This Program Has Officially Fallen

[Ashockalypse]

Ok, we have fallen as a program. Now lets get back up!

[Show_Me_the_Wulah]

Ok, we have fallen as a program. Now lets get back up!

:clap: :posterwu: :clap:

[BostonWu]

I'll repeat my post that may have gotten lost in the shuffle earlier: Does anyone know whatever happened to Eric Wedge? Is he not a viable candidate for Gene's successor?

He's collecting his millions after getting bought out by the Indians. Probably in no hurry to be looking for a college job.

[ShockerFever]

Bumpity bump!

Bruce Heartl mentioned our midweek record vs. DI power conference teams over the last 3 or 4 years. I forget what it was but it was brutal. Something like 8-40 maybe? Anybody bored and wanna deliver on that or do you remember what I'm talking about?

[ShockTalk]

For those still wondering about what's happened to our pitching, I repeat!

This isn't something that's just happened in the last two years. Myself and some others pointed that out last year.

If you look back at the offensive stats for the team, you'll see that it started in 2000. In the last decade, 2004 was our best offensive year: .324 avg, 78 HR, 482 RBI, and 1125 Total Bases, were the best for that period with only 387 SO . Now let's put that in perspective.

In 1999 we hit .328 and that was the lowest in the previous 5 year period. Only ONCE (starting in 1978), prior to 2000, did a team bat below .300 and only two more times below .310. In the last 10 years, 3 below .300 and 3 more below .310.

From 1990-99, in a comparible number of games to 2000-2009, the Shox averaged 73.5 HRs compared to 50.1 this decade.

Only 3 times prior to 2000 did the Shox have less than 482 RBIs. Two of those were in the 1990s in which we averaged 546 RBIs. During the 2000s, we averaged 422. You'll see the same trend in Total Bases.

In the 1990s, we had a lot of free swingers going for the fences, yet only 3 times did we have more than 400 SO. In an era with a lack of power, the 2000s, the Shox have top that mark 6 times.

Before anyone says it, last year someone on here put up a graph that showed college baseball offensive stats did go up and down over the last 30 + years, but the general numbers have remained basically the same. In other words, we used to be better than average, now we are below average.

My concern was this: A continuing of poor offensive numbers would sooner or later result in a lower of our pitching quality. Yes, BK is here, but when faced with the prospect of having to pitch near perfection against better teams all the time just to get a loss or a no decision, that losses it luster. Look at our pen and look at our mid-week starters. Has the lack of offense started to affect our pitching?

One thing we could hang our hat on during the 2000s was our defense. This year .... at the rate it's going, it could be the worst all-time since 1978.

As a northern mid-major school, this trend cannot continue. If it does, we may lose, and never get back, that great Shocker baseball tradition.

And on 3/25/09 I said:

I love the baseball program, but can't help not being concerned over our offensive trend. It took a big dip in 2000 with 5 out of the last 7 years being nothing more than an average D1 offense. Let me re-state -- Our offensive production in 5 of the last 7 years has been barely better than the middle of the pack of all the D1 programs! That by itself will only make a team slightly better than a .500 ball club.

It has been our pitching that has kept our head well above water. One would think that a D1 program would have a much bigger problem not only finding quality pitching, but have deep quality pitching. We are extremely fortunate to have BK and what he has meant to our continued success with pitching staffs.

We have been solving the tough part of the equation. Why aren't we solving the hitting part? I would think that good hitters would be attracted to a team that always has good pitching, but for some reason this has not been happening of late.

As this offensive problem has been a trend since 2000, sooner, rather than later, top quality pitchers are going to stop coming here where they get only mediocre hitting support. If you're an excellent pitching prospect, are you going to want to go to a school where you may feel that you have to throw a shutout against quality teams just to have a shot at beating those quality teams?

Whether it's the recruiting or the hitting instruction, or a combination of the two, something needs to turn this trend around!

And don't go saying our hitting is back. Maybe it is by the norm of the 2000s, but that's what got us in this pickle.

No tooting of one's horn here as I hope the Shox turn everything around and make me eat this!

SB Shock - Do you still have that college basebase hitting graph?

