Season opening series @ Pepperdine Februrary 17-19

[bcolston15]

Tough trip for the guys. LOL.

[perryj]

It may still be in the 100s here come February lol.

Seriously though a trip to Malibu anytime, much less in February, will no doubt be welcomed.

[TumbleweedDoom]

Good solid opening road series. I was absolutely disappointed with the early-season non-conference schedule last year and still think it may have had something to do with the end results of the year. Hopefully this year's will be more up to par with what we usually play and this Pepperdine series shows it might.

With that in mind, I'd like to stowaway in one of their suitcases for the trip! :)

[TheresOnlyOne]

I like it!! Gotta have a bounce-back year. Bring in more position players from JC. A lot of those guys can really play at the college level.

[rysooner]

[QUOTE=TumbleweedDoom;3329580]....and still think it may have had something to do with the end results of the year.

Yep, I've wondered the very same thing.

[TumbleweedDoom]

Yeah, I just think that maybe the boys got too comfortable, or too high on themselves or too SOMETHING during that early-season run of success. And that only makes it harder to adjust mentally when things DON'T start going their way. I may be overthinking it, but I'm personally convinced of that.

[TheresOnlyOne]

Guys where did you see a schedule??

[oldtimer]

Over the past several seasons, the pre-conference games have provided little prediction as to how the Sooners would perform in the post season. Last year was no significant exception. SG typically schedules 2-3 teams in the pre-conference schedule that should offer competition. The other teams provide reps to flush out the key performers. How we start is not a strong indicator. How we hit and pitch in the clutch as a well coached team at the end of Big 12 play is more of an indicator of success in the post season. 2010 proved to be a comeback and win type of team. Review the data below.
No doubt about it, a trip to Malibu in February is a sweet deal.

Yr. Pre-conf. Record Expected tougher teams Big-12 Post Season

2011 19 games 16-3 San Diego State, AZ State 14-11 1-4
2010 19 games 17-2 SD State, UCLA, Jckville 15-10 6-3
2009 22 games 18-4 SD State, UCLA 17-10 2-2
2008 22 games 17-5 UCLA, Rice, WA State 9-17-1 2-2

[TumbleweedDoom]

Over the past several seasons, the pre-conference games have provided little prediction as to how the Sooners would perform in the post season. Last year was no significant exception. SG typically schedules 2-3 teams in the pre-conference schedule that should offer competition. The other teams provide reps to flush out the key performers. How we start is not a strong indicator. How we hit and pitch in the clutch as a well coached team at the end of Big 12 play is more of an indicator of success in the post season. 2010 proved to be a comeback and win type of team. Review the data below.
No doubt about it, a trip to Malibu in February is a sweet deal.

Yr. Pre-conf. Record Expected tougher teams Big-12 Post Season

2011 19 games 16-3 San Diego State, AZ State 14-11 1-4
2010 19 games 17-2 SD State, UCLA, Jckville 15-10 6-3
2009 22 games 18-4 SD State, UCLA 17-10 2-2
2008 22 games 17-5 UCLA, Rice, WA State 9-17-1 2-2

Good data and you can't disagree with the tangible facts there. I think last season, though, was more about the INTANGIBLE parts of the success in the preseason. In other words, we really were just one win away or so from actually being ranked No.1 in some polls (geez, that's hard to believe now!). So, with the 16-0 start, COUPLED with coming off the CWS with nearly all our team intact and the fact we were thought of so highly around the country, it made this past year's pre-conference a little different.

Of course, trying to get a grasp on the intangibles of any certain team is a tricky deal and usually is never truly settled. So it pretty much is and likely will remain pure opinion and conjecture on my part that last season's preconference success may have created some type of false sense of security or something. But I really think there might be something there.

BTW: I don't think they have a full schedule out or anything -- they don't usually finalize those things until nearly the end of the fall semester, or even early in the spring semester. But they have started securing series here and there, which is probably how Colston found out about the Pepperdine season opener.

[IndySooner]

BTW: I don't think they have a full schedule out or anything -- they don't usually finalize those things until nearly the end of the fall semester, or even early in the spring semester. But they have started securing series here and there, which is probably how Colston found out about the Pepperdine season opener.

