Vols Strand 16 in 7-5 Loss to Longwood

[VN News]

Tennessee stranded 16 runners, including 10 in scoring position and committed three errors as it dropped a 7-5 decision to Longwood University on Tuesday afternoon at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

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Discuss.

 

[fryeguy93]

Now, this was one of those games that happens to every team. Lots of opportunities and really a lot of fantastic catches and hard hit calls right at people.

 

[lovavol]

Why make excuses....this is pitiful...longwood...really? Who is this?

 

[Fullfillmer]

Now, this was one of those games that happens to every team. Lots of opportunities and really a lot of fantastic catches and hard hit calls right at people.

Just stop. Sounds like my wife's pet nickname for me I am pretty sure a State institution bearing the States name should not be losing to a long piece of wood.

Are we going to lose to a short rock next week?

 

[keckjm]

I don't follow baseball but I always see these final score updates. Is UT really young or something?

 

[ShowmeVols]

The loss itself isn't a huge deal. It's baseball. Last year, South Carolina lost to a D2 school. These things happen.

Today's game is troubling because of what it says about Serrano's confidence in his pitching staff. He had to bring in his Friday starter to pitch the 9th inning to keep a home non-conference midweek game from getting out of hand against a team with an RPI around 220.

That decision reminds me of the game last year when Serrano started Jared Allen (who hadn't pitched since high school and wasn't even listed on the roster as a two-way player) against Middle Tennessee State even though six or eight pitchers were rested and ready to go. Predictably, Allen got hammered and lasted only an inning. By making that move, Serrano decisively made the point that he didn't like any of the Raleigh arms he had inherited. He wanted a whole new pitching staff.

Throwing Godley in the 9th inning today pretty much announced that Serrano either can't or won't go deeper than the eight pitchers he now uses (Godley, Williams, Owenby, Cox, Bettencourt, Quillen, Saberhagen, Martin). Can you imagine any other SEC team not having several guys pawing the ground in the pen, ready to charge out and eat that inning? Can you imagine Wahl or Ziomek doing mop up duty in a mid-week loss?

That's what bothers me about today's loss.

 

[volforlife50]

The loss itself isn't a huge deal. It's baseball. Last year, South Carolina lost to a D2 school. These things happen.

Today's game is troubling because of what it says about Serrano's confidence in his pitching staff. He had to bring in his Friday starter to pitch the 9th inning to keep a home non-conference midweek game from getting out of hand against a team with an RPI around 220.

That decision reminds me of the game last year when Serrano started Jared Allen (who hadn't pitched since high school and wasn't even listed on the roster as a two-way player) against Middle Tennessee State even though six or eight pitchers were rested and ready to go. Predictably, Allen got hammered and lasted only an inning. By making that move, Serrano decisively made the point that he didn't like any of the Raleigh arms he had inherited. He wanted a whole new pitching staff.

Throwing Godley in the 9th inning today pretty much announced that Serrano either can't or won't go deeper than the eight pitchers he now uses (Godley, Williams, Owenby, Cox, Bettencourt, Quillen, Saberhagen, Martin). Can you imagine any other SEC team not having several guys pawing the ground in the pen, ready to charge out and eat that inning? Can you imagine Wahl or Ziomek doing mop up duty in a mid-week loss?

That's what bothers me about today's loss.

So what your saying is that 1/2 the pitching staff he trust are Raleigh's recruits?

 

[ShowmeVols]

So what your saying is that 1/2 the pitching staff he trust are Raleigh's recruits?

I said no such thing. I listed the pitchers he now appears willing to use at all. He seldom uses Saberhagen and Martin in situations that matter.

 

[BigOrange51]

I said no such thing. I listed the pitchers he now appears willing to use at all. He seldom uses Saberhagen and Martin in situations that matter.

Outside of Godley, Williams, and Owenby I really don't feel comfortable with anyone out there.

There's nothing wrong with Zack getting his bullpen in during a game. He has to throw, no one is bothered or offended that it will end up on the stat sheet. That part is not a big deal I promise. We are not deep on the mound and in a 2 run ballgame I like letting him get his work in in a real game as opposed to on the side.

