Hopefully nobody will jump out and give tons of stats number and tell me La Tech is a very good this year.

(03-17-2018 07:51 PM)junrice Wrote:  Hopefully nobody will jump out and give tons of stats number and tell me La Tech is a very good this year.

I’ll spare you the stats. But they are that good this year. I expect them to make the NCAAs.

Ok one stat, they are 3-0 in conference.

I mean, they aren't so good that getting swept is even remotely acceptable.

They aren't bench scrubs but really.... this was a pretty weak showing.

LaTech is pretty decent aka top 3 in the CUSA/Sunbelt. A 1-2 trip seems like aspirational expected value given that we are a middling 0.500 team with some upside, so the 0-3 road trip isn't a total disaster even though we are pretty much ruled out of an at-large consideration at this point. We have WKU at home next weekend; if we don't go 2-1 or better in that series, then let's start posting the dumpster fire memes.

Well, here's the thing....our pitching staff, when healthy, is not very good. When 3 of our "better" pitchers are out, it's just piling on at that point. Add in the huge number of games we've played over the last 2 weeks and a collapse was inevitable. I'm HOPING we can get semi-healthy and win some series down the stretch so that a top 8 seed in the conference is attainable.

Fingers are crossed.

I don't want to the be the piling on guy, but this whole thing is sort of looking like a complete train wreck at this point. It is easy to imagine last season without the late season run, and so far this team doesn't seem to show a lot of horsepower.

If anything the whole season has been 1 step forward 2 steps backwards, kind of like the whole program in the last 5 years or so.

to people who can rationalize getting swept by LOUISIANA TECH.

(03-17-2018 10:27 PM)cr11owl Wrote:   to people who can rationalize getting swept by LOUISIANA TECH.

I was listening to JP's broadcast last night and there were five or six guys from East Texas on their team in key roles... So much for TOPS being the deciding advantage.

It is easy to rationalize getting swept by a mid tier conference opponent because our team is hot trash at the moment. Especially at the end of a 14 games in 15 days stretch. Our Rpi/elo/etc. is quickly catching up to our other nationally irrelevant programs.

(03-17-2018 10:34 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(03-17-2018 10:27 PM)cr11owl Wrote:   to people who can rationalize getting swept by LOUISIANA TECH.

I was listening to JP's broadcast last night and there were five or six guys from East Texas on their team in key roles... So much for TOPS being the deciding advantage.

The whole point of the TOPS discussion is that teams like LaTexh don’t use baseball scholarships on some of their in-state players, so they have extra scholarships for out-of-state guys ... such as those from East Texas.

(03-17-2018 10:34 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  I was listening to JP's broadcast last night and there were five or six guys from East Texas on their team in key roles... So much for TOPS being the deciding advantage.

"TOPS" = ??

I don't know how good LaTech really is, and it's too early for anyone to know. But I do know they were better than we were this weekend--3 times in 3 tries. And I do know that we are losing talent to TCU and other places because of money. And maybe LaTech is one of those places and maybe some of those people who beat us this weekend would have been at Rice under different circumstances.

(03-18-2018 02:09 AM)Almadenmike Wrote:  

(03-17-2018 10:34 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  I was listening to JP's broadcast last night and there were five or six guys from East Texas on their team in key roles... So much for TOPS being the deciding advantage.

"TOPS" = ??

Program of scholarships for Louisiana residents attending Louisiana colleges.

(03-18-2018 08:27 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I don't know how good LaTech really is, and it's too early for anyone to know. But I do know they were better than we were this weekend--3 times in 3 tries. And I do know that we are losing talent to TCU and other places because of money. And maybe LaTech is one of those places and maybe some of those people who beat us this weekend would have been at Rice under different circumstances.

OMG...back to THIS excuse...money.

Look, there is a player on Tech's team that is currently paying more per year at LaTech than he would have at Rice due to the income based aid that Rice gives. He personally TOLD me that.

So please, for Gods sake, stop with the "we're disadvantaged because its expensive."

Rice offers TREMENDOUS income based aid to its athletes. Bottom line resides in having the right guy heading up the recruiting efforts. Building relationships with kids, grinding on the summer showcase circuits, etc. That's what Pope has done so far in his short time as recruiting coordinator. I'm hopeful that whatever happens with the OG's contract situation, Coach Pope is retained. He's done a good job. It will take a couple years to see what happens with the kids he's signed.

(03-18-2018 08:27 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I don't know how good LaTech really is, and it's too early for anyone to know. But I do know they were better than we were this weekend--3 times in 3 tries. And I do know that we are losing talent to TCU and other places because of money. And maybe LaTech is one of those places and maybe some of those people who beat us this weekend would have been at Rice under different circumstances.

I don't know how good they are either, but I am confident that they aren't a threat to win the CWS. And a few short years ago, that would be the only opponent criteria that would be a reasonable explanation for what transpired.

As a fan base, I feel we are experts at rationalizing stuff like this.Look at football.. first it was we can't compete with UT and aTm. Then it became Tulsa and UH.. then it became USM and then WKU and LaTech, then UTSA and last year we had people with the audacity to justify losing to a self-death-penaltied UAB. Because JUCOs or whatever. I fear we are starting the same with baseball now, albeit starting at a much higher level.

