Post Texas Thoughts

[bcolston15]

1. Something that stood out to me this weekend, and has for the better part of conference play actually: Buechele has been pretty ordinary. 321 average and a .382 OBP. Only two bombs. ('10 stats .383 BA .429 OBP) Ogle has hit much better than him in Big 12 play.

2. It sucks Bobby Shore is having arm issues because he was finally starting to pitch well. It's never good news when a guy starts having pain in his forearm... I wouldn't expect much from him the rest of the way.

3. If Evan Mistich's ball in the 9th Saturday is ten feet to the left or right of the right fielder we're probably carrying a series victory home with us... Think about it...

4. We have a chance to finish really, really strong. The schedule is very favorable. KU x 3, @BU x 3 UNM x 4 and @UALR. I'm thinking 9-2 down the stretch.

[Ardmore_Sooner]

1. Something that stood out to me this weekend, and has for the better part of conference play actually: Buechele has been pretty ordinary. 321 average and a .382 OBP. Only two bombs. ('10 stats .383 BA .429 OBP) Ogle has hit much better than him in Big 12 play.

2. It sucks Bobby Shore is having arm issues because he was finally starting to pitch well. It's never good news when a guy starts having pain in his forearm... I wouldn't expect much from him the rest of the way.

3. If Evan Mistich's ball in the 9th Saturday is ten feet to the left or right of the right fielder we're probably carrying a series victory home with us... Think about it...

4. We have a chance to finish really, really strong. The schedule is very favorable. KU x 3, @BU x 3 UNM x 4 and @UALR. I'm thinking 9-2 down the stretch.

So true, so many bounces and calls go differently and that game could've been totally different.

In the 2nd, when we were up 1-0 and had runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs we called on a strike 3 on a 3-2 count. The ball (from my angle inside the stadium) was at his chest, nowhere close to the zone. We steal second and third on that play and the next AB Bushyhead has a triple. We go up 4-0 instead of 3-0. Just the little things like that that I thought about after the game. :D

[IndySooner]

So true, so many bounces and calls go differently and that game could've been totally different.

In the 2nd, when we were up 1-0 and had runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs we called on a strike 3 on a 3-2 count. The ball (from my angle inside the stadium) was at his chest, nowhere close to the zone. We steal second and third on that play and the next AB Bushyhead has a triple. We go up 4-0 instead of 3-0. Just the little things like that that I thought about after the game. :D

Looked like a ball on TV, too.

[bufsa]

The ump was pretty even for both teams. Can't fault him on that one call. What I like is that fact that we didn't make the dumb mistakes. The players played within themselfs. Meaning they didn't try to make plays they were not capable of making. Instead of trying to throw the guy out at home or pick the the guy off of second when there was no chance to do so they made the correct play. They looked like they knew they could beat them and that one wasn't going to hurt them and did not get rattled. I still stand by what I said that we have better over all pitching and are the better hitting team. I think we should have taken two with a shot at the third. I think the "glow" is off Texas and we will win if we meet in the big 12. I would prefere that we didn't have to face Jungman though.

[jadubya]

The ump was pretty even for both teams. Can't fault him on that one call. What I like is that fact that we didn't make the dumb mistakes. The players played within themselfs. Meaning they didn't try to make plays they were not capable of making. Instead of trying to throw the guy out at home or pick the the guy off of second when there was no chance to do so they made the correct play. They looked like they knew they could beat them and that one wasn't going to hurt them and did not get rattled. I still stand by what I said that we have better over all pitching and are the better hitting team. I think we should have taken two with a shot at the third. I think the "glow" is off Texas and we will win if we meet in the big 12. I would prefere that we didn't have to face Jungman though.

With all due respect....I just don't see how you can make that statement based on what happened in this series and the season as a whole.

A better hitting team gets the crucial hit when need be.....Texas has done that consistently throughout this year. We absolutely...have not. Keep all the stats....bottom line is that if you only get the hits you need to get W's...then you are a pretty crappin' good hitting squad.

As far as pitching....I think the box score will tell the tale on that. All the coulda/shoulda/woulda regarding calls and near hits don't matter....Jungmann and Green are better than any pitcher we have on staff outside of Rocha....who I would consider their "equal" this year in terms of performance.
Mayfield has a broken throwing thumb. Shore has arm problems. Overton/Smith/John have done a good job....to a serviceable job at times.

Sorry I missed this series live...but I was up in OKC doing a little rainy group run with a couple thousand of my friends on Sunday. :)

[C&CDean]

My thoughts? I think our pitching is coming around and if we could just get the guys to swing the bats a little better we can go a long ways the rest of this year. I'm happy to break their streak over us down there.

[bufsa]

Maybe I should have put it a more talented team. Some of the same guys argued with me last year when I said we were better than Texas We went to the world series they didn't. I sat right behind the Texas guy with the radar gun the whole game. Green is nothing to be afraid of. High 80's average slider. The scouting reports says good location but he was high most of the game. We lost that game because of bonehead mistakes. That goes back on the coaching and the players experiance not on talent. There are a couple of players that I think are not up to the level of the rest of the starters but it's college and the other teams have this as well. I think Saturday there was a couple of times we were ready to jump on them and SG killed the rally with bunts. When your team is ready to bust out of a slump you have got to give them the chance to do so. This team can score in bunches if given the chance. We are one of the top 15 teams in the nation and there are people here that write like our team should be honored to carry Texas's dirty laundery for them.

[SOONER STEAKER]

Gentleman, after a 16-0 start, reality has set in, since then we are 15-13. I don't watch this team every game like you do. I would like for you to tell me what has changed since the first 16 games. Is it talent level that we are playing, is it player non performance or is it the style of coaching.

