frustrating, rewarding season

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roanoke
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frustrating, rewarding season

Post by roanoke »

I am really proud of this team. They went from having trouble winning Tuesday games to a whisker from heading to Omaha.

I will really miss some of these guys.

I am excited about the future. We were very young - and several of the youngsters have really stepped up.

MSU was a very good fundamental baseball team. They advanced runners, bunted. Knew how to foul off a good pitch. Made a lot more contact than we did. Their pitchers were decent at nibbling the corners with 2 strikes.

We have a lot of talent and a lot of heart. We were not particularly good at advancing runners or making contact. We lost this series because of really bad situational hitting with RISP.

Still, we reminded me of one of those hoops teams that end up in the Sweet Sixteen year after year - even after a not-spectacular season - and you just tip your hat to them and acknowledge their coach is a genius. We are an elite baseball program and this year's team helped cement that. I hate for them - and for us - that they don't get to go to Omaha.

I hope maybe they see they need to improve contact hitting in the right situation, bunting, and such. Our starting pitching will be the key next year. And we will not be bad. I could not help noting how good MSU was at making us fish for 2-strike pitches. Our starters need to do that better - we give up too many 2 strike hits and when we nibble they are usually predictable and not as close as MSU was. MSU was a very fundamentally sound baseball team. It will be interesting to see if their "interim" manager becomes their manager after that series.

I loved the way Coach worked the bullpen into the Gillis-Schaller-Day show at the end of the season. Unfortunately the way things worked out last night, we could not replicate as Day had gone 4+ innings. In these series, bullpens are taxed to the limits. MSU got a lot of quality innings from unexpected sources - and we helped by trying to jack too many balls and not shortening things up with two strikes. I do not know what the final strike out count was for last night - but it was way too many. Their starter had struck out 3 in his previous few outings. On to next year.

I'm picking Oregon State for whatever it is worth. They were great last year - and came up short. They will learn from that. I hope our young guys will learn from this. We will have as much talent as anyone next year.


VU1970
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Re: frustrating, rewarding season

Post by VU1970 »

Although we came up short, that 9th inning comeback was something to behold.
08MCBFrostbite
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Re: frustrating, rewarding season

Post by 08MCBFrostbite »

roanoke wrote: MSU got a lot of quality innings from unexpected sources
True. Reminded me that UVa got the same thing in games 2 & 3 in 2015.

On Sunday, we didn't get many quality innings, late, although the fielders repeatedly bailed us out on some hard hit balls. The young relievers (understandably) looked nervous, which led to pitching from behind, too many walks, and the run scoring WPs. That was the ultimate difference. Corbs gave a forthcoming assessment in pointing out that nervousness in the press conference.

Still and all, it took some bad breaks to send us home: the foul ball call when it hit the first baseman's glove, the great catch in the RF corner after we tied it, and the high chopper and the blooper bleeder in the 11th. Very proud of our guys, especially the infield leather in that game, and the 9th inning comeback, wow.
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