Author Topic: Big XII Baseball (Read 6134 times)

Texifornia · « **on:** February 11, 2018, 11:35:07 pm »

Right on the heels of a tremendous Big XII basketball season will follow what looks to be a tremendous Big XII baseball season.

As a Red Raider I'm particularly jacked by what looks like a good shot at another conference title for Texas Tech in a league that will possibly send five teams to the tournament. Tech and TCU look to be the favorites with Tech leaning on their two aces: Gingery and Martin and the Frogs with a potent office lead by Luken Baker. UT will, as always, put a very good team on the field and Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Oklahoma are solid programs with good players. Even Kansas State will be competitive in the nine team league (Iowa State does not field a baseball team).

I find the college game very entertaining and it's always fun when your school has a top team. So: Wreck 'em Tech and play ball!

Lefty · « **Reply #1 on:** February 14, 2018, 07:23:57 am »

UT has a great schedule this year, something like 30 of their 50 games are against teams that made the tourney last year. Definitely need to hit up more games this year that I did last one.

jbm · « **Reply #2 on:** February 14, 2018, 07:37:46 am »

It is a hell of a schedule. Looking forward to watching them play. Also want to see Baker at TCU as I assume he will be one of the top picks if he returns healthy.

Col. Sphinx Drummond · « **Reply #3 on:** February 14, 2018, 08:15:40 am »

Big 12 only has 9 schools that play baseball. What a joke.

Col. Sphinx Drummond · « **Reply #4 on:** February 14, 2018, 08:26:18 am »

Also Syracuse, Colorado, and Wisconsin don't field baseball teams in the other so call P5 conferences (I realize P5 is a football designation). Anyway go Horns and Frogs.

Texifornia · « **Reply #5 on:** February 14, 2018, 10:43:55 am »

Quote from: Lefty on February 14, 2018, 07:23:57 am

UT has a great schedule this year, something like 30 of their 50 games are against teams that made the tourney last year. Definitely need to hit up more games this year that I did last one.

Non-conference schedule makes a difference at tournament time. Tadlock at Tech has been working on improving their non-con schedule, although this year it's not that great of a non-con for Tech with the exception of Louisville and Dallas Baptist.

Texifornia · « **Reply #6 on:** February 18, 2018, 07:05:30 pm »

Tech crushes Maine as expected, but Steven Gingery exited after only 19 pitches with elbow discomfort.
http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/20180217/red-raiders-sweep-but-keep-fingers-crossed-for-gingery

austro · « **Reply #7 on:** February 18, 2018, 07:10:45 pm »

Quote from: Texifornia on February 18, 2018, 07:05:30 pm

Tech crushes Maine as expected, but Steven Gingery exited after only 19 pitches with elbow discomfort.
http://www.lubbockonline.com/news/20180217/red-raiders-sweep-but-keep-fingers-crossed-for-gingery

Well, that sucks.

Texifornia · « **Reply #8 on:** February 19, 2018, 06:00:07 pm »

Gingery with a torn UCL, out for the season.

Unbelievably bad news for Texas Tech.

Texifornia · « **Reply #9 on:** February 28, 2018, 11:26:20 am »

Quote from: Texifornia on February 14, 2018, 10:43:55 am

Non-conference schedule makes a difference at tournament time. Tadlock at Tech has been working on improving their non-con schedule, although this year it's not that great of a non-con for Tech with the exception of Louisville and Dallas Baptist.

I have to correct myself. I overlooked South Alabama and Kentucky on Tech's non-con.

The Red Raiders are ranked #3 by D1 and are 9-0 after beating a pretty good UTRGV team yesterday. Nine of their next ten games are against ranked opponents starting with four at home against South Alabama and finishing with three against Kentucky and a pair against Louisville on the road. This will be a serious test for Tadlock's Tech team.

TCU is ranked at #6 by D1 but has slipped a little to start the season with losses against Grand Canyon and to the Dirtbags of Long Beach State. The Frogs have a series against the always competitive Anteaters of UC Irvine and a single game against UTRGV before heading out west to Dodger Stadium to play a tournament against USC, Vanderbilt, and UCLA.

The Orange Cows of Austin Community College are ranked at #23 by D1 and have four against Northwestern and four against Stanford at home coming up on the schedule.

Texifornia · « **Reply #10 on:** March 05, 2018, 01:23:18 am »

The Big XII rolled into March like a lion as everybody got at least three games in this weekend.

Texas Tech remains undefeated as the Red Raiders swept four from #15 South Alabama in Lubbock to bring their overall record to 13-0.

Kansas swept three from Texas Southern at home. The Jayhawks are doing nicely with an 8-2 overall record.

TCU won a single game against U.T. Arlington before taking two of three at home against the Anteaters of U.C. Irvine. The Frogs have a 7-3 overall record.

The Orange Cows won two of three at home vs. Northwestern and sport an 8-4 record.

Kansas State swept three from LaSalle at home. Wildcats are at 7-4.

