Pitching lineup and our strategy?

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vandy86
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Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by vandy86 »

If we win our first 2 games on Sat and Mon and lose on Friday the 25th , Will we pitch Rucker on Sat the 26th or someone else and hope we win and save him to start the series on Mon? We have to win that game on the 26th or we are out so I say we need to pitch him. Would we even consider pitching Rucker in the 3rd game on the 25th. Probably not a good idea OMO.

ANCHOR DOWN DORES!!!”


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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by commadore »

If we win on Saturday and Monday, wouldn't the opponent have to beat us twice to put us out?
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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by dallasdore »

Yes, we would have to lose twice (to possibly the same opponent) if we win our first two.

Perusing AZ stats, they have THREE hitters who are averaging at least 1.0 RBI per game. I have read mixed reviews on how their hitting and their park compare to TD Ameritrade, which is expansive. However, they lead or are among the national leaders in doubles and triples, which means their hitters send a lot of liners and long balls into the gaps. I think it will boil down to whether they chase after Rockers bread and butter off-speed pitches. If they do, they are done.

FWIW, I have a suspicion that the winners of the first games between AZ-Vandy and TX-MissSt will end up in the Final. Both games are near-tossups.
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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by surlyrich »

I have only watched a few innings of AZ play against Ole Miss this year but I have traveled to Tucson a few times. From what I saw in those innings, the AZ folks can hit and make solid contact. However, I think the stats are a bit inflated and comparing their park to TD in Omaha is not comparable.

According to the Google, Tucson is almost 2400' in elevation. This altitude combined with the hot dry air will make the ball really fly. During the Ole Miss games, the announcers even mentioned that they struggle to keep the field from drying out into a super hard rock. Lots of grounders are shooting off that hard ground and accelerating for potential hits. If they had typical field dimensions, they would be setting HR records and the pitchers stats would be crazy bad (a bit like Tennessee's elevated HR numbers in their undersized field). Omaha is just over 1000' in elevation, has much more humidity, and often has winds blowing in at TD.

I'm certainly not dismissing how good AZ makes contact and sees the ball. Rocker will be tested if he's leaving the ball over the plate or starts walking folks. I'm just pointing out their stats might be a little loaded based on where they play. Haven't studied home vs away for AZ.
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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by Haptown »

Arizona's Hi Corbett Field is unusual to say the least, which will explain all the doubles & triples as the ball can run a long way there. Except for center field, all the depths are deeper than TDAP or anywhere else.

Field size Left Field – 366 ft (112 m)
Center-Left – 410 ft (125 m)
Center Field – 392 ft (119 m)
Center-Right – 405 ft (123 m)
Right Field – 349 ft (106 m)

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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by commadore »

dallasdore wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 11:13 am Yes, we would have to lose twice (to possibly the same opponent) if we win our first two.

Perusing AZ stats, they have THREE hitters who are averaging at least 1.0 RBI per game. I have read mixed reviews on how their hitting and their park compare to TD Ameritrade, which is expansive. However, they lead or are among the national leaders in doubles and triples, which means their hitters send a lot of liners and long balls into the gaps. I think it will boil down to whether they chase after Rockers bread and butter off-speed pitches. If they do, they are done.

FWIW, I have a suspicion that the winners of the first games between AZ-Vandy and TX-MissSt will end up in the Final. Both games are near-tossups.
I guarantee the ball carries better in the DRY air of Arizona than it will in humid Omaha. Not to mention Ameritrade Park is a very big park.
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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by vandy86 »

Sorry Rocker not Rucker.
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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by Levon »

With Vaz playing LF (I sure hope he's starting the rest of the way), Vandy's outfield defense with EBjr in CF and Thomas in right is very fast/very good and will have greater opportunity to cut off balls in the gaps that a normal college outfield would not. I would think that plays to VU's advantage in the expanse that is TDA.
Last edited by Levon on Thu Jun 17, 2021 8:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by commadore »

