2024 Games of Interest

[WuDrWu]

Not bad for a first-year coach and a re-build.

Remarkable for any first year coach, and considering the quantity AND quality of the departing talent, I'm not sure there are words to describe it.

The season isn't over, and nothing has been won yet. Still.

It speaks to a lot....the coaching, the perseverance of the few returning players (all 11 of them), the incoming transfers, the team aspect, and you can't discount the work that former assistants Mike Pelfrey and Mike Siriani did in putting together an outstanding freshman class, and as HCBG has said more than once, the strength of this program.

Our freshmen pitchers this weekend...2-0, 12 and a third innings, 1 earned run. And they grinded on the road. Nobody had their A game (Hamilton, Dobbs, LaPour, Geraghty all saw action) but all battled. That shows a lot.

[Kung Wu]

Payton Tolle was spectacular last night. Complete game shutout at Okie State. 130 pitches and a ton of strikeouts. FB was 94-96 at the END of the game. Obviously meant a lot to him, being from the area. Robert Cranz pitched the back end for OSU and was also really good. In fact, the OSU announcers said something like "These 2, Cranz and Tolle, were on the same Wichita State team last season??!"

Feels good and hurts at the same time.

No it just hurts.

Waaaaaah

[WuDrWu]

Non Con Update:

Little Rock lost a midweek to ORU, then took 2 of 3 from OVC 2nd choice Morehead St. The Trojans are 13-11.

Virginia is 20-4. Wins over Georgetown and a series sweep of Pitt for the Cavs, ranked #14 and RPI of 11.

Auburn is 15-8 after a tough win vs South Alabama then dropping 2 of 3 at home vs #1 Arkansas.

Iowa took 2 of 3 at Purdue. They are 10-10 vs D1 competition.

ORU won at Little Rock but came home and lost 2 of 3 to North Dakota State. This is not last year's ORU.

Utah Tech lost to BYU but won a 2nd conference series at Seattle. They are 7-17 and 5-4 in conference. They won't not be a Q4 but maybe they can crawl into the low 200s by year end.

OU continues to be difficult to get a good read on. After sweeping TCU, they were shut out at home vs DBU, then run ruled WVU in game 1 but lost the next 2. The Sooners are 14-9, 7-2 in the B12 and sport a 12 RPI.

Long Beach State laid an egg vs UCS midweek, then swept Fullerton. The Dirtbags are 13-8-1 and 3-3 in conference but have a lagging RPI of 186. 6 games against Milwaukee and Omaha are killing them. Hopefully by next week they'll cease being a Q4 which is utterly ridiculous.

Nebraska is 17-5 after a 4-0 week at home vs Omaha, NDSU & NMSU. They were weathered out today. RPI 10.

As expected, by me at least, Gonzaga is getting healthy in conference. They swept LMU today and are 6-14, 3-0.

Oklahoma State went 3-1 beating Missouri State and taking 2 of 3 vs TCU. 15-9, 3-3 RPI 29.

Kansas State is 17-6 5-1 & 18 RPI. 9 game heater after beating us and then 3 at Houston.

Kansas is 12-10, 4-5 with a low 70s RPI. They beat Mizzou then lost 2 of 3 to UCF in Lawrence.


Our RPI is up to 59 after today's good work.

[Cdizzle]

We're in a very odd position where I feel like we may live to regret not sweeping UAB this weekend. Which is both disappointing but so unexpected for me that it's still an exciting thought.

[Shockm]

Payton Tolle is 2-1 in 6 starts for TCU. 3.73 ERA 1.18 WHIP had a brilliant complete game shutout at OSU Friday. He's only hitting .200 and has been mostly out of the lineup since conference play.

A feeling that Tolle was looking (however probably debating it in his own mind) to be gone. Looking for one payoff and a team that was a step or probably two up?

[1972Shocker]

It would have been nice to keep these guys, but we didn't. Focusing so much on your sadness that they left is, IMO, a little disrespectful to the young guys we have now busting their butts and, considering the circumstances doing very well.

Let's move on.

[Kung Wu]

It would have been nice to keep these guys, but we didn't. Focusing so much on your sadness that they left is, IMO, a little disrespectful to the young guys we have now busting their butts and, considering the circumstances doing very well.

Let's move on.

It was just a rating system. Sheesh.

[WuDrWu]

A feeling that Tolle was looking (however probably debating it in his own mind) to be gone. Looking for one payoff and a team that was a step or probably two up?

Payton was 100% absolutely NOT looking to be gone. He wanted to stay and it killed him to leave. I know the response will be "well, then why did he?" and I can only respond that he did what he believed was best for he and his family.

Sneader, Penny, Tolle, Chuck and to a lesser extent Cranzy and Candy all got paid. Kyte is getting a grad degree from Rice. That is also getting paid.

[Shockm]

Payton was 100% absolutely NOT looking to be gone. He wanted to stay and it killed him to leave. I know the response will be "well, then why did he?" and I can only respond that he did what he believed was best for he and his family.