[Ashockalypse]

I am more surprised by the pitching deficiencies this year than hitting. We have faced hitting problems in the last couple of years but we had many returning pitchers and what appeared to be high school phenoms. We are getting so little out of our last two years of recruiting in the pitching department. Who would have thought so little would come from McGreevey, Mateychick, Muncrief, etc.

What is unprecedented about our hitting is that our guys, if they come out and have a couple of unproductive innings seem to steer themselves into "deer in tractor lights" at bats and give up for the rest of the game. We have had years where we made many late inning comebacks after early game dead bats. This is not going to happen this year. I don't really see this at all as something we can't recover from in college baseball. But we can't recruit for this season at this point. We must just suffer another so so season and hope that it ends with as many wins as possible so we retain something of an edge. We have just sucked on many occasions this year.

[BostonWu]

This is painful to say but the good old days of Mean Gene are long gone. PJ Forbes, Carl Hall and Jim Newlin are not walking though that door. He's just a different man and really sorry to say I don't see any pride left. There's absolutely no fight left in the man or his team. Even if he's completely lost it he will never be the one to call it quits until he surpasses Garido and even then I wonder how long he'll need to work for a living...separations can be very expensive you know.

[KC Shox]

I'm not going to complain about the pitching. Losing CH to an injury is bad, we all knew something wasn't right with him this year. Losing BF before the season hurt too. We all knew Fleming, Hoch and Muncrief were huge questionmarks coming back from arm injuries as well. Pitching gets a pass.

However, the defense has gotten worse and the hitting is marginally better. The power numbers are up and we are beating the lesser opponents by more runs, other than that put us out in front of an average to good team and our offense disappears.

Another long season and our hopes squarely placed on winning the MVC Tournament.

[shocker22]

All I know is the way this team plays is embarrasing.

[shoxlax]

This is painful to say but the good old days of Mean Gene are long gone. PJ Forbes, Carl Hall and Jim Newlin are not walking though that door. He's just a different man and really sorry to say I don't see any pride left. There's absolutely no fight left in the man or his team. Even if he's completely lost it he will never be the one to call it quits until he surpasses Garido and even then I wonder how long he'll need to work for a living...separations can be very expensive you know.

Not to mention two bad investment deals.

[WSU_Mom]

All I know is the way this team plays is embarrasing.

Correction... the way the team PLAYED last night was disappointing at best, embarrassing at worst. I'll be the very first to admit it. However, I certainly would not go as far as to say "the way this team plays is embarrassing" as a whole.

[shocker22]

All I know is the way this team plays is embarrasing.

Correction... the way the team PLAYED last night was disappointing at best, embarrassing at worst. I'll be the very first to admit it. However, I certainly would not go as far as to say "the way this team plays is embarrassing" as a whole.

I disagree...I see dumb baseball. Stupid base running, not knowing how many outs there are, inability to situationally hit. This teams mental approach to the game is embarrasing and last night they showed me no pride. Their approach to the game and lack of mental preperation is embarrassing.

Pet Peeve...I have seen us miss more cut off men this year then I have in the twenty years I have watched WSU baseball combined. We don't even complete the simple fundamentals.

[ShockTalk]

I have to admit that I'm a little surprised that no one jumped on this little tid bit from this morning's Eagle:


“Miserable offense,” WSU coach Gene Stephenson said. Perhaps those are the worst bits of news. Perhaps not.

The Huskers (17-16) battered WSU starter T.J. McGreevy for six two-out runs in the second inning to make the rest of the game a series of bullpen auditions for WSU.

“Miserable pitching,” Stephenson said.

Stephenson didn’t spare himself from the misery index.

“And, frankly, I didn’t manage well, so we all ought to be fired,” he said. “Obviously, I’m not getting anything out of the players.”



Read more: http://www.kansas.com/2010/04/13/126...#ixzz0l5cwJ4yX

[shock49]

Hey 22, If things are so bad & embarassing maybe YOU should find somethig else to follow!The Royals are looking for some fans.

[ShockTalk]

Hey 22, If things are so bad & embarassing maybe YOU should find somethig else to follow!The Royals are looking for some fans.

It's not that bad. :lol: