[StanfordMatt]

How is pitching looking for next year?

The relievers should mostly, perhaps all return.

I gotta imagine Bruno is gone. With his natural stuff and velo, MLB teams are going to be interested. Maybe a pro coach will be able to get him to throw the ball over the plate.

Turning the page on this season, credit to this team for maxing out its potential. From the crazy early season comeback over Fullerton to Hinckelman’s 9th inning heroics at Cal to Mathews’ legacy cementing performance versus Texas, there were a lot of memorable moments.

Three years in a row we’ve made it to Omaha and failed to do much once we got there. Like we’ve seen in the other major revenue sports, I can’t help but think it’s impossible for a Stanford baseball program to compete for a national title in the current climate. The last three Stanford rosters have had as much star power as any before them but they still don’t compare with the upper half of SEC programs. I don’t see any sign of that changing in the years to come as the money continues to get bigger.

[StanfordMatt]

How is pitching looking for next year?

The relievers should mostly, perhaps all return.

I gotta imagine Bruno is gone. With his natural stuff and velo, MLB teams are going to be interested. Maybe a pro coach will be able to get him to throw the ball over the plate.

Turning the page on this season, credit to this team for maxing out its potential. From the crazy early season comeback over Fullerton to Hinckelman’s 9th inning heroics at Cal to Mathews’ legacy cementing performance versus Texas, there were a lot of memorable moments.

Three years in a row we’ve made it to Omaha and failed to do much once we got there. Like we’ve seen in the other major revenue sports, I can’t help but think it’s impossible for a Stanford baseball program to compete for a national title in the current climate. The last three Stanford rosters have had as much star power as any before them but they still don’t compare with the upper half of SEC programs. I don’t see any sign of that changing in the years to come as the money continues to get bigger.

[norcard10]

How is pitching looking for next year?

The relievers should mostly, perhaps all return.

I gotta imagine Bruno is gone. With his natural stuff and velo, MLB teams are going to be interested. Maybe a pro coach will be able to get him to throw the ball over the plate.

Turning the page on this season, credit to this team for maxing out its potential. From the crazy early season comeback over Fullerton to Hinckelman’s 9th inning heroics at Cal to Mathews’ legacy cementing performance versus Texas, there were a lot of memorable moments.

Three years in a row we’ve made it to Omaha and failed to do much once we got there. Like we’ve seen in the other major revenue sports, I can’t help but think it’s impossible for a Stanford baseball program to compete for a national title in the current climate. The last three Stanford rosters have had as much star power as any before them but they still don’t compare with the upper half of SEC programs. I don’t see any sign of that changing in the years to come as the money continues to get bigger.

I really feel like it's possible for this team to win it all at baseball vs other programs.  We were a few strikes away from advancing.  And with Stanford NIL sponsorships, it is possible.  Stanford has the richest alumni - no reason why it can't compete even if NIL is separate from the school administration from a governance perspective.

This roster had glaring issues with pitching. Development is a concern.

[norcard10]

How is pitching looking for next year?

The relievers should mostly, perhaps all return.

I gotta imagine Bruno is gone. With his natural stuff and velo, MLB teams are going to be interested. Maybe a pro coach will be able to get him to throw the ball over the plate.

Turning the page on this season, credit to this team for maxing out its potential. From the crazy early season comeback over Fullerton to Hinckelman’s 9th inning heroics at Cal to Mathews’ legacy cementing performance versus Texas, there were a lot of memorable moments.

Three years in a row we’ve made it to Omaha and failed to do much once we got there. Like we’ve seen in the other major revenue sports, I can’t help but think it’s impossible for a Stanford baseball program to compete for a national title in the current climate. The last three Stanford rosters have had as much star power as any before them but they still don’t compare with the upper half of SEC programs. I don’t see any sign of that changing in the years to come as the money continues to get bigger.

I really feel like it's possible for this team to win it all at baseball vs other programs.  We were a few strikes away from advancing.  And with Stanford NIL sponsorships, it is possible.  Stanford has the richest alumni - no reason why it can't compete even if NIL is separate from the school administration from a governance perspective.

This roster had glaring issues with pitching. Development is a concern.

[newguy]

did anyone here listen to the interview with NCAA President Charlie Baker in the top of the 6th?  he made an excellent impression on me.  not just what he said, most of which i agree with.  but how he said it.  he strikes me as being very honest and having a great deal of integrity.

[newguy]

did anyone here listen to the interview with NCAA President Charlie Baker in the top of the 6th?  he made an excellent impression on me.  not just what he said, most of which i agree with.  but how he said it.  he strikes me as being very honest and having a great deal of integrity.

[Card10Fan]

How is pitching looking for next year?

The relievers should mostly, perhaps all return.

I gotta imagine Bruno is gone. With his natural stuff and velo, MLB teams are going to be interested. Maybe a pro coach will be able to get him to throw the ball over the plate.

Turning the page on this season, credit to this team for maxing out its potential. From the crazy early season comeback over Fullerton to Hinckelman’s 9th inning heroics at Cal to Mathews’ legacy cementing performance versus Texas, there were a lot of memorable moments.

Three years in a row we’ve made it to Omaha and failed to do much once we got there. Like we’ve seen in the other major revenue sports, I can’t help but think it’s impossible for a Stanford baseball program to compete for a national title in the current climate. The last three Stanford rosters have had as much star power as any before them but they still don’t compare with the upper half of SEC programs. I don’t see any sign of that changing in the years to come as the money continues to get bigger.

I really feel like it's possible for this team to win it all at baseball vs other programs.  We were a few strikes away from advancing.  And with Stanford NIL sponsorships, it is possible.  Stanford has the richest alumni - no reason why it can't compete even if NIL is separate from the school administration from a governance perspective.

This roster had glaring issues with pitching.  Development is a concern.

Has there been any mention of a collective being started for Stanford baseball? I too think we can continue to compete at the highest level. We are the best college baseball program on the west coast, (with all of our supposed disadvantages). We weren't exactly a CWS staple prior to Esquer being hired. He's done a great job.  Should we have competed better in Omaha the last few seasons, absolutely.  But I think the future i still bright.

