LA Tech Set to Host Final Home Series with WKU

[dawg80]

You post a "Captain Obvious" meme yet it was you who posted "this team SEEMS to be Jekyll or Hyde..."

If you already knew the reason, why post a "seems to be" comment?

[Amos Moses]

You post a "Captain Obvious" meme yet it was you who posted "this team SEEMS to be Jekyll or Hyde..."

If you already knew the reason, why post a "seems to be" comment?

To get your snide reply?

[FriscoDawg]

Need for USM and UTSA to split the next two and for Tech to win the next two. That would give us a second place tie with UTSA, just one game behind USM. That RPI thing is bullcrap!

Even worse we need Charlotte and FAU to split the next two so Tech goes into next weekend with a 2-game lead on both with a sweep of WKU. That would keep Tech ahead of Charlotte if it wins at least one next weekend.

Would be nice for Rice to get one from Middle Tennessee to be at least two up on the Blue Raiders too.

But it all comes back to Tech handling its own business today and tomorrow.

[Bone_afide_Dawg]

Amos--respectfully disagree on RPI--probably the truest indicator of who and what we are--losing 2/3 at home to FAU hurt badly...all they can do is play the game in front of them now, win it, move on...next weekend will be a TALL order against a decent Charlotte team, but would be fortunate to get 2/3....at this point everybody and their mama KNOWS we've got to "show out" in the tournament or we're done...that, also, will be a tall order...

RPIs for the most part are like cooked books. The SEC and other major conferences play massive amounts of their early season games at home to jack up their wins and thus their RPIs. For the most part only once their conference play start do they go on the road. At that point their seasonal rankings and RPIs are set. All they do then is trade wins back and forth. The whole system is more fixed than anything. Only rarely does an outsider lower tier team trespass into the higher ranks.

[FriscoDawg]

This team is Jekyll and Hyde because of mediocre coaching and due to average pitching & defense. To be a consistent winner in baseball requires strong pitching and solid defense, which routinely makes play after play after play...

Hitting/offense is important, of course, and teams that advance to Omaha have it all. Good pitching/defense will beat good hitting 80% of the time. When hitting enjoys a good day (that 20%) that team can still lose if its own pitching/defense lets it down.

Tech has far better than average defense being best in C-USA and #36 in the country (out of 293) going into the weekend with a .976 fielding percentage.

Team ERA is second behind USM in C-USA and #34 in the country at 4.18.

Tech's issue is at the plate with a .266 team batting average (#9 in C-USA and #196 nationally).

[FriscoDawg]

No surprise to see the same lineup as last night with Jennings starting.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FSvMMMZU...g&name=900x900

[FriscoDawg]

Strikeout looking for Jennings to start.
Walk on 4 pitches.
Corona guns out the runner trying to steal second.
Fly to McConnell.

Young stretches a single to center into a double.
Matulia singles to center. Tech 1-0.
Matulia moves to second on a wild pitch scored as a stolen base.
Netterville grounds to short. No advance.
McConnell walks.
Corona singles to left to load the bases.
Mound visit.
Myers flies to short right. No advance.
Lancaster singles to right. Corona to third. Tech 3-0.
McLeod strikes out looking. 1.

Tech 3-0 after 1.

[dawg80]

Tech has far better than average defense being best in C-USA and #36 in the country (out of 293) going into the weekend with a .976 fielding percentage.

Team ERA is second behind USM in C-USA and #34 in the country at 4.18.

Tech's issue is at the plate with a .266 team batting average (#9 in C-USA and #196 nationally).

We have documented the hitting woes, striking out too much, etc... But having watched enough of this team play, I think the defensive fielding % is deceiving because our guys don't get to balls like they should. For instance, an outfielder gets a late break and allows a ball to drop in for a base hit, and similarly with the infield, balls get past them, registered as a hit, but oh boy! not an error. And, I have scratched my head at the official scorer many times, showing it as a hit when it was a clear error. The pitching woes have also been well documented, very inconsistent, and a lot of that due to very poor staff management.

Yes, if this was a better hitting team, like closer to .300, then most of the pitching/defense woes would be covered up. The team would have won more games by out-scoring more opponents, and most fans would be completely satisfied. Until we ran up against teams that do everything well...

[dawg80]

Corona has been swinging the bat well for a month now. I suppose I am comparing it to earlier in the season, but he has improved into a rather consistent hitter. (probably just jinxed him...)

[FriscoDawg]

We have documented the hitting woes, striking out too much, etc... But having watched enough of this team play, I think the defensive fielding % is deceiving because our guys don't get to balls like they should. For instance, an outfielder gets a late break and allows a ball to drop in for a base hit, and similarly with the infield, balls get past them, registered as a hit, but oh boy! not an error. And, I have scratched my head at the official scorer many times, showing it as a hit when it was a clear error. The pitching woes have also been well documented, very inconsistent, and a lot of that due to very poor staff management.

Yes, if this was a better hitting team, like closer to .300, then most of the pitching/defense woes would be covered up. The team would have won more games by out-scoring more opponents, and most fans would be completely satisfied. Until we ran up against teams that do everything well...

Our biggest complaints last year were errors on routine plays and a very shaky bullpen. Tech makes routine plays this year and the bullpen has been comparatively very good.

Tech opponents are averaging 4.63 runs per game this year. Last year's team allowed 5.32 runs per game. That's significant improvement any way you cut it.

Tech averaged 1.08 errors per game last year to just 0.88 per game this year.

[FriscoDawg]

Strikeout #2 for Jennings.
Hit batsman.
Strikeout #3.
Line out to Myers on a diving catch.

Elliott grounds out to second into the shift playing on the left side.
Young fouls out to short.
Matulia grounds to second.

Tech 3-0 after 2.

[FriscoDawg]

Single to right but out 8-6 oversliding second trying to turn it into a double.
Strikeout #4 looking.
Lineout to Young.

Netterville singles to deep short.
McConnell also singles to deep short.
Corona hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Argument doesn't change anything.
Myers strikes out. 2.
Lancaster pops to the shortstop.
McLeod grounds to second with a nice play to save two runs.

Tech 3-0 after 3.

[dawg80]

Heavy sigh...

[FriscoDawg]

Pop to Matulia.
Fly to Netterville.
Strikeout #5 looking.
49 pitches for Jennings through 4.

Eliiott strikes out.
Young doubles off the wall in left.
Matulia flies to left.
Netterville doubles down the left field line. Tech 4-0.
Pitching change.
McConnell lines to second.

Tech 4-0 after 4.

[FriscoDawg]

Grounder to Young.
Fly to McConnell.
Fly to McConnell.
58 pitches through 5.

Corona doubles high off the wall in center.
Myers grounds to third.
Lancaster strikes out on ball 4. 4.
McLeod grounds to short.

Tech 4-0 after 5.