College Baseball Rankings

[SB Shock]

3/5/18

Coaches Poll: 26. WSU
Collegiate Baseball: 22. WSU
NCBA: not updated (but was receiving votes in previous week)'
Baseball America: Unranked

Boyd's RPI and ISR first rating will be out on evening of 3/5/18
ISR:
RPI:

[ShockerFever]

This thread is going to go silent quickly.

[Play Angry]

Receiving votes again but unranked in the 3/5 release of the NCBWA poll.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

Can’t believe how many Shocker “Fans” are still rooting for the boys to lose just so they can be right...

sad.

[shockfan89_]

I don't think people are rooting for us to lose. I think there are many fans who have seen this same start last year and they got excited just to watch it turn into a dumpster fire. We were 7-0 to start last year too and finished under under .500. We have played 6 games against bad teams and 3 games against an average team. The fact that we are 8-1 isn't really impressive, but I will say the team thus far has exceeded my expectations. 8-1 is obviously better than 6-3 or 5-4. We have won 2 or 3 games this year that I think we would have lost last year. Alec Bohm has been AMAZING! Liam Eddy has also been awesome and we have played a little better on the defensive side.

But, we also continue to make the same mental errors as previous years. Our schedule appears to be way less difficult this year so it will be hard to gauge progress. Good pitchers will start to pitch around Bohm if others aren't consistent. We still strike out too much. Being aggressive at the plate can be used against us when we face quality pitching. We likely won't continue to hit HRs at the pace we are. Can we score consistently without the long ball? Can we find enough arms to keep out of 10-9 games? There are still a lot of questions after facing two bad opponents and one other team that is supposed to be pretty good but can't hit or pitch. Does that mean we have vastly improved? Maybe, but whether we are ranked 10th or not receiving any votes, I'm not sold yet but that also doesn't mean I want us to lose!

I think our ranking is based on the pre-season hype of two 1st round draft picks, an 8-1 start, and Bohm's numbers. I think we will continue to win and as long as Bohm continues to be a superstar we will stay ranked. After 9 games I think we are marginally better playing against worse competition. Like 1972Shocker has said many times, if we only have one dependable starter we aren't going to be a good team regardless of our record. Only 1 out of our next 14 games is against a team that has started the season winning a lot of games. 10-3 Missouri is the only team more than a game or two over .500. I think we could win a lot of games this year, but again this is year 5 and we lose a TON of talent. We have a team made up of mostly JRs and SRs that have started 3 years. This should be a team that has CWS aspirations. Are we supposed to be excited about a team that can finish over .500 once every 5 or 6 years when all the stars align (veteran team, down schedule, two projected 1st round draft picks, multiple quality recruiting classes)? I think it will take a little time to warm up after such a cold spell.

[Shocker1976]

Can’t believe how many Shocker “Fans” are still rooting for the boys to lose just so they can be right...

sad.

I am cautiously optimistic regards Shocker baseball; happy as he** they are ranked and receiving votes in National Polls. I am surprised and happy that my prediction of possibly only one victory against Nebraska was proven wrong. Thought the Shockers were going to sweep.

[Play Angry]

Gotta enjoy it when things are going well. It doesn't mean you have to do a 180 on long term positions regarding whether Butler is the answer (I remain very skeptical on this but would enjoy being proven wrong).

I get that it's easier to just choose Team A or Team B (nod to the longtime posters from the Randy era). It's possible, however, to throw your full support behind the current team and not caveat every win with "yeah, but . . ." while also reserving judgment on the long term direction of the program. The former option is more emotionally convenient since it provides a hedge against disappointment but that's part of fanhood.

The team is playing well out of the gate and I hope they can keep it rolling.

[DJShocker10]

I’m definitely not rooting against the Shockers. I’ve been asked by several people how I thought we would perform this season and every time my answer has been more of the same. Butler hasn’t really given any reason to believe that he was the change the program needed. I also have a bit of a slight towards Butler because of the way he treated friends of mine in the transition classes who originally signed to play for Gene. I won’t dive into those details here. The fact of the matter is our athletic department doesn’t have a desire to relieve Butler of his duties for a multitude of reasons. That being the case, I might as well root for Butler and the Shockers to be successful. If this happens to be the year we right the ship, I’ll keep my dislike for Butler as a person on a personal level where it belongs. It’s easier not to like a coach when they’re losing, but I will be more than happy to respect him as a coach if he is able to prove his worth.

That’s it. Enough pessimism from me today! Go Shocks!

[ShockerFever]

Can’t believe how many Shocker “Fans” are still rooting for the boys to lose just so they can be right...

sad.

Who is rooting for anybody to lose?

Check your lenses again.

[1972Shocker]

Yes, we do have a bit of a dilemma with Coach Butler. I also am not sold on Coach Butler. Even if we have a decent year this year and we may not know that until about mid-way through the AAC schedule as this year's schedule is definitley back-end loaded HCTB's overall performance over 5 years will not be very good. Furthermore, even if we have a good year this year can you look forward and feel good that we can sustain that.

