After Sunday's much needed, bounce-back win over Arizona to salvage one game in the weekend series, it's time to build some confidence in our upcoming mid-week games vs. Dallas Baptist and Texas State as we head into the Minute Maid tournament, where we will face three top 25 ranked teams (Arkansas, TCU and ULaLa). To do so we're going to have to show a little more energy and aggressiveness than we showed opening weekend, and do a much better job in the fundamentals (i.e., throwing strikes, covering bases, bunting and minimizing defensive lapses).

Both Tuesday and Wednesday evening games are The Reck, with each scheduled to start at 6:00pm CST. I will not be preparing a separate preview for the Texas State game as there is hardly any information on them from any of the college baseball sites.

The Dallas Baptist Patriots are coming off arguably their best year ever in 2015, winning the Missouri Valley Conference championship, holding the #1 ranking in RPI for the majority of the season and hosting their first-ever Dallas regional (where they were upset by VCU). Their 2016 preseason ranking is only in the #22 - #35 range due to the departure of three of their top 4 hitters, their two all-american bullpen arms, as well as their Friday and Saturday starting pitchers. In all, the Patriots lost 8 players to the draft. Having said that, they do return 5 everyday players, including 2014 Freshman all-americans in SS Camden Duzenack and OF David martinelli, as well as 2015 Freshman all-american pitcher Dalton Higgins and redshirt Sr LHP Sean Stutzman. Last year they were amongst the national leaders in offense, and had one of the best bullpens in the country. Their offense should continue to hold it's own in 2016, but the bullpen must be totally rebuilt. Given it's the first mid-week games of the year, I don't have a clue whom the Patriots will trot to the mound. I hear unofficially that So. RHP Willy Amador will get the start for the Owls vs. DBU on Tuesday, while one of two RHP Freshmen (Zach Esquivel, Jackson Parthasarathy) will likely get the start vs. Texas State on Wednesday.

Here's DBU's 2016 media guide...
http://athleticmanagement.com/_ezines/db...all16/#p=1

Here are DBU's individual and team stats after their 3-game sweep over Iowa...
http://dbupatriots.com/cumestats.aspx?pa...&year=2016
...you'll note that they outscored Iowa 16 - 5 over the three games, and they committed just one error in the field. They're everyday lineup includes four left-handed bats and one switch hitter.

...and their individual and team stats from their regional hosting 2015 season...
http://dbupatriots.com/cumestats.aspx?pa...&year=2015

Here's their roster for this year's squad...
http://dbupatriots.com/roster.aspx?path=baseball



D1Baseball picked the Patriots to once again win the Missouri Valley Conference...
http://www.d1baseball.com/analysis/2016-...ri-valley/

Quote:• Dallas Baptist is a program that saw a lot of attrition from its roster following last year’s brilliant 46-15 campaign, which saw them ranked No. 1 in the RPI nearly the entire year. But don’t shed a lot of tears for the Patriots as Dan Heefner and his staff have recruited well and there won’t exactly be a falling off the continental shelf. Look no further for new reinforcements than LHP Colin Poche, an Arkansas transfer who was a former 5th-round draft pick out of high school. Poche should be the Pats new Friday night starter. LHP Sean Stutzman (8-1, 4.29) is back for the Sunday role and reliever-turned-starter Dalton Higgins (0-1, 2.95) could fill out the weekend rotation. But the late inning pitchers will be the big question after DBU lost a 3rd, a 4th and a 5th round pick from the ‘pen. Only four starters return to the field, but having SS Camden Duzenack (.286) back is a luxury. Coach Heefner calls Duzenack “as good as any shortstop in the country.” Don’t forget about 3B Austin Listi (19 career HRs), who is coming off a lost season, but was All-MVC in 2014. Also, he may not count as a returning full-time starter, but RF Daniel Sweet (.265) is worth keeping a watch on after being named a top 10 prospect in the Florida Summer League and also after being drafted twice already in his career. LF Justin Wall (.301-12-58) is one of the better lumberjacks in Division 1 and teams with DH Trooper Reynolds (.270-7-32) in the power department.

