stiff fastball that he mixes with a nice slider.  We have a decent closer, Koda Glover.  He is a big kid with a 4 seamer that regularly sits around 95-96, but it's flat and he has a tendency to get hit some as a result.  Some of you know about Michael Freeman, the big lefty ace.  He has excellent movement on his 2 seamer and nice slider to go along with it.  He doesn't have high end velocity, but his movement is exceptional for this level. 

Our team has been inconsistent to say the least, and we seem to play to the level of our competition.  We have had a number of injuries, so we have a lot of young guys that really aren't Freshmen now.  But they have to bring it this weekend for sure.  We tend to crush pitchers that live off 4-seam fastballs, but like many teams struggle with guys that throw low 80's and throw lots of junk.  We have some decent power throughout the lineup, but obviously nobody in the same class as Benny. 

Dustin Williams has a lot of raw power at 1B.  He is a young kid but he can hit it hard.  Donnie Walton our SS missed the first month of the season after breaking a bone in his hand the first weekend of the season.  He has really started to heat up lately and is our hottest hitter right now.  He is a very good fielder and a great leader.  Tim Arakawa at 2B is a solid senior.  He was probably our most clutch hitter last year, but he just hasn't been the same this year.  He has good chemistry with Walton and they have been good about turning DPs this year.  Jacob Chappell will start at 3rd, he is a true freshman that came on at SS to replace Walton early on.  He has good wheels and likes to work counts and draw walks.  He made a lot of errors early on, but he has really settled in at the hot corner.  Gage Green is a jack of all trades, playing some behind the plate and also playing a mean LF.  He has been a 4 year player that gives us a consistent bat.  Ryan Sluder is a young athlete that has come on in CF and has some raw power, but he hasn't even been a full time starter until the past few months.  Corey Hassell has been one of our most consistent hitters this year, and has delivered some huge plays in CF.  With the emergence of Sluder, Hassell has been playing some other spots in the outfield depending on if Green is catching or if Costello is hurt.  Costello has been in RF and is starting to swing the bat well again.  Bryan Case was really good behind the plate this past weekend.  Case seems to deliver big hits when you don't see it coming.  He has struggled some with pass balls this year, but he has a much better arm that Gage Green. 

Garrett McCain (true freshman) was starting in LF and DH as the leadoff man before breaking his hand in March.  He is finally back and starting to play well.  Although he got hit in the face by a pitch on Sunday and was bleeding, so I'm not sure what his availability will be.  David Petrino, whom I believe is from Little Rock, has been one of our primary pinch hitters.  He has some good pop in his bat and plays 3B in the field.  Mason O'Brien is a big freshman who has also pinch hit some, but with very little success.  Jon Littell was starting in LF in February as a true freshman, but after an injury he was never the same.  He was one of the top unsigned HS players in the country last year, but has a ways to go.

Ok, that is probably way more than you wanted to know, so tell me more about the Hogs.

[Kevin]

Better not overlook St. John's. Just like we should not overlook oru

[BroyledNutts]

Haha nothing wrong with a little back and forth.  I would expect that we will save Freeman for Saturday and throw Jon Perrin on Friday.  Perrin was the ace of the staff last year and started the Saturday game last year in the regional.  He had offseason shoulder surgery but never seemed to settle in this year.  He is a senior and a gamer, but doesn't have outstanding stuff.  He had a streak going this year where he would alternate between a really good start and then a bad one.  Lately, he has got in some hot water early but then settled down.  Our third pitcher will probably be Conor Costello, who should be familiar to all of y'all.  Conor has a good fastball in the low to mid-90's.  He was really starting to rake at the plate, but then he tore his esophagus after a Friday night game when he swallowed some steak the wrong way.  He missed a few weeks and finally came back, but has been pitching a lot, and honestly doing a great job.  Trey Cobb is our best option out of the bullpen for long relief.  He has a stiff fastball that he mixes with a nice slider.  We have a decent closer, Koda Glover.  He is a big kid with a 4 seamer that regularly sits around 95-96, but it's flat and he has a tendency to get hit some as a result.  Some of you know about Michael Freeman, the big lefty ace.  He has excellent movement on his 2 seamer and nice slider to go along with it.  He doesn't have high end velocity, but his movement is exceptional for this level. 

