Given that football and basketball are in the tank, might as well get ready for baseball season. Only 86 days till the opener.

Any idea on how fall scrimmages went/are going? What about some of the newcomers (Irby, Mikell, Boyd, etc)?

Obligatory given the thread title.

Probably another Berry ball year. No pitching outside of weekend starters, average hitting, 30 wins, sitting at home.

(11-22-2016 01:44 AM)BeagleUSM Wrote:  Given that football and basketball are in the tank, might as well get ready for baseball season. Only 86 days till the opener.

Any idea on how fall scrimmages went/are going? What about some of the newcomers (Irby, Mikell, Boyd, etc)?

From what I have read, heard, seen, we should be a fun team to watch this year. Lots of speed. Lots of power at the plate. Lots of talent defensively. So much that some of our previous starters will be fighting for their job or even sitting the bench. TrFr, RsFr and Tr have added a lot of competition at ever position.

Some tidbits:
Look for Burdeaux to be at 1B
Braley has been pitching more. May see him in Closer/Setup situations
McCarty will obviously be our Fri guy
We added another sidewinder out of the pen.
Look for Maack and Boyd to push for starting spots at Mid IF
Keating looks to be in CF
Gabriel Montenegro (5'7, 165lb) look for this kid to be special. He is a small guy but it VERY fast and can crush the ball.

Lots of question marks going in to this season on the mound. We have a lot of JUCO and RsFR kids who on paper appear good but only time will tell. You never know if that light comes on when they get to D1.

prediction: USM & Tech will be the top of the conference this season

(11-22-2016 09:31 AM)EagNBran Wrote:  Probably another Berry ball year. No pitching outside of weekend starters, average hitting, 30 wins, sitting at home.

I assume 2016 made you very unhappy because it gave you little to complain about.

From a position player standpoint, this is as talented a team as we have had in a long time. Pitching is unproven. If they can be just average, this team should win at least 36-38 in the regular season.

(11-22-2016 03:11 PM)Eagle9 Wrote:  From a position player standpoint, this is as talented a team as we have had in a long time. Pitching is unproven. If they can be just average, this team should win at least 36-38 in the regular season.

The Nelms kid (RHP) from Gulfport is going to be a good one. Dont know if he contributes much this year but he has talent.

I'm concerned about the pen this year. Without Winston and Johnson, some of those JUCO/freshman guys will need to step up.

Need some baserunning coaches, preferably from The SWAC.

(11-22-2016 10:27 AM)techdawg88 Wrote:  prediction: USM & Tech will be the top of the conference this season

Rice will be in the mix, per usual. They're not what they used to be but they'll still be there near the end.

Tech should be good. You guys bring pretty much everyone back. FAU should be decent again as well, though losing Chatham to the draft is big.

How is Wallner gonna factor in? I know he was recruited as a pitcher but also heard he can smash it.

(11-22-2016 02:54 PM)RockTheRock Wrote:  

(11-22-2016 09:31 AM)EagNBran Wrote:  Probably another Berry ball year. No pitching outside of weekend starters, average hitting, 30 wins, sitting at home.

I assume 2016 made you very unhappy because it gave you little to complain about.

Pretty much everything since mid-May 2011 during a weekend in Houston.

(11-22-2016 05:18 PM)BeagleUSM Wrote:  How is Wallner gonna factor in? I know he was recruited as a pitcher but also heard he can smash it.

I believe he will be doing both. Similar to Braley and Robbins.

I guess this means we are #44.

http://baseballnews.com/collegiate-baseb...-12-19-16/

This team is going to really be able to hit and will be exciting. However, pitching will be our downfall. We have like 4 pitchers either missing the season with injuries or just coming off injuries. We've had horrible luck with signees getting hurt after we sign them the last 2 years.

we have had a history of our pitchers getting hurt under Berry's staff. ive been really wondering if this is more than just bad luck or a coincidence.

(12-20-2016 10:53 PM)BeagleUSM Wrote:  Weekend: (?)(?)

Relief: ???

Damn ... These guys have been here forever.

To be honest I can't even guess at the lineup other than the returning starters. I didn't see any of fall practice but heard unusually positive things from people that would know about our hitters. They say it's the most athletic team we've had maybe ever and they can really hit. But like I said, we are going to have to rely heavily on some young pitchers. Just in the last 2 years with pitcher injuries we've had:

Walker Powell underwent his 2nd Tommy John a few months ago so he most likely won't ever be much again. I hate to say it but the odds of full recovery go way down after the 2nd one.

Hayden Roberts had Tommy John while he was still in juco after we'd already signed him. Thankfully he gave us something at the end last year and looks like he won't be a wasted scholly because I know the staff loved him when they signed him.

Walley was supposed to come in and be a part of our rotation immediately last year but was hurt almost as soon as he stepped on campus. Believe it was a rotator cuff or labrum. I've heard he also stays in Berry's dog house for immaturity issues. Heard he was throwing like 82 this fall so he's most likely toast.

Houston Case was another nice arm that was 90-92 in juco but as soon as he got here last year was down around 87-89. Had to have Tommy John.

Jordan Hayes was a signee this year from PRCC that the staff loved as a groundball guy with a heavy sinker. Had to have Tommy John after 2 or 3 starts last year at Pearl River after he was already signed.

Austin Millet apparently was hurt this fall and had not decided whether or not to have Tommy John yet the last I heard.

So in college baseball you get 11.7 scholarships. Let's say you divide them evenly among pitchers and hitters. So around 6 scholarships are going to pitchers and 3 or 4 of them are either out or toast because of injury. That makes it tough.

Some of them occurred while they were here but I can't blame the staff for that because it happens everywhere, even in the MLB there's a huge epidemic. But we've had a bunch get hurt before they ever got here. That's left Berry in a tough spot making decisions about whether to honor scholarships and ultimately he's honored most of them. But I do know of a couple kids still on the team that got some of their money taken away after they were hurt but allowed to stay on the team. He really didn't have much of a choice.

Tommy John surgery has almost become a rite of passage for pitchers.