Weekend rotation

[Ta town]

per paul sullentrop twitter:

WSU will go with Smith, Mateychick, Gardner this weekend against Missouri State.

http://twitter.com/#!/paulsuellentrop

[shock10]

I can go with that.

[1972Shocker]

If nothing else maybe it will light a fire under Mormann and Minnis.

I enjoy watching Gardner work. The kid doesn't throw hard enough to break a pane of glass but he knows how to get guys out.

Reminds me a little bit of Steve Foral who could finesse you to death.

[GoShockers89]

Good.

[shox1989]

I think that the way those guys have pinched that they have earned it. Hopefully Mormann and Minnis will return to good pitching as well. We need them all to pitch well.

[ShockerFever]

Finally a decision that should have probably been made about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I can see why Mormann didn't get much time at LSU.

[1972Shocker]

Finally a decision that should have probably been made about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I can see why Mormann didn't get much time at LSU.

Mormann did have a very fine summer with the NBC Champion Santa Barbara Foresters including 7 shut-out innings in SBF's 1-0 championship win.

http://thegazette.com/tag/mitch-mormann/

So he is capable of pitching better than he has lately. What it will take to get him back on his game is above my pay grade.

Albert Minnis is pretty much in that same boat.

We need to have both of these guys pitching up to their capabilities by the time MVC Tournament time gets here and I'm sure they will continue to get some opportunities to do just that.

[shox1989]

Mormann did have a very fine summer with the NBC Champion Santa Barbara Foresters including 7 shut-out innings in SBF's 1-0 championship win.

http://thegazette.com/tag/mitch-mormann/

So he is capable of pitching better than he has lately. What it will take to get him back on his game is above my pay grade.

Albert Minnis is pretty much in that same boat.

We need to have both of these guys pitching up to their capabilities by the time MVC Tournament time gets here and I'm sure they will continue to get some opportunities to do just that.

Mormann pitched great for the first 4 innings against SIU in our last home conference series. But in the fifth inning he gave up a solo home run and he just fell apart. He needs to return to that form he showed in the first 4 innings against SIU a couple of weeks ago.

Minnis pitched great in relief at Ku just a week ago Tuesday.

So both of these guys are very capable of excellent pitching. They have just been inconsistent and we need them to pitch well if WSU is going to go 13-6 and get into post season play.

[ShockerFever]

They have just been inconsistent and we need them to pitch well if WSU is going to go 13-6 and get into post season play.

I don't know what planet you're on, but a 36-23 record in the Valley is not gonna sniff the postseason. And that's assuming they actually finish that well.

I think you like stirring the pot with this kinda stuff.

[shox1989]

I get it from Boyd's Worlds rpi needs assessment:

http://www.boydsworld.com/baseball/rpi/rpineeds.html

It is Boyd's world that estimates that is what WSU needs to make it as an at large 3 seed in the ncaa tournament. It is not my assessment.

[ShockerFever]

Yah, and Boyd's World isn't the Gospel either. Sometimes you need just a little common sense. A 36-23 team from the Valley will NOT make the postseason. NO way. NO how. Who are these great teams WSU has padded on their resume? Have they even won a series against anybody worth a damn? I bet you're gonna throw Illinois State at me. Yeah, there's a real eye popper.

An RPI of 45 doesn't guarantee anybody anything. Going 13-6 doesn't do anything either.

This is a prime example of major league grasping.

[tru2thaduce]

I'd like to see the stats of Minnis the starter vs Minnis out of the pen.Albert seems more focused when he comes in out of the pen.

[WSUwatcher]

One more vote for good news, and overdue. I'll take performance over credentials, "tools," and promise.

[shocker3]

Fever- I have been following college baseball very closely for 40 years and I don't think I can ever remember when a northern baseball team that got left out of the tournament when they had a RPI of 45 better. It has probably happened but it has had to be very rare and I can't think of a single instance.

There just usually aren't that many northern teams that get RPIs that good. The good RPIs are mostly had by southern teams. There have even been years in which a Valley team has had a RPI in the 60s and received an at large bid.

IF and it is a big IF we end up with a RPI of 45 or better this year (and finish in the top 2 or 3 in the Valley) I think we would be in the tournament. I don't know if 13-6 would get us to a RPI of 45 or not, but Boyd Nation is about as good as anybody at predicting this kind of thing in college baseball.

As far as being a Valley team, the Valley has been the 7th or 8th ranked conference pretty much all season. There is no reason being from the Valley should hold WSU back this year.

[GoShockers89]

Boyd's RPI Needs Report has fluctuated pretty wildly in the last 10 days, adjusting our number of required wins (to reach an RPI of 45) by as many as 3.

This isn't necessarily a knock on the reliability of his metrics- rather, it's reflective of how projections are adjusted to catch up with actual (unexpected) results.

I am sure they will continue to change. Hanging our hat on getting to 36 (or 37, or 38) wins may not produce the expected results.

I have a gut feeling (nothing else) that 40 wins (MVC Tournament included)will allow us to squeeze in this year. Getting there is a longshot at this point. Not impossible, but a longshot.