Gator Baseball CWS Semis: Gators bow out

[Scott512]

Not winning is one thing but they were messy and mediocre the past few weeks. And Singer sunk in Omaha.

 

[Scott512]

That's been the #1 complaint against Sully since he got here. He can field one hell of a roster, it's the in-game managing aspect that has been questioned for a while now.

Its a fair complaint.

 

[Jack o' Diamonds]

Dont know what was going on in singer's mind but what we saw wasn't fatigue or some undisclosed injury limiting him. Dude psyched himself out, maybe put too much pressure on himself this time around. Maybe they all did. Or maybe once we clinched the conf they just put it on cruise control and fell asleep at the wheel, then promptly got crushed by ms st and couldn't mentally dial it back in. Who knows? They were a great team for the vast majority of the year but they absolutely imploded when it mattered. Either way it was another great season and something most any team would salivate for. Go Gators.

I think he was spending his signing bonus...

 

[cover2]

Been thinking about the loss to Arky and Singer's sad swan song. No doubt, there had to be some focus issues, maybe along with a little fatigue. He wasn't as sharp as we've seen and come to expect, but I'd loved to have seen how the game might have progressed had we been cleaner in the field and actually provided some early offense. I can't help but believe that if these areas were up to par we'd have had a chance for a different outcome.

Things changed for the team for whatever reason(s) with a third to a quarter remaining. It's easy to think that with the draft nearing that some of the guys projected to go high might be distracted. @FireFoley makes a good point about Dalton and the precision of the opposition's scouting catching up with him and maybe that had an effect on other players. Maybe the pressure of being #1 finally caught up to us? Maybe Campbell just had his moment at the worst time for our Gators? It's a shame we weren't as sharp as we needed to be to repeat and having a bull's eye on your back only spotlights any problems that arise.

Nobody wants to hear it and don't mistake it for satisfaction, but we got to the CWS after some regional struggles and battled back to win two after going immediately in the hole. Even though it didn't work out and was disappointing, I couldn't help but feel that we had the potential to get back into it after the opening loss whereas before I would have pretty much known we were done. A championship helps build that confidence. Hopefully this will be a part of the evolutionary process where the team and O'Sullivan is concerned. Keep the pitching strong and deep and continue to grow offensively. Add in greater attention to defensive focus and base running and who knows what we can accomplish in the seasons ahead :)

 

[MidwestChomp]

Is Jboss actually Scott Carter? Or did Carter just plagiarize the title from jboss?

https://floridagators.com/news/2018...tors-fail-to-repeat-but-future-is-bright.aspx

 

[Jbossgator8]

Lol, I was wondering if anyone would see that article about UF being a special place. Go Gators!!

 

[rogdochar]

Is Jboss actually Scott Carter? Or did Carter just plagiarize the title from jboss?

https://floridagators.com/news/2018...tors-fail-to-repeat-but-future-is-bright.aspx

jboss is the bubonic plagiarizer. Oh how he spreads.

 

[rogdochar]

Of course you never know, but might have won if :
1) JJ never injured & kept on his tear. He sure could gun down runners. He would have caused elevation of others.
2) Don't know if Singer ever got fully free of hamstring twinge ?
3) Need better routine of readying our relievers = suppose to pitch us out of jams, but they pitched us into jams.

 

[Ocalaman]

Of course you never know, but might have won if :
1) JJ never injured & kept on his tear. He sure could gun down runners. He would have caused elevation of others.
2) Don't know if Singer ever got fully free of hamstring twinge ?
3) Need better routine of readying our relievers = suppose to pitch us out of jams, but they pitched us into jams.

The JJ & Singer injuries came at the wrong time and I don't think either was in peak form in the CWS. And middle relief was a problem all year, as O'Sullivan never found anybody he could consistently trust. Other than Byrne, Jordan Butler was the best relief pitcher we had. The rest of the guys were just not dependable. Next year, while we won't have 2 known studs (Singer & Kowar) the quality pitching depth should be much better.

 

[g8tr72]

I expect to see more of Milchin, Dyson, and K.McMullen next season and the several other pitchers that never saw the mound this year.

Going to be interesting to watch at the beginning of the season.

And, will Byrne become a starter?

 

[Ocalaman]

I expect to see more of Milchin, Dyson, and K.McMullen next season and the several other pitchers that never saw the mound this year.

Going to be interesting to watch at the beginning of the season.

And, will Byrne become a starter?

If Byrne comes back it will be for the sole purpose of gaining experience as a starter at the D1 level. Because of his command of 4 pitches and his ability to pound the zone, MLB projects him as a starter. Look for Hunter Ruth to be in the pitching mix next year. He was a freshman this year and didn't pitch at all because he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, I think. He got hurt early during his senior season at Buchholz, but was rated better than Mace & Churchill and just behind Leftwich as a recruit. And I agree about Milchin. He was a solid contributor on the mound and at the plate his freshman year and should be ready to do his share next year. Dyson's ability is raw, but obvious. He just needs to overcome the confidence issues that messed him up this year. I'm not sure about either of the McMullen brothers. Would like to see them be major players, being from Ocala and all, but I just have doubts about both.

