Set the bar this year.

8,614 Views | 85 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by tjack16
hunter2012
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I'm curious with COVID disrupting last year where our roster is at. Assuming it isn't disrupted this year what do ya'll expect from the team?

Should it be RC's last if he can't win one in the CWS(I'm here)?

We assume pitching is there, but does he have the bats to make a run? I know the polls don't think much of us(they rarely do), but we've had top rosters fizzle out in supers anyway.
tjack16
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My expectation is to at least make supers every year.

Anything less than that this year is a failure IMO. We have a lot of talent coming back and should be a regional host in 2021
greg.w.h
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Supers is equivalent of S16. CWS is equivalent of E8. I expect to host a region, too, which is the top of the bracket playing off to a S16 spot.

This year is weird. Hope we can work through the weirdness and excel. Love for the regular expectations to be met and survive deeper into the CWS. That's something that can happen in weird years.
TKNR_Ags_co21
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Looking at preseason polls aren't really making me feel good so far... I know they are really all over the place with baseball so they aren't to be taken very seriously, but still.

Preseason All American rosters are filled with a lot of our opponents.

It just has the feel of a year where it could be the deciding factor for the future of Aggie baseball. We are getting left behind in our own league.

Cautiously optimistic... but @ UF and hosting UGA to start league play is daunting. Road trips to Miss State and Arky... woo!
sharpdressedman
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Peak with a Regional appearance. The RC debate will rage.
CampingAg
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Baseball is so hard because it's so random by nature. Was RC a bad coach because Gideon threw the ball away at 2 in the morning in Fort Worth and we didn't make it to Omaha? I think there's no way that team goes two and out if they make it.

I know this: we have never been bad under RC. His pitching development speaks for itself(the debate about offense can rage on). Is the lack of success in Omaha bad coaching? The randomness of baseball? Both? I also know former players swear by him as a coach and a leader. If a handful of plays go our way and we win a game in Omaha in 2016 before losing the next two, does that one game somehow mean he's a good coach instead of a bad coach?

It's tough.
Aggies2009
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CampingAg said:

Baseball is so hard because it's so random by nature. Was RC a bad coach because Gideon threw the ball away at 2 in the morning in Fort Worth and we didn't make it to Omaha? I think there's no way that team goes two and out if they make it.

I know this: we have never been bad under RC. His pitching development speaks for itself(the debate about offense can rage on). Is the lack of success in Omaha bad coaching? The randomness of baseball? Both? I also know former players swear by him as a coach and a leader. If a handful of plays go our way and we win a game in Omaha in 2016 before losing the next two, does that one game somehow mean he's a good coach instead of a bad coach?

It's tough.
A "win in Omaha" is not really a metric to anyone other than the people who have made it their goal to get Childress fired and it's the only thing they have to hold onto.

You're right that baseball has an element of randomness (TCU needed their regional opponent to make 3 errors and a balk just to reach the Supers in 2015), but that doesn't matter to these people. They'll make a straw man argument and say, "IT'S ALL RANDOM HUH?"

You'll be better off if you ignore the "FIRE RC" posts/threads until after the season and enjoy the games.

HTH
Lonestar18
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For those who want RC out, who would you replace him with?
dabo man
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We could be in a situation where the entire infield/bullpen/whatever group is under Covid quarantine and can't play for a series. Unless the vaccination drive really gets going and the infection rate in the general population drops, the season could be about just trying to field 8 starters and a pitcher every game. If that happens, I don't think you'd really be able to take anything from it in terms of the "direction of the program."

The Buffalo Bills had a game this season where they were missing three tight ends *and* a practice squad tight end because of Covid. It introduces a huge random factor into everything.
BQ_90
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dabo man said:

We could be in a situation where the entire infield/bullpen/whatever group is under Covid quarantine and can't play for a series. Unless the vaccination drive really gets going and the infection rate in the general population drops, the season could be about just trying to field 8 starters and a pitcher every game. If that happens, I don't think you'd really be able to take anything from it in terms of the "direction of the program."