Our team has been inconsistent to say the least, and we seem to play to the level of our competition.  We have had a number of injuries, so we have a lot of young guys that really aren't Freshmen now.  But they have to bring it this weekend for sure.  We tend to crush pitchers that live off 4-seam fastballs, but like many teams struggle with guys that throw low 80's and throw lots of junk.  We have some decent power throughout the lineup, but obviously nobody in the same class as Benny. 

Dustin Williams has a lot of raw power at 1B.  He is a young kid but he can hit it hard.  Donnie Walton our SS missed the first month of the season after breaking a bone in his hand the first weekend of the season.  He has really started to heat up lately and is our hottest hitter right now.  He is a very good fielder and a great leader.  Tim Arakawa at 2B is a solid senior.  He was probably our most clutch hitter last year, but he just hasn't been the same this year.  He has good chemistry with Walton and they have been good about turning DPs this year.  Jacob Chappell will start at 3rd, he is a true freshman that came on at SS to replace Walton early on.  He has good wheels and likes to work counts and draw walks.  He made a lot of errors early on, but he has really settled in at the hot corner.  Gage Green is a jack of all trades, playing some behind the plate and also playing a mean LF.  He has been a 4 year player that gives us a consistent bat.  Ryan Sluder is a young athlete that has come on in CF and has some raw power, but he hasn't even been a full time starter until the past few months.  Corey Hassell has been one of our most consistent hitters this year, and has delivered some huge plays in CF.  With the emergence of Sluder, Hassell has been playing some other spots in the outfield depending on if Green is catching or if Costello is hurt.  Costello has been in RF and is starting to swing the bat well again.  Bryan Case was really good behind the plate this past weekend.  Case seems to deliver big hits when you don't see it coming.  He has struggled some with pass balls this year, but he has a much better arm that Gage Green. 

Garrett McCain (true freshman) was starting in LF and DH as the leadoff man before breaking his hand in March.  He is finally back and starting to play well.  Although he got hit in the face by a pitch on Sunday and was bleeding, so I'm not sure what his availability will be.  David Petrino, whom I believe is from Little Rock, has been one of our primary pinch hitters.  He has some good pop in his bat and plays 3B in the field.  Mason O'Brien is a big freshman who has also pinch hit some, but with very little success.  Jon Littell was starting in LF in February as a true freshman, but after an injury he was never the same.  He was one of the top unsigned HS players in the country last year, but has a ways to go.

Ok, that is probably way more than you wanted to know, so tell me more about the Hogs.

Informative. Well Done. +1

I was one of those who thought the field was turf...glad to hear it is not...turf has not been friendly to the Hogs in recent outings.

Looks to be a fun Regional if Mother Nature will let us play - to that - how does the field drain? Pretty well I'd guess?

[Kevin]

Let's all pray for no rain

[OstatePokes]

I pray they throw freeman. I have been reading on orangepower, and most seem to think they will save him for game 2.

Perrin (the number 2) was last years ace and has pitched in some big games, but I would feel much better with Freeman throwing Saturday.  If Perrin isn't capable of beating SJU on Friday, we probably don't have much of a chance anyway.  We are probably similar in that both of our teams need to be in the catbird's seat on Sunday morning.  Obviously, after seeing your boys start 2-0 in Hoover y'all can beat anybody in the country, but it could be a struggle if you have to come back through the loser's bracket.  I would say the exact same is true of OSU.  I just don't know that we could beat the Hogs on Sunday night and Monday after having already played 3 games.  I like our pitching staff, but some of those guys like Tyler Nurdin and Garrett Williams can be night and day.  Both are lefties capable of dominating, but both can completely fall apart.

[BroyledNutts]

  I like our pitching staff, but some of those guys like Tyler Nurdin and Garrett Williams can be night and day.  Both are lefties capable of dominating, but both can completely fall apart.

With the exception of being lefties, you just described our entire pitching staff this season.

[OstatePokes]

Informative. Well Done. +1

I was one of those who thought the field was turf...glad to hear it is not...turf has not been friendly to the Hogs in recent outings.

Looks to be a fun Regional if Mother Nature will let us play - to that - how does the field drain? Pretty well I'd guess?

I hear ya.  We have a number of teams that play on astroturf in the Big 12 and it kills me.  WVU, KU, KSU, Texas, and Tech all play on it.  Between the fast infields and the injuries from oversliding bases I can't stand it. 

The field typically drains very well, but I'm sure you know about all the rain moving through the past few weeks.  I assume Arkansas has been gettting hammered too?  That's awesome you have a nice indoor facility for the baseball team.  I've always heard the facilities are outstanding there.  Definitely looking forward to making it to Baum for one of these future regular season games we have scheduled.

