(05-05-2019 11:31 PM)holybovine Wrote:  

(05-05-2019 08:51 PM)masttg Wrote:  

(05-05-2019 08:35 PM)holybovine Wrote:  I want to bring this thread back and focus on the EMU baseball program at the current moment. I’m a huge college baseball guy; I was a walkon in my undergrad days. So, I realize part of my perspective is probably emphasizing things that most EMU students, faculty, staff, and alumni do not care about. I realize EMU baseball’s lowly status in the grand scheme of things (unlike some of our wrestling fans), but I feel compelled to give my assessment of the current state of things. The AD needs to know that people care about EMU baseball.

In short, the program is broken and needs new leadership. Where to begin? How about the atrocious hitting? Team average of .254, with OPS of .688. So, this is a poor hitting team with little power, that strikes out twice as much as it walks. This is hard to do at the college level with aluminum.

The pitching staff might be the worst I’ve ever seen. The staff ERA is 7.66!!!!! It has given up more than 550 hits in 394 innings. To put this in perspective, the average player has a .334 average against our staff; that’s the average — imagine what the good hitters have done.

Eric Roof did not deserve this job last year, and he has done nothing to change anyone’s mind. We had a great opportunity to get away from the Michigan State mafia, but we didn’t, and here we are. Athletic coaching hires are often made in an attempt to replicate the existing system of an excellent program. So, for example, when EMU hires it’s next basketball coach, I would hope that they look at people who have created their own successful systems at other institutions (e.g., Ferris State), or someone who has been a part of an already successful system (e.g., an MSU assistant).

However, this is baseball, and in baseball MSU is among the dregs in the Big 10. I have no interest in MSU’s fingerprints all over our baseball program any longer. Roof was an instrumental part of the previous failed regime; he’s just a worse version of Van Ameyde. We need someone from a staff that has elevated its program, not sunk it. I’d love to hire someone from Erik Bakich’s staff; the UM program was nothing before he arrived. I want a slice of whatever it is they are doing over there. This isn’t a MSU vs. UM thing. This is about finding someone from a staff who has shown it can build a program from scratch. There are other examples besides Bakich’s staff; his is just local and obvious.

We need to do this and quickly. My fear is that we continue to sink and go the way of the Buffalo (Bulls).

Agree. Luckily, baseball has a few young, wealthy and engaged alumni. And the AD loves baseball.
The decision to keep Roof seemed to be about ease and cost and not about program growth or excellence.

Thanks for your thoughts. Regarding your second and third sentences, I’ve heard those things as well. Unfortunately, your fourth sentence brings the veracity of the previous statements into question.

Wealthy/engaged alums and an engaged/conscientious AD do not allow the easy/cheap hire of Roof to happen.

Few caveats: 1-'wealthy and engage alums' for EMU. Not sure how much they could get done helping out on the other side of US23. 2- I never said the AD was engaged or conscientious.

(05-06-2019 08:17 AM)masttg Wrote:  

(05-05-2019 11:31 PM)holybovine Wrote:  

(05-05-2019 08:51 PM)masttg Wrote:  

(05-05-2019 08:35 PM)holybovine Wrote:  I want to bring this thread back and focus on the EMU baseball program at the current moment. I’m a huge college baseball guy; I was a walkon in my undergrad days. So, I realize part of my perspective is probably emphasizing things that most EMU students, faculty, staff, and alumni do not care about. I realize EMU baseball’s lowly status in the grand scheme of things (unlike some of our wrestling fans), but I feel compelled to give my assessment of the current state of things. The AD needs to know that people care about EMU baseball.

In short, the program is broken and needs new leadership. Where to begin? How about the atrocious hitting? Team average of .254, with OPS of .688. So, this is a poor hitting team with little power, that strikes out twice as much as it walks. This is hard to do at the college level with aluminum.

The pitching staff might be the worst I’ve ever seen. The staff ERA is 7.66!!!!! It has given up more than 550 hits in 394 innings. To put this in perspective, the average player has a .334 average against our staff; that’s the average — imagine what the good hitters have done.

Eric Roof did not deserve this job last year, and he has done nothing to change anyone’s mind. We had a great opportunity to get away from the Michigan State mafia, but we didn’t, and here we are. Athletic coaching hires are often made in an attempt to replicate the existing system of an excellent program. So, for example, when EMU hires it’s next basketball coach, I would hope that they look at people who have created their own successful systems at other institutions (e.g., Ferris State), or someone who has been a part of an already successful system (e.g., an MSU assistant).