Sneader, Penny, Tolle, Chuck and to a lesser extent Cranzy and Candy all got paid. Kyte is getting a grad degree from Rice. That is also getting paid.

I don’t doubt that at all. However, I remember Pelf saying that multiple players were considering leaving no matter the coaching situation and possible change.

[WuDrWu]

I don’t doubt that at all. However, I remember Pelf saying that multiple players were considering leaving no matter the coaching situation and possible change.

No doubt, and that's the world of college athletics today. 100%, people, players from other teams, contacts etc etc were in Snead's ear the instant he threw a hunskie vs OSU. He was definitely going to test the waters (frankly was before the season ended). Everyone else was mostly a hodge podge of reasons. It's going to happen, every year, until they can get a hold of things but it will be much worse when there's a coaching change. And we had 2.

[pogo]

It would have been nice to keep these guys, but we didn't. Focusing so much on your sadness that they left is, IMO, a little disrespectful to the young guys we have now busting their butts and, considering the circumstances doing very well.

Let's move on.

This X's 100

[molly jabali]

I guess I disagree some...there is a thread in the basketball section about former players....personally, you can cheer for the ones here but still be intrigued by the former players.

[Shockm]

It's going to happen, every year, until they can get a hold of things but it will be much worse when there's a coaching change. And we had 2.

If you're right that it will happen every year, then we can expect our best players to leave again this year. I can't figure out who to blame the coaching situation on, except for the main leader who obviously had some personal demons. But in his tenure, things were great (and improving), until they weren't, and the program went down the last year or two. The team wasn't responding to an interim coach who may have been ready to retire (mentally and maybe physically). It appeared that Pelf had some questions too.

I expected Tolle (to be a little more loyal), and a couple of others, to give the new coach a chance to make a case, but almost all of them left. Favors (and Favors was ok last year, but has been great this year), Milan, and Gustafson didn't but I don't know how many other money offers were given to them. Either way, almost all of our starters left for other places. Sorry I feel differently than you, but to me, that isn't loyalty.

I, like you, wonder what those starters could have become under this staff, because I see a team, this year, who is at least competitively fighting in most, if not all games. Last year, I felt that we (obviously not every player, but as a team) were just mailing it in during the last month or two (after our ECU sweep anyway). Maybe this year will end badly too, but I've been impressed so far with the fight and enthusiasm of the players.

[1972Shocker]

I guess I disagree some...there is a thread in the basketball section about former players....personally, you can cheer for the ones here but still be intrigued by the former players.

That is fine. Create a separate thread for that if you want to follow and/or root for the departed guys.

[WuDrWu]

Second weekend of conference play seemed more straightforward, to me at least.

UTSA won at Baylor midweek and then went to Tulane and swept the Green Wave. The Roadrunners struggled early but they are rounding into form now and will challenge for the league title I believe. Tied with WSU but they have a fairly big advantage having played ECU already and they get WSU at home.

WSU lost a tough game at home to OSU 3-0 then swept bottom feeder Rice.

ECU got great pitching all week in beating UNCW midweek 7-4 then sweeping UAB in Greenville 6-2, 4-3, 7-1. The Pirates lost a no hitter in the 9th today, with 2 outs.

FAU had the midweek off, traveled to Memphis and after dropping the first game 2-1, won the next 2 games, both routes 13-5, 14-3.

Charlotte lost the opener to South Florida 11-2 but rebounded to take the next two 7-3 & 11-8. The 49rs are tough to figure. They've played exactly .500 vs Conference, Q2, Q3 & Q4 teams...and are 2-4 vs Q1. Win & lose. Rinse, repeat.

USF defeated Bethune Cookman before losing 2 of 3 at Charlotte.

Tulane lost to Southern Miss 9-4 then were swept at home by UTSA.

Memphis lost a slugfest at Mississippi State 17-9 before dropping 2 of 3 at USF. Memphis can mash the ball. Kind of happy we get them last.

UAB run ruled a terrible Alabama A&M team 16-1 before being swept at ECU.

Rice continues to struggle, dropping their midweek at Sam Houston State then getting swept by us. Rice is the early favorite for the bottom spot in the conference and to be 1 of the 2 teams to miss Clearwater.



WSU & UTSA are 5-1, FAU & ECU are 4-2, USF & Charlotte are 3-3, Memphis & Tulane 2-4, with Rice & UAB pulling up the rear at 1-5.

Things are starting to take shape. Our path gets much more difficult now. Need to keep grinding and winning series, starting with at Tampa this week.

Likely to get a better idea of contenders and pretenders after this next weekend:

ECU @ FAU Interesting series. ECU righted the ship vs UAB. Sneaky opponent that certainly has ideas of a top finish.
Charlotte @ UTSA Do the Roadrunners have another sweep in them?
Memphis @ Rice Whomever loses this series is in big trouble if they want to go to Clearwater.
Tulane @ UAB Again, the loser of this series won't be purchasing suntan lotion anytime soon.
WSU @ USF Just win baby.

In different ways, I think we'll see if both WSU and UTSA are ready to battle ECU for the title.