[Card10Fan]

How is pitching looking for next year?

The relievers should mostly, perhaps all return.

I gotta imagine Bruno is gone. With his natural stuff and velo, MLB teams are going to be interested. Maybe a pro coach will be able to get him to throw the ball over the plate.

Turning the page on this season, credit to this team for maxing out its potential. From the crazy early season comeback over Fullerton to Hinckelman’s 9th inning heroics at Cal to Mathews’ legacy cementing performance versus Texas, there were a lot of memorable moments.

Three years in a row we’ve made it to Omaha and failed to do much once we got there. Like we’ve seen in the other major revenue sports, I can’t help but think it’s impossible for a Stanford baseball program to compete for a national title in the current climate. The last three Stanford rosters have had as much star power as any before them but they still don’t compare with the upper half of SEC programs. I don’t see any sign of that changing in the years to come as the money continues to get bigger.

I really feel like it's possible for this team to win it all at baseball vs other programs.  We were a few strikes away from advancing.  And with Stanford NIL sponsorships, it is possible.  Stanford has the richest alumni - no reason why it can't compete even if NIL is separate from the school administration from a governance perspective.

This roster had glaring issues with pitching.  Development is a concern.

Has there been any mention of a collective being started for Stanford baseball? I too think we can continue to compete at the highest level. We are the best college baseball program on the west coast, (with all of our supposed disadvantages). We weren't exactly a CWS staple prior to Esquer being hired. He's done a great job.  Should we have competed better in Omaha the last few seasons, absolutely.  But I think the future i still bright.

[Langdude]

I actually thought that, in contrast to the season, that we pitched pretty well in the postseason. Were we lights out on the mound? With one notable exception, no. But I think that we were good enough, and probably over-achieved. Even today, many of the hits against were groundball singles.

I think that our postseason problems were more in other areas, including poor baserunning and lack of hitting, especially with RISP, and especially from the heart of our order. We won this season because of scoring a ton of runs, and it seemed that was challenging for us in the postseason. Of course, part of that is facing excellent pitchers, like today.

-m.

[Langdude]

I actually thought that, in contrast to the season, that we pitched pretty well in the postseason. Were we lights out on the mound? With one notable exception, no. But I think that we were good enough, and probably over-achieved. Even today, many of the hits against were groundball singles.

I think that our postseason problems were more in other areas, including poor baserunning and lack of hitting, especially with RISP, and especially from the heart of our order. We won this season because of scoring a ton of runs, and it seemed that was challenging for us in the postseason. Of course, part of that is facing excellent pitchers, like today.

-m.

[StanfordMatt]

How is pitching looking for next year?

The relievers should mostly, perhaps all return.

I gotta imagine Bruno is gone. With his natural stuff and velo, MLB teams are going to be interested. Maybe a pro coach will be able to get him to throw the ball over the plate.

Turning the page on this season, credit to this team for maxing out its potential. From the crazy early season comeback over Fullerton to Hinckelman’s 9th inning heroics at Cal to Mathews’ legacy cementing performance versus Texas, there were a lot of memorable moments.

Three years in a row we’ve made it to Omaha and failed to do much once we got there. Like we’ve seen in the other major revenue sports, I can’t help but think it’s impossible for a Stanford baseball program to compete for a national title in the current climate. The last three Stanford rosters have had as much star power as any before them but they still don’t compare with the upper half of SEC programs. I don’t see any sign of that changing in the years to come as the money continues to get bigger.

I really feel like it's possible for this team to win it all at baseball vs other programs.  We were a few strikes away from advancing.  And with Stanford NIL sponsorships, it is possible.  Stanford has the richest alumni - no reason why it can't compete even if NIL is separate from the school administration from a governance perspective.

My heart hopes you're right but my head tells me it's a pipe dream. 

In the annual CWS jello shot contest at Rocco's in Omaha, LSU fans have purchased and presumably drunk 21,435 jello shots in 4 days. For comparison, Stanford's tally sits at 720.

Now, you may read that and scoff at the notion that jello shots could in any way be related to Stanford's future CWS hopes. Surely, Stanford fans are above the base practice of chugging cheap liquor mixed in gelatin. To this notion, I would respond with two counterpoints:

1) I witnessed firsthand many jello shots consumed at KA to know that the appetite exists amongst Stanfordites
2) If Stanford alums have matured since graduation and no longer have any interest in buying jello shots primarily for some warped sense of bragging rights, what makes anyone think that they'd be interested in shelling out $50K for a lefty middle reliever with a nasty 12-6 curve

-----

Edit: Jello shot jokes aside, I think everyone on this board has a good understanding of Stanford's unique situation in the D1 landscape, advantages and challenges alike. The type of baseball player who is motivated to attend Stanford is probably pretty similar in 2023 as it was in 1988. I think the main difference isn't Stanford vs. other top college programs, it's other top college programs vs. the minor leagues. SEC programs are able to offer a much more attractive alternative these days to long bus drives in the minors. Stanford has largely the same ceiling it has always had whereas those programs have been able to raise theirs.

[StanfordMatt]

How is pitching looking for next year?

The relievers should mostly, perhaps all return.

I gotta imagine Bruno is gone. With his natural stuff and velo, MLB teams are going to be interested. Maybe a pro coach will be able to get him to throw the ball over the plate.

Turning the page on this season, credit to this team for maxing out its potential. From the crazy early season comeback over Fullerton to Hinckelman’s 9th inning heroics at Cal to Mathews’ legacy cementing performance versus Texas, there were a lot of memorable moments.

Three years in a row we’ve made it to Omaha and failed to do much once we got there. Like we’ve seen in the other major revenue sports, I can’t help but think it’s impossible for a Stanford baseball program to compete for a national title in the current climate. The last three Stanford rosters have had as much star power as any before them but they still don’t compare with the upper half of SEC programs. I don’t see any sign of that changing in the years to come as the money continues to get bigger.

