Rivals.com's 2009 Top 25

[billybud]

Sure...success ultimately depends on having good pitching and hitting...By either recruiting well...or developing unrecognized talent (or both).

I have thought that some teams (my own included in past years), have gone in the wrong direction regarding talent. I have come to the conclusion that to win it all at Rosenblatt, you need power hitters. Small ball may get you to the regionals or even the Super regional...but so many games at the higher level of competition seem to be won on the ball that goes out of the park. That is especially so against good pitching where moving guys around the bases chip hitting is more difficult.

In the Missouri Valley, WSU seems to me to be clearly the most prestigious program to play for and would seem to have some recruiting advantage vs the other conference members. Of all, WSU is the one with a national rep and a national draw.

While it might be difficult to steal a recruit from Univ. of Texas or Arizona State, Texas and Arizona St. can only sign so many. The state of Texas just has so many good ball players.

I suspect that WSU will be the power of the conference for years to come..and in years the Shockers have a great pitching rotation, they will go deep into the post season.

[SpanglerFan316]

While it might be difficult to steal a recruit from Univ. of Texas or Arizona State, Texas and Arizona St. can only sign so many. The state of Texas just has so many good ball players.

Do you mean people like Kenny Williams Jr. ? http://www.goshockers.com/ViewArticl...&Q_SEASON=2007
(Yes, I know Arizona and Arizona State are different schools.)

[billybud]

It is difficult to get the great ones who are wooed by a Texas or Arizona State...you might snag one every once in a while.

Arizona is also a pretty good program, they have gone to the CWS twice in the last 20 years and field strong teams. Last year early, they were flirting with being ranked #1.

Why did Kenny transfer? He was a great catch.

[ISASO]

ASU just wouldn't give Kenny enough extended playing time to show them what he could do. He had a very good year at WSU and certainly would have made the ASU coaches eat their words even more so if he would have been healthy.

[Ta town]

Here is a pitcher who chose WSU over ASU and Arkansas.

http://www.kansas.com/250/story/458288.html

Anybody who thinks WSU isn't recruitingt highly rated players is on crack. Just look at the incoming class.

Billy, please to be telling me how an FSU fan can feel confident on giving a formula for sucess in Omaha? Thats just funny :D

[lostshocker]

Billy, please to be telling me how an FSU fan can feel confident on giving a formula for sucess in Omaha? Thats just funny :D

you take what you are doing then advise the exact opposite.

[Ta town]

Billy, please to be telling me how an FSU fan can feel confident on giving a formula for sucess in Omaha? Thats just funny :D

you take what you are doing then advise the exact opposite.

[shock10]

Billy's not very bright like a burnt out light bulb in a blown up submarine.

[billybud]

Billy, please to be telling me how an FSU fan can feel confident on giving a formula for sucess in Omaha? Thats just funny

Actually, nobody is more qualified to discuss what doesn't work...LOL

FSU has always put a lot of folks on base.....but the guys who win it at Rosenblatt have been making their pull away runs on homers and hits for extra bases. Hits, spread out by outs, leave a lot of guys on base.

WSU, this year, was ranked #129 (of 286 ranked) in home runs per game...and WSU was the 2nd highest ranked of the Missouri Valley (Missouri State was #73). Evansville was dead last in the division at #268.

Where the Shockers really shined was in hitting triples..#7 nationally, and doubles, #12 nationally. The Shocks scored a lot on hits for extra bases.

While FSU was #1 in batting average, #1 in hits, #1 in runs, etc...that disguised the bad fielding...FSU was #172 in fielding percentage and #185 in double plays per game..the defense was not good.

In a game with good pitchers on both sides...when one team chips away but doesn't hit homers or for extra bases, they can't afford to let the other team score on bad fielding...and that happened this year.

[CharlieHog]

Any fan that pays attention to the sport is qualified to give an opinion about how to get to Omaha.

Also I have a (maybe stupid) question about this Ben Christenson incident. If Molina was standing that close to the plate (as in the illustration) and timing pitches, how did he not see the pitch coming at him? I'm not trying to say anybody is lying, I just don't understand. Did he stop timing pitches and look somewhere else for a second?

[shockfan89]

Any fan that pays attention to the sport is qualified to give an opinion about how to get to Omaha.

Also I have a (maybe stupid) question about this Ben Christenson incident. If Molina was standing that close to the plate (as in the illustration) and timing pitches, how did he not see the pitch coming at him? I'm not trying to say anybody is lying, I just don't understand. Did he stop timing pitches and look somewhere else for a second?

I believe that is what happened. I think he had looked into his own dugout as that particular pitch was delivered?

[vbird53]

In reading some of the other end of year write-ups offered on rivals.com, Kendall Rogers makes it clear that he thinks Okie State would have won the regional at Stillwater had they had Oliver at their disposal.

Head Coach Power Rankings

Would have been interesting to see what the Cowboys could do with Andy Oliver in the tourney.

Grading the Big 12

Oklahoma State coach Frank Anderson has really done a nice job the past few seasons. The Cowboys finished 2007 third in the Big 12 standings, but took another step forward with a second place finish in 2008. Though OSU was unable to advance to a Super Regional, not having Andy Oliver certainly played into that.

Funny, but I don't remember the Shocks losing in Stillwater. Injuries and suspensions are a part of baseball. I'm not sure that the excuses delivered by Kendall Rogers are necessary.

[shockandawe08]

vbird53,

I, too, noticed and was irritated by Rogers' "if only" comments. I guess we've all been guilty of thinking, "if only this had happened, or if that hadn't happened, things could/would have been different."
My problem with Rogers is when he uses words like "certainly," as if he's some kind of psychic. He sure gives a lot of credit to just ONE player. And he obviously left out a key part of the equation when he failed to include another view, like this one:

If only OSU had realized the potential of Clinton McKeever, they would not have cut him from the team and they could/would/should have won that game/regional. Or, if they'd only had Dirks, or Musgrave, or Gilaspie, or, oh I don't know, ANY of the WSU players, surely they would have won!

Well, yeah. Duh. :roll:
And if my aunt had the proper equipment, she'd be my uncle. :lol:

[vbird53]

Well, yeah. Duh. :roll:
And if my aunt had the proper equipment, she'd be my uncle. :lol:

ROFL.

[SB Shock]

In reading some of the other end of year write-ups offered on rivals.com, Kendall Rogers makes it clear that he thinks Okie State would have won the regional at Stillwater had they had Oliver at their disposal.

Food for thought:

Kendall R. = Billybud = Troll