Why all the fatalistic hand-wringing?

[SHOCKvalue]

We knew this was going to be a rebuilding season with a mediocre final W-L record. Unless you've been living under a rock, or don't follow college baseball much, you also know that our two most-recent recruiting classes have been possibly the best ever in the Stephenson era (on paper, before college careers). All indicators, from my vantage point, look towards an exciting, promising future with the potential for a CWS return.

So I ask, what's the deal with some posters acting like this season is some sort of an indication of a downward slide? I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool hardcore student of everything baseball like some of you, but am I missing something here? Enlighten me.

[BostonWu]

My guess on all the doom and gloom boils down to sustained lack of offense and individual development with hitters.

BTW, I went with the 1st choice.

[Shocker85]

Provocative choices in your poll.

Perhaps some folks just like hearing the tappa-tappa-tap of the keyboard and like to prattle on about how horrible the '09 Shox look. Those of us who pay attention and have watched college baseball for a long time and beyond Wichita fully understod the changes in the sport across the nation and what faced the Shox this season. I'm not surprised at the W-L record. If anything, I'm surprised that with a few breaks (and sometimes you make your own breaks), the Shox could have swept Pepperdine, swept LBSU, won at least 1 game at TCU, beat ORU and actually have a pretty decent record with these youngsters.

The pitching recruits are GREAT. The new position players are pretty much as expected - very raw. I'm disappointed in the production from McKeever, Lassley, Jones, and some of the returning OF players. Losing Kevin Hall is a shame. That kid looked promising at times last season.

I don't like the Rinse and Repeat option, but I think that is where this program is right now. RPI challenges due to the VERY POOR MVC will make hosting regionals difficult and being a Top 8 seed almost impossible. Makes the road to Omaha really hard.

Even though the program is down this season, we're coming off the two best seasons in the last 10-12 years. That points UP not DOWN and there's really no cause for being too negative right now.

I honestly thing we're looking at #10 retiring in the next 3-4 years. Leaving great facilities and tradition to his successor.

[WSUwatcher]

Retire?

85, Gene won't retire until he's overtaken Garrido to stay (presumably after Augie retires) or skis off the side of a cliff, whichever comes first.

If Augie keeps working, Gene will also. Augie is about nine years older, though, and he has been known to have too much wine before driving. So those factors could have an impact.

[SHOCKvalue]

I don't like the Rinse and Repeat option, but I think that is where this program is right now. RPI challenges due to the VERY POOR MVC will make hosting regionals difficult and being a Top 8 seed almost impossible. Makes the road to Omaha really hard.

This gets me in a lather when I think about it too much, on SO many levels.

Not specifically your take, but the truth of it.

BTW, so far basically 75% of those voting think we are at least going to maintain the level of the past two years, or get better. That's fairly promising, really. Too bad we can't just will it to reality.

[SB Shock]

I don't like the Rinse and Repeat option, but I think that is where this program is right now. RPI challenges due to the VERY POOR MVC will make hosting regionals difficult and being a Top 8 seed almost impossible. Makes the road to Omaha really hard.

Yeah, unfortunately I agree. The best the program has been able to do is win the MVC 2 years in a row (this is coming off a period of domination where they won the MVC it 14 year in row). They are pretty much on a every other year type scenario.

Only way they probably get a Top 8 seed is they have to have almost a perfect regular season (ala 1998) and there is even no guarantee as they only had a RPI of 25. The most like scenario to host a super regional is what happened in 2007 when the higher seed team lost in the regional.

[Shocker85]

It is just really frustrating how the MVC programs don't ever seem to improve or even maintain the status quo outside WSU, MSU, and CU. SIU used to be a very good program, Ind. St. could often hold their own, and Ill. St. could occasionally put together a decent team. Nowdays, it isn't really very hard at all to predict who will be in the Top 3, the middle 3, and the bottom 3.

Maybe with UNI leaving, the Shox can add a decent 3-game series with a Top 50 program on a regular basis. It would be REALLY nice if the league would leave an open weekend in late April or early May to help avoid weather issues. God forbid they go back to 4 game conference series. That would SUCK, big time.

I still like the idea of WSU making a play for C*USA affiliation.

--'85.

[SHOCKvalue]

I still like the idea of WSU making a play for C*USA affiliation.

Trade the opponent "quality" of MSU, CU, and [insert the annual MVC baseball one-year-wonder], for the opponent legitimacy of Rice, ECU, and Tulane?

I'll take it.

Unfortunately, unless I'm off-base, the MVC is the pinnacle for WSU's conference affiliation without a football program. A "captain obvious" comment, I suppose.