I really feel like it's possible for this team to win it all at baseball vs other programs.  We were a few strikes away from advancing.  And with Stanford NIL sponsorships, it is possible.  Stanford has the richest alumni - no reason why it can't compete even if NIL is separate from the school administration from a governance perspective.

My heart hopes you're right but my head tells me it's a pipe dream. 

In the annual CWS jello shot contest at Rocco's in Omaha, LSU fans have purchased and presumably drunk 21,435 jello shots in 4 days. For comparison, Stanford's tally sits at 720.

Now, you may read that and scoff at the notion that jello shots could in any way be related to Stanford's future CWS hopes. Surely, Stanford fans are above the base practice of chugging cheap liquor mixed in gelatin. To this notion, I would respond with two counterpoints:

1) I witnessed firsthand many jello shots consumed at KA to know that the appetite exists amongst Stanfordites
2) If Stanford alums have matured since graduation and no longer have any interest in buying jello shots primarily for some warped sense of bragging rights, what makes anyone think that they'd be interested in shelling out $50K for a lefty middle reliever with a nasty 12-6 curve

-----

Edit: Jello shot jokes aside, I think everyone on this board has a good understanding of Stanford's unique situation in the D1 landscape, advantages and challenges alike. The type of baseball player who is motivated to attend Stanford is probably pretty similar in 2023 as it was in 1988. I think the main difference isn't Stanford vs. other top college programs, it's other top college programs vs. the minor leagues. SEC programs are able to offer a much more attractive alternative these days to long bus drives in the minors. Stanford has largely the same ceiling it has always had whereas those programs have been able to raise theirs.

[TonyLima]

How is pitching looking for next year?

The relievers should mostly, perhaps all return.

I gotta imagine Bruno is gone. With his natural stuff and velo, MLB teams are going to be interested. Maybe a pro coach will be able to get him to throw the ball over the plate.

Turning the page on this season, credit to this team for maxing out its potential. From the crazy early season comeback over Fullerton to Hinckelman’s 9th inning heroics at Cal to Mathews’ legacy cementing performance versus Texas, there were a lot of memorable moments.

Three years in a row we’ve made it to Omaha and failed to do much once we got there. Like we’ve seen in the other major revenue sports, I can’t help but think it’s impossible for a Stanford baseball program to compete for a national title in the current climate. The last three Stanford rosters have had as much star power as any before them but they still don’t compare with the upper half of SEC programs. I don’t see any sign of that changing in the years to come as the money continues to get bigger.

I really feel like it's possible for this team to win it all at baseball vs other programs.  We were a few strikes away from advancing.  And with Stanford NIL sponsorships, it is possible.  Stanford has the richest alumni - no reason why it can't compete even if NIL is separate from the school administration from a governance perspective.

This roster had glaring issues with pitching.  Development is a concern.

At this point, you should assume the NCAA hates teams west of the Rockies.

[TonyLima]

How is pitching looking for next year?

The relievers should mostly, perhaps all return.

I gotta imagine Bruno is gone. With his natural stuff and velo, MLB teams are going to be interested. Maybe a pro coach will be able to get him to throw the ball over the plate.

Turning the page on this season, credit to this team for maxing out its potential. From the crazy early season comeback over Fullerton to Hinckelman’s 9th inning heroics at Cal to Mathews’ legacy cementing performance versus Texas, there were a lot of memorable moments.

Three years in a row we’ve made it to Omaha and failed to do much once we got there. Like we’ve seen in the other major revenue sports, I can’t help but think it’s impossible for a Stanford baseball program to compete for a national title in the current climate. The last three Stanford rosters have had as much star power as any before them but they still don’t compare with the upper half of SEC programs. I don’t see any sign of that changing in the years to come as the money continues to get bigger.

I really feel like it's possible for this team to win it all at baseball vs other programs.  We were a few strikes away from advancing.  And with Stanford NIL sponsorships, it is possible.  Stanford has the richest alumni - no reason why it can't compete even if NIL is separate from the school administration from a governance perspective.

This roster had glaring issues with pitching.  Development is a concern.

At this point, you should assume the NCAA hates teams west of the Rockies.

[JJJ]

Love Esky.

https://youtu.be/LPabUmJQJf4

[JJJ]

Love Esky.

https://youtu.be/LPabUmJQJf4

[OutsiderFan]

Well, Stanford lost by 1 to the #1 team. The other team to be #1 this year also lost to that team by 1.

If Stanford just had a little bit better pitching, they could be a championship contender. What's confusing to me is Stanford has always been known for having great Pitchers, but it seems like they haven't had them lately. 

On a related note, are the top High School Pitchers getting NIL contracts that rival what MLB can pay them? The MLB draft signing amount penalties combined with college NIL money seem to open the door for a lot more high school players who would have taken a pro contract pre-NIL,  to play college baseball. MLB seems just fine with having a college development system that costs them nothing,

[OutsiderFan]

Well, Stanford lost by 1 to the #1 team. The other team to be #1 this year also lost to that team by 1.

If Stanford just had a little bit better pitching, they could be a championship contender. What's confusing to me is Stanford has always been known for having great Pitchers, but it seems like they haven't had them lately. 

On a related note, are the top High School Pitchers getting NIL contracts that rival what MLB can pay them? The MLB draft signing amount penalties combined with college NIL money seem to open the door for a lot more high school players who would have taken a pro contract pre-NIL,  to play college baseball. MLB seems just fine with having a college development system that costs them nothing,

[Baller4]

Love Esky.

https://youtu.be/LPabUmJQJf4

As a fan of college baseball in the bay, and followed Esquer when he was at Cal. Esquer still lives in the heads of some rent free with some at the Bearinsider board. They feel need to bad mouth him still since he has been gone 6 years and winning at Stanford. Every loss at Cal was Esquer's fault. Now they love losing and no one complains. Cal is ok with being mediocre, could not adapt to what Esquer was trying to bring to that program. Hence, they battle for the last slot in the Pac, and that is all they shoot for. 