 

[FireFoley]

Not that it matters but for any of you all who saw Game 2 of OSU-ARK or the highlights, that was a perfect example of simple plays and basic fundamentals and why I harp on it regardless of the sport. ARK should still be swimming in champagne today but b/c they could not record the 27th out on a routine pop in foul territory, there is going to be a Game 3. And even if ARK somehow still wins, it will not render the missed opportunity moot. It always matters. Process over end results will win out over time!

 

[rogdochar]

Gonna really miss JJ next year. He was a throwback.

 

[g8tr72]

Not that it matters but for any of you all who saw Game 2 of OSU-ARK or the highlights, that was a perfect example of simple plays and basic fundamentals and why I harp on it regardless of the sport. ARK should still be swimming in champagne today but b/c they could not record the 27th out on a routine pop in foul territory, there is going to be a Game 3. And even if ARK somehow still wins, it will not render the missed opportunity moot. It always matters. Process over end results will win out over time!

Agreed.

We made them last year but failed many times this year.

 

[GatorBart]

Not that it matters but for any of you all who saw Game 2 of OSU-ARK or the highlights, that was a perfect example of simple plays and basic fundamentals and why I harp on it regardless of the sport. ARK should still be swimming in champagne today but b/c they could not record the 27th out on a routine pop in foul territory, there is going to be a Game 3. And even if ARK somehow still wins, it will not render the missed opportunity moot. It always matters. Process over end results will win out over time!

That foul ball was not a routine pop up in foul territory. Three guys had a shot at it, converging at one time; and the 2nd baseman overran it, causing the 1st baseman and RFer to misjudge it. That said...............Go Beavers!

 

[Jbossgator8]

That was a routine can of corn easy pop fly in foul territory with PLENTY of room to catch it. EASY catch that no one took charge to call it off with the NC on the line. Gotta catch that if you want to win the whole thing...

 

[GatorBart]

That was a routine can of corn easy pop fly in foul territory with PLENTY of room to catch it. EASY catch that no one took charge to call it off with the NC on the line. Gotta catch that if you want to win the whole thing...

I bet all three of them called it as they all had a chance at it running full tilt to get there. In that case, and with a NC on the line, it was anything but routine. You guys act like you would have caught it.

 

[GatorBart]

That was a routine can of corn easy pop fly in foul territory with PLENTY of room to catch it. EASY catch that no one took charge to call it off with the NC on the line. Gotta catch that if you want to win the whole thing...

Okay, after thinking about it, it would have been caught if it was just one of those guys chasing it down. Routine. But add in all three, one who misjudged it, and bad stuff can happen.
I’m actually cheering for the Beavers for two reasons:
1. I know it’s good to support the SEC, but I don’t give two schists for Arky, and the SEC proved its mettle by putting three in the semifinals.
2. My old roommate at UF is a Geology professor at OSU. Dr. Joe Stoner. I kid you not.

 

[Windy City Gator]

I was pulling for Arky...was a TV sportscaster in the state after college...BUT glad they didn't win so we can be the only SEC school with a Football, Basketball and Baseball Natty...Arky would have joined that company had they won.

 

[BMF]

Saw this on another board regarding our recruit class:

We lost a load of players to the draft, and top players at that.

1] Vandy - 19 commits - 7 Top 100 - 9.37 average
2] LSU - 16 commits - 6 Top 100 - 9.19 average
3] Tennessee - 23 commits - 2 Top 100 - 5.13 average
4] Miss. State - 13 commits - 4 Top 100 - 8.62 average
5] FIU - 23 commits - 2 Top 100 - 4.87 average
6] Clemson - 15 commits - 3 Top 100 - 7.13 average
7] Texas A&M - 16 commits - 4 Top 100 - 6.56 average
8] Louisville - 15 commits - 2 Top 100 - 6.87 average
9] Arkansas - 23 commits - 0 Top 100 - 4.43 average
10] Texas - 18 commits - 1 Top 100 - 5.61 average
11] Florida - 10 commits - 3 Top 100 - 10.00 average

I believe we got 2-3 Jucos as well. It would make sense given we lost a good deal of guys (high school and college) to the draft. We still ended with the best average among the classes, but the number of recruits we're bringing in for the class hurt us.

This is the class (for now), Denaburg likely signs w/ Washington:

Cory Acton - 1st team All-USA - 3B (probably 3B or 2B) - throws right, but bats left - 10
Kendrick Calilao - OF - righty - 10
Kristopher Armstrong - switch-pitcher but is expected to field rather than pitch for us - predominant righty - 10
Mason Denaburg - 1st round pick by the Nationals - RHP - 10
David Luethje - RHP - 10
Robert Pena - 3B - righty - 10
Nick Pogue - RHP - 10
Christian Scott - RHP - 10
Benjamin Specht - RHP - 9.5
Jacob Young - OF - righty - 9