Okie Lite got beat two of three at Arizona State. The Cowboys are 6-4.

The West (by God!) Virginia Mountaineers swept three on the road against Western Kentucky. This brings them to an even 5-5 record.

The Landgrabbers of Oklahoma won two of three vs. Alabama. Okie's at 6-6.

Baylor lost to Cal and to Texas A&M before beating Louisiana Tech in a tournament in Frisco. The Bears are at 4-5.

It is still early in the season and RPI numbers aren't even out yet but Tech seems to be dealing with the loss of Gingery, Kansas is looking surprisingly strong, and U.T. and T.C.U. have some big question marks.

jbm · « **Reply #11 on:** March 05, 2018, 07:37:51 am »

Thanks for these updates. That's quite a start for Tech. The Horns bats have woken up a bit; I'm thinking the offense might be more than serviceable by the end of the year.

BudGirl · « **Reply #12 on:** March 05, 2018, 07:58:29 am »

Quote from: Texifornia on February 28, 2018, 11:26:20 am

I have to correct myself. I overlooked South Alabama and Kentucky on Tech's non-con.

You better be ready for Kentucky, they are good.

Texifornia · « **Reply #13 on:** March 05, 2018, 11:18:00 am »

Quote from: BudGirl on March 05, 2018, 07:58:29 am

You better be ready for Kentucky, they are good.

They are up to #6 on the D1 rankings. Tech begins a tough road trip with three against U.K. in Lexington this weekend followed by two at Louisville. To win three of those five games would be huge for Tech.

drew corleone · « **Reply #14 on:** March 05, 2018, 04:17:39 pm »

Texas won 3/4 from NWU, not 2/3.

Lefty · « **Reply #15 on:** March 08, 2018, 01:56:47 am »

Quote from: Texifornia on March 05, 2018, 01:23:18 am

The Orange Cows

Hell, I hadn't even thought to call you a tortilla tossing sand aggie, yet.

Texifornia · « **Reply #16 on:** March 08, 2018, 02:31:51 am »

Quote from: Lefty on March 08, 2018, 01:56:47 am

Hell, I hadn't even thought to call you a tortilla tossing sand aggie, yet.

Tortilla tossin' came after my days on the South Plains and as far as the sand...well, there's a reason the Law's got artificial turf.

Of course this year we got the Cows in Lubbock, but not until May when the level of entrained solids in the air may be low enough to allow for visibility perhaps all the way to the outfield wall from home plate. I would expect the wind to be <40 mph until mid-afternoon; so, perfect baseball weather.

Wreck 'em!

Texifornia · « **Reply #17 on:** March 12, 2018, 01:48:37 pm »

This is the last weekend before conference play begins next Friday.

Texas Tech (15-2) beat New Mexico in a single game before travelling to Lexington to play a three game set with Kentucky. Tech's pitching and defense were exposed by the Wildcats. The loss of Gingery was keenly felt in the first game as Tech walked or plunked the entire Kentucky lineup...twice. In the second game the Wildcats successfully executed three consecutive squeeze plays without Tech recording an out. Tadlock's got some clean-up to do with his young infield. Tech seemed their old self in the third game and won it to avoid the sweep. Tech dropped to #6 from #3 in the D1 rankings. They are on to Louisville for a pair before beginning conference play in Waco against the Bears.

Kansas (11-4) continues to not suck at all as they swept three from St. Johns. So far, they are the big surprise in the conference.

TCU (9-4) won one and lost one in a tournament in LA. The beat USC and lost to Vanderbilt. The Frogs dropped to #11 from #8 in the D1 rankings.

Kansas State (10-5) won three out of four this week including two of three against Mercer.

Baylor (8-5) swept three from George Washington.

Oklahoma (10-7) The Sooners lost two of three at home against TAMU-Corpus Christi. Not very encouraging for the Land Grabbers.

Oklahoma State (8-6) were 2-2 for the week including losing two of three at home against Eastern Michigan. I wonder if Okie Lite is doing their "rope-a-dope" thing again where they suck in the beginning of the season and then are unbeatable at the end.

Texas University (9-7) struggled against a very good Stanford team at home and lost three of four. Las Vacas Naranjas have fallen out of the D1 rankings from #23.

WBGV (7-6) won two of three at Middle Tennessee to get over .500 for the year.

BudGirl · « **Reply #18 on:** March 12, 2018, 02:54:29 pm »

Quote from: Texifornia on March 12, 2018, 01:48:37 pm

This is the last weekend before conference play begins next Friday.

Texas Tech (15-2) beat New Mexico in a single game before travelling to Lexington to play a three game set with Kentucky. Tech's pitching and defense were exposed by the Wildcats. The loss of Gingery was keenly felt in the first game as Tech walked or plunked the entire Kentucky lineup...twice. In the second game the Wildcats successfully executed three consecutive squeeze plays without Tech recording an out. Tadlock's got some clean-up to do with his young infield. Tech seemed their old self in the third game and won it to avoid the sweep. Tech dropped to #6 from #3 in the D1 rankings.