Recalling Marquess' history, he had three appearances in the CWS before he brought home back to back NC. The tournament was an original tournament format back then. Today it is very difficult. Yes, that last 2 years have been rough. I think there needs to be something done on the pitching side of things. I believe StanfordMatt had mentioned that in previous posts. IMO,There has to be a pitching coach out there can develop pitchers like The Colonel did with Jack McDowell, Mike Mussina, Rob Wassanaur(sp), Al Osuna and all the others the Colonel worked with that came out of this program. 

Stay Gold Pony Boy, this program is moving up, and the exposure should help with the recruiting.

[Baller4]

Love Esky.

https://youtu.be/LPabUmJQJf4

As a fan of college baseball in the bay, and followed Esquer when he was at Cal. Esquer still lives in the heads of some rent free with some at the Bearinsider board. They feel need to bad mouth him still since he has been gone 6 years and winning at Stanford. Every loss at Cal was Esquer's fault. Now they love losing and no one complains. Cal is ok with being mediocre, could not adapt to what Esquer was trying to bring to that program. Hence, they battle for the last slot in the Pac, and that is all they shoot for. 

Recalling Marquess' history, he had three appearances in the CWS before he brought home back to back NC. The tournament was an original tournament format back then. Today it is very difficult. Yes, that last 2 years have been rough. I think there needs to be something done on the pitching side of things. I believe StanfordMatt had mentioned that in previous posts. IMO,There has to be a pitching coach out there can develop pitchers like The Colonel did with Jack McDowell, Mike Mussina, Rob Wassanaur(sp), Al Osuna and all the others the Colonel worked with that came out of this program. 

Stay Gold Pony Boy, this program is moving up, and the exposure should help with the recruiting.

[oldalum]

Wake Forest has an entire pitching motion lab which they use to help develop their pitching 
WF pitching lab

Do we do anything like that?

from the website:

Our Pitching Lab was designed and crafted to set the standard on capturing and reporting an athletes biomechanical and pitch trajectory data. 

We have over 20 high speed motion capture and slow motion cameras to record every little player movement.
We have force plates built into the pitching mound to measure forces such as leg drive and landing.
3D Doppler radar system that precisely measures the location, trajectory and spin rate of hit and pitched baseballs

[oldalum]

Wake Forest has an entire pitching motion lab which they use to help develop their pitching 
WF pitching lab

Do we do anything like that?

from the website:

Our Pitching Lab was designed and crafted to set the standard on capturing and reporting an athletes biomechanical and pitch trajectory data. 

We have over 20 high speed motion capture and slow motion cameras to record every little player movement.
We have force plates built into the pitching mound to measure forces such as leg drive and landing.
3D Doppler radar system that precisely measures the location, trajectory and spin rate of hit and pitched baseballs

[Brickcity]

Wake Forest has an entire pitching motion lab which they use to help develop their pitching 
WF pitching lab

Do we do anything like that?

from the website:

Our Pitching Lab was designed and crafted to set the standard on capturing and reporting an athletes biomechanical and pitch trajectory data. 

We have over 20 high speed motion capture and slow motion cameras to record every little player movement.
We have force plates built into the pitching mound to measure forces such as leg drive and landing.
3D Doppler radar system that precisely measures the location, trajectory and spin rate of hit and pitched baseballs

This seems like a no-brainer for Stanford!

[Brickcity]

Wake Forest has an entire pitching motion lab which they use to help develop their pitching 
WF pitching lab

Do we do anything like that?

from the website:

Our Pitching Lab was designed and crafted to set the standard on capturing and reporting an athletes biomechanical and pitch trajectory data. 

We have over 20 high speed motion capture and slow motion cameras to record every little player movement.
We have force plates built into the pitching mound to measure forces such as leg drive and landing.
3D Doppler radar system that precisely measures the location, trajectory and spin rate of hit and pitched baseballs

This seems like a no-brainer for Stanford!

[Maple Leaf]

Wake Forest has an entire pitching motion lab which they use to help develop their pitching 
WF pitching lab

Do we do anything like that?

from the website:

Our Pitching Lab was designed and crafted to set the standard on capturing and reporting an athletes biomechanical and pitch trajectory data. 

We have over 20 high speed motion capture and slow motion cameras to record every little player movement.
We have force plates built into the pitching mound to measure forces such as leg drive and landing.
3D Doppler radar system that precisely measures the location, trajectory and spin rate of hit and pitched baseballs

This seems like a no-brainer for Stanford!

The Chemistry Department could be helpful, as depicted in the movie "It Happens Every Spring"

A college professor is working on a long-term scientific experiment when a baseball comes through the window, destroying all of his glassware and spilling the fluids that the flasks and test tubes contained. The pooled fluids combine to form the chemical "methylethylpropylbutyl," which then covers a large portion of the baseball. The professor soon discovers that the fluid, along with any object with which it makes contact, is repelled by wood (cf. Alexander Fleming's serendipitous discovery of penicillin).

Suddenly, he realizes the possibilities and takes a leave of absence to go to St. Louis to pitch in the big leagues, where he becomes a star and propels his team to the World Series.

[Maple Leaf]

Wake Forest has an entire pitching motion lab which they use to help develop their pitching 
WF pitching lab

Do we do anything like that?

from the website:

Our Pitching Lab was designed and crafted to set the standard on capturing and reporting an athletes biomechanical and pitch trajectory data. 

We have over 20 high speed motion capture and slow motion cameras to record every little player movement.
We have force plates built into the pitching mound to measure forces such as leg drive and landing.
3D Doppler radar system that precisely measures the location, trajectory and spin rate of hit and pitched baseballs

This seems like a no-brainer for Stanford!

The Chemistry Department could be helpful, as depicted in the movie "It Happens Every Spring"

A college professor is working on a long-term scientific experiment when a baseball comes through the window, destroying all of his glassware and spilling the fluids that the flasks and test tubes contained. The pooled fluids combine to form the chemical "methylethylpropylbutyl," which then covers a large portion of the baseball. The professor soon discovers that the fluid, along with any object with which it makes contact, is repelled by wood (cf. Alexander Fleming's serendipitous discovery of penicillin).