Among this year's seniors Trey Vickers and Chase Sanburn would be key losses. We would lose another starter in Gunnar Troutwine although probaby not a key loss. We have two senior pitchers who may or may not contribute this year. Cody Tyler coming off elbow surgery and Adam Keller although I have no idea what is going on with Adam (he is still on the GoShockers.com roster but I don't recall any news about him -- maybe my failing memory).

Among the Junior class Alec Bohm and Greyson Jenista are almost sure to be gone to the pros. If Codi Heuer has a good year he probably will be gone as could Mason O'Brien if he has a good year.

Let's say that all of these guys are gone next year. How do you like our chances next year? Personally, I see a step or two backwards from whatever we will do this year and it could be a prety big step backwards. I don't see a team exactly stockpiled with talent behind these guys that will or could be leaving.

I am not impressed with how Coach Bulter seems to think baseball. Can Mike and Sammy help him out enough to make much of a difference? I don't know but if we have to rely on Mike and Sammy for that perhaps that tells us we have the wrong guy at the top in the first place.

Then we have the issue of recruiting. Can a lame duck Coach with only two years remaining on his contract recruit effectively. So if the Shocks have a good year this year does ADDB give HCTB an extension so he can recruit assuming I am in the ballpark on our prospects for next year.

Let's say that the Shocks do have a very good year and ADDB is convinced HCTB deserves an extension. First of all this will not earn ADDB any accolades or parades from Shocker fans for the most part. If he does feel compelled to do this I hope he is smart about it. If he does grant HCTB and extension primarily to benefit recruiting that agreement should also contain a provision that WSU can buy out HCTB's contract at the end of any year for $250.000 (or less but no more than that). If he doesn't agree with that than no extension. At that point you either buy him out or wait a year and buy him out. I don't think just letting his contract run out over the next two years is an opiton.

I'm cheering for Alec and Greyson to have big years so they are in a position to secure some really nice moolah. Trey and Chase seem like really good guys and you would like to see them have success on their way out. You have to want Mason to do well because of everything the O'Brien family has contributed to Shocker baseball.

I just really dislike seeing the Shockers lose in anything and I could never root for that. But if they are losing I don't have to like it or be satsified with it.

Is the thawing of relations with Gene a sign that changes might be brewing. Or is this just concidental to the program being at a decision-making point.

[ShockerFever]

If Boatright extends Butler after 1 good season out of 5 (and that’s assuming we have a good season), I will then turn my attention to Boatright as being Public Enemy #1.

[Shockm]

Recruiting is something to watch too. Do Sammy's SE connections help us? Can we now be able to recruit Dalla, Houston, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Carolinas, etc. ?

[SB Shock]

Boyd RPI/ISR will not be updated for WSU until they get to 10 games. But he does have a "Needs Report" for reaching various thresh holds.

Wichita State

Remaining: 26 home, 21 road, 0 neutral
Current RPI: 46
ROWP: 0.530

Top 45:

19 home wins, 21 road wins
20 home wins, 20 road wins
21 home wins, 18 road wins
22 home wins, 17 road wins
23 home wins, 15 road wins
24 home wins, 14 road wins
25 home wins, 13 road wins
26 home wins, 11 road wins

Top 32:

21 home wins, 21 road wins
22 home wins, 20 road wins
23 home wins, 18 road wins
24 home wins, 17 road wins
25 home wins, 15 road wins
26 home wins, 13 road wins

Top 16:

26 home wins, 21 road wins

Top 8:

No way to reach the threshold.

[Cdizzle]

There may be a few of us that could do a better job of separating our distaste for the current state and direction of the program from the day-to-day game action....

But I would argue there is at least one more person around here that has spent the last 3 years trying to sell a steaming pile of poo as prime rib than people rooting for WSU to lose.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

Pile of poo, is laymens terms for we suck fire Butler.

The only thing I have been selling is to support the boys, and understand this isnt Basketball. You dont turn these programs around overnight. It takes time. Thats why you saw the contract you did. I myself have said this is a make or break year for Coach. I am now located in a hotbed of baseball recruiting. I can tell you with partial scholarships and edicational opportunities, most of these kids have decided where to go by thier Freshman year. Especially the good ones. Four of my sons friends are playing D1 baseball. All of them have known since they were Freshman where they were going, and all ended up at #1 school on thier list (LSU, Southeastern, UL).

The other factor is that all basketball players have to go to College. With that many good players, you can quickly turn around the team and turn over a roster. In baseball, it is different. Gene, Mike, Augie, Wayne, Tony... all are/were at thier college for 20+ years.

I never said anyone was wrong about the end results. Just stated facts that directly apply to our current situation, and that everyone should be hoping for Todd to succeed, and these great young men to succeed and showing up to support them.

[ShockerFever]

5 years. How many does he need? 10? 15? 20?

Is this program better off than it was 5 years ago?



This is the case of a Butler family member not wanting to see reality. My best advice would be to avoid message boards if the truth and reality is too much to take.