Baseball America also picked DBU as the team to beat in the Missouri Valley...
'http://www.baseballamerica.com/college/2016-college-conference-preview-missouri-valley/

Quote:Team to Beat: Dallas Baptist. Last year’s Patriots raised the bar for the program, earning a No. 1 regional seed and hosting for the first time ever. They’ll have a tough time duplicating those feats after losing seven players to the draft—five of them pitchers—but DBU should still be a force in a very competitive MVC. The Patriots were the Valley’s top power hitting team a year ago, and their lineup still boasts at least five players with above-average power at the college level, headlined by outfielders Justin Wall (12 homers) and David Martinelli (10). Energetic junior shortstop Camden Duzenack is also back, anchoring the defense and serving as the team’s emotional center. The pitching staff has more holes to fill, but the Patriots have high hopes for lefty Colin Poche, an Arkansas transfer and unsigned fifth-round pick out of high school in 2012. Returners Dalton Higgins and Sean Stutzman both finished well last year and round out what should be a solid rotation.

Because of their numerous departures from last year's team, Perfect Game picks DBU to finish only 3rd in conference, but placed three Patriots on their Missouri Valley all-conference team: SS Camden Duzenack (.286, 4 HRs, 39 RBIs), OF Justin Wall (.301, 12 HRs, 58 RBIs)and OF David Martinelli (.267, 10 HRs, 38 RBIs). C Garrett Wolforth was also selected as conference Freshman of the Year...
http://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View...icle=12054



College Baseball Madness ranked DBU #22 (one spot ahead of us) in their preseason ranking....
http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/12523

Quote:Dallas Baptist set a school record with 46 wins in 2015 and earned their first opportunity to host a regional as a Division I program. The Patriots fell short in the Dallas Regional as they could not recover from losing the regional opener against VCU and ended up falling short against the Rams in the winner take all second championship game. Fortunately, Dallas Baptist brings back plenty of experience in 2016 and it should be a group that will be mere prepared to deal with hosting in the NCAA Tournament if they are fortunate to do so again this season.

2015: 46-15, 15-6
2015 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Dan Heefner

Field Players:
Outfielder Justin Wall is a great example of how well the Patriots develop players. Wall took a big step forward in 2015 offensively, jumping from two homeruns in 2014 to 12 and raising his runs batted in production up to 58. If Wall can continue to progress, Dallas Baptist will only become that much stronger offensively this season. Infielder Trooper Reynolds brings senior leadership and plenty of power to the table as he hit seven homeruns last season while driving in 32. Junior infielder Camden Duzenack is going to be to looking to put together a strong junior season. He hit just under .290, while driving in 39 runs.

Pitchers:
Left hander Sean Stutzman will be the most experienced starting pitcher this season for the Patriots. Stuntman was 8-1 with a 4.29 earned run average. It is going to be important for Stuntman to be able to stretch himself to be able to pitch closer to 100 innings this season to save stress on the bullpen.

Who to Watch:
Dalton Higgins is going to be expected to work his way into the weekend rotation this season. Higgins was 0-1 with a 2.95 earned run average while making three starts out of his 13 appearances last season. The ability to limit walks for Higgins is going to continue to be important as he only walked 12 batters in 36.2 innings of work, while striking out 20. Outfielder Daniel Sweet is going to be another interesting player to watch as Sweet went through a bit of an up and down season in 2015. He only appeared in 34 games; however, there is plenty of potential with Sweet as he has twice been drafted, by the Cincinnati Reds in 2012 and the Texas Rangers during the 2014 MLB Draft in the 25th round.

Final Projection:
Despite being one of the most dangerous mid-major programs in all of college baseball, the Patriots will not lack for any competition in their non-conference schedule. Rice, Baylor, Oklahoma State and TCU will all take on Dallas Baptist over the course of several games stretched out over the duration of the season. The season as a whole going to come down to how well the inexperience within the pitching staff comes together. It may take some time, but the Patriots should be firing on all cylinders by the time Missouri Valley Conference play starts and be in position to win 40 plus games again this season.

Projected Postseason: NCAA Baseball Tournament

Returning Leaders:
At Bats: Justin Wall, OF, 259
Hits: Justin Wall, OF, 78
Home Runs: Justin Wall, OF, 12
RBIs: Justin Wall, OF, 58
Runs: Camden Duzenack, IF, 52
Stolen Bases: Justin Wall, OF, 12

Wins: Sean Stutzman, P, 8
Innings Pitched: Sean Stutzman, P, 56.2
Strikeouts: Sean Stutzman, P, 55
Saves: Two with 1

Who is Rice starting on the mound the next two nights?

(02-22-2016 08:48 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Who is Rice starting on the mound the next two nights?

