Opening Weekend Shocks at Northwestern State Demons

[1972Shocker]

The ball is smaller than a basketball and is white in color but not to be confused with a golf ball

Here is one of those white balls along with a stick called bat that hey hit the ball with:

[WstateU]

[Cdizzle]

Wouldn't mind the 2pm early season workday first pitch.

Can't tell for sure, but I think the video for this series is paywalled? https://nsudemons.com/watch/?Live=2139&type=Live

Guess I'll have to use my imagination to decide if the doubles are because they can hit or cuz we can't field.

[SB Shock]

taken from the opponent view of the series talking about their starters who are untested

Freshman right-hander Johnathan Harmon is slated to make his NSU debut as the starter in Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale.

"We'll have three guys toeing the rubber who haven't done it as a starter and two haven't done it at the Division I level," Barbier said. "It's going to be interesting to see how they react. That's the unknow as a coach – how you're going to react. We're just preaching to them to attack. That's been the message for a while, especially this week. We're going to make mistakes, but we're going to make them going fast, and we're going to understand and learn from them. The mentality we need this team to have is just to attack the game, attack the opponent. There are certain things in baseball you have to do well in order to perform well, and if we attack those, I think we'll be fine."

Discussing WSU starters.

While two of the Shockers' three projected starting pitchers are returners, Wichita State will send its own junior college right-hander, Jake Hamilton, to the mound in Friday's season opener.

Right-hander Liam Eddy (5-8, 5.04 in 2019) will oppose Michel (2-2, 4.41 in 2018) in Saturday's 2 p.m. matchup before right-hander Preston Snavely (3-4, 6.21) duels against Harmon in Sunday's finale.

[1972Shocker]

Wedge Puts Team Focus on Pitching, Defense and Daily Improvement

By Paul Suellentrop - February 13, 2020

The Shockers, 28-31 last year, are picked last in the American Athletic Conference. This is not a season for lofty goals. It is a season for improvement, setting a way of doing business that will, in the best cases, produce winning baseball both in 2020 and beyond.

On Friday, Wedge will gather the Shockers at some point at Brown-Stroud Field. While he said he hasn’t planned his final words before the games count, he knows the message.

“I know that I’m big on going out there and enjoying the ride, enjoy the process,” he said. “Don’t worry about the results. Focus on what you need to do, do your job. Have some fun with it. Can’t stress that enough.”

Wedge wants the Shockers to play a crisp, quick brand of baseball, which means good defense and throwing strikes. Nothing drags down performance more than sloppy defense and walks. The Shockers say they are improved in both areas. Last season, they walked an average of 5.2 batters per nine innings, the second-worst rate in the conference.

Most important, Cadena said, is that mistakes are fixed immediately so that they don’t develop into bad habits that can ruin a game, a weekend or a season. The Shockers call that stacking good moments on top of one another and stacking good practices on top of those moments.

“When someone slips up in practice, the captains address it and therefore there’s never a lack of focus in practice,” Cadena said. “We’re doing a better job now than we ever have. We address it right there so it does not continue on throughout practice and practice gets gradually worse.”

Hamilton, a junior, led the NJCAA with 137 strikeouts and an average of 16.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Hamilton rested his arm during the fall, so fans did not get a chance to see him in scrimmages.

“He’s playing a little bit of catchup this spring,” Wedge said. “Very heady, smart. Serious about his routine and how important this is to him. He has a lot of life on the baseball.”

[wyatt]

According to the Eagle, Paxton Wallace and David VanVooren are out this weekend. Shaver will start at shortstop and Cade Clemons in center. Cornblum will DH.

[NCAABound]

Good grief...we're about to have to start putting pitchers out in the field.

[Kung Wu]

Good grief...we're about to have to start putting pitchers out in the field.

I know you're only half-joking, so first dumb question of the year for me ... are college pitchers typically crappy batters?

[Cdizzle]

I know you're only half-joking, so first dumb question of the year for me ... are college pitchers typically crappy batters?

You're much more likely to find 2-way guys in college than the pros. A lot of these guys were just the best at baseball in their school/city/region and can be successful both ways at the collegiate level. You might have one-ish guy per team who could reasonably play both ways at the collegiate level? But I would still say that they are 'typically' crappy batters.

[Kung Wu]

You're much more likely to find 2-way guys in college than the pros. A lot of these guys were just the best at baseball in their school/city/region and can be successful both ways at the collegiate level. You might have one-ish guy per team who could reasonably play both ways at the collegiate level? But I would still say that they are 'typically' crappy batters.

Yeah, that's kinda what I was guessing. If you have a full platoon of pitchers at the college level and had to use them in the field, they are probably pretty good out there because they did it all in high school, but maybe your batting suffers?

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

Yeah, that's kinda what I was guessing. If you have a full platoon of pitchers at the college level and had to use them in the field, they are probably pretty good out there because they did it all in high school, but maybe your batting suffers?

Yes and no. I'd image a team full of Zack Greinke and Darren Dreifort clones could do some damage. Ultimately I think to get to the "next level" you have to concentrate on doing something very well so you see more and more PO's out there. Truthfully - its already in the HS ranks.

[Kung Wu]

Ultimately I think to get to the "next level" you have to concentrate on doing something very well so you see more and more PO's out there. Truthfully - its already in the HS ranks.

Yeah, that makes sense.

[WuDrWu]

That's going to leave a THIN bench. With Wallace and David out, that only leaves Marsh and Killeen and Elliot as back ups. Kind of have to save Killeen as a back up catcher so …...these 8 are going to play a lot of innings this weekend.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

That's going to leave a THIN bench. With Wallace and David out, that only leaves Marsh and Killeen and Elliot as backups. Kind of have to save Killeen as a backup catcher so …...these 8 are going to play a lot of innings this weekend.

Wichita State had signed pitchers 1a and 1b from this state last year. Pitcher 1A was a hell of an outfielder also who in small sample size has a 1.4 OPS currently.

I mean nothing by that other than making the statement. The depth (or lack thereof) will be interesting to watch.

[Kung Wu]

That's going to leave a THIN bench. With Wallace and David out, that only leaves Marsh and Killeen and Elliot as back ups. Kind of have to save Killeen as a back up catcher so …...these 8 are going to play a lot of innings this weekend.

Is Brent Kemnitz down in LA to watch the games this weekend?