Power hitting and LNS

[ArmchairQB]

Apologies if this has been done to death in old threads, I'm a later arrival to the baseball forum and this may be well-worn territory.

We hit 158 home runs this season. Of those:

• 122 were at LNS, in the 43 games we played at home - good for 2.83 HR/game
• 36 were at away or neutral site games, in the 23 games we played that weren't at LNS - good for 1.56 HR/game

Someone with more time and energy than me could probably look longer at the 36 homers we had away from home. Minute Maid Park where we played Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma for instance, is deeper in center and right but about the same dimensions as LNS to left, where 4 of the 5 HRs we hit there went. I'm sure we hit plenty of bombs that were gone no matter what field we were playing on, but I do wonder about the overall body of work and how much LNS is a factor.

All that to say... there's a lot of weight placed on the SEC tournament and the MCWS, and both Hoover and Omaha are bigger. Do you want to see the field at LNS change with the renovations? The more I think about it the more I'd like to see us add maybe 10 feet to the foul poles and 15 in center... ish. I loved this season and the power game is a lot of fun to watch, but I'd just as soon have that added security that our game translates to the places you take trophies back from. Places where a 400 foot shot to center is warning track. Like Hoover, and Omaha. Knowing that a really good season is going to wind up there would surely be a factor in how you decide to gear your team, right? I wouldn't hate seeing tournaments rotate to different parks, as far as that goes.

Anyway, what say you?

 

[Sam I Am]

No changes. 80% of those bombs would go out anywhere. Omaha and Hoover are all about wind direction. With little to no wind balls fly out of those parks too. Ole Miss had 8 bombs at Omaha....fyi.

 

[Halph66]

Another thing to consider is how many our opponents hit in the same parks. Good pitching can neutralize good hitting. Our pitching staff was stellar this year.

 

[StarRaider]

I dont have a breakdown by LNS v away, but in SEC only, BaseVols had 68 dongs (2.26/game) and gave up 36 (1.20/game).

Also in the 15 SEC games (BaseVols went 12-3 if I remember correctly) at LNS, the BaseVols only had 24 offensive outs in the 12 wins, and about 369 offensive outs vs. 405 outs for the opponents (about 9% less outs).

The outs in away games would be about even, I think the 2 away losses to kensucky, 1 was an extra inning walkoff and I think the other loss kensucky did not bat in the 9th. something like 405 outs for the vols and 400 or so for opponents.

http://a.espncdn.com/sec/baseball/2022/seconly.pdf

 

[turbovol]

If 80 percent of your home runs were hit in your home park, then, yea, the home park's dimensions are a factor.

 

[Titan05]

The better comparison would be to limit the data to SEC games only home/away to remove the weaker OOC opponents.

 

[Volprofch05]

If 80 percent of your home runs were hit in your home park, then, yea, the home park's dimensions are a factor.

74% (43 out of 58) of our games were at home, and we play the easier out of conference (cupcake) games there

 

[chuckiepoo]

74% (43 out of 58) of our games were at home, and we play the easier out of conference (cupcake) games there

BP anyone? Really weak OOC schedule this past year but still pulled a #1 RPI at the end. Winning against the SEC helped bunches though…

 

[Volprofch05]

BP anyone? Really weak OOC schedule this past year but still pulled a #1 RPI at the end. Winning against the SEC helped bunches though…

Yep, 3 games against, ahem, Iona, -> a few extra HRs (maybe more than a few extra)

 

[sigmundoooz]

60% of the time, it works every time.

 

[chuckiepoo]

60% of the time, it works every time.

I’m not a big fan of sandbagging the SECT either…

 

[youcancallmeAl]

If you have a hitter's ballpark like LNS, then your offense will be built around the home run. It would be a waste to have a small ball offense in a hitter's park. Therefore, Tennessee is probably going to have a power attack as long as LNS is of the current small dimensions. Here is a visual of what a Hoover sized park would be at LNS vs current LNS dimensions. Omaha is slightly smaller than Hoover. Given the issues with the RR and the ROW over the right field wall, we may or may not ever be able to build a park of Hoover or Omaha dimensions. It seems to me that if we want to win in Omaha - which we do - then maybe we build a team that fits a park of those dimensions, if it's possible.

 

[UTFanHades]

Yep-LNS gave the Vols some homers. It also doesn’t change the feet from home plate to the wall when the Vols pitch, so bring your pitching and defense with the big bats. Not sure that ND catcher hits his out at a larger ballpark. The LNS giveth and taketh.

