(04-19-2017 06:42 PM)Dukeman2 Wrote:  I made me sad

you make me sad too

Not sure how accurate this is, but it looks like the staff has already lined up a number of recruits for 2017 and 2018. You can also check players' profiles to see who they are getting offers from: https://www.perfectgame.org/college/coll...ments.aspx

Biggest thing I've noticed at the games once we got into conference play is it looks like our current rotation averages about 6 ft, tops out somewhere around 85 mph on the gun. New pitching recruits coming in have a lot more size and appear to have higher projected velocity. Rotations on top NCAA teams appear to run about 6'2"+ and average top velocity around 92-95+ mph. Offense is going to be up and down for stretches of games, but the Dukes have dropped a few from a lack of timely outs.

(04-20-2017 08:14 AM)Deez Nuts Wrote:  

(04-19-2017 06:42 PM)Dukeman2 Wrote:  I made me sad

you make me sad too

Sometimes sad, and sometimes laugh.

Schor and the offense looking really good tonight. Up 10-0 in the btm of the 3rd. Houston is reportedly PO'd about having to settle for a field goal on that first drive, but feeling good about covering the 7.5 pt spread over Longwood right now.

We should have played Longwood earlier in the season. We could have shook the malaise and get back on track!

All quiet on the baseball front. We are not going to make the CAA tournament field.

We've matched our win total from 2016 at 24 wins and have a chance to surpass it. We will not do as well in CAA play though. 13 wins in CAA play in 2016.

Opinions? Better? Worse? Meh?

(05-15-2017 10:31 AM)Potomac Wrote:  All quiet on the baseball front. We are not going to make the CAA tournament field.

We've matched our win total from 2016 at 24 wins and have a chance to surpass it. We will not do as well in CAA play though. 13 wins in CAA play in 2016.

Opinions? Better? Worse? Meh?

I think still consider this season a success if we are able to match the win total from last season or slightly better it. The baseball staff is doing a great job getting out and aggressively recruiting. This team plays the glove pretty well and hits well.....the weak spot is pitching and is the toughest to address and fix. JMU baseball was left in a tough spot under the last few years of the previous coaches recruiting. It is not likely JMU is going to grab a stud pitcher that can immediately be a lights out weekend rotation guy like UVA can. So pitching is a work in progress but hopefully in year 3 under Ike we can see the pitching staff continue to improve. Without looking up the stats, I think the staff ERA is better than it was last year.

Better out of conference performance, but CAA play has been worse. Not making top6 in a 9 team league is not acceptable. As said above, hopefully the recruiting gets better and we can return to postseason play next year. Dukes have played better the last couple weeks, but the middle of the CAA calendar killed our chances.

Recruiting has improved significantly. Need stud pitching.

What's a reasonable amount of time to give Ike? 4 years? 5?
I don't know the answer, but he definitely did inherit a mess. Just not sure how much improvement we should expect next year. Is it unreasonable to have a high standard for success next year?

One more year for Ike, and he better coach the guys to a top three CAA finish, or I'd be coach shopping

(05-15-2017 03:43 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  One more year for Ike, and he better coach the guys to a top three CAA finish, or I'd be coach shopping

Agree. 3 years ought to be enough to turn around a baseball program to top 3 in a 9 team league.

How bad would things be if we had not invested in the new facilities?

I would consider this year a push. 2-3 more years and we will see the product fully from this staff. There is zero reason this program shouldn't compete. This coming from a guy who played there from 01-05. Ike is a good recruiter and better guy. He recruited me in high school. I trust him but this team and program need to continue to improve. I have confidence that we will.

The beginning of the season, otherwise, our OOC play, brought so much hope, that I have a strong belief we are on the right track. I wish I had the same belief with MBB, over there I only have hope and haven't reached the belief level as some have.

(05-16-2017 05:49 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  The beginning of the season, otherwise, our OOC play, brought so much hope, that I have a strong belief we are on the right track. I wish I had the same belief with MBB, over there I only have hope and haven't reached the belief level as some have.

I'm with you. I was cautiously optimistic the way the season started. Missing the CAA tourney (again) leaves me very skeptical about the program's direction.

(05-16-2017 05:51 PM)Longhorn Wrote:  

(05-16-2017 05:49 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  The beginning of the season, otherwise, our OOC play, brought so much hope, that I have a strong belief we are on the right track. I wish I had the same belief with MBB, over there I only have hope and haven't reached the belief level as some have.

I'm with you. I was cautiously optimistic the way the season started. Missing the CAA tourney (again) leaves me very skeptical about the program's direction.

We were in the 2016 caa tournament, so it's obviously disappointing to miss it in year 2. A regression in caa play.

I'm not as familiar with college baseball or the program's history, but my impression from attending many games this year is that a coach would need 3-4 years to right the ship. Pitching is so integral to the game, and it seems unlikely that we'd be able to recruit top flight arms as frosh/sophs when mlb and major programs can scoop them up that you have to focus on developing guys who will be successful as juniors and seniors. Has it been reasonable to expect more than that from programs w/ JMU's level of funding and support in the past?

(05-16-2017 06:17 PM)tribe_transfer Wrote:  I'm not as familiar with college baseball or the program's history, but my impression from attending many games this year is that a coach would need 3-4 years to right the ship. Pitching is so integral to the game, and it seems unlikely that we'd be able to recruit top flight arms as frosh/sophs when mlb and major programs can scoop them up that you have to focus on developing guys who will be successful as juniors and seniors. Has it been reasonable to expect more than that from programs w/ JMU's level of funding and support in the past?

JMU fully funds its baseball program, and has for years. Prior to UVA's rise, JMU was the only program from VA to make the CWS. JMU is a historically strong baseball program and competed at the highest level nationally against the elite of college baseball. The problems with the program today are self-inflicted, and are directly related to having kept the last HC on too long, and settling for a less than impressive new ballpark. I'd also point out that JMU sits right in the middle of a rich baseball recruiting ground. The good people of the Shenandoah Valley love baseball, and the potential for supporting, recruiting and building a sustained national program of excellence are here. While MLB does have its pick of the litter of HS pitching, JMU can still recruit sucessfully against any program, and it's still possible to build a college program very quickly, within a 2-3 year time frame. Your idea JMU is somehow relegated to a third tier recruiting status behind MLB and "major" programs is not applicable to college baseball.

Was never impressed with this hire.