20. Rice

The Owls have been consistent contenders ever since Wayne Graham led them to the first NCAA tournament in program history in 1995 — they have made 21 consecutive regionals since then. If we had conducted these rankings a half-dozen years ago, Rice would have been a lock for the top five, as it made five College World Series appearances in seven years between 2002 and 2008, punctuated by the 2003 national championship. But the Owls have not been back to Omaha since ’08 (they were swept in super regionals in 2009 and 2013). The Owls are still good enough to win whatever conference they play in, and they’re still good enough to host regionals, as they did in 2014 and 2012. But for now, they have dropped from the ranks of the “elite” and into the ranks of the “very good.”

http://www.d1baseball.com/the-buzz/top-1...ams-11-20/

Yeah, I've been following Kendall's countdownof the top 100 the past week (UH and Tech are in the mid-to-upper 20s, Baylor in the 40's if I remember correctly).

Personally, I have no problem with being ranked #20 today, but Kendall really showed inconsistencies in his analysis by have Oklahoma State (#19) an UT (#17) ahead of us. OSU had fallen off the map just a couple years ago, and have only made the post-season (with no Omaha trip) the past 2 years. Not sure how that ranks ahead of us. As for UT, they missed the post-season altogether 2 of the last 5 years, and should have missed it last year (if not for their name). Yes, they went to Omaha once during this most recent 5-year period, but I'm not sure how, based on an assessment of here and now (which is how Kendall has touted this ranking), how UT could possibly be ranked ahead of us. I'm okay with A&M ahead of us at #16, and I'm presuming TCU will be in the Top 5.

(09-18-2015 07:38 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Yeah, I've been following Kendall's countdownof the top 100 the past week (UH and Tech are in the mid-to-upper 20s, Baylor in the 40's if I remember correctly).

Personally, I have no problem with being ranked #20 today, but Kendall really showed inconsistencies in his analysis by have Oklahoma State (#19) an UT (#17) ahead of us. OSU had fallen off the map just a couple years ago, and have only made the post-season (with no Omaha trip) the past 2 years. Not sure how that ranks ahead of us. As for UT, they missed the post-season altogether 2 of the last 5 years, and should have missed it last year (if not for their name). Yes, they went to Omaha once during this most recent 5-year period, but I'm not sure how, based on an assessment of here and now (which is how Kendall has touted this ranking), how UT could possibly be ranked ahead of us. I'm okay with A&M ahead of us at #16, and I'm presuming TCU will be in the Top 5.

UT won the Big XII tournament last year.. They didn't get in because of their name.

(09-18-2015 09:02 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(09-18-2015 07:38 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Yeah, I've been following Kendall's countdownof the top 100 the past week (UH and Tech are in the mid-to-upper 20s, Baylor in the 40's if I remember correctly).

Personally, I have no problem with being ranked #20 today, but Kendall really showed inconsistencies in his analysis by have Oklahoma State (#19) an UT (#17) ahead of us. OSU had fallen off the map just a couple years ago, and have only made the post-season (with no Omaha trip) the past 2 years. Not sure how that ranks ahead of us. As for UT, they missed the post-season altogether 2 of the last 5 years, and should have missed it last year (if not for their name). Yes, they went to Omaha once during this most recent 5-year period, but I'm not sure how, based on an assessment of here and now (which is how Kendall has touted this ranking), how UT could possibly be ranked ahead of us. I'm okay with A&M ahead of us at #16, and I'm presuming TCU will be in the Top 5.

UT won the Big XII tournament last year.. They didn't get in because of their name.

Sorry, but that's the only way they had any chance of getting in....and they went quickly in the regionals. Again, based strictly on the here and now (the past 3 - 5 years), no way UT should be ranked ahead of us.

(09-18-2015 09:12 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(09-18-2015 09:02 PM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  

(09-18-2015 07:38 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Yeah, I've been following Kendall's countdownof the top 100 the past week (UH and Tech are in the mid-to-upper 20s, Baylor in the 40's if I remember correctly).

Personally, I have no problem with being ranked #20 today, but Kendall really showed inconsistencies in his analysis by have Oklahoma State (#19) an UT (#17) ahead of us. OSU had fallen off the map just a couple years ago, and have only made the post-season (with no Omaha trip) the past 2 years. Not sure how that ranks ahead of us. As for UT, they missed the post-season altogether 2 of the last 5 years, and should have missed it last year (if not for their name). Yes, they went to Omaha once during this most recent 5-year period, but I'm not sure how, based on an assessment of here and now (which is how Kendall has touted this ranking), how UT could possibly be ranked ahead of us. I'm okay with A&M ahead of us at #16, and I'm presuming TCU will be in the Top 5.

UT won the Big XII tournament last year.. They didn't get in because of their name.