The Buffalo Bills had a game this season where they were missing three tight ends *and* a practice squad tight end because of Covid. It introduces a huge random factor into everything.
i haven't seen any changes in contact tracing, if it's still 14 days, you can have a team miss 2 weekend series easily.

I'm thinking it'll be luck if we play 80% of the conference games this year.
biles90
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BQ_90 said:

dabo man said:

We could be in a situation where the entire infield/bullpen/whatever group is under Covid quarantine and can't play for a series. Unless the vaccination drive really gets going and the infection rate in the general population drops, the season could be about just trying to field 8 starters and a pitcher every game. If that happens, I don't think you'd really be able to take anything from it in terms of the "direction of the program."

The Buffalo Bills had a game this season where they were missing three tight ends *and* a practice squad tight end because of Covid. It introduces a huge random factor into everything.
i haven't seen any changes in contact tracing, if it's still 14 days, you can have a team miss 2 weekend series easily.

I'm thinking it'll be luck if we play 80% of the conference games this year.
We played 9 of 10 football games and the SEC in total played >95% of the games they scheduled so I'm not sure why we'd think baseball would fair worse. Granted they built in an extra week (or two) into the football schedule that I don't see in the baseball one.
biles90
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So, I'm in the "we've kept RC way too long" crowd but I also think the zero wins in Omaha isn't a good metric either. I'm more concerned about us settling into being a middle of the pack SEC team (which is still good, but not great) - his record in the time we've been in the SEC is the 7th best in the conference which doesn't strike me as where we should be. Furthermore, he's winning at about the same clip we've been winning at since the mid 50's, no better and no worse...

Bottomline, we are now who we've been for the past 70 years and I don't think that's where we want to be. If we think he can, after 15 years, turn A&M into a Florida/LSU/Vanderbilt type program then great, but he hasn't managed to do it up to this point.

But now, I'm going to set that aside until after June and hope that the team over performs what the pundits think they are going to do and give us another trip to Omaha and maybe win a game or two this time.
W
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as we have discussed for more than a decade now...Childress is essentially MJ 2.0..with a few less bad seasons.

he has struggled like MJ did to maximize the postseason runs of his most talented teams.

I think that sums it up pretty well
W
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also disappointing...the move from Olsen Field to Blue Bell Park hasn't changed the success of the program like everyone hoped.

A&M has played 9 seasons at Blue Bell (2012-2020) --- one shortened by COVID...

and the program basically has the same postseason results as the last 9 seasons at Olsen Field (2003-2011).

almost identical in fact...Omaha appearances...super-regional appearances...regionals hosted
Agsncws
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Im very far from a pot banger but a few random points:

Covid has the potential to wreck / interrupt the year. We played most football games throughout the SEC, but you simply can not convince me that there werent profound impacts in practicing, player availability, etc. And still, that didnt keep football coaches from getting fired. Playing the games is the equivalent of "but did you die?". A ****ty metric to determine success.

With last years 5 round MLB draft I expect teams all across the country to be DEEP and parity to be the norm. I expect this to be the case for the next 2-3 years as well. People making clutch plays will be the difference in seasons (clutch doesnt exist btw).

I am deeply concerned with the progress teams around us are making. TCU is improving again. Rice is improving. South Carolina is improving. Hell, even (gd) Bama is improving. I dont believe our recruiting classes are keeping up. That - with the point I made above - gives me tremendous pause for the program.

I have absolutely no idea how we'll do this year - especially compared to any other year. I think we finish middle of the pack in conference play and make a regional but do not host. I hope for so much more than that and support the team 100%. But this conference is stacked, Im not sure we're keeping pace, and we lost a lot on the mound from last year.

Time will tell. I'll enjoy the season playing out. And I dont mind if Im wrong.
jkag89
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W said:

as we have discussed for more than a decade now...Childress is essentially MJ 2.0..with a few less bad seasons.

he has struggled like MJ did to maximize the postseason runs of his most talented teams.