Try reading the preview! I've heard (unofficially) it will be Willy Amador on Tuesday, and either Zach Esquivel or Jackson Parthasarathy on Wednesday.

what if we lost 3 or more in next 5 games,
kind of pessimistic to watch this week's game.

(02-22-2016 09:16 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(02-22-2016 08:48 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Who is Rice starting on the mound the next two nights?

Try reading the preview! I've heard (unofficially) it will be Willy Amador on Tuesday, and either Zach Esquivel or Jackson Parthasarathy on Wednesday.

Must have missed that part, sorry. Speaking of Part, Jackson Parthasarathy is just way too long to type without using cut and paste. If he's nickname-worthy, we'll have to come up with one for him very soon. Possibly Jackpot. Or Jackpart. Or Jack Pratt. Or someone else can come up with something better.

What do his teammates call him? Never known a team that didn't give each other nicknames early on.

D1 just posted an article of teams raising their stock during opening weekend, and it included both DBU and Arizona (with Kendall taking a no so subtle knock on us)...

http://www.d1baseball.com/analysis/short...-profiles/

Quote:Dallas Baptist

Dallas Baptist University logoThe Patriots had some big shoes to fill after losing seven players drafted in the top 14 rounds last year, including three big bullpen arms in the top five rounds. We still pegged DBU as a regional team heading into the season, but I had a lot less conviction in the Patriots than I did a year ago. DBU opened up with a great test against an Iowa club that earned a regional No. 2 seed last year and entered the season as a projected regional team for us — and the Patriots aced that test by allowing just five runs in a three-game sweep.

New arms, new pitching coach — and still, Dallas Baptist just keeps on getting the job done on the mound. Colin Poche, a former big-name recruit for Arkansas who looks ready to make a huge impact for DBU, combined with two relievers on a three-hitter Friday. Dalton Higgins and Jordan Martinson held Iowa to three runs on six hits Saturday, with Martinson dominating (4 IP, 1 H, 0 R). Then Darick Hall (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R) and four relievers combined on a four-hitter Sunday. Dallas Baptist has moved itself back into the Top 25 conversation.

Quote:Arizona

Arizona Wildcats logoRemember when we called Jay Johnson a slam-dunk hire for the Wildcats that made total sense? Well, it looks like Johnson and his coaching staff are already making their presence known by the way the Wildcats played this past weekend on the road at Rice. The Wildcats executed the small-ball game so well in the series win over the Owls that legendary head coach Wayne Graham said the Wildcats “were one of the best teams he’s ever seen at bunting” in a story by our Michael Baumann. Not bad for a first test.

The most impressive aspect of the Rice series win was the fact UA accomplished that feat without star two-way player Bobby Dalbec doing much at all at the plate, hitting .091 for the series with just one RBI. Cody Ramer and Ryan Aguilar hit .545 and .455, respectively, throughout the weekend, while JC Cloney led the pitching staff with a strong effort, striking out nine and allowing just a run on four hits in seven shutout frames.

The Wildcats were impressive against the Owls, but we’ll soon find out if that has more to do with UA being that solid, or the Owls scuffling in the early-going. Remember, I wasn’t too sold on Rice coming into the season. At any rate, what a confidence-building start for Johnson and his ‘Cats.

BTW, Lamar and FAU also made the listing.

(02-22-2016 09:44 PM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  What do his teammates call him? Never known a team that didn't give each other nicknames early on.

Can we call DiCaprio, "Leo"?

Here's the Rice game notes...

http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-basebl/...16aaa.html

The starting pitchers will be Fr RHP Jackson Parthasarathy for Rice vs. Fr LHP Jordan Martinson for DBU. Martinson excelled in his debut in relief on Saturday (4.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 BBs, 1 K). Given only 1 strikeout in 4 innings of work, he would appear to be your prototypical slow-tossing, finesse southpaw. In other words, our historic kryptomite. Ugh. Conversely, Jackson came in in relief on Sunday and walked one batter on four pitches before being abruptly removed. Hopefully, he's got the jitters out of him, and he'll be ready to pound the strikezone tomorrow.

I guess we're going to continue to see a steady dose of left-handed pitching until we prove we can hit them....and we certainly failed to do so this past weekend.

(02-22-2016 09:36 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  

(02-22-2016 09:16 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(02-22-2016 08:48 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  Who is Rice starting on the mound the next two nights?

Try reading the preview! I've heard (unofficially) it will be Willy Amador on Tuesday, and either Zach Esquivel or Jackson Parthasarathy on Wednesday.