Sorry, but that's the only way they had any chance of getting in....and they went quickly in the regionals. Again, based strictly on the here and now (the past 3 - 5 years), no way UT should be ranked ahead of us.

OK.. I'm not debating your point about Rice being a better program... I'm a little bit confused by your statement that their only way of getting in was via the conference tournament, which they won. However, you previously stated they got in because of their name. I don't even think most Texas fans thought they'd get an at-large last year.

Since there is very little baseball to discuss, and d1baseball is trying to ride out the offseason, a discussion of the top 100 is always worth a few moments.

UT did win a conference tournament to get into last year's tourney but they weren't that good. However, because of their name/history, they started the season highly ranked in the preseason polls. IIRC, Walt observed back then that they were over-ranked, and he was proved right.

20 is fairly generous given the direction of the program.

(09-20-2015 08:17 PM)Pellet Wrote:  20 is fairly generous given the direction of the program.

ALERT MODS; this is TRASH TALK!! Punish him!!

(09-20-2015 08:12 PM)grol Wrote:  Since there is very little baseball to discuss, and d1baseball is trying to ride out the offseason, a discussion of the top 100 is always worth a few moments.

UT did win a conference tournament to get into last year's tourney but they weren't that good. However, because of their name/history, they started the season highly ranked in the preseason polls. IIRC, Walt observed back then that they were over-ranked, and he was proved right.

What's funny is that I thought they'd have a quality offense, but there pitching was way, way overhyped. In the end, the pitching was okay, but the offense was once again well below average.

(09-20-2015 08:17 PM)Pellet Wrote:  20 is fairly generous given the direction of the program.

Okay, I'll bite, how is #20 generous? Name 20 programs that should legitimately rank above us in baseball, based on the past 3 - 5 years' performance....and quite honestly, I'm at a loss how Texas and Oklahoma State rank above us based on the criteria set by Kendall himself.

From the D1 Baseball Top 100 Writers Roundtable:

Which traditional power are you most concerned about (selling their stock)?

Aaron Fitt: Stanford
Kendall Rogers: Stanford
Michael Baumann: South Carolina
Mark Etheridge: Georgia
Frankie Piliere: Texas
Eric Sorenson: Wichita State
Shotgun Spratling: Rice
Chris Webb: Stanford

(09-23-2015 03:33 PM)Leoguy Wrote:  From the D1 Baseball Top 100 Writers Roundtable:

Which traditional power are you most concerned about (selling their stock)?

Aaron Fitt: Stanford
Kendall Rogers: Stanford
Michael Baumann: South Carolina
Mark Etheridge: Georgia
Frankie Piliere: Texas
Eric Sorenson: Wichita State
Shotgun Spratling: Rice
Chris Webb: Stanford

I can't believe anyone is still holding onto Wichita State stock-- that shipped sailed 20 years ago. Shocked to see South Carolina picked by someone.

Should I still hang on to my SMU baseball stock?

Interesting that Stanford is picked by 3 of the 8 writers.

(09-20-2015 09:17 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Okay, I'll bite, how is #20 generous? Name 20 programs that should legitimately rank above us in baseball, based on the past 3 - 5 years' performance....and quite honestly, I'm at a loss how Texas and Oklahoma State rank above us based on the criteria set by Kendall himself.

Arizona, Mississippi State, UH, and ULaLa all behind Rice in that list?

I guess national championships, title game appearances, and head-to-head count for nothing.

Top 20 implies a team is potentially good enough to win a game at a SR. That's not Rice, at least not for the last 7 years. Combine the talent drop off and the lack of quality assistant coaching, there's no reason to expect the Owls will achieve success like that in the near future.

(09-29-2015 10:58 PM)Pellet Wrote:  

(09-20-2015 09:17 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Okay, I'll bite, how is #20 generous? Name 20 programs that should legitimately rank above us in baseball, based on the past 3 - 5 years' performance....and quite honestly, I'm at a loss how Texas and Oklahoma State rank above us based on the criteria set by Kendall himself.

Arizona, Mississippi State, UH, and ULaLa all behind Rice in that list?

I guess national championships, title game appearances, and head-to-head count for nothing.

Top 20 implies a team is potentially good enough to win a game at a SR. That's not Rice, at least not for the last 7 years. Combine the talent drop off and the lack of quality assistant coaching, there's no reason to expect the Owls will achieve success like that in the near future.

ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. No, Top 20 implies a program that has been the epitome of consistency in college baseball over the past 5 - 10 years, matched only by a very small handful of teams (e.g., CSF, FSU). And who the heck are you to judge the quality of our assistant coaches?