[IndySooner]

Gentleman, after a 16-0 start, reality has set in, since then we are 15-13. I don't watch this team every game like you do. I would like for you to tell me what has changed since the first 16 games. Is it talent level that we are playing, is it player non performance or is it the style of coaching.

I think it's a combination of all three things. We've had major trouble adjusting our style (both individually and as a team overall) to the new bats. The 16-0 start disguised it (though Sunny certainly hinted strongly at it) enough that everyone was fooled by our weak schedule, including the players, I think. Then we hit the Arizona State series and reality set in.

We've shown signs of breaking out of it. I think Sunny needs to let the guys loose a bit. The team's not built for small ball, no matter what kind of bats we're using, and that has shown. As for the players, there are a few that just haven't adjusted at all, and a couple that seem to have gotten big heads after last year and never recovered.

[bcolston15]

I really don't think we've played a lot of small ball this year. Now, every time we go to Austin we try to--which I think causes us to play tight--but we still have about half the number of sacrifices UT does.

Let's face it, guys that produced at really high levels last season simply are not this year. Ellison, White, Reine, Buechele, Seitzer, Bushyhead and anyone who has played second base has reduced production from last season.

Actually, it's kind of amazing we're 31-13.

[IndySooner]

I really don't think we've played a lot of small ball this year. Now, every time we go to Austin we try to--which I think causes us to play tight--but we still have about half the number of sacrifices UT does.

Let's face it, guys that produced at really high levels last season simply are not this year. Ellison, White, Reine, Buechele, Seitzer, Bushyhead and anyone who has played second base has reduced production from last season.

Actually, it's kind of amazing we're 31-13.

I can count AT LEAST 10 times where we failed to get a sac bunt down. We have half the sacrifices they do because we are HORRIBLE at putting a sac bunt down.

Hell, we failed at least three times this weekend.

[bcolston15]

I can count AT LEAST 10 times where we failed to get a sac bunt down. We have half the sacrifices they do because we are HORRIBLE at putting a sac bunt down.

Hell, we failed at least three times this weekend.

And I'd venture to say Texas has missed a few oppurtunities, too. It's not an easy thing to do. Moreover, I'd bet of the 10 you're mentioning, more than half came in no-brainer sac bunt situations.

We really don't go out of our way to sacrifice bunt. Certainly not like UT does.

Just to add, Buechele and Ogle have a combined 0 sac bunts in Big 12 play. Bushyhead has one, and Ellis leads the team with four.

[IndySooner]

And I'd venture to say Texas has missed a few oppurtunities, too. It's not an easy thing to do. Moreover, I'd bet of the 10 you're mentioning, more than half came in no-brainer sac bunt situations.

We really don't go out of our way to sacrifice bunt. Certainly not like UT does.

Last year we sac bunted 1 in every 34 at bats. This year, it's 1 in every 25 at bats. That's a big increase.

As for the "no-brainer" situations, I remember quite a few times that Cam Seitzer was asked to bunt early in the game. That's not a no-brainer. Last year, they went away (with the exception of the Texas series, for whatever reason) from small ball in the early innings. They've brought it back this year. I don't like it. Never have. The people who sit around me can certainly attest to that!

[IndySooner]

And I'd venture to say Texas has missed a few oppurtunities, too. It's not an easy thing to do. Moreover, I'd bet of the 10 you're mentioning, more than half came in no-brainer sac bunt situations.


Also, as for Texas, they don't miss many opportunities. That's why they win so much. They execute. They play solid defense. They pitch. That's how they win baseball games.

We're built to score in bunches. Sac bunts in early inning situations kill opportunities to score in bunches.

[bcolston15]

Last year we sac bunted 1 in every 34 at bats. This year, it's 1 in every 25 at bats. That's a big increase.

As for the "no-brainer" situations, I remember quite a few times that Cam Seitzer was asked to bunt early in the game. That's not a no-brainer. Last year, they went away (with the exception of the Texas series, for whatever reason) from small ball in the early innings. They've brought it back this year. I don't like it. Never have. The people who sit around me can certainly attest to that!

Well there's an easy answer for that: If you sit around waiting for the three-run-homer this year, with these bats, you're likely to wait for a long time.

I'd say execution, not strategy, is the issue.

It's become exceedingly clear to me our entire team has been effected (negatively) by these bats, Ogle is the only exception. Last year we'd botch a sac bunt oppurtunity only to hit a home run; this year instead of a homer we get a medium depth fly ball to center.

[IndySooner]

Well there's an easy answer for that: If you sit around waiting for the three-run-homer this year, with these bats, you're likely to wait for a long time.

I'd say execution, not strategy, is the issue.

It's become exceedingly clear to me our entire team has been effected (negatively) by these bats, Ogle is the only exception. Last year we'd botch a sac bunt oppurtunity only to hit a home run; this year instead of a homer we get a medium depth fly ball to center.

I don't disagree with that assessment, but at some point you have to play the hand you're given. Trying to turn this team into a "move them over, get them in" team isn't working. Last year, they didn't rely on the home run, they hit gaps. The bats shouldn't prevent hitting gaps.

I also agree that the entire team, including the coaches, have been negatively effected by the bats. We might have been the most effected team in the country, and the weak early non-conference schedule disguised that for WAY too long.

[bufsa]

Part of our problem I think is that we have had more injuries than people know about. The bats last year did get these guys thinking they were homerun hitters and with the new bats they have warning track power. I did say last year I thought we depended on the long ball too much. Part of the problem with us getting down bunts is not the players. They knew we were going to bunt so they threw high outside edge of the plate fast balls every time. Very hard to get a bunt down on the ground. Their pitchers were good enough to hit the spot, upper outside of the strike zone. Plus they would bring their 3rd basman in and the picther could charge off of the mound with oyut worring about a line drive back at him. If you know what the other guy is going to do you can counter it.