I warned you Kentucky was good.

Lefty · « **Reply #19 on:** March 13, 2018, 04:38:51 am »

Quote from: BudGirl on March 12, 2018, 02:54:29 pm

I warned you Kentucky was good.

Stanford is also very, very good.

I can't remember his name, starts with a P, but their tall lefty that throws 94 or so, that kid will be a player,

Texifornia · « **Reply #20 on:** March 14, 2018, 12:39:01 am »

Quote from: Lefty on March 13, 2018, 04:38:51 am

Stanford is also very, very good.

Stanford and Kentucky are the two best non-conference teams that any Big XII team will play all year.

drew corleone · « **Reply #21 on:** March 18, 2018, 09:38:08 pm »

Arkansas is right behind those two at #5 in current D1baseball.com rankings, FWIW.

Lefty · « **Reply #22 on:** March 20, 2018, 12:17:12 am »

At least there's Kansas

jbm · « **Reply #23 on:** March 21, 2018, 04:55:57 pm »

Not missing this opportunity, because it is unlikely to last. Presently, leading the B12 is:

Texas 3-0

I generally watch about half of each Texas game when they're televised. I'm still holding out hope that they will be pretty competitive by tourney time, but not surprisingly, it's all about starting pitching. It definitely needs improvement, but it's not without hope. The top three have all flashed dominance, but only Henley has been relatively consistent.

I think the Cowboys come into town next.

jbm · « **Reply #24 on:** May 22, 2018, 02:28:32 pm »

This thread needed a bump, just to announce that Texas has claimed the B12 title. It's been too long since the last one. Congrats to Coach Pierce and the team. Looking forward to the post season.

Texifornia · « **Reply #25 on:** May 24, 2018, 09:07:20 pm »

Quote from: jbm on May 22, 2018, 02:28:32 pm

This thread needed a bump, just to announce that Texas has claimed the B12 title. It's been too long since the last one. Congrats to Coach Pierce and the team. Looking forward to the post season.

Texas looked lost to start the season but came on strong in conference play and earned the title.

Oklahoma state also looked lost to start the season but they always find a way to compete. They looked like the conference champ until Texas Tech swept them at home in the final series of the season and so ended in second place.

Pre-season favorite Texas Tech could not overcome losing Gingrich and Lanning, their numbers one and two starters for what amounted to the whole season. Poor catcher play and a dicey bullpen all added up to a third place conference finish.

Right now, the conference tournament is, as is tradition, a clusterfuck. So far, the lower seeded team has won every game. The #1 seed and #2 seed are the first two eliminated.

Texifornia · « **Reply #26 on:** June 11, 2018, 07:02:32 pm »

It College World Series time and the Big XII will be well represented and two of the eight CWS teams are from the Big XII: Texas Tech and U.T. Only these teams made it to the Super Regionals so its nice to see the conference go 2-0 in the Supers.

The Pac 12 also placed two team and the ACC one. The three SEC teams were guaranteed when the Super Regional brackets put all six SEC teams against each other.

It looks like Texas Tech and U.T. will be in the same bracket which means no all Big XII final.

jbm · « **Reply #27 on:** June 11, 2018, 09:28:43 pm »

Congrats to both teams and fuck those piggies. Hoping for some magic and few bats to help out Clemens. It’s a long shot but still a shot.

Texifornia · « **Reply #28 on:** June 20, 2018, 11:48:07 am »

Quote from: jbm on June 11, 2018, 09:28:43 pm

Congrats to both teams and fuck those piggies. Hoping for some magic and few bats to help out Clemens. It’s a long shot but still a shot.

It was not to be this year, but it was a remarkable late season run. One of the interesting things about the college game is the player development throughout a season. A team at the end of the season can often be significantly better than the one that began the season. This was certainly the case with UT.

Texas Tech got past Florida in their first game and await better weather to start the game against Arkansas.

Wreck 'em!

jbm · « **Reply #29 on:** June 20, 2018, 02:31:51 pm »

It was a disappointing finish to an enjoyable year. I actually thought the bats were OK yesterday, but that starter was as good as I've seen in the postseason so far, at least after he settled in. Hopefully, it's the start of highly competitive teams under Pierce.

Personally, I hope the Red Raiders pull it off.

austro · « **Reply #30 on:** June 20, 2018, 07:00:32 pm »

Aside from one sketchy inning, Kowar's command was outstanding. And his changeup was the perfect complement to an outstanding fastball. He was just too good yesterday.

Lefty · « **Reply #31 on:** June 20, 2018, 11:23:12 pm »

Quote from: austro on June 20, 2018, 07:00:32 pm

Aside from one sketchy inning, Kowar's command was outstanding. And his changeup was the perfect complement to an outstanding fastball. He was just too good yesterday.

I hadn't seen him pitch before, but I was really impressed. Not sure there were 32 better players in the draft than that kid.