Personally, I think I agree with the strategy, whether it was because Doane needed the extra day of rest, or to try to have the best chance of advancing. Just didn't work out. I know I'm gonna sound like an apologist, but I still think it was good strategy.

Doane pitched a complete game in the ASun Championship game the previous Sunday on 3 days rest in 90+ degree heat, it was an afternoon game, and he was sick; anyone been to central Florida in late May? It was hot.... Near superhuman performance by him to give us the ASun Championship, and he should be honored for that.

If he had started Friday it would have been on 4 days rest (after 3 days rest, after strep throat, after a complete game in 90+ degree heat...). Normally during the season it would be on 5-6 days rest, so giving him the extra day of rest made sense.

The other reason it made sense to me was that intermittently during the season, Nesselt looked like an all-conference pitcher, and except for the 1st inning against Vanderbilt, he did. All the runs he gave up after the first inning were unearned; a lot of Vandy's at-bats in the first inning were exceptional at bats by very good college players... hitting two strike pitches the other way, for example. Give them credit, and a lot of people think they will win it all.

GaTech plays them tonight in a winner-take-all. The loss to them suddenly doesn't look so bad.

It was still quite a year. I haven't enjoyed ETSU baseball this much in a very long time. Kudo's to the team, Skole, and staff.