Suddenly, he realizes the possibilities and takes a leave of absence to go to St. Louis to pitch in the big leagues, where he becomes a star and propels his team to the World Series.

[Baller4]

Wake Forest has an entire pitching motion lab which they use to help develop their pitching 
WF pitching lab

Do we do anything like that?

from the website:

Our Pitching Lab was designed and crafted to set the standard on capturing and reporting an athletes biomechanical and pitch trajectory data. 

We have over 20 high speed motion capture and slow motion cameras to record every little player movement.
We have force plates built into the pitching mound to measure forces such as leg drive and landing.
3D Doppler radar system that precisely measures the location, trajectory and spin rate of hit and pitched baseballs

I think Eager needs to step up his game!!!!

[Baller4]

Wake Forest has an entire pitching motion lab which they use to help develop their pitching 
WF pitching lab

Do we do anything like that?

from the website:

Our Pitching Lab was designed and crafted to set the standard on capturing and reporting an athletes biomechanical and pitch trajectory data. 

We have over 20 high speed motion capture and slow motion cameras to record every little player movement.
We have force plates built into the pitching mound to measure forces such as leg drive and landing.
3D Doppler radar system that precisely measures the location, trajectory and spin rate of hit and pitched baseballs

I think Eager needs to step up his game!!!!

[CTcard]

Haven't been able to post since the tournament started - but I like to wait a few days anyway so the emotion of the moment doesn't make me write stupid things. 

For now, a few recap items from the NCAA tournament performance:

- This team did just compete for a national championship, they just came up short. 
I don't know what that phrase means to anyone else, but this team was right there: they were in the college world series, they had the better overall run of play versus the #1 team in the country, and while they didn't have that advantage in the second game they had a chance to take it. 

It's baseball; so the outcome has lots of randomness to it. 
Just lately we've been on the downside of that randomness, but if we keep getting chances it will turn again. 

- The pitching staff, overall, was good during the tournament. 
Going in, I and others stated that we didn't know how Stanford could manage a 4 game regional, much less 5. However, they did manage a 5 game regional with aplomb giving up only 6 runs in those 4th and 5th games. 
Overall, the team ERA in the tournament was 4.2. That's a lot better than the season 5.72. And ERAs tend to go up in the tournament as you face better competition and the summer warmth leads to the ball carrying better. 
[And the main counter trend is that you sometimes only have to go with your best pitchers, which wasn't the case for Stanford as they extended the regional and super-regional as long as can be.]

- The offense was up and down. 
Two double digit run games, but also lots of guys left on base in critical games. 
Stanford averaged 7.0 runs per game in the tournament, versus 8.4 runs per game over the season. 

- Stanford finished the season with 117 home runs. That's one behind last year's record of 118. 
It is slightly higher HRs per game than last year (played one fewer game). 
The team was on pace to break the record until they had zero HRs in Omaha. And only 4 in the three games vs Texas. 

- It's the Wake Forest loss that feels the most like the one that got away. 
The lightning delay - two picked off first base - not sending Moore home from second - Bruno couldn't get a call - the killer hit a grounder with eyes. 
Versus Tennessee, we just ran into an all-time relief pitching performance. With the possible exception of the Oregon ace who blanked us, that was the best pitching performance against the team all year. 

- In the regular season, Stanford was 18-3 in games that were 2 runs or less differential (including all extra innings games). In the tournament Stanford was 2-3.

- Happened to be out in the Bay Area and was able to take my son to the second and third Texas games. Those were epic in different ways and junior was thrilled. For that alone I will always appreciate this season. 
[Though I do wish Rios shot had actually gone over the fence, I guess the upside is that we got to celebrate twice.]

[CTcard]

Haven't been able to post since the tournament started - but I like to wait a few days anyway so the emotion of the moment doesn't make me write stupid things. 

For now, a few recap items from the NCAA tournament performance:

- This team did just compete for a national championship, they just came up short. 
I don't know what that phrase means to anyone else, but this team was right there: they were in the college world series, they had the better overall run of play versus the #1 team in the country, and while they didn't have that advantage in the second game they had a chance to take it. 

It's baseball; so the outcome has lots of randomness to it. 
Just lately we've been on the downside of that randomness, but if we keep getting chances it will turn again. 

- The pitching staff, overall, was good during the tournament. 
Going in, I and others stated that we didn't know how Stanford could manage a 4 game regional, much less 5. However, they did manage a 5 game regional with aplomb giving up only 6 runs in those 4th and 5th games. 
Overall, the team ERA in the tournament was 4.2. That's a lot better than the season 5.72. And ERAs tend to go up in the tournament as you face better competition and the summer warmth leads to the ball carrying better. 
[And the main counter trend is that you sometimes only have to go with your best pitchers, which wasn't the case for Stanford as they extended the regional and super-regional as long as can be.]

- The offense was up and down. 
Two double digit run games, but also lots of guys left on base in critical games. 
Stanford averaged 7.0 runs per game in the tournament, versus 8.4 runs per game over the season. 

- Stanford finished the season with 117 home runs. That's one behind last year's record of 118. 
It is slightly higher HRs per game than last year (played one fewer game). 
The team was on pace to break the record until they had zero HRs in Omaha. And only 4 in the three games vs Texas. 

- It's the Wake Forest loss that feels the most like the one that got away. 
The lightning delay - two picked off first base - not sending Moore home from second - Bruno couldn't get a call - the killer hit a grounder with eyes. 
Versus Tennessee, we just ran into an all-time relief pitching performance. With the possible exception of the Oregon ace who blanked us, that was the best pitching performance against the team all year. 

- In the regular season, Stanford was 18-3 in games that were 2 runs or less differential (including all extra innings games). In the tournament Stanford was 2-3.

- Happened to be out in the Bay Area and was able to take my son to the second and third Texas games. Those were epic in different ways and junior was thrilled. For that alone I will always appreciate this season. 
[Though I do wish Rios shot had actually gone over the fence, I guess the upside is that we got to celebrate twice.]

