What should a NCAA baseball noob need to know?

[FadedCrown]

How is the team supposed to look this year? I still don't know how these NCAA tournaments work.

[AndShock]

Don’t bother until we fire Todd Butler or he mans up and pulls a Lebo.

[FadedCrown]

Don’t bother until we fire Todd Butler or he mans up and pulls a Lebo.

Thanks for saving my suffering

[shockfan89_]

I have to agree with AndShock. I think there is an announcement coming that will help mend some relationships, but the AD continuing to back this coach is a huge disappointment. We have had bad results in a weak conference (finished 5th in the 16th ranked conference with a 10-11 record) and are now moving to a strong conference (ranked 4th last season).

We are supposed to believe that the offense will make a step change this year based on results from the summer, but those results didn't even carry over into fall ball against our own mediocre pitching. Last year our offense was great against bad teams and bad against good teams. This year we will face twice as many good teams as last year.

Did not renew my season tickets...

[ShockerFever]

Can I get a general background on you, Faded Crown?

[jdmee]

https://shockernet.net/forum/wichita-state-athletics/wichita-state-men-s-basketball/1074989-2017-18-games-of-interest?p=1087046#post1087046

should answer some questions Fever.

[1972Shocker]

I have to agree with AndShock. I think there is an announcement coming that will help mend some relationships, but the AD continuing to back this coach is a huge disappointment. We have had bad results in a weak conference (finished 5th in the 16th ranked conference with a 10-11 record) and are now moving to a strong conference (ranked 4th last season).

We are supposed to believe that the offense will make a step change this year based on results from the summer, but those results didn't even carry over into fall ball against our own mediocre pitching. Last year our offense was great against bad teams and bad against good teams. This year we will face twice as many good teams as last year.

Did not renew my season tickets...

Focusing on the offense, in my opinion, is fool's gold. The quality of our pitching staff is where the focus needs to be.

I discussed this in a previous post located here: https://shockernet.net/forum/wichita...58#post1051858

No doubt the program is in decline but not because the offense is in decline. It's the pitching and defense that have fallen off under HCTB. At least that is what the numbers imply.

[DUShock]

Reference the topic of this post here ya go!

[1972Shocker]

You also need to know about lollygagging.

[1972Shocker]

On a somber note Trey Wilson, who played Manager Joe Riggins in Bull Durham, died of a cerebral hemorrhage just shy of his 41st birhday just 7 months after the film was released. Hopefully, he didn't rupture a blood vessel doing this season.

[FadedCrown]

Can I get a general background on you, Faded Crown?

What do you need to know

[shockfan89_]

Focusing on the offense, in my opinion, is fool's gold. The quality of our pitching staff is where the focus needs to be.

I discussed this in a previous post located here: https://shockernet.net/forum/wichita...58#post1051858

No doubt the program is in decline but not because the offense is in decline. It's the pitching and defense that have fallen off under HCTB. At least that is what the numbers imply.

1972 - I completely agree, but under the current coaching staff there has been a lot of emphasis placed on offense (recruiting bigger players, swinging for the fences, getting bats in the game at the expense of defense) while it appears less emphasis has been placed on pitching and defense. I don't think there are many fans that prefer this type of baseball (trying to outscore opponents with football scores) over what we consider "Shocker Baseball" (a team built around pitching, defense, speed, and timely hitting).

[Cdizzle]

1972 - I completely agree, but under the current coaching staff there has been a lot of emphasis placed on offense (recruiting bigger players, swinging for the fences, getting bats in the game at the expense of defense) while it appears less emphasis has been placed on pitching and defense. I don't think there are many fans that prefer this type of baseball (trying to outscore opponents with football scores) over what we consider "Shocker Baseball" (a team built around pitching, defense, speed, and timely hitting).

I certainly don't prefer it when we try to do it and then stink at it anyway.

[1972Shocker]

That's pretty much a condemnation of Gene's last few year's as well when the offiensive production was even worse than HCTB's teams have been.

[Cdizzle]

Definitely some truth to this. But I would counter that Gene still had a few things going in his favor compared to now:

1. Those teams were still better overall.
2. Gene's approach was based on a approach that worked at a national level for 20+ years. BBCor, investment of other programs, loss of fire, whatever things were going wrong, there was a long history there of his approach working for him.
3. Gene had built up some capital. Winning a Natty will do that.

[Kochaddict]

Pray for rain.

[DUShock]

http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2013/0612...ldurham_05.jpg

[WheatShock]

"I can get us a rainout."

[WichitaStateGuy]

How is the team supposed to look this year? I still don't know how these NCAA tournaments work.

Lesson one: Wichita State Baseball will break your heart.

Lesson two: See lesson one.

[Kochaddict]

https://shockernet.net/forum/wichita-state-athletics/wichita-state-baseball/18605-kwch-story-on-eck-stadium-sucking

Read this.

[ShockerFever]

All you need to know is that the AD doesn't care about baseball anymore, so you probably shouldn't either.