02-28-2020, 02:19 PM
Not a preview, just a conversation starter and a snip from D1 baseball regarding the Owls:
“Houston, We Have a Problem”
Two Houston connections. Two traditionally strong programs. Both with aspirations of being able to compete for a conference title despite coaching staffs not having been in place a long time. Both off to terrible starts.
That would be 0-7 Rice under second-year head coach Matt Bragga and Nebraska opening the Will Bolt Era with a 1-5 record. But the primary area of concern has stemmed from two opposite ends. Rice needs its offensive weapons to start being dudes while Nebraska is actively searching for anyone other than Kyle Perry that can get outs coming out of the bullpen.
Bragga’s offense is hitting a woeful .192 while Bolt’s pitching staff has a 6.31 ERA.
Rice is ranked No. 251 or worse in the nation in average, on-base percentage and slugging, Only 14 teams in the country are scoring fewer than the Owls’ 2.3 runs per game and four of the primary contributing culprits were expected to be middle-of-the-lineup bats. Instead, the combination of Trei Cruz, Justin Collins, Bradley Gneiting and Brayden Combs is 9 for 82 (.109) with one whole RBI.
“We need our guys to be our guys. Those types of guys we need to just do what they’re capable of and if they do that we’ll be fine but right now they’re not and so we’re hurting because of it a little bit,” Bragga said. “You’ve got to be a little bit patient as a coach because I know we’re better than what we’re doing right now. But at the same point in time, there’s like, ‘Oh, man, like we got to get moving. Like it’s time to play better baseball.’ “
Bragga said how and how often to address an ongoing issue such as Rice’s early offensive woes can be a difficult line to toe.
“You don’t want to talk about it too much because the more you talk about it, the monkey gets bigger and bigger. The elephant in the room gets bigger and bigger. You don’t want them to think you’re panicking,” Bragga said, noting multiple times that the Owls are much better than their sub-.100 average with runners in scoring position. “But at the same point in time, as a coach, it’s frustrating because you know what guys are capable of. You know they’re better than what they’re performing.
“It’s my job and our coaching staff’s job to make sure that we maximize what we have. And right now, we’re not doing that. We have to do a better job as a coaching staff to try to make sure these guys are being able to come through in clutch situations…or any situation to be honest.”
“Houston, We Have a Problem”
Two Houston connections. Two traditionally strong programs. Both with aspirations of being able to compete for a conference title despite coaching staffs not having been in place a long time. Both off to terrible starts.
That would be 0-7 Rice under second-year head coach Matt Bragga and Nebraska opening the Will Bolt Era with a 1-5 record. But the primary area of concern has stemmed from two opposite ends. Rice needs its offensive weapons to start being dudes while Nebraska is actively searching for anyone other than Kyle Perry that can get outs coming out of the bullpen.
Bragga’s offense is hitting a woeful .192 while Bolt’s pitching staff has a 6.31 ERA.
Rice is ranked No. 251 or worse in the nation in average, on-base percentage and slugging, Only 14 teams in the country are scoring fewer than the Owls’ 2.3 runs per game and four of the primary contributing culprits were expected to be middle-of-the-lineup bats. Instead, the combination of Trei Cruz, Justin Collins, Bradley Gneiting and Brayden Combs is 9 for 82 (.109) with one whole RBI.
“We need our guys to be our guys. Those types of guys we need to just do what they’re capable of and if they do that we’ll be fine but right now they’re not and so we’re hurting because of it a little bit,” Bragga said. “You’ve got to be a little bit patient as a coach because I know we’re better than what we’re doing right now. But at the same point in time, there’s like, ‘Oh, man, like we got to get moving. Like it’s time to play better baseball.’ “
Bragga said how and how often to address an ongoing issue such as Rice’s early offensive woes can be a difficult line to toe.
“You don’t want to talk about it too much because the more you talk about it, the monkey gets bigger and bigger. The elephant in the room gets bigger and bigger. You don’t want them to think you’re panicking,” Bragga said, noting multiple times that the Owls are much better than their sub-.100 average with runners in scoring position. “But at the same point in time, as a coach, it’s frustrating because you know what guys are capable of. You know they’re better than what they’re performing.
“It’s my job and our coaching staff’s job to make sure that we maximize what we have. And right now, we’re not doing that. We have to do a better job as a coaching staff to try to make sure these guys are being able to come through in clutch situations…or any situation to be honest.”