 

[nashvillepanther]

Agreed @UTFanHades. Zero shot that game-tying homer goes out in most parks.

Took advantage of the wind tunnel, short wall, and shorter dimensions (plus Burns ).

 

[whobethis16]

74% (43 out of 58) of our games were at home, and we play the easier out of conference (cupcake) games there

There were 39 of 58 games in LNS during the regular season for 67%.

 

[savannahfan]

No changes. 80% of those bombs would go out anywhere. Omaha and Hoover are all about wind direction. With little to no wind balls fly out of those parks too. Ole Miss had 8 bombs at Omaha....fyi.

All this talk is just that TALK.. You can't hit HRs in Omaha if you are not there. That's the only "talk" worth wasting time on about "last season". It's not about what you did for me last season, but what are you doing for me now and going forward.

 

[preacherman20]

I get the HR exaggerated thing but that does not matter unless you are hitting balls between the red lines of LNS and Hoover. Most of our HR's were hit way over the lines for Hoover so it is a mute point.

 

[NighthawkVol]

BP anyone? Really weak OOC schedule this past year but still pulled a #1 RPI at the end. Winning against the SEC helped bunches though…

And Georgia Southern turning out to be really good. Games against Texas and Oklahoma also helped.

 

[horde of llamas]

The baseball Vols don't travel to weak out of conference ballparks, they come to LNS, so you're facing weaker pitching at home in mid week games, and early season games, The conference schedule, over time should even out, so that is where I think we should start the comparison.

 

[Volsbaseballfan]

Reminder - UT got beat 2 out of 3 at home. lost 9 games all year. 29-5 in the SEC....No one will ever draw up the perfect formula for winning a National Title. It's Baseball. This team had everything anyone dreams of in a Baseball Team. 57-9 clarifies that. May never be a more dominating team in College Baseball. We got beat , but trying to find a perfect formula, it's not going to happen. To many Variables.

LNS-Small Park - lost last series. But usually, hard place to win as an opponent
Hoover - Big Park - Undefeated
Omaha- Didn't make it. So not a factor this year.
MM Park - 2-1 record (hit several home runs) Would have took that record in the Supers.

you see there's no trend.I watched every game for the last 5-6 years. The Ball parks had little to no effect on the outcome of any of those games. Coaching, Pitching, Hitting, Base Running, Holding Base Runners, Bunting, and Defense all did. Next year, will be the same. You put the best team on the field and Coach them and see what happens. CTV did that for 66 games and Won 57 of them. Won an SEC Regular Season, Won an SEC Tournament, Players and Coaches have won lots of awards. I know everyone wants a National Title and no one wanted it more than the 2000 Tennessee Base Vol Players and Coaches. Will it happen, I think yes but will need the ball to bounce a few ways in their favor along the way. It's Baseball and that's just the way it works. look at the last 2 National Champions and you can easily see what I mean. Heck, go back and watch the 2018 Championship series with the Beavers and Arky. (Talk about a Heartbreak) I still cringe for them. On

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Apologies if this has been done to death in old threads, I'm a later arrival to the baseball forum and this may be well-worn territory.

We hit 158 home runs this season. Of those:

• 122 were at LNS, in the 43 games we played at home - good for 2.83 HR/game
• 36 were at away or neutral site games, in the 23 games we played that weren't at LNS - good for 1.56 HR/game

Someone with more time and energy than me could probably look longer at the 36 homers we had away from home. Minute Maid Park where we played Texas, Baylor and Oklahoma for instance, is deeper in center and right but about the same dimensions as LNS to left, where 4 of the 5 HRs we hit there went. I'm sure we hit plenty of bombs that were gone no matter what field we were playing on, but I do wonder about the overall body of work and how much LNS is a factor.

All that to say... there's a lot of weight placed on the SEC tournament and the MCWS, and both Hoover and Omaha are bigger. Do you want to see the field at LNS change with the renovations? The more I think about it the more I'd like to see us add maybe 10 feet to the foul poles and 15 in center... ish. I loved this season and the power game is a lot of fun to watch, but I'd just as soon have that added security that our game translates to the places you take trophies back from. Places where a 400 foot shot to center is warning track. Like Hoover, and Omaha. Knowing that a really good season is going to wind up there would surely be a factor in how you decide to gear your team, right? I wouldn't hate seeing tournaments rotate to different parks, as far as that goes.

Anyway, what say you?

Do you know how many HRs the visiting teams hit while playing in LN? We also player more games in LN than on the road.

 

[Jax_Vol]

Math is hard


MTSU is a fine school for the dong-less.