Pepperdine released their schedule today. I almost posted it, too.

[TumbleweedDoom]

The fact you guys were literally scouring for Pepperdine's schedule makes me worry about you. ;)

[IndySooner]

The fact you guys were literally scouring for Pepperdine's schedule makes me worry about you. ;)

It's called Twitter jackarse!

[TumbleweedDoom]

It's called Twitter jackarse!
:victorious:

[hvhurricane]

Good data and you can't disagree with the tangible facts there. I think last season, though, was more about the INTANGIBLE parts of the success in the preseason. In other words, we really were just one win away or so from actually being ranked No.1 in some polls (geez, that's hard to believe now!). So, with the 16-0 start, COUPLED with coming off the CWS with nearly all our team intact and the fact we were thought of so highly around the country, it made this past year's pre-conference a little different.

Of course, trying to get a grasp on the intangibles of any certain team is a tricky deal and usually is never truly settled. So it pretty much is and likely will remain pure opinion and conjecture on my part that last season's preconference success may have created some type of false sense of security or something. But I really think there might be something there.

BTW: I don't think they have a full schedule out or anything -- they don't usually finalize those things until nearly the end of the fall semester, or even early in the spring semester. But they have started securing series here and there, which is probably how Colston found out about the Pepperdine season opener.

I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that the 16-0 start is really when things started to unravel. SG knew we weren't playing up to our potential in a lot of those wins and I am sure he was hard on the team. He was only trying to prepare them for the future, but I am sure the kids took the message the wrong way. In their minds, they are thinking, "how in the world can coach be upset when we are 16-0." That attitude went a long way to destroy the communication between the coaches and players as the season moved forward.

[rysooner]

[QUOTE=hvhurricane;3334692]I don't think it takes a genius to figure out that the 16-0 start is really when things started to unravel. SG knew we weren't playing up to our potential in a lot of those wins and I am sure he was hard on the team. He was only trying to prepare them for the future, but I am sure the kids took the message the wrong way. In their minds, they are thinking, "how in the world can coach be upset when we are 16-0." That attitude went a long way to destroy the communication between the coaches and players as the season moved forward.[/QUOTE

Agree totally.

[Lott's Bandana]

Wait! Pepperdine isn't in the PAC!

[TweenerTues]

I was absolutely disappointed with the early-season non-conference schedule last year and still think it may have had something to do with the end results of the year. Hopefully this year's will be more up to par with what we usually play and this Pepperdine series shows it might.


I think our early season schedule and make-up games(Bacone and St. Garbage) were products of a incentive in SG's contract. If he wins 40 games, he gets more money in his pocket. Puts stuff in perspective when you see scheduling and the re-scheduling of games that were cancelled. Just like most everything in this world it's about the money.

[oldtimer]

I’m at a loss how a 16-0 start for any team would signal the start of things starting to unravel?? I think Hv's point about the record giving the ’11 team a false sense of security has some merit. Let’s not forget right after this, the team went 0 and 3. Then we started conference play against A&M and Missouri only to end up 2-6 over the 8 games following 16-0.

I don’t think the players weren’t listening at this point. Whatever glitter the season had at 16-0 was pretty tarnished by then. We can recall what transpired. Tougher competition showed Smith wasn’t sharp yet, Shore’s arm went south, our inexperience in the bullpen became exposed, and 50% of the team was struggling at the plate. That’s when SG started shuffling the deck with the line-up. Some 26 games into the ’11 season and 50% of the starters didn’t know if they would play or where they’d hit in the line-up. Outfield, 2nd base, lead-off hitter were different every game. Somehow our catcher was even put in the lead-off spot for 5 games… give SG some credit - that wild guess was one that worked.

That’s why I mentioned previously it isn’t the first 20 games that determine how the OU team will perform. There are reasons why that is (Tweener may have touched on some). Yes, initial team expectations were great, however when starters don’t perform they get replaced - that wasn’t news. The festering dissention came when the coaches didn’t nip the “I’m not starting again” complaints in the bud Sooner than later. Why it took so long is something I never understood.