[Blue Hawk (Mizzou) Card]

Like CT Card, I will add my season post mortem, fwliw

1. Stanford baseball and, more recently (again, happily) Stanford softball are what get me through some mighty harsh winters in the awful climates I live in. I start watching them when I can't take any more winter, knowing that there are at least two months of winter left. They give me hope. They help to drag me across the finish line of winter. Thank you, Cardinal, for doing that for me.

2. In recent seasons, when the baseball season is approaching, my thought is always "We lost a LOT from last year. We cannot realistically hope to be competitive again this year." I think that way because, as my fellow CardBoard son recently pointed out, I am a big time sports pessimist. I try to tamp down my expectations so I am less disappointed when the season does not go well. But, really, it seems like we lost a LOT every year (including, but especially, the one that just ended). Nonetheless, our guys have done a lot better than I expected for several years in a row. Thanks for that, also.

3. Related to no. 2, above, it is a reality that college baseball is a lot like a junior college sport, in terms of roster turnover. Or, more accurately, junior college + 50%. There are very few four-year players, a lot of three-year players (for Stanford, anyway), and a lot of one-year rentals at other schools. I say this as a junior college sports fan (and, in fact, a former junior college baseball player of a sort, though one with a .167 batting average). So you can recover more quickly when you lose a lot, at least in theory, because your opponents lost a lot, too.

4. However, due to the transfer portal, there are ways to overcome the loss of good players that are available to pretty much everyone else, other than Stanford. Look at the rosters of the other seven MCWS teams. Lots of transfers. Stanford has competitive advantages, with the best academic reputation of any big-time sports schools, but we have severe competitive disadvantages, too. Even if we get more involved in transfers, one- and two-year rentals are unlikely to ever be as big a part of our program as they are for our competitors.

5. It just means more for the SEC. Stanford played a team from the SEC yesterday that was not one of the top eight teams in that conference, at least according to the tournament committee that had eight other SEC teams host regionals. And that team, Tennessee, was LOADED. The guy who shut out the lights out of the bullpen (at least recently) was as good a college pitcher, at least yesterday, as I remember seeing. He got us to two strikes, then threw the just over the strike zone fastball that is almost impossible to (a) not swing at and (b) hit. He was really good. And he replaced a guy predicted to go about sixth in the draft. And (I don't think) either one of them pitched in CWS opener. That is a loaded team. In sport after sport, especially the revenue or quasi-revenue sports, the SEC is and is going to be a juggernaut. I don't like it. But that's the way it is (and is going to be).

[Blue Hawk (Mizzou) Card]

Like CT Card, I will add my season post mortem, fwliw

1. Stanford baseball and, more recently (again, happily) Stanford softball are what get me through some mighty harsh winters in the awful climates I live in. I start watching them when I can't take any more winter, knowing that there are at least two months of winter left. They give me hope. They help to drag me across the finish line of winter. Thank you, Cardinal, for doing that for me.

2. In recent seasons, when the baseball season is approaching, my thought is always "We lost a LOT from last year. We cannot realistically hope to be competitive again this year." I think that way because, as my fellow CardBoard son recently pointed out, I am a big time sports pessimist. I try to tamp down my expectations so I am less disappointed when the season does not go well. But, really, it seems like we lost a LOT every year (including, but especially, the one that just ended). Nonetheless, our guys have done a lot better than I expected for several years in a row. Thanks for that, also.

3. Related to no. 2, above, it is a reality that college baseball is a lot like a junior college sport, in terms of roster turnover. Or, more accurately, junior college + 50%. There are very few four-year players, a lot of three-year players (for Stanford, anyway), and a lot of one-year rentals at other schools. I say this as a junior college sports fan (and, in fact, a former junior college baseball player of a sort, though one with a .167 batting average). So you can recover more quickly when you lose a lot, at least in theory, because your opponents lost a lot, too.

4. However, due to the transfer portal, there are ways to overcome the loss of good players that are available to pretty much everyone else, other than Stanford. Look at the rosters of the other seven MCWS teams. Lots of transfers. Stanford has competitive advantages, with the best academic reputation of any big-time sports schools, but we have severe competitive disadvantages, too. Even if we get more involved in transfers, one- and two-year rentals are unlikely to ever be as big a part of our program as they are for our competitors.

5. It just means more for the SEC. Stanford played a team from the SEC yesterday that was not one of the top eight teams in that conference, at least according to the tournament committee that had eight other SEC teams host regionals. And that team, Tennessee, was LOADED. The guy who shut out the lights out of the bullpen (at least recently) was as good a college pitcher, at least yesterday, as I remember seeing. He got us to two strikes, then threw the just over the strike zone fastball that is almost impossible to (a) not swing at and (b) hit. He was really good. And he replaced a guy predicted to go about sixth in the draft. And (I don't think) either one of them pitched in CWS opener. That is a loaded team. In sport after sport, especially the revenue or quasi-revenue sports, the SEC is and is going to be a juggernaut. I don't like it. But that's the way it is (and is going to be).

[Blue Hawk (Mizzou) Card]

[cont'd from above]

6. Given all of that, it was a hell of a year, and a hell of a three-year run for the Cardinal. We are the only team from last year's CWS field to be in this year's CWS field. And we have been there three years in a row. We are spoiled as Stanford sports fans. That was a hell of a run.

7. Despite what some suggest on this board. Stanford fans are the least likely to complain about officiating of any college fans I have experienced. Indeed, it makes me a bit (more) crazy to see how unwilling the vast majority of Stanford fans are to get on officials. The fans of all the other schools do it, and it does have an effect. The fans of other schools, or at least many of them, recognize that it is their job to get on officials, so the athletes don't have to (and they shouldn't get on officials--and shouldn't have to, as that should be our job). There were some questionable calls, especially in both halves of the eighth inning on Saturday. The other team(s) did get key hits we did not get. But there were some calls. And that guy behind the plate yesterday should never be allowed to call another college game, let alone a CWS game, after what happened against Fullerton a few years ago. If you can look at tape of that game and tell me it was called even up, then you and I simply don't have anything to talk about. But let's put officiating aside.