However, this is baseball, and in baseball MSU is among the dregs in the Big 10. I have no interest in MSU’s fingerprints all over our baseball program any longer. Roof was an instrumental part of the previous failed regime; he’s just a worse version of Van Ameyde. We need someone from a staff that has elevated its program, not sunk it. I’d love to hire someone from Erik Bakich’s staff; the UM program was nothing before he arrived. I want a slice of whatever it is they are doing over there. This isn’t a MSU vs. UM thing. This is about finding someone from a staff who has shown it can build a program from scratch. There are other examples besides Bakich’s staff; his is just local and obvious.

We need to do this and quickly. My fear is that we continue to sink and go the way of the Buffalo (Bulls).

Agree. Luckily, baseball has a few young, wealthy and engaged alumni. And the AD loves baseball.
The decision to keep Roof seemed to be about ease and cost and not about program growth or excellence.

Thanks for your thoughts. Regarding your second and third sentences, I’ve heard those things as well. Unfortunately, your fourth sentence brings the veracity of the previous statements into question.

Wealthy/engaged alums and an engaged/conscientious AD do not allow the easy/cheap hire of Roof to happen.

I never said the AD was engaged or conscientious.

Fair enough.

Dear Friends,
I don't disagree with what has been said, but whom are we recruiting? If, we have no pitching and no hitting, again, there is where some of the problem must lie.

If we (WMU) can sweep EMU as last weekend, you must not be very good indeed.

Well Roof had a decent first year, this year not so much. I think the AD should wait a minimum of three to four years before making a change. I remember when we had Jay Alexander as coach who was very well respected and even he couldn't turn the program around. We've had a couple of one year wonders who then left for greener pastures immediately.

Roof was hired for one reason and that was the fact that he would accept the job cheaper than anyone else.

We are a very young team. By my count we have 12 fresh men and only 5 seniors and our sophomores out number our juniors. We will have to wait 2 more years at least he was only made a head coach this year on a permanent basis.

FIRE UP CHIPS! :)

(05-12-2019 01:25 AM)vannzee Wrote:  Roof was hired for one reason and that was the fact that he would accept the job cheaper than anyone else.

Yes, I’m sure. Pathetic.

If that’s the mindset, might as well shut down the program. Then they could get rid of Softball too.

(05-12-2019 09:19 PM)holybovine Wrote:  

(05-12-2019 01:25 AM)vannzee Wrote:  Roof was hired for one reason and that was the fact that he would accept the job cheaper than anyone else.

Yes, I’m sure. Pathetic.

If that’s the mindset, might as well shut down the program. Then they could get rid of Softball too.

(05-13-2019 06:00 AM)1014emu Wrote:  

(05-12-2019 09:19 PM)holybovine Wrote:  

(05-12-2019 01:25 AM)vannzee Wrote:  Roof was hired for one reason and that was the fact that he would accept the job cheaper than anyone else.

Yes, I’m sure. Pathetic.

If that’s the mindset, might as well shut down the program. Then they could get rid of Softball too.

Just a reminder 2 years (two) we were in the championship game of the tournament and semifinals the year before (we were picked LAST both years)The athletic department dropping sports and being sued hurts recruiting when you have other schools in the MAC without this baggage.

You're missing the point.

Team is on a 10-game losing streak. Season ends today. No MAC tourney for EMU.

Beat up by Kent. The team was smaller and not as strong as Kent. Here's to a strong JUCO class.

Sad.

AD will tuck tail and bring back the entire staff next year. And expect different results. : /

Congratulations to Michigan for reaching their first College World Series since 1984. Quite a feat for any Midwest team to achieve that accomplishment in today’s game.

Again, we should be considering someone from Bakich’s staff when we have an opening.

Michigan becomes the first Big 10 team to reach the national baseball finals since 1966.

Wow. Glad we’ve tripled-down on the MSU Mafia.

Why stop with UofM they lost we should try Vanderbilt since we're dreaming?

The new basketball coach and improvements to the baseball program are standing in the north end zone in the form of an absurdly expensive scoreboard.

(07-03-2019 11:33 AM)ljmhurons Wrote:  The new basketball coach and improvements to the baseball program are standing in the north end zone in the form of an absurdly expensive scoreboard.

Which is paid in part by private donors who believe in what CC is doing

Baseball and Basketball are not on the upswing

(07-03-2019 11:33 AM)ljmhurons Wrote:  The new basketball coach and improvements to the baseball program are standing in the north end zone in the form of an absurdly expensive scoreboard.

Well said.

We will never be anything more than an occasional bowl team at this level, which doesn’t mean a whole lot in terms of branding and exposure. Unfortunately, that’s where 80% of the money goes.

It doesn’t make any sense. A premier basketball team would get more attention, and could do so at a more reasonable price point.

Shrug.