Fall World Series - 2023

[1972Shocker]

I've was impressed by what I saw from this sophomore from Minnesota in one of the earlier intra-squad scrimmages. Doubt the cool weather bothered him too much.

I would anticipate that Zangman will will get an inning or two in the Dallas Baptist scrimmage in a couple of weeks. Not sure how many innings they will be playing in that scrimmage. Looking forward to seeing how our pitchers fare in that scrimmage although I expect details will be few and far between.

DBU had a school record 8 players taken in this year's MLB draft and it appears all 8 have signed pro contracts. 6 pitchers, their catcher and their centerfielder taken between the 8th and 18th rounds. 1 was a 5th year grad student, 5 were 4th year seniors, and 2 were 4th year juniors.

In any case, DBU will be really good measuring stick and perhaps an eye-opener for many of the Shocker newcomers.

Who the Shocker pitchers will have as their battery mates may very well be determined by who is on the mound for the opposing team. Both the right-hand hitting Mauricio Millan and the left-handed hitting Alex Birge have looked behind the plate and at the plate and we could very well see platooning at that position.

[WuDrWu]

It was indeed chilly out there. I toughed it out for just a few innings.

I'm only doing this from memory, so forgive mistakes and omissions please.

It's tough to evaluate vs Juco although Cowley is usually damned good, so I'll try to give some comparisons to recent seasons.

Milan and Birge caught, Milan started. Mo is the better receiver and has a better arm. Birge has a little better pop at the plate and mashed several balls yesterday. Just because we're older, we're better behind the plate. I could see Birge DHing or maybe at first as we'll need his bat. Both have worked hard during the summer and appear to be in great shape. Mo particularly looks to be in the best shape of his life.

I'm sure to get this wrong, but I believe Ryan Callahan was at 1st and Josh Livingston was at 3rd. That's probably backwards. Whoever played 3rd bounced a couple over there (certainly doesn't have Little's arm) but the 1B made several nice pickups.

Jordan Rogers was at 2nd. He's not Brock Rodden. Few are. He fielded his position nicely and continues to be a solid contributor at the plate.

Shortstop was freshman Darnell Parker Jr. This was my first time seeing him in action. I'm guessing he's going to be a popular figure with fans. He is very talented with the glove making several nice plays. He transitions to the throw very quickly. His mechanics seem to be very strong, but he still has a flair about him. He's got some work to do as a hitter I think, but dude can field. He's going to be fun to watch and you'll hear some ooos and ahhs when he makes a difficult play seem simple.

Left field was Will Stark. Not sure I saw him tested, but he just does his job. Walked several times. Seems to be bulked up during his redshirt season. Had a steal and took an extra base a couple of times. Good kid, great family, just the kind of kid you want to see get a chance and succeed.

Speaking of taking an extra base, there was a play early that was fun to watch. I think we gave up 2 in the 1st and trailed 2-0 coming to bat for the first time. We got the bases loaded and I think it was Birge at the plate. He drives one deep with both the CF and RF chasing it. Wasn't sure if it would be caught or not and in fact it drops. My initial reaction (based on recent years) was to look up and find a mess on the base path. Far from it. Birge is rounding first in full sprint. 3rd has tagged up and is flying home, 2nd has tagged up and is heading to 3rd with no thought of anything but scoring, and the runner at first was watching the play, a couple of steps from 2nd, and is right behind the runner at 2nd, chasing him home. All 3 scored within a flash of each other. Perfect execution.

CF was Dayvin Johnson. I don't remember much about his play except that he appeared to struggle with his mechanics getting back on a couple of fly balls. That's going to have to get better. I'm sure this position is open to competition and right now it's a big step behind Kyte/Chuck from last season. Seth Stroh was in right. Young man is full of talent and he hit the ball very hard a couple of times. We certainly need his A game.

Transfer Gavin Oswald started and went 2 innings. Big dude. Like 6'6" 260+ big. Not the hardest thrower but you can see why he's here. Caden Favors pitched the 3rd and 4th and was sharp. He is too good for the juco guys. Daniel Zhang is a side arm throwing, bunch of arm slot going to make you think kind of a pitcher. Harder throwing than I anticipated. Wilky pitched. Now, this group isn't going to have a sub 4 ERA or throw a bunch of shutouts, but maybe they can piece together some games and find some guys to be effective if even just for a short time. I expect the bullpen to be very, very, VERY busy as we try to find different guys to keep teams off stride all season.

One big difference is dugout presence. Some might call it softballish. It's not my place to judge it but the kids are engaged and does seem very much like an organized team. My guess is that fans will embrace it, and with a little luck, some success too.

I don't mind admitting that it was better than I expected.

[Old School "Shocker"]

With so many new guys, I thought the Boys played great for 1st time out. As for Cather Birge caught the 1st 7 with Logan catching the next 7. Mo did not catch at all.

lots of big exit velo and pitchers command the zone well.

It’s going to be a fun team to watch. Will play fast and loose.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

Thanks for the details everyone. Helps us out of towners a ton.

[1972Shocker]

LOL at the biggest game in Dallas comment.

[1972Shocker]

This is good news, isn't it?

[1972Shocker]

[1972Shocker]

As of now the weather for next weekends 3-game fall world series games is looking much better, especially for the 1:00 pm games on Saturday and Sunday. Highs next Satuday and Sunday are projected to be 69 with winds out of the south at around 15 mph. Of course, we no how weather forecasts can change this far out.

[1972Shocker]

[Old School "Shocker"]

[1972Shocker]

Hopefully this is a more readable version of the Shocker FWS rosters:

[1972Shocker]

I was a bit surprised that the result of the Dallas Baptist scrimmage did not draw more comment and discussion. Perhaps that is because basketball season is now underway.

[ShockTalk]

That one was "clickable", but also good to have you post it on the next page.

[WuDrWu]

I was a bit surprised that the result of the Dallas Baptist scrimmage did not draw more comment and discussion. Perhaps that is because basketball season is now underway.

Me too. That was a pleasantly surprising result, mostly because of the pitching. I also think that result probably ignited some self belief and confidence in kids, returning and new, that probably were uncertain as to their team potential. All of which is good.

[1972Shocker]

I am hoping to catch Sunday's FWS finale although not sure what pitching will be left for that game.