Maybe losing talent is why we can't beat LSU.. maybe not. but I do not believe that we were out talented by La Tech in baseball. We sure as hell were out executed. And until that stops, the talent doesn't matter.

(03-18-2018 12:46 PM)Antarius Wrote:  

(03-18-2018 08:27 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  I don't know how good LaTech really is, and it's too early for anyone to know. But I do know they were better than we were this weekend--3 times in 3 tries. And I do know that we are losing talent to TCU and other places because of money. And maybe LaTech is one of those places and maybe some of those people who beat us this weekend would have been at Rice under different circumstances.

I don't know how good they are either, but I am confident that they aren't a threat to win the CWS. And a few short years ago, that would be the only opponent criteria that would be a reasonable explanation for what transpired.

As a fan base, I feel we are experts at rationalizing stuff like this.Look at football.. first it was we can't compete with UT and aTm. Then it became Tulsa and UH.. then it became USM and then WKU and LaTech, then UTSA and last year we had people with the audacity to justify losing to a self-death-penaltied UAB. Because JUCOs or whatever.

Maybe losing talent is why we can't beat LSU.. maybe not. but I do not believe that we were out talented by La Tech in baseball. We sure as hell were out executed. And until that stops, the talent doesn't matter.

Soon, the excuse machine will need to explain away losses to Trinity (lemme try "they have a historical aura of winning for decades and San Antonio is great for fans") and Southwestern (they're new to football so that's an advantage, have lower admission standards, and "everyone" wants to live in greater Austin)

I read yesterday on a Texas A&M board (TexAgs) how Childress had apparently mentioned that when he first got the job at A&M, Rice was the team to beat in Texas. Mentioned something about a tough midweek and potentially tough draw for Regionals or Supers. Now sees it as a game that does nothing but hurt their RPI. I will look for the exact quote and post it once I find it. This was just said by one of their users so I'm sure they were paraphrasing as I am paraphrasing them. That just shows how quickly our program and perception has changed.

(03-18-2018 02:21 PM)Clad Scheme Owl Wrote:  I read yesterday on a Texas A&M board (TexAgs) how Childress had apparently mentioned that when he first got the job at A&M, Rice was the team to beat in Texas. Mentioned something about a tough midweek and potentially tough draw for Regionals or Supers. Now sees it as a game that does nothing but hurt their RPI. I will look for the exact quote and post it once I find it. This was just said by one of their users so I'm sure they were paraphrasing as I am paraphrasing them. That just shows how quickly our program and perception has changed.

I've been worried about this happening. Just like in basketball, the better programs don't want to play us anymore - because the potential damage to their RPI is not worth it. And how about this: I'm starting to hear complaints from my TCU and A&M buddies that playing teams like Rice in midweek games is frustrating - because weaker programs like ours always save their top pitchers for games like that (i.e., when we get to play against the "big boys"). Remember how we used to make that same complaint?

(03-18-2018 02:21 PM)Clad Scheme Owl Wrote:  I read yesterday on a Texas A&M board (TexAgs) how Childress had apparently mentioned that when he first got the job at A&M, Rice was the team to beat in Texas. Mentioned something about a tough midweek and potentially tough draw for Regionals or Supers. Now sees it as a game that does nothing but hurt their RPI. I will look for the exact quote and post it once I find it. This was just said by one of their users so I'm sure they were paraphrasing as I am paraphrasing them. That just shows how quickly our program and perception has changed.

We are now, and have been for some time, a merely average to slightly better than average team, fallen immensely since 2001-2008 when we basically had what seemed like a permanent invitation to the CWS. Each year, we seem to get worse. Players no longer seem to develop, or be developed, like they were 15-20 years ago. Many seem to regress in their skills. At this point, we are probably no better than in the very early 1990s and the trajectory has been clearly in the wrong direction.

The first thing to do in order to fix a problem is to recognize the problem. As long as people try to explain away a problem, it will never be fixed.

(03-18-2018 02:34 PM)Minnewaska Owl Wrote:  

(03-18-2018 02:21 PM)Clad Scheme Owl Wrote:  I read yesterday on a Texas A&M board (TexAgs) how Childress had apparently mentioned that when he first got the job at A&M, Rice was the team to beat in Texas. Mentioned something about a tough midweek and potentially tough draw for Regionals or Supers. Now sees it as a game that does nothing but hurt their RPI. I will look for the exact quote and post it once I find it. This was just said by one of their users so I'm sure they were paraphrasing as I am paraphrasing them. That just shows how quickly our program and perception has changed.

I've been worried about this happening. Just like in basketball, the better programs don't want to play us anymore - because the potential damage to their RPI is not worth it. And how about this: I'm starting to hear complaints from my TCU and A&M buddies that playing teams like Rice in midweek games is frustrating - because weaker programs like ours always save their top pitchers for games like that (i.e., when we get to play against the "big boys"). Remember how we used to make that same complaint?

Sour grapes on their part. Rice does not save its top pitchers for midweek games.