I think that sums it up pretty well
A fair assessment..
BQ_90
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biles90 said:

BQ_90 said:

dabo man said:

We could be in a situation where the entire infield/bullpen/whatever group is under Covid quarantine and can't play for a series. Unless the vaccination drive really gets going and the infection rate in the general population drops, the season could be about just trying to field 8 starters and a pitcher every game. If that happens, I don't think you'd really be able to take anything from it in terms of the "direction of the program."

The Buffalo Bills had a game this season where they were missing three tight ends *and* a practice squad tight end because of Covid. It introduces a huge random factor into everything.
i haven't seen any changes in contact tracing, if it's still 14 days, you can have a team miss 2 weekend series easily.

I'm thinking it'll be luck if we play 80% of the conference games this year.
We played 9 of 10 football games and the SEC in total played >95% of the games they scheduled so I'm not sure why we'd think baseball would fair worse. Granted they built in an extra week (or two) into the football schedule that I don't see in the baseball one.
Football makes all the money, baseball doesn't. It's will be easier to cancel baseball games than football
Hop
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W said:

also disappointing...the move from Olsen Field to Blue Bell Park hasn't changed the success of the program like everyone hoped.

A&M has played 9 seasons at Blue Bell (2012-2020) --- one shortened by COVID...

and the program basically has the same postseason results as the last 9 seasons at Olsen Field (2003-2011).

almost identical in fact...Omaha appearances...super-regional appearances...regionals hosted


Was putting a brick facade, sprucing up the rest rooms, and adding a couple of berms supposed to be a game changer? Blue Bell ranks in the middle of the SEC pack for baseball stadiums.
RikkiTikkaTagem
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Quote:

A "win in Omaha" is not really a metric to anyone other than the people who have made it their goal to get Childress fired and it's the only thing they have to hold onto.


There's a lot more to hold onto than just winless in Omaha. One SEC title, one legit CWS run which was ten years ago (2017 was more about who we got to play than about coaching), our regional competition doing better than us the last ten years (sips, TCU, Tech, Arky, LSU etc...) and usually being the ones to knock us out of the playoffs (Rice 07, 08, TCU 12, 15, 16, 17, sips 14) while we haven't knocked any of them save Houston out of the playoffs, usually being average in our conference. A win or two in Omaha doesn't change that we are most years mediocre and best years underachieving (2015 and 2016 come to
mind). We're not consistently competitive with good teams which is why we struggle with the post season. There's no randomness to it. 15 years of data show that the regression to the mean is mediocrity compared to our conference and regional peers.

The rational feelings of the "fire RC" crowd are that he's been given 16 years now to establish his program, hasn't developed a consistent top tier program while other peer programs have had good success and that somebody else should be given a chance.

RC is a good coach which is why we are never a terrible team but there's at least 15 coaches every year consistently better than him. Most of those coaches coach in the SEC or in our state so he is constantly exposed as being what he is, which is a good but not great coach.



dermdoc
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Hop said:

W said:

also disappointing...the move from Olsen Field to Blue Bell Park hasn't changed the success of the program like everyone hoped.

A&M has played 9 seasons at Blue Bell (2012-2020) --- one shortened by COVID...

and the program basically has the same postseason results as the last 9 seasons at Olsen Field (2003-2011).

almost identical in fact...Omaha appearances...super-regional appearances...regionals hosted


Was putting a brick facade, sprucing up the rest rooms, and adding a couple of berms supposed to be a game changer? Blue Bell ranks in the middle of the SEC pack for baseball stadiums.
Been to all of them(except Mizzou)and respectfully disagree. We also added suites. And a club which beats most similar setups in the SEC. The difference in the players and coaches locker rooms, meeting areas, batting cages, etc. are night and day also.

Dudy Noble is the best but I do not like the way they let visiting fans stand behind club seats. Baum has a lot of suites but the sight lines, like at LSU(which is about 80% aluminum bleachers), are horrible.

