Shox Midweek vs Central Arkansas and Arkansas-Little Rock

[SB Shock]

I would disband baseball and give Marshall and the basketball program the money saved.

[Shocker85]

Not only is Butler now firmly on the hot seat; Brent Kemnitz is right there with him.

The pitching staff "needs to wear this" in BK parlance.

[shockfan89_]

Is it strange to say tomorrow is a must win type of game? We are 1/4 of the way through the season at 4-10 and have UC Santa Barbara coming in this weekend and then two mid-week games with Western Illinois before we start MVC play. I think you have to beat A-LR and hope for 1-2 against UCSB and then two wins mid-week which would put us at 8-12 starting MVC play. Somewhere along the line we need to start winning games we should win (or at least making them competitive) to have a chance to salvage the season.

[ShockTalk]

Careful diz. You don't wanna be labeled a KU/KSU fan with all of the negativity.

4-10. Irrelevant.

Touche.

[KC Shox]

Is it strange to say tomorrow is a must win type of game? We are 1/4 of the way through the season at 4-10 and have UC Santa Barbara coming in this weekend and then two mid-week games with Western Illinois before we start MVC play. I think you have to beat A-LR and hope for 1-2 against UCSB and then two wins mid-week which would put us at 8-12 starting MVC play. Somewhere along the line we need to start winning games we should win (or at least making them competitive) to have a chance to salvage the season.

You said "to have a chance to salvage the season". Bwuuuuhaahaaaaa!

That opportunity has come and gone my friend. However, I'll buy that statement for a dollar when the MVC Tourney roles around because that is the only way this team gets to the NCAA's.

[shockfan89_]

By "salvage" I mean .500 or better. That means we have to go 24-18 the rest of the way. That doesn't seem impossible if we start winning some games VERY soon! But I agree that is not real likely based on the performance of the first 14 games.

[ShockerFever]

Go figure, the weather turns around and becomes absolutely perfect to head out to the Eck to watch some baseball.

Unfortunately, my time will be spent going outside and doing more important things like counting pebbles on the asphalt as opposed to watching this "product" on the field.

#wishingihadmy$60back

[1972Shocker]

By "salvage" I mean .500 or better. That means we have to go 24-18 the rest of the way. That doesn't seem impossible if we start winning some games VERY soon! But I agree that is not real likely based on the performance of the first 14 games.

Unfortunately, this team is just not showing any signs that they get it and with Tewes on the shelf for who knows how long (maybe the rest of the season) there is not a lot to hang your hat on to hope for even a modest tournaround. Coach Butler and Kemnitz may have recruited some power arms but they apparently weren't too concerned whether they could actually pitch or had too much confidence in Brent's ability to make pitchers out of them. But I suppose anything is possible.

Butler will be on the hot seat as far as fan disgruntlement is concerned but hard to believe he won't get at least two more seasons beyond this year to see what he can do and probably more considering he was given a 7-year contract. Not sure what his buyout is but if they have to payoff the remainder of his contract in full (which is the likely outcome) I really doubt the AD will have much interest in paying off more than a year or two at the most. Looks to me like the AD went all in on Coach Butler.

http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article1121603.html

It seems to me like Coach Butler will be the Shocker head man for the foreseeable future.

[DUShock]

Go figure, the weather turns around and becomes absolutely perfect to head out to the Eck to watch some baseball.

Unfortunately, my time will be spent going outside and doing more important things like counting pebbles on the asphalt as opposed to watching this "product" on the field.

#wishingihadmy$60back

Ouch! I am not in panic mode, yet. Fever as always is good for a laugh. I had to chuckle at successfully pulling humor into a pebble and asphalt reference.

[Cdizzle]

UALR is 4-7 with an RPI of 168. They are currently 1-3 against other Valley teams. I do not know who will start for the Shockers. And, in looking at the stat sheet, I am not particularly excited about any of the options.

I hope that we can win today.

[KC Shox]

Okay baseball fans, here's the deal. If the Shox finally figure it out and sweep upcoming #21 UC Santa Barbara and #4 TCU, we may be at .500 or slightly below, but that'll erase from my mind everything this team has done thus far and my hope will be restored. Hell, I'll even take series wins rather than sweeps. Doing so will at least tell me these guys are CAPABLE of playing and beating the best in the nation and it's just a mental and learning curve issue to overcome. It's take the series or bust, no moral victories. I refuse to believe Shocker baseball has sunk to the point where moral victories actually matter.

[Cdizzle]

First, we get to try to not get run-ruled by UALR today.

[1972Shocker]

I refuse to believe Shocker baseball has sunk to the point where moral victories actually matter.

What we might believe and what actually is are often not the same thing. At this point I think moral victories against programs like LSB (we had none), UCSB and TCU probably do matter for this team.

[Cdizzle]

I would settle for an actual victory against a crappy team today.

[Cdizzle]

Start the game with a single, double and walk.

Now a strikeout and a missed opportunity on a DBP. Actually a pretty solid job of getting out of a bases-loaded nobody out jam only giving up 1.

0-1 UALR Mid 1

Burns leads off the Shocker half with a single, but is stranded after 3 worthless fly balls.

0-1 UALR End 1