Baseball: Rest of the Way

[dawg80]

Tech has 12 CUSA games and 3 non-conference games left on the schedule. If the Dawgs play up to their potential, avoiding any WTF games, we should go 10-5, or something very close to that. That will leave us at 35-20 heading into the CUSA tourney.

DBU is 25 in the RPI and WKU has climbed to 34. Kennesaw State is 55, we took them 2-1. Jax State is 79 and NMSU 165. Tech sits at 97. We won't be getting an at-large bid this year. Unless, maybe, if we run the table 15-0 in the regular season and advance to the CUSA title game, and lose, like we did last year. Then maybe...

I was going to make a pronouncement but will hold off waiting to see how we fair in this home stand, vs. ULM and the series vs. DBU. I will say I like how LB is being flexible in shuffling his batting lineup. I like the suggestion of getting Comeaux back into the lineup and having Birch and Houston getting some DH turns against lefties especially.

[PawDawg]

We don’t have the pitching to win a tournament. This team is better than expected overall, but our pitching is not.

[dawg80]

We ran out of pitching last year and never won a tournament. Those last three games, losses to DBU and the two in the regional, were awful!! We got clobbered.

Yep, we lack pitching this year and that is the primary reason the team is "struggling." I put that in quotes because some fans think we are not struggling, the team is doing fine. And, I suppose, taking into consideration our woeful pitching, the team is indeed "doing fine." The real test looms, series vs. DBU and WKU. That is 6 games vs. the two best teams in the conference this year. I think (hope) we can do no worse than 2-4.

Regardless, I will be rooting for the Dawgs to do well. Go Dawgs!

[dawg80]

DBU climbs up to 24 in RPI, and WKU plummeted all the way down to 48. Looks like CUSA will not have two teams in unless someone other than DBU wins the auto-bid. Yeah, WKU can claw their way back into at-large contention, but they have to go on a winning streak, starting with sweeping the Dawgs. And we don't want that. Kennesaw State is 52 and Tech is down to 99. McNeese is at 42.

[Bone_afide_Dawg]

Tech’s RPI hopes were a long shot going into the end of the season and pretty much non existent now after dropping the DBU series. With that being the case I’m hoping Burroughs will play his backups more often in the remaining non conference games. Our backups need game experience and we need to try to keep some players around for next season. Losing players like Comeaux, Houston and maybe Smith to the portal wouldn’t be good. Who knows what we have on the bench because they never play. I’m pretty sure it’s not going to matter how much more playing time Safford gets so play Smith.

[dawg80]

Some CUSA fans are insisting WKU can get back into the at-large scenario, but they provide no details how. I suppose if WKU pretty much runs the table and advances to the CUSA championship game then yeah, it's possible. Will probably still need some help by other bubble teams losing down the stretch.

Liberty is 0-2 in the SHSU series and is tanking. There's a mathematical possibility LU won't qualify for the CUSA tourney; that'll kill attendance for sure. Hopefully LU can muster a couple of wins to assure they remain in the top 8.

As for the Dawgs, all we can do is play out the rest of the season and try to salvage some kind of respectable final record. 30+ wins at least.

[PawDawg]

No way WKU can get an at large even if they make it to the finals in the tournament. Gotta be in the 30s with 40 plus wins. History of G5s getting an at large proves that.

30 wins for a team coming off a regional means nothing.

[Bone_afide_Dawg]

Since Tech’s last back to back wins against Middle Tennessee in mid April they’ve gone 4-9. Weren’t we supposed to be getting progressively better as the season went along? I’m pretty sure I remember Burroughs saying something like that. That our batting was going to improve as the weather warmed up. Yeah right haha. Tech has a measly 2 batters over .300 and our star SS is at a lowly .177, his worst year yet after going .208 in 2023 to .198 in 2024. It’s a mystery why he’s still playing and why Burroughs is wasting someone else’s playing time and experience for next year and beyond after Safford leaves.

[DJDAWG]

Wonder what the record is for Most Career ABs for a career sub Mendoza Line hitter? Not just Tech but for D1 baseball.

[PawDawg]

We don’t have the pitching to win a tournament. This team is better than expected overall, but our pitching is not.

Who knows what to expect at this point? We have what I consider one clutch hitter...possibly 2. Pitching is actually a little better. Winning the tournament as a 4 or 5 seed will be a challenge to put it mildly.

Anybody listen to the radio broadcast Friday or yesterday to see if LB did a post game? I certainly don't expect it today even if we win.

[dawg80]

Even reaching 30 wins is doubtful. We do get NMSU for 3 games at home, so sweeping or at least taking 2 of 3 will at least set us up to reach 30 wins. This team has tanked.

[Bone_afide_Dawg]

Who knows what to expect at this point? We have what I consider one clutch hitter...possibly 2. Pitching is actually a little better. Winning the tournament as a 4 or 5 seed will be a challenge to put it mildly.

Anybody listen to the radio broadcast Friday or yesterday to see if LB did a post game? I certainly don't expect it today even if we win.

Burroughs didn’t speak. The post games were very brief since there wasn’t much to say.

[dawg80]

Even reaching 30 wins is doubtful. We do get NMSU for 3 games at home, so sweeping or at least taking 2 of 3 will at least set us up to reach 30 wins. This team has tanked.

Chit! didn't know the game started early, but Dawgs win 11-8 to salvage a game and avoid the sweep. Taking the series next week gets us to 30.

No, there's nothing magical about reaching 30 wins, just became a reasonable goal to shoot for considering how the season is going.

[Bone_afide_Dawg]

Even reaching 30 wins is doubtful. We do get NMSU for 3 games at home, so sweeping or at least taking 2 of 3 will at least set us up to reach 30 wins. This team has tanked.

I’d say it’s more about failed leadership through inept coaching. There’s ability in this team but it’s buried under bad decision making.

[dawg80]

Liberty currently sits in 8th place, the last spot to qualify for the CUSA tourney, which they host. LU is 9-15 and MTSU is 8-16, one game back. Both have tough series this week. LU hosts DBU while MTSU travels to Kennesaw State. If DBU sweeps LU leaving them at 9-18, then MTSU would have to win the series 2-1 to get to 10-17. LU holds the tie-breaker with MTSU. Other scenarios, if LU beats DBU once then MTSU would have to sweep KSU.

I mention this only because how this might affect attendance in Lynchburg.