8. Many games in many sports turn on a few key plays. That was true in the bottom of the eighth Saturday. But it was really true in the fifth (iirc) yesterday. The call at the plate was correct: The Tennessee guy's hand touched the plate before he got tagged. But it was just before he got tagged. If Rios is able to get behind that ball when he caught it like he did in the first inning, he is out. The inning ends, iirc, then Quin comes back in the next inning, and the game probably has a different feel to it. Btw, it was a beautiful throw, though just a moment late. My point is: Yes, it is true that we we are 1-6 in the last three trips to Omaha, but sometimes the difference between winning and losing is razor thin. Tennessee deserved to win yesterday, without a doubt, as they outplayed us from that point on. But we were really close to winning.

9. Yesterday's game did not disappoint me as much as Saturday's, because after Saturday's game we really did not have a realistic path to winning the CWS. Up until the bottom of the eighth on Saturday, we did. We saved our best pitcher and almost beat the no. 1 team in the country, a team with monstrous home run (admittedly in a small home park, but still) and other hitting statistics, solid defense, great starting pitching, and a strong bullpen. If we had survived that first game, there really was a shot that our team, even with its flaws, might have won it. We would not have been the favorites, but there was a very real path to victory. We did not win on Saturday or on Monday, but we were mighty close. Not a moral victory, but we were closer to success than "two and a 'cue," which, indeed, was our record, suggests.

10. In the last few games, we made some really boneheaded baserunning mistakes. Tough to overcome that. [Quick note: Though it did not work out, it was correct to try to get to third on the fly to right against Texas. Force the other team to make the perfect play. They did. Hats off to the kid for making a world class throw. But don't let that convince you that it was a mistake to "make the third out at third base." Every default theory has exceptions. At Sunken Diamond, with all that room behind home plate, there is a significant difference between being at second and at third, even with two outs. Did the results of trying to go to third against Texas cause us to be too timid to try to score from second on a single to right on Saturday? I admit that I prefer sins of action to sins of omission, but we should have tried to score on that play, imo.]

11. As others have noted, our pitching was pretty good after the conference tournament. But we do need to have more arms. Would be nice to get back to the "pitching and defense" that we were once known for, with the increased offensive firepower we have had recently. [On defense, we made some boneheaded plays late in the year, especially trying to get the lead runner when it was not going to happen, but not really in Omaha, imo.]

12. I am just a sports fan, so take it for what little it is worth, but our biggest problem offensively, imo, is over-reliance on home runs. We are not very good at small ball. [I've been a Stanford baseball fan for a very long time. What is it about Stanford baseball that has made us such bad bunters for so many years? Admittedly it is the only skill I ever had in sports, but even as crappy an athlete as I was could bunt. Indeed, that might be the problem. I was such a crappy hitter that I had to learn how to bunt. Good hitters are not called upon to do it very often. But it really is not very hard.] During most of the year, we hit lots of homers, even in a (at least after the marine layer sets in) not very homer-friendly ballpark. But it seems like the season ends every year like it did this year, with us (a) struggling, for the most part, to fight off two-strike pitches; (b) failing to hold back swings sufficiently to avoid strikes when trying to do so; and © swinging at pitches out of the zone with two strikes. Said another way, those long home run swings don't work very well when we face the top echelon of college pitching, even though they work quite well for the first 75% of the season. That Tennessee guy kept putting the two-strike pitch in the same spot, and we kept swinging under it. Give credit to him: You have to be mighty good to put that pitch there batter after batter, because it could sail out of the park if it is just four inches lower. But my bottom line is that we have to learn how to manufacture runs if we are ever going to win it all again (though, as noted above, that might not be possible anymore for Stanford).

It was a hell of a season. Stanford has been one of the top eight baseball teams for three straight years. Given the current (and, sadly, future) realities of the sport, that is amazing. Nobody else has done it over that time span.

Thank you to this team and its coaches for providing that for we Stanford sports fans!

[Blue Hawk (Mizzou) Card]

[cont'd from above]

6. Given all of that, it was a hell of a year, and a hell of a three-year run for the Cardinal. We are the only team from last year's CWS field to be in this year's CWS field. And we have been there three years in a row. We are spoiled as Stanford sports fans. That was a hell of a run.

7. Despite what some suggest on this board. Stanford fans are the least likely to complain about officiating of any college fans I have experienced. Indeed, it makes me a bit (more) crazy to see how unwilling the vast majority of Stanford fans are to get on officials. The fans of all the other schools do it, and it does have an effect. The fans of other schools, or at least many of them, recognize that it is their job to get on officials, so the athletes don't have to (and they shouldn't get on officials--and shouldn't have to, as that should be our job). There were some questionable calls, especially in both halves of the eighth inning on Saturday. The other team(s) did get key hits we did not get. But there were some calls. And that guy behind the plate yesterday should never be allowed to call another college game, let alone a CWS game, after what happened against Fullerton a few years ago. If you can look at tape of that game and tell me it was called even up, then you and I simply don't have anything to talk about. But let's put officiating aside.

8. Many games in many sports turn on a few key plays. That was true in the bottom of the eighth Saturday. But it was really true in the fifth (iirc) yesterday. The call at the plate was correct: The Tennessee guy's hand touched the plate before he got tagged. But it was just before he got tagged. If Rios is able to get behind that ball when he caught it like he did in the first inning, he is out. The inning ends, iirc, then Quin comes back in the next inning, and the game probably has a different feel to it. Btw, it was a beautiful throw, though just a moment late. My point is: Yes, it is true that we we are 1-6 in the last three trips to Omaha, but sometimes the difference between winning and losing is razor thin. Tennessee deserved to win yesterday, without a doubt, as they outplayed us from that point on. But we were really close to winning.