Looking forward to seeing the new Florida stadium but their old one was horrible. And had the worst atmosphere maybe in the SEC. Basically zero students even after winning the NC.
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dermdoc
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Dudy Noble


South Carolina
Baum/LSU/Blue Bell/Ole Miss

Georgia/Auburn/Bama

Tennessee
Vandy(with all their wins there are no restrooms at the baseball stadium and you have to walk to the fb stadium)

Old Florida

Have not been to Mizzou

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Aggie
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Hop said:

W said:

also disappointing...the move from Olsen Field to Blue Bell Park hasn't changed the success of the program like everyone hoped.

A&M has played 9 seasons at Blue Bell (2012-2020) --- one shortened by COVID...

and the program basically has the same postseason results as the last 9 seasons at Olsen Field (2003-2011).

almost identical in fact...Omaha appearances...super-regional appearances...regionals hosted


Was putting a brick facade, sprucing up the rest rooms, and adding a couple of berms supposed to be a game changer? Blue Bell ranks in the middle of the SEC pack for baseball stadiums.


Are you serious??
Every single time a facility is upgraded we hear about keeping up in the facilities race to benefit recruiting.
Absolutely we should expect to see the program take a leap forward with a better facility.

If not expecting it to benefit the program.. ie better recruiting tool... then we did we renovate in the 1st place?
Old Olsen had plenty of seating, had two dugouts and a regulation size baseball field
Luke The Drifter
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W said:

also disappointing...the move from Olsen Field to Blue Bell Park hasn't changed the success of the program like everyone hoped.

A&M has played 9 seasons at Blue Bell (2012-2020) --- one shortened by COVID...

and the program basically has the same postseason results as the last 9 seasons at Olsen Field (2003-2011).

almost identical in fact...Omaha appearances...super-regional appearances...regionals hosted

I've beat this drum 'til I'm blue in the face, but I am of the belief that facilities have ZERO bearing on college baseball success. You have to have an awesome coach who's an awesome recruiter who's awesome at developing players (not just pitchers...all players.) I'm not saying you can expect to win in a cow pasture, but there have been tens millions of dollars spent on college baseball facilities over the past couple of decades...and yet teams like A&M, Alabama, Baylor, Georgia, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Carolina, etc. have still yet to 'break through' and significantly improve as an overall program.

Bells and whistles do not impress the studs who play college baseball. They want the best path to major league baseball and will play for a coach who they think can get them there. And, to me, that's where RC is lacking in a huge way. We definitely have good arms in MLB right now, but what position player has he recruited and subsequently developed into a major leaguer? The kids coming out of high school know this...and therefore they they choose to play elsewhere.
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
Captain Pablo
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Regardless of where you fall in the Childress debate, one notable fact is that Rob's contract is up in 2021

I would say it's extremely rare for a D1 college baseball coach to coach in a final year of his contract

With no (public) word on an imminent extension, seems like a pretty tenuous situation to me

I'm hoping for a successful season, and a deserved contract extension

Short of that, I'd like to see a change. And I think Bjork, by allowing Rob to coach with 5 months left on a contract, is sending a message that he has high expectations for the baseball program
W
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I don't disagree, but the athletic department sure sold it to the fans like that back in 2010 & 2011.

new facility = big step up in winning
deh40
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dermdoc said:

Hop said:

W said:

also disappointing...the move from Olsen Field to Blue Bell Park hasn't changed the success of the program like everyone hoped.

A&M has played 9 seasons at Blue Bell (2012-2020) --- one shortened by COVID...

and the program basically has the same postseason results as the last 9 seasons at Olsen Field (2003-2011).

almost identical in fact...Omaha appearances...super-regional appearances...regionals hosted


Was putting a brick facade, sprucing up the rest rooms, and adding a couple of berms supposed to be a game changer? Blue Bell ranks in the middle of the SEC pack for baseball stadiums.
Been to all of them(except Mizzou)and respectfully disagree. We also added suites. And a club which beats most similar setups in the SEC. The difference in the players and coaches locker rooms, meeting areas, batting cages, etc. are night and day also.

