Wheat Shockers versus Corn Huskers

[WSUwatcher]

Erik Bird

I certainly agree that some of the problem is that the Shocker offense isn't as good as it has seemed, but the biggest problem against Nebraska was an excellent pitching job by Erik Bird, the sort of "keep-em-guessing" pitcher with whom the Shocks and many college teams tend to struggle.

And Bird isn't a bad pitcher, anyway. KC blew him off because he came into the game 1-1, 5.19, but before his debacle against Oklahoma State last weekend (two outs, seven runs), it was 1-1, 1.62 instead. How many of us would scoff at a Shocker pitcher with those numbers? Things can get skewed pretty quickly when you've only pitched about 17 innings. Bird was also very good as a freshman in 2006, with an overall ERA of 0.82 in 24 appearances (1.80 in 11 conference games) and an opponents' BA of .213.

So, yes, it was his best performance of the year, and for him to go six innings was unusual, but such things happen from time to time -- Jerry Sullivan, anyone? -- and it sounded as if WSU hit in some tough luck as well.

Two words: that's baseball.

[William]

Can we all just make a pact to not talk about regional hosting and national seeds every year until we can win more than half our games against top 50 rpi teams?

[gorillashocker]

Can we all just make a pact to not talk about regional hosting and national seeds every year until we can win more than half our games against top 50 rpi teams?

Since we are 5-4 against top 50 teams, let the good times roll. :D

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

Can we all just make a pact to not talk about regional hosting and national seeds every year until we can win more than half our games against top 50 rpi teams?

Since we are 5-4 against top 50 teams, let the good times roll. :D

Can we all just make a pact to actually put thought and research into a post before posting it?
:yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

[SFL]

I'm not talking about what many consider maybe the greatest baseball player ever. And I'm not talking about josh as he isnt even in the lineup right now and hes a senior and used to moving around the lineup after 4 years of it. But the younger and new guys are different. its hard enough making adjustments to this level and then when your getting jostled around and different things are expected from you after you have finally settled into a "role" its not as simple as you may think. It can really mess with guys. You get pitched differently and you have to approach the plate differently and do so for the better of the team. I'd love it if ever spot in the line up was the same and had the same significance and weight and approach to it and was pitched and handled the same by the opposing team and it was as simple as many on here seem to think it is. But the fact is... its not. I think guys go through mini slumps and the answer isnt always change the lineup. Maybe its best to let the mini slumps pass and not freak out or think a kid cant handle his slot in the line up. I think gene should have left the lineup alone. The offensive woes seem to line up more with these changes in my observation than to the quality of our opponents. Just my .02 cents. Not that they are worth much to anyone but I'm just tossing it out there to talk about.

In theory, there might be some validity to what you are saying, but in reality we really don't expect much different from any of our spots in the line up.

Basically, we don't do a whole lot of manufacturing runs and we have virtually no one with distinguishable power. We hope for and expect every spot to get on base and try to get balls into the gaps with runners on. I don't see much different coming from the 2 hole to the clean up spot...or from the 9 to the 2.

Would you not agree that our team cannot function optimally with one of our 3 most consistent hitters (thus far) hitting one less time every game and hitting with the 2 spots immediately preceding him batting .240?

Would you not agree that CG getting intentionally walked every time first base is open with two outs or pitched around with one out and consistently not being able to make the other team pay will prevent us from reaching our potential?

Even if you are right and there are some growing pains to making the changes, we need to get the right pieces in the right places for the long run.

7hot... thanks for using paragraphs... it's so much easier to read your posts. :good:

My bad. I'll do better next time.

no problem... my aging eyes have seen better days.

[WSUwatcher]

William

Hmmm -- every year William seems to come along as the baseball know-it-all, and it turns out he doesn't even have his facts straight. How about that?

Nevertheless, he has a point -- the speculation about regionals and especially about pie-in-the-sky national seeds, for heaven's sake is premature and silly. Besides, we saw a team in Wichita last year that found its way to Omaha just fine without the benefit of even playing at home. All the Anteaters did was to stop in (that self-important holy of baseball holies) Austin, and then in Wichita, on their way to the CWS.

Just win, and the rest takes care of itself.

[William]

Look I'm all for getting excited about the truly special shocker teams, I just prefer to judge them realisticly, as for this season ( which I really wasn't referring to in the original post) so far so good!

[SpanglerFan316]

Can we all just make a pact to not talk about regional hosting and national seeds every year until we can win more than half our games against top 50 rpi teams?

Since we are 5-4 against top 50 teams, let the good times roll. :D

Can we all just make a pact to actually put thought and research into a post before posting it?
:yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

Are you some kind of commie http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=elliott? :D

[SB Shock]

Can we all just make a pact to not talk about regional hosting and national seeds every year until we can win more than half our games against top 50 rpi teams?

Ummmmmm, No.

[ShockerFever]

Re: William

Besides, we saw a team in Wichita last year that found its way to Omaha just fine without the benefit of even playing at home. All the Anteaters did was to stop in (that self-important holy of baseball holies) Austin, and then in Wichita, on their way to the CWS.

That's a nice thought and all, but how many of our Top 50 wins are on the road this year?

I think this team and its fans need a regional at home in order to help achieve the ultimate goal..