(09-29-2015 10:58 PM)Pellet Wrote:  

(09-20-2015 09:17 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Okay, I'll bite, how is #20 generous? Name 20 programs that should legitimately rank above us in baseball, based on the past 3 - 5 years' performance....and quite honestly, I'm at a loss how Texas and Oklahoma State rank above us based on the criteria set by Kendall himself.

Arizona, Mississippi State, UH, and ULaLa all behind Rice in that list?

I guess national championships, title game appearances, and head-to-head count for nothing.

Top 20 implies a team is potentially good enough to win a game at a SR. That's not Rice, at least not for the last 7 years. Combine the talent drop off and the lack of quality assistant coaching, there's no reason to expect the Owls will achieve success like that in the near future.

Rice has played well at two Super Regionals on the road within the last 5 years. Didn't win, but we were "potentially good enough to win a game at a SR".

(09-29-2015 10:58 PM)Pellet Wrote:  

(09-20-2015 09:17 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Okay, I'll bite, how is #20 generous? Name 20 programs that should legitimately rank above us in baseball, based on the past 3 - 5 years' performance....and quite honestly, I'm at a loss how Texas and Oklahoma State rank above us based on the criteria set by Kendall himself.

Arizona, Mississippi State, UH, and ULaLa all behind Rice in that list?

I guess national championships, title game appearances, and head-to-head count for nothing.

Top 20 implies a team is potentially good enough to win a game at a SR. That's not Rice, at least not for the last 7 years. Combine the talent drop off and the lack of quality assistant coaching, there's no reason to expect the Owls will achieve success like that in the near future.

Even with the dip in success in recent years compared to the mountain top the program was at for a while, the team consistently makes the post season and the Supers. Couple that with the mountain top time period and 20 makes a lot of sense. Being ranked lower wouldn't make any sense.

(09-30-2015 06:08 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(09-29-2015 10:58 PM)Pellet Wrote:  

(09-20-2015 09:17 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Okay, I'll bite, how is #20 generous? Name 20 programs that should legitimately rank above us in baseball, based on the past 3 - 5 years' performance....and quite honestly, I'm at a loss how Texas and Oklahoma State rank above us based on the criteria set by Kendall himself.

Arizona, Mississippi State, UH, and ULaLa all behind Rice in that list?

I guess national championships, title game appearances, and head-to-head count for nothing.

Top 20 implies a team is potentially good enough to win a game at a SR. That's not Rice, at least not for the last 7 years. Combine the talent drop off and the lack of quality assistant coaching, there's no reason to expect the Owls will achieve success like that in the near future.

Even with the dip in success in recent years compared to the mountain top the program was at for a while, the team consistently makes the post season and the Supers. Couple that with the mountain top time period and 20 makes a lot of sense. Being ranked lower wouldn't make any sense.

And, again, the ranking is not in a vacuum, but rather in relation to all other programs. Only a single handful of programs have demonstrated the consistency we have-- even over the past 7 Omaha-less years. UT (who should be ranked below us) missed the post-season altogether 2 of the last 5 years, and would have made it three last year if not for their winning the conference tournament. So they made one trip to Omaha during that period. I'll take our performance and results over theirs any day of the week.

(09-30-2015 06:42 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  

(09-30-2015 06:08 AM)RiceLad15 Wrote:  

(09-29-2015 10:58 PM)Pellet Wrote:  

(09-20-2015 09:17 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote:  Okay, I'll bite, how is #20 generous? Name 20 programs that should legitimately rank above us in baseball, based on the past 3 - 5 years' performance....and quite honestly, I'm at a loss how Texas and Oklahoma State rank above us based on the criteria set by Kendall himself.

Arizona, Mississippi State, UH, and ULaLa all behind Rice in that list?

I guess national championships, title game appearances, and head-to-head count for nothing.

Top 20 implies a team is potentially good enough to win a game at a SR. That's not Rice, at least not for the last 7 years. Combine the talent drop off and the lack of quality assistant coaching, there's no reason to expect the Owls will achieve success like that in the near future.

Even with the dip in success in recent years compared to the mountain top the program was at for a while, the team consistently makes the post season and the Supers. Couple that with the mountain top time period and 20 makes a lot of sense. Being ranked lower wouldn't make any sense.

And, again, the ranking is not in a vacuum, but rather in relation to all other programs. Only a single handful of programs have demonstrated the consistency we have-- even over the past 7 Omaha-less years. UT (who should be ranked below us) missed the post-season altogether 2 of the last 5 years, and would have made it three last year if not for their winning the conference tournament. So they made one trip to Omaha during that period. I'll take our performance and results over theirs any day of the week.

Agreed. I'd rather win a watered down C-USA each year and make it to the post season.

But seriously, I would much rather keep making the post-season with a shot at getting hot then, than miss the post-season for multiple years. If anything, it keeps the streak alive.