[OstatePokes]

I hear ya.  We have a number of teams that play on astroturf in the Big 12 and it kills me.  WVU, KU, KSU, Texas, and Tech all play on it.  Between the fast infields and the injuries from oversliding bases I can't stand it. 

The field typically drains very well, but I'm sure you know about all the rain moving through the past few weeks.  I assume Arkansas has been gettting hammered too?  That's awesome you have a nice indoor facility for the baseball team.  I've always heard the facilities are outstanding there.  Definitely looking forward to making it to Baum for one of these future regular season games we have scheduled.

Haha sounds painful...

[BigSexyHog]

I like this guy.  He needs to come around more.  +1

[HogFansReunited]

I like this guy.  He needs to come around more.  +1

Agree, great information.  +1

[Team Oklahoma]

David Petrino is from Springdale Arkansas, went to school at Shiloh, great kid and a great ball player, was selected by the Cubs in later rounds of the draft and choose to go on to school.

[pigture perfect]

Isn't that Bobby's boy?

[ricepig]

Isn't that Bobby's boy?

No

[Wisco Pig]

According to David Petrino's bio at the OSU athletic site, his father's name is ... Robert Petrino.  Apparently, he's an MD in Springdale. 

[Dr. Starcs]

Not trying to bash the kid, but I hope he's grown up since being around here. There were quite a few teams and coaches that had problems with him acting a fool in high school games.

Great player, horrible attitude back then anyways.

[Team Oklahoma]

Wasn't so much a bad attitude, I coached David a lot, he was just a real high intensity player and wanted to win every game. If you ever met him you would see what I'm saying. I know I was always glad he was on my team, he left it all on the field.

[OstatePokes]

Congrats to all the Hogs fans on the win last night.  I don't have much to say, but your boys are tough and never gave up.  I'll be pulling for the rematch tonight, but no guarantees we will even advance to the finals. 

One comment.  McKinney got pulled in a 2-2 game to avoid a big inning.  The Pokes still scored a couple more, but it ended up being smart to get out in front and avoid a bad inning.  With our bullpen I really thought we would pull Freeman early in the 8th when the first two batters reached.  If we could have limited the damage in the 8th we might have gone extras in a really great game.  That has been a theme this year, leaving starters in too long and giving up really big innings.  I'm still hopeful my Pokes can come back in this thing, but if not I'll be pulling for the Hogs. 

[Dr. Starcs]

^^^

+1

[HogFansReunited]

Thanks. Hope you know you are welcome to stick around. We have several fans from other teams that post here. Good luck with your early game today.

[OstatePokes]

Thanks. Hope you know you are welcome to stick around. We have several fans from other teams that post here. Good luck with your early game today.

Thanks!  I'm sure I will, starting to like this board better than my own lol.

[HogFansReunited]

Thanks!  I'm sure I will, starting to like this board better than my own lol.

Just stay away from MMQB and Jump Ball or you will change your mind.

[HogFoo]

Freeman was throwing some good stuff with lots of movement. Was really starting to worry me until the hogs had the bad inning.  It's amazing how pitchers get so mentally discombobulated after a bad play. It's like u could see it coming there when freeman overthrew that bunt ball to 1st.  Same thing happened with our guy.  After wernes  mad the play and didn't get the osu guy out at first our pitcher just melted down for a few innings. He kind of also showed the ump up and didn't get many calls after that. Then osu scores 2.   

I notice Killian does the same thing.  He'll be rolling along and then if he gives up a long ball or a hit or if the infield makes an error or doesn't get a call,  Killian will just blow up and not be able to find the strike zone or he'll start throwing meatballs.   It'll usually take him a couple of innings to straighten up if he hasn't been yanked before then.

Anyways. It was good game.  Osu Isa good team.   It really worries me that Jackson is having a hard time finding the strike zone all of a sudden with his fastball.    Hope we can get the win today and make it back to Fay-town for a Super!  #Omahogs  #woopig

[Southpaw Hawg]

 Yeah Freeman was dealing for most of the game.  As an old lefty pitcher myself, I hate to say but I was admiring his work even if it was against my Hogs.  Glad it finally turned our way.  I think todays OSU vs St. J matchup is very interesting.  OSU should have plenty of arms left, but St. J hits extremely well.  I hope it's a 12 inning slobber knocker and they both use up whatever arms they have left!!