Dudy Noble is the best but I do not like the way they let visiting fans stand behind club seats. Baum has a lot of suites but the sight lines, like at LSU(which is about 80% aluminum bleachers), are horrible.

Looking forward to seeing the new Florida stadium but their old one was horrible. And had the worst atmosphere maybe in the SEC. Basically zero students even after winning the NC.
How does a club help us win games?
Luke The Drifter
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W said:

I don't disagree, but the athletic department sure sold it to the fans like that back in 2010 & 2011.

new facility = big step up in winning


Yep - needed to secure those donation dollars. Granted, a new faculty does typically generate more ticket sales and revenue, which helps, but it doesn't put higher quality play on the field.
But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
jja79
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And put fewer people in the ballpark.
dermdoc
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I agree with you. Just messing with Hop about stadium comparisons in the SEC. IMHO, there are a lot of misconceptions about how "great" some of them are.

And Vandy and Florida won Nattys with stadiums I would rank at the bottom of the SEC.
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Luke The Drifter
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Check out the national champions and runners up since the baseball facility arms race began 20-ish years ago. I think it's pretty plain that a cathedral of a stadium does not equate to top-2 national finishes.

Baseball National Champs

But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
Hop
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Aggie said:

Hop said:

W said:

also disappointing...the move from Olsen Field to Blue Bell Park hasn't changed the success of the program like everyone hoped.

A&M has played 9 seasons at Blue Bell (2012-2020) --- one shortened by COVID...

and the program basically has the same postseason results as the last 9 seasons at Olsen Field (2003-2011).

almost identical in fact...Omaha appearances...super-regional appearances...regionals hosted


Was putting a brick facade, sprucing up the rest rooms, and adding a couple of berms supposed to be a game changer? Blue Bell ranks in the middle of the SEC pack for baseball stadiums.


Are you serious??
Every single time a facility is upgraded we hear about keeping up in the facilities race to benefit recruiting.
Absolutely we should expect to see the program take a leap forward with a better facility.

If not expecting it to benefit the program.. ie better recruiting tool... then we did we renovate in the 1st place?
Old Olsen had plenty of seating, had two dugouts and a regulation size baseball field


You missed my point. I'm not saying they shouldn't have renovated Olsen. I'm saying the Blue Bell project was not ideal. It was originally going to be a state of the art college ballpark, but Bill Byrne kept chipping away at the budget to the point that they essentially put lipstick on Olsen Field as opposed to having a new ballpark. In addition, we took out seating and replaced it with two GA berms.

Also, most of these SEC schools are putting in capital improvements every few years. We haven't done much to Olsen since 2012 and nothing scheduled in the near future.
caleblyn
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Back to the original question...

I, unfortunately, see this year being a very down year. I believe we will struggle to get to 50% win/loss.
TXAggie2011
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Florida might have been the best baseball program in the SEC over the last decade or so, and they just opened up a new ballpark with 4,700 actual seats (down from 5,500 in the old stadium) and, you all guessed it, two berms down each foul line.


Olsen Field got much more than some lipstick. New team facilities, suites, hi-tech press box...some of ya'll are just so damn salty about the berms...

We were never going to go straight from a pile of concrete Lincoln Logs to Dudy Noble or Alex Box.
TXAggie2011
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dermdoc said:

I agree with you. Just messing with Hop about stadium comparisons in the SEC. IMHO, there are a lot of misconceptions about how "great" some of them are.

And Vandy and Florida won Nattys with stadiums I would rank at the bottom of the SEC.
I don't think facilities are meaningless--certainly would agree they don't mean nearly as much as many other sports--but yeah, Vanderbilt's stadium is a glorified high school stadium literally built under the football stadium's stands.
tjack16
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caleblyn said:

Back to the original question...

I, unfortunately, see this year being a very down year. I believe we will struggle to get to 50% win/loss.


I dont see how that happens. We still have a lot of talent coming back. Our last season close to .500 was 2013.
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