Kendal22

58 minutes ago, btownqb said:

My 1.5 yr old Great Dane got his balls chopped off this week, along with another surgery to ensure he doesn't have bloating issues..... and getting him to calm down this week so the stitches don't rip, has been one helluva struggle... 🤣🤣

So, admittedly this morning, I was just laying in bed holding him... so I had some time to type that out. 🤦‍♂️🤣

Good luck, my shepherd had his surgery back in December.

Missouri State is about to put Oklahoma State out of its own regional. IU won a series in Springfield this year.

Columbia about to eliminate Gonzaga.

58 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Yep. Taylor has been fine though, Defensively. 

Obviously Russell brings an uncanny ability offensively for a catcher.  

No problem for the Vols tonight. Medical issues for Russell per Tony Vitello's postgame.

Tennessee catcher Evan Russell is out tonight for the Vols. Tony Vitello will address his status after the game. Interesting.

16 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Just--- your Ole Miss Fandom and the username "Oxford", plus that username was talking about college baseball. And it was late at night and made sense in my head. 😂

I gotcha! Very surprised Ole Miss got into the tournament over NC State and maybe even Rutgers. Looks like a difficult weekend to try to play the Coral Gables Regional with a Tropical Storm incoming.

10 hours ago, btownqb said:

Are you Oxford on Rivals? 

I am not. Don’t ever get on the Rivals site. Why?

On 4/30/2022 at 1:52 AM, btownqb said:

 

I watched the end of that game. Vols were ridiculous for a few innings there.

Big bounce back for Auburn last night and solidifies their hosting handing. If Mike Bianco is truly done at Ole Miss, Butch Thompson is at the top of the list. He's a Mississippi native and I'd love to see what he could do with the resources in Oxford.

Need to hit the portal and the JUCO circuit for veteran arms in the offseason. Offense should be in pretty decent shape with the young guys getting experience this year.

1 minute ago, btownqb said:

I think it would be a major mistake to fire him. 

We are heading to Tennessee/MSU in Starkville in May for two games.... and Kentucky vs Tennessee next Saturday in Lex. 

Starkville is a great place. Lemonis has really worked out well for them. At 8-10 in the SEC they are in decent spot to end up in a regional. The Bulldog bullpen is a little questionable to they are a really gritty team.

I'm torn on Bianco, but 1 of 21 in getting to Omaha in a program that invests in baseball the way Ole Miss does is pretty damning.

Made my first trip to Oxford, Mississippi over the weekend for the finale of the Ole Miss - Mississippi State series. Incredible atmosphere for a team that has really struggled lately. It's something everyone should experience at some point. 

The Mike Bianco era at Ole Miss seems to be all but over at this point. He's slated to manage Team USA this summer. I wonder if anyone has ever managed Team USA is the same season they were fired from their college head coaching job?

8-4 Aces take this one. Nice rally in the ninth to make it closer.

7-1 UE. Worth noting that UE swept Michigan State over the weekend. No idea if MSU is any good.

21 hours ago, btownqb said:

I watched 80% of their innings, obviously haven't seen everyone.. but goodness. 

Tennessee was outstanding this weekend. Should be the unquestionable number one. Ole Miss is much better than Tennessee made them look this weekend, but that was a really bad showing.

Ole Miss is shaking up the rotational order a bit this weekend

Tonight - John Gaddis Senior LHP - Transfer from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - Pretty much the definition of a college pitcher. Deferred medical school a year to come pitch in Oxford. Upper 80s fastball with a good change up as well. Command of fastball has been iffy last couple of starts. When that happens, Gaddis is very hittable.

Saturday - Jack Dougherty Sophomore RHP -  moves into the Saturday slot. Came on strong at the end of last year after spending most of the season as a potential redshirt. Best pure stuff in the rotation. Lower 90s fastball with good command and a sharp slider. Fiery competitor as well.

Sunday - Derek Diamond Junior RHP - Moves from Saturday to Sunday after a couple shaky outings. Highly recruited kid who originally committed to Stanford. An issue with admissions caused him to end up in Oxford. This is his third year in the rotation, but he hasn't seemed to put it all together yet. Prone to having two-out walks or hits blow up on him and lead to big innings. Last year was touching 97 with the fastball but is now working in the low 90s and upper 80s. He's still crafty enough to get outs but there has been speculation Diamond isn't completely healthy for some time now.

On 3/22/2022 at 12:41 AM, btownqb said:

 

Can't wait for this series. Atmosphere will be electric no doubt. Have a lot more questions about Ole Miss than Tennessee at this point. Not sure what the rotation will look like as it really struggled last weekend against Auburn outside of Jack Dougherty in game 3.

51 minutes ago, btownqb said:

top 5 will be SEC teams 

 

Crazy the amount of depth in that league. I don't think Ole Miss deserves # 1 at this point. Just too many questions once you get past the top 5-6 arms.

1 hour ago, btownqb said:

 

 

Vols come to Oxford next weekend. Should be a great matchup!

I found this article on the scholarship component of college baseball.

Stretching Scholarship Dollars Key To College Success (baseballamerica.com)

The lottery aspect is pretty interesting. I know Mississippi is not a lottery state while many of its neighboring SEC states do have some semblance of lottery scholarship funding. Makes life even more difficult in the SEC West.

2 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Why do they have that advantage? Bad for the sport.

I don't understand the specifics, really. The gist is that Vandy is essentially able to offer each player a full scholarship while most public institutions are forced to make due with dividing up 11.7 total scholarships amongst a roster of 35 players.

On 3/8/2022 at 12:26 PM, btownqb said:

I think Vandy has a kid committed from Indiana in the 22, 23, and 24 classes. 

Vandy has a significant scholarship advantage over most other schools. That's why they are able to recruit effectively nationwide. I guess the academic reputation doesn't hurt.

Something you don't see every day.

2 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Huge area for Minor leagues. Some darn good food too. Biloxi area is known for the charbroiled oysters, love them! 

Place called Baccus on the Beach in Pass Christian, MS. Wonderful restaurant. Very French oriented area and they are usually LSU fans. Not MSU or Ole Miss fans, in that area. Creole runs thick. 

Yep, can't beat that Gulf food. Totally different world down there from North Mississippi.

1 minute ago, btownqb said:

OMG!!! That is so cool. I love that area. We vacationed there two summers ago. Incredibly cheap area, but also pretty nice. This stadium is connected to the Bellagio Casino. Gorgeous Casino literally right on the Gulf. 

The Mississippi Gulf (and the Alabama gulf too) is very underrated. Great people in that state that love their baseball.

5 minutes ago, btownqb said:

Plenty of ball on today--

12pm- UL vs. TCU ACCN

2pm- Ole Miss vs. Memphis  SECN+

4pm- UNC vs. Liberty ESPN+

6pm -GA Tech vs Mercer ESPN+

7pm- TTU vs Mississippi St  SECN+

9pm- AZ ST vs UC Irvine ESPN+

Interested in the State/Texas Tech matchup. I think that is a two-game midweek series being played at the minor league park in Biloxi. State has to right the ship after dropping two out of three at Tulane over the weekend and losing ace Landon Sims potentially for the season.

Ole Miss learned yesterday it will be without star outfielder Kevin Graham for the next 4 weeks as he has surgery tomorrow on a fractured wrist. Pretty big blow, but that lineup is deep. I continue to be concerned about the starting pitching and think we could see an adjustment made as early as this weekend vs. Oral Roberts.

After losing 1-0 in 12 innings yesterday, Ole Miss leads UCF 6-1 and has 10 hits through 5 innings. Good bounce back.

What a Sunday start!