Must have missed that part, sorry. Speaking of Part, Jackson Parthasarathy is just way too long to type without using cut and paste. If he's nickname-worthy, we'll have to come up with one for him very soon. Possibly Jackpot. Or Jackpart. Or Jack Pratt. Or someone else can come up with something better.

"The Rath"

(02-22-2016 11:42 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  I guess we're going to continue to see a steady dose of left-handed pitching until we prove we can hit them....and we certainly failed to do so this past weekend.

I would like to see some evidence that our current team can hit effectively against any type of pitcher before falling back on this tired old conceit.

(02-23-2016 09:54 AM)temchugh Wrote:  

(02-22-2016 11:42 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  I guess we're going to continue to see a steady dose of left-handed pitching until we prove we can hit them....and we certainly failed to do so this past weekend.

I would like to see some evidence that our current team can hit effectively against any type of pitcher before falling back on this tired old conceit.

I think it will happen. This weekend it seemed that some players had trouble throwing the switch that it was now the regular season and unproductive outs (fly balls almost to the warning track, or striking out) matter now. If this team starts spraying line drives and making consistent contact, I see a much improved offense.

BTW, I am not nearly the hater of the strikeout that I once was. It still is unproductive, but it is part of today's game, in my opinion.

30 mph winds to left field tonight. I predict some HRs

/sees post "Getting the Fundamentals Right"
/checks GameTracker

Top 1
DBU 100
Rice 003

/starts drinking

Still no announcement on probable pitchers for tonight's game vs. Texas State. The Bobcats won 3 of 4 games over the weekend vs. Washington State, outscoring them 31-18-- hitting .301 as a team, with 14 exrabase hits, 21 BBs, 5 sac bunts and 4 SBs. Their pitching was only so-so, but with no game yesterday, their bullpen should be fully rested.

Here's Texas States' individual and team stats over their first 4 games...
http://www.txstatebobcats.com/cumestats....game_stats

(02-24-2016 08:49 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Still no announcement on probable pitchers for tonight's game vs. Texas State. The Bobcats won 3 of 4 games over the weekend vs. Washington State, outscoring them 31-18-- hitting .301 as a team, with 14 exrabase hits, 21 BBs, 5 sac bunts and 4 SBs. Their pitching was only so-so, but with no game yesterday, their bullpen should be fully rested.

Here's Texas States' individual and team stats over their first 4 games...
http://www.txstatebobcats.com/cumestats....game_stats

What I hear is that the starter will be Brandon Lewis, freshman from Cy Fair:
http://www.txstatebobcats.com/roster.asp...h=baseball

He is a control, change speed kind of pitcher.

I have a very good source, like his dad.

(02-24-2016 09:52 AM)texowl2 Wrote:  What I hear is that the starter will be Brandon Lewis, freshman from Cy Fair:
http://www.txstatebobcats.com/roster.asp...h=baseball

He is a control, change speed kind of pitcher.

I have a very good source, like his dad.

Another soft-tossing lefty? Hopefully the Owls will learn finally how to handle/hit these sorts of pitchers now in games that count and get that Kryptonite weakness off their backs.

(Should we recruit one or two, if only to use in intrasquad & pre-season/training games so this is not a perennially glaring liability?)

(02-24-2016 11:18 AM)Almadenmike Wrote:  (Should we recruit one or two, if only to use in intrasquad & pre-season/training games so this is not a perennially glaring liability?)

Kravetz is your guy. Faced 5 batters last night. I only saw two pitches over 78 mph.

(02-24-2016 11:21 AM)Old Sammy Wrote:  

(02-24-2016 11:18 AM)Almadenmike Wrote:  (Should we recruit one or two, if only to use in intrasquad & pre-season/training games so this is not a perennially glaring liability?)

Kravetz is your guy. Faced 5 batters last night. I only saw two pitches over 78 mph.

??? He threw a number of fastballs in the 86 - 89 range.

(02-24-2016 11:50 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(02-24-2016 11:21 AM)Old Sammy Wrote:  

(02-24-2016 11:18 AM)Almadenmike Wrote:  (Should we recruit one or two, if only to use in intrasquad & pre-season/training games so this is not a perennially glaring liability?)

Kravetz is your guy. Faced 5 batters last night. I only saw two pitches over 78 mph.

??? He threw a number of fastballs in the 86 - 89 range.

I saw two, one of which was tagged pretty well. There may have been 3 or 4. But the majority were 74-78 mph. That's what Mike was looking for.