Coaches and Players Discuss Season Opener in AZ TOMORROW!

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Coaches and Players Discuss Season Opener in AZ TOMORROW!

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Versus75
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Coach gave us some lineup hints...

Post by Versus75 »

... by initially saying the two middle infielders are new and then later clarifying that Ethan Paul will play shortstop. I'd seen that suggested many times, but personally felt he should be our second baseman. I guess Austin Martin has that role and that's why I'm not coaching the team.

Corbs also suggested that center field is up for grabs. When a reporter asked if Bleday would be the man, coach sidestepped that somewhat: "He could be in there," or words to that effect. Is CF where one of our freshmen breaks into the lineup? Does that mean DeMarco plays LF and Scott is the primary DH?

Third base is a question mark, Corbs suggested, but if the question is "Harrison Ray or Jayson Gonzalez?" then we have a good answer either way.

It looks like bullpen by committee again. I'm all for that. Don't like the idea of using a particular player only when a save is on the line. Go with the hot hand. And if for one guy it's just not his day, bring out one of 7 or 8 others in the 'pen.

Starting pitching? Fellows, Raby and that old faithful, TBA. Does a freshman get to start in the opening weekend?

We'll find out soon. I would like to see the manifest for the VU Baseball flight to Phoenix since the roster on vucommodores.com continues to list 40 players.
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Re: Coach gave us some lineup hints...

Post by geeznotagain »

Versus75 wrote:... by initially saying the two middle infielders are new and then later clarifying that Ethan Paul will play shortstop. I'd seen that suggested many times, but personally felt he should be our second baseman. I guess Austin Martin has that role and that's why I'm not coaching the team.
As you say, Corbin is coaching the team, not any of us. But I get indigestion just hearing Ethan Paul and shortstop in the same sentence. I have been wrong once or twice before in my lifetime, so we'll see. I sill think that offense will be our strength, and the bullpen our weakness. We've got great arms out there, but they have been inconsistent in the past. I am anxious to see if Infante can return to his old self at the plate.
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Re: Coaches and Players Discuss Season Opener in AZ TOMORROW!

Post by VUaskew »

I felt the same about Connor Kaiser (at least from an offensive standpoint) last year, and that was a pleasant surprise.

I need a fun spring...
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Re: Coaches and Players Discuss Season Opener in AZ TOMORROW!

Post by oakparkDore »

I never thought Ethan came back as a senior to play second base. All will be well. In Corbs we trust!
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Re: Coach gave us some lineup hints...

Post by Good2BGold »

geeznotagain wrote:
Versus75 wrote:... by initially saying the two middle infielders are new and then later clarifying that Ethan Paul will play shortstop. I'd seen that suggested many times, but personally felt he should be our second baseman. I guess Austin Martin has that role and that's why I'm not coaching the team.
As you say, Corbin is coaching the team, not any of us. But I get indigestion just hearing Ethan Paul and shortstop in the same sentence. I have been wrong once or twice before in my lifetime, so we'll see. I sill think that offense will be our strength, and the bullpen our weakness. We've got great arms out there, but they have been inconsistent in the past. I am anxious to see if Infante can return to his old self at the plate.
I'm with you geeznotagain. Paul's throwing has always been unpredictable and it seems it could be even more so with the longer throw from short, so that is a concern. Like you, I hope I'm wrong about that.
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Re: Coach gave us some lineup hints...

Post by Ndorefin »

geeznotagain wrote:
Versus75 wrote:... by initially saying the two middle infielders are new and then later clarifying that Ethan Paul will play shortstop. I'd seen that suggested many times, but personally felt he should be our second baseman. I guess Austin Martin has that role and that's why I'm not coaching the team.
As you say, Corbin is coaching the team, not any of us. But I get indigestion just hearing Ethan Paul and shortstop in the same sentence. I have been wrong once or twice before in my lifetime, so we'll see. I sill think that offense will be our strength, and the bullpen our weakness. We've got great arms out there, but they have been inconsistent in the past. I am anxious to see if Infante can return to his old self at the plate.
If you think back, Swanson wasn’t a great second baseman either (in my opinion) and was an excellent shortstop. Maybe, Paul will follow that pattern. 2nd base is a tough position to play for a lot of guys whose natural position is shortstop. I’m sure Corbs isn’t allowing him to play short only because he is a senior, but this is basically like a preseason, so a lot of experimenting could occur.
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Re: Coach gave us some lineup hints...

Post by Good2BGold »

Ndorefin wrote:
geeznotagain wrote:
Versus75 wrote:... by initially saying the two middle infielders are new and then later clarifying that Ethan Paul will play shortstop. I'd seen that suggested many times, but personally felt he should be our second baseman. I guess Austin Martin has that role and that's why I'm not coaching the team.
As you say, Corbin is coaching the team, not any of us. But I get indigestion just hearing Ethan Paul and shortstop in the same sentence. I have been wrong once or twice before in my lifetime, so we'll see. I sill think that offense will be our strength, and the bullpen our weakness. We've got great arms out there, but they have been inconsistent in the past. I am anxious to see if Infante can return to his old self at the plate.
If you think back, Swanson wasn’t a great second baseman either (in my opinion) and was an excellent shortstop. Maybe, Paul will follow that pattern. 2nd base is a tough position to play for a lot of guys whose natural position is shortstop. I’m sure Corbs isn’t allowing him to play short only because he is a senior, but this is basically like a preseason, so a lot of experimenting could occur.
Swanson was only slightly better at short than he was at second. At short in 2015, he made 8 errors in 304 chances with 111 putouts and 185 assists for a .974 fielding percentage. At second the previous season, he made 10 errors in 343 chances with 131 putouts and 202 assists for a .971 fielding percentage. But unlike Ethan Paul, there was never a question about Dansby's arm. But I think you are correct that playing second is tough for some players who've always player shortstop. Hopefully that's the case with Ethan.
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Re: Coaches and Players Discuss Season Opener in AZ TOMORROW!

Post by Good2BGold »

Although the sample size was limited, I thought Ethan Paul had a decent night at shortstop. He had three put outs and three assists. He made one tough play ranging left and making a difficult (but not great) throw to Martin at second who dug the throw out of the dirt to cut down a runner and end the inning. He also threw badly to first base on what should have been a fairly routine double play. So the question of whether he has a reliable enough arm to be the regular shortstop remains unanswered. If the answer proves to be no, I'd expect a move back to second because we need his bat.
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