Levon wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:00 pm With Vaz playing LF (I sure hope he's starting the rest of the way), Vandy's outfield defense with EBjr in CF and Thomas in right is very fast/very good and will have greater opportunity to cut off balls in the gaps that normal college outfield would not. I would think that plays to VU's advantage in the expanse that is TDA.
I agree. I started to say that earlier but was in a hurry and forgot. I think that will give us a distinct defensive advantage. Only weakness I see in the outfield is that Bradfield and Vaz don't seem to have great arms.
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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by Ndorefin »

Vaz has been a real surprise lately. I love his enthusiasm and confidence….he’s not afraid of the big lefty pitchers and hit the ball solidly. His JC team won the Natty and you can tell he is a winner….I look for more PT for him at the CWS
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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by Go Vandy! »

vandy86 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:43 pm Sorry Rocker not Rucker.
...So the one that didn't get sued by Bob Dylan...
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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by katmai »

vandy86 wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 6:06 am If we win our first 2 games on Sat and Mon and lose on Friday the 25th , Will we pitch Rucker on Sat the 26th or someone else and hope we win and save him to start the series on Mon? We have to win that game on the 26th or we are out so I say we need to pitch him. Would we even consider pitching Rucker in the 3rd game on the 25th. Probably not a good idea OMO.

ANCHOR DOWN DORES!!!”
Based upon previous history, if Vanderbilt lost Friday, Corbin would probably start Rocker on Saturday, and bring him back on Wednesday if we went to a Game 3. That is what he did with Fulmer in 2014. I don't know what he would do if Friday was an elimination game for us. If you move Rocker up, then Leiter up for Saturday, you really hurt your chances in a Championship series. I think you have to get there first, though.
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Re: Pitching lineup and our strategy?

Post by Versus75 »

katmai wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 10:34 pm Based upon previous history, if Vanderbilt lost Friday, Corbin would probably start Rocker on Saturday, and bring him back on Wednesday if we went to a Game 3. That is what he did with Fulmer in 2014.
The BIG difference between 2014 and 2021 is that Vanderbilt had several top-tier starters in 2014, of which Fulmer was the best at the end of the season (earlier he earned 10 saves as the closer):

............................................. OPP .....................
PLAYER ...... YR .. GS ... IP ... SO .. BB .. B/AV .. ERA ... MLB DRAFT
C Fulmer .... SO ...10 .. 91.0 .. 95 .. 41 .. .195 .. 1.98 .. Rd 1/#8
W Buehler ... SO .. 16 . 102.1 . 111 .. 31 .. .229 .. 2.64 .. Rd 1/#24
T Ferguson .. SO .. 15 .. 77.0 .. 65 .. 30 .. .201 .. 2.69 .. Rd 6/#168
T Beede ..... JR .. 19 . 113.1 . 116 .. 53 .. .223 .. 4.05 .. Rd 1/#14

Add some salt to the numbers because it was the dead-bat era in which our entire team hit only 22 home runs. But the point is that there were presumably FOUR major league talents at their prime. This year we have the two current stars and then others who are expected to develop.

The rotation in 2014 :
Saturday (W) ... Fulmer
Monday (W) ..... Beede (Buehler in relief)
Friday (L) ..... Ferguson
Saturday (W) ... Fulmer
Monday (W) ..... Buehler
Tuesday (L) .... Beede
Wednesday (W) .. Fulmer*


*Carson Fulmer was pitching on just the FOURTH DAY! Tyler Ferguson had been knocked out in the first inning of the Friday loss to Texas, so Corbin went with his horse. Fortunately, Hayden Stone was the 2014 version of Kevin Kopps and came in to save the day.

We can ride our two horses to the finals by going with Rocker (Sat.), Leiter (Mon.), Rocker (Fri./6th day), Leiter (Mon.), Little or Reilly (staff day Tues.), Rocker (Wed. if necessary on 5th day).

More rest for Rocker's third start than Fulmer got and we don't have to use SP #3/staff until the finals if we keep winning.

If Vanderbilt loses Game 1 or 2, then it becomes:
Rocker, Leiter, Little/Reilly, Rocker, Leiter (5th day) ... then the finals would be wild starting with a staff day on Monday and then ???

Don't want to think about it. Let's hope the opponent got there through the Loser's Bracket as well and is in worse shape.
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