9. Yesterday's game did not disappoint me as much as Saturday's, because after Saturday's game we really did not have a realistic path to winning the CWS. Up until the bottom of the eighth on Saturday, we did. We saved our best pitcher and almost beat the no. 1 team in the country, a team with monstrous home run (admittedly in a small home park, but still) and other hitting statistics, solid defense, great starting pitching, and a strong bullpen. If we had survived that first game, there really was a shot that our team, even with its flaws, might have won it. We would not have been the favorites, but there was a very real path to victory. We did not win on Saturday or on Monday, but we were mighty close. Not a moral victory, but we were closer to success than "two and a 'cue," which, indeed, was our record, suggests.

10. In the last few games, we made some really boneheaded baserunning mistakes. Tough to overcome that. [Quick note: Though it did not work out, it was correct to try to get to third on the fly to right against Texas. Force the other team to make the perfect play. They did. Hats off to the kid for making a world class throw. But don't let that convince you that it was a mistake to "make the third out at third base." Every default theory has exceptions. At Sunken Diamond, with all that room behind home plate, there is a significant difference between being at second and at third, even with two outs. Did the results of trying to go to third against Texas cause us to be too timid to try to score from second on a single to right on Saturday? I admit that I prefer sins of action to sins of omission, but we should have tried to score on that play, imo.]

11. As others have noted, our pitching was pretty good after the conference tournament. But we do need to have more arms. Would be nice to get back to the "pitching and defense" that we were once known for, with the increased offensive firepower we have had recently. [On defense, we made some boneheaded plays late in the year, especially trying to get the lead runner when it was not going to happen, but not really in Omaha, imo.]

12. I am just a sports fan, so take it for what little it is worth, but our biggest problem offensively, imo, is over-reliance on home runs. We are not very good at small ball. [I've been a Stanford baseball fan for a very long time. What is it about Stanford baseball that has made us such bad bunters for so many years? Admittedly it is the only skill I ever had in sports, but even as crappy an athlete as I was could bunt. Indeed, that might be the problem. I was such a crappy hitter that I had to learn how to bunt. Good hitters are not called upon to do it very often. But it really is not very hard.] During most of the year, we hit lots of homers, even in a (at least after the marine layer sets in) not very homer-friendly ballpark. But it seems like the season ends every year like it did this year, with us (a) struggling, for the most part, to fight off two-strike pitches; (b) failing to hold back swings sufficiently to avoid strikes when trying to do so; and © swinging at pitches out of the zone with two strikes. Said another way, those long home run swings don't work very well when we face the top echelon of college pitching, even though they work quite well for the first 75% of the season. That Tennessee guy kept putting the two-strike pitch in the same spot, and we kept swinging under it. Give credit to him: You have to be mighty good to put that pitch there batter after batter, because it could sail out of the park if it is just four inches lower. But my bottom line is that we have to learn how to manufacture runs if we are ever going to win it all again (though, as noted above, that might not be possible anymore for Stanford).

It was a hell of a season. Stanford has been one of the top eight baseball teams for three straight years. Given the current (and, sadly, future) realities of the sport, that is amazing. Nobody else has done it over that time span.

Thank you to this team and its coaches for providing that for we Stanford sports fans!

[Spike]

Really great posts!
Thank you.

[Spike]

Really great posts!
Thank you.

[CTcard]

5. It just means more for the SEC. Stanford played a team from the SEC yesterday that was not one of the top eight teams in that conference, at least according to the tournament committee that had eight other SEC teams host regionals. And that team, Tennessee, was LOADED. The guy who shut out the lights out of the bullpen (at least recently) was as good a college pitcher, at least yesterday, as I remember seeing. ... And he replaced a guy predicted to go about sixth in the draft.

I have to say, I really hate that phrase. 

Just maybe it does mean more in the sense that more local people wrap up their lives in the fortune of the state higher-profile athletic teams. It's clearly much more part of people's identities in the south. 
It is also true that at this time the SEC is likely the best baseball conference, but not nearly so much as people think. 

On the one hand, the SEC got 3 teams into the CWS, one more than any other conference. On the other hand, they also got the most chances in a sport that has a high roll-of-the-dice quotient; with 10 teams in, 8 teams hosting, and 4 teams among the top 8 seeds. They're actually -1 versus seeds in teams in Omaha. 

I also don't think Tennessee is that loaded, at least for a CWS team. That guy you say is going #6 in the draft we chased after 3 innings with an ERA for the game of 12. The guy who did kill us just threw his best game of his career. While they had the overall advantage in play, it was close. 

Now LSU ... that team is loaded with guys on the way to MLB.

[CTcard]

5. It just means more for the SEC. Stanford played a team from the SEC yesterday that was not one of the top eight teams in that conference, at least according to the tournament committee that had eight other SEC teams host regionals. And that team, Tennessee, was LOADED. The guy who shut out the lights out of the bullpen (at least recently) was as good a college pitcher, at least yesterday, as I remember seeing. ... And he replaced a guy predicted to go about sixth in the draft.

I have to say, I really hate that phrase. 

Just maybe it does mean more in the sense that more local people wrap up their lives in the fortune of the state higher-profile athletic teams. It's clearly much more part of people's identities in the south. 
It is also true that at this time the SEC is likely the best baseball conference, but not nearly so much as people think. 

On the one hand, the SEC got 3 teams into the CWS, one more than any other conference. On the other hand, they also got the most chances in a sport that has a high roll-of-the-dice quotient; with 10 teams in, 8 teams hosting, and 4 teams among the top 8 seeds. They're actually -1 versus seeds in teams in Omaha. 

I also don't think Tennessee is that loaded, at least for a CWS team. That guy you say is going #6 in the draft we chased after 3 innings with an ERA for the game of 12. The guy who did kill us just threw his best game of his career. While they had the overall advantage in play, it was close. 

Now LSU ... that team is loaded with guys on the way to MLB.

[old spanish trail]

Is it accurate that LSU is dolling out megabuck NILs for baseball?

[old spanish trail]

Is it accurate that LSU is dolling out megabuck NILs for baseball?