Who do we believe will be our Friday, Saturday, Sunday starters??

I feel good about the starting rotation and the closers(J-Stew and Bollinger) but have a lot of questions about the middle relief from the bullpen to bridge the innings between the two

rossteam01 said:

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Moss, Sdao, Sims

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Why are we so Confident on Moss and Sdao?

• Moss has an elite changeup but is going to have to develop is other pitches if he wishes to be a starter. Seems he is elite for one time through the lineup then starts giving up hits.
• Sdao is coming back from Tommy John. Is he the Sdao of old. How has he faired against live hitting.

Not even sure we have conventional starters in 2026. Lyons, McCoy, and Freshcorn with additions of Bollinger and hopes freshmen support from Billings and Partida I could see more pitching by committee.

Closer is the only position with Stewart back that we should have confidence in.


The last couple of CWS were typically won by teams with at least one proven ace before the season started. In a couple of instances 2022 and 2024 the staffs were very deep to go with that Ace. Ags have Projects.


2019 Vanderbilt - Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker
2021 Miss St Will Bednar and Landon Sims
2022 Ole Miss very deep staff yet it was Freshman Dylan Delucia and Hunter Elliot who performed in Omaha. Derek Diamond still got them there
2023 LSU Paul Skenes and Ty Floyd
2024 Tenn also very deep staff with AJ Causey, Drew Beam and Zander Scherist.
2025 LSU Cade Anderson and Anthony Evanson

rossteam01 said:

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Moss, Sdao, Sims

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The weekend starters seem to be a consensus. Tuesday is always a bit of a rotation, but I expect Mccoy and Lyons to start the season getting those reps.

I really liked what I saw out of Lyons last year, but he didn't seem as sharp in the scrimmages. Not sure if there's something to that or if he and JK were working on something specific.

Freshcorn should be the high leverage arm out of the pen, similar to Ashenbeck in 24 and Moss last year.

Cunningham is an interesting one. He showed some real promise at Washington but has been a non factor since arriving. Brauny hasn't really mentioned him at all, but if he's healthy, I would absolutely expect him to be a role player.

Partida will also be interesting to follow. Velo up to 97-98, but it seems like he can be a bit wild at times. There's also the question of how much he's used on the dirt, and how Earley will manage the load.

Stewie should be the closer assuming he's healthy.

F - Moss
S - Sdao
Sun - Simms


Bullpen Workhorses
Freshcorn
Mccoy
Lyons
Darden
Hunter Vincent
Cunningham

Set Up Man
Partida

Closer
Stewie

Detective Jake Peralta said:

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The hope/blueprint for Sdao is there with what Prager was able to accomplish in his first year returning from TJ. Thinking back to his form in late 2024, before the injury, many were already penciling him into the Friday/Saturday role for 2025.

With Moss, I think it is the natural next step in development for him. He flashed brilliance as a freshman, looked dominant for stretches but was probably a victim of fatigue as a soph, and now looks to take the next step as a front-line starter.

I think they both have ace ceilings, but one (or both) getting close to what Prager was able to do in 2024 will be what decides if we make real noise or not this year.

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Moss caught mono right before the Texas series, which had a role in how he finished the season. I think he lost 10+ pounds.

Yep, couldn't remember the exact illness so I rolled with fatigue. I've never had a prayer of being a D1/professional athlete but I know mono kicked my butt in college.

Agryan00 said:

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rossteam01 said:

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Moss, Sdao, Sims

---

Why are we so Confident on Moss and Sdao?

• Moss has an elite changeup but is going to have to develop is other pitches if he wishes to be a starter. Seems he is elite for one time through the lineup then starts giving up hits.
• Sdao is coming back from Tommy John. Is he the Sdao of old. How has he faired against live hitting.

Not even sure we have conventional starters in 2026. Lyons, McCoy, and Freshcorn with additions of Bollinger and hopes freshmen support from Billings and Partida I could see more pitching by committee.

Closer is the only position with Stewart back that we should have confidence in.


The last couple of CWS were typically won by teams with at least one proven ace before the season started. In a couple of instances 2022 and 2024 the staffs were very deep to go with that Ace. Ags have Projects.


2019 Vanderbilt - Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker
2021 Miss St Will Bednar and Landon Sims
2022 Ole Miss very deep staff yet it was Freshman Dylan Delucia and Hunter Elliot who performed in Omaha. Derek Diamond still got them there
2023 LSU Paul Skenes and Ty Floyd
2024 Tenn also very deep staff with AJ Causey, Drew Beam and Zander Scherist.
2025 LSU Cade Anderson and Anthony Evanson

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I have the most confidence in Moss and Simms so far. Albeit small sample sizes, the scrimmages gave us a chance to see some development from last season.

Moss threw 2 IP in the scrimmages and looked fantastic. He's a bit thicker than he was last year and only gave up one hit while fanning 4. He looks improved from last year, and if that's the case, he'll be true SEC Friday night starter.

Sims threw 4 innings with 8 k's and looked lights out in the limited time. His spin rates are elite and he would likely be in the minors if he hadn't been injured his senior year of HS.

The confidence in Sdao is purely based on how he looked before injury, and expectation him to be back to that form.

Beyond that, we need to find 5-7 more reliable arms that can chew up 20-40 innings and have a sub 4.5 ERA.

Stewie, Freshcorn, and McCoy get us half way there.

The Marksman said:

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I feel good about the starting rotation and the closers(J-Stew and Bollinger) but have a lot of questions about the middle relief from the bullpen to bridge the innings between the two

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Yep, same as last season. That is where the risk lies imo.

Need more bullpen arms!