 

[Fullfillmer]

I said no such thing. I listed the pitchers he now appears willing to use at all. He seldom uses Saberhagen and Martin in situations that matter.

I watched Saberhagen last year - nice kid but when someone suggested he would be part of our rotation this year - I knew we were in trouble. I think we lost a couple of guys to the draft - but have not been impressed with this group of freshmen pitchers. The young position players show promise - but we need to get a couple of studs pitchers in here pronto. The entire staff is extremely thin - just like last year imo. Top two Godley, Williams pulled from the pen, and then a hot mess.

 

[BruinVol]

Smh on using Godley tonight. That approach is almost never used anymore unless its to get work for a struggling arm which isn't the case here. It wouldn't surprise me to hear he isn't starting on Friday now.

 

[ShowmeVols]

Outside of Godley, Williams, and Owenby I really don't feel comfortable with anyone out there.

There's nothing wrong with Zack getting his bullpen in during a game. He has to throw, no one is bothered or offended that it will end up on the stat sheet. That part is not a big deal I promise. We are not deep on the mound and in a 2 run ballgame I like letting him get his work in in a real game as opposed to on the side.

We might not be saying anything different.

The problem is not the ten pitches it took for Godley to get through the ninth. The problem is Serrano didn't have anyone else on his list of 16 potential pitchers he was willing to let face the 3-4-5 hitters of Longwood.

I realize he'd have thrown a pen anyway, but it's not the preferred way to prepare for a start. For one thing, putting him in a game gives him less chance to work on stuff. For another, it made him throw at game velocity four days after he threw 120+ pitches, which he may or may not have done in a bullpen session.

But those are minor issues. You're right that, from the perspective of managing Godley, it's not a big deal for Godley to have pitched today. However, it is a big deal that Serrano needed him to throw him today.

Like I said, I'm not sure we disagree on much here.

 

[1985Vols]

Serrano getting what he deserves after running off some key players that were upperclassmen after last year. Not sure this guy knows what he's doing.

 

[vol2013]

Serrano getting what he deserves after running off some key players that were upperclassmen after last year. Not sure this guy knows what he's doing.

Key players off of a team that lost to Austin Peay, Etsu, MTSU(x2), and finished in the basement of the SEC. This was going to be a rough season regardless, might as well start rebuilding with players that have higher ceilings. This is our only midweek loss of the season and it is being way overblown.
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[ShowmeVols]

This is our only midweek loss of the season and it is being way overblown.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

I agree with you about the overblown reactions, but the midweek sample size is pretty small:
Week one: No midweek game scheduled
Week two: 9-7 win over ETSU
Week three: rainout vs. Belmont
Week four: 4-0 and 5-4 (10) wins over WKU
Week five: 10-5 win over Western Carolina
Week six: rainout vs. Tech
Week seven: 7-5 loss to Longwood

Not much to get excited about either way.

 

[BruinVol]

I agree with you about the overblown reactions, but the midweek sample size is pretty small:
Week one: No midweek game scheduled
Week two: 9-7 win over ETSU
Week three: rainout vs. Belmont
Week four: 4-0 and 5-4 (10) wins over WKU
Week five: 10-5 win over Western Carolina
Week six: rainout vs. Tech
Week seven: 7-5 loss to Longwood

Not much to get excited about either way.

Those rainouts going to be rescheduled or another opponent picked up to get to 56??

 

[1985Vols]

Key players off of a team that lost to Austin Peay, Etsu, MTSU(x2), and finished in the basement of the SEC. This was going to be a rough season regardless, might as well start rebuilding with players that have higher ceilings. This is our only midweek loss of the season and it is being way overblown.
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Not seeing any improvement in year 2 In fact, they look like a worse team than last year. Booting off upperclassmen that could have provided leadership was a big mistake by Serrano IMO

 

[RichRollin]

Not seeing any improvement in year 2 In fact, they look like a worse team than last year. Booting off upperclassmen that could have provided leadership was a big mistake by Serrano IMO

I'm not sure there's much evidence that those upperclassmen provided much leadership.

 

[Backwards K]

Oh, there's been improvement over last year's team and a few pieces are now in place. The biggest upgrades are needed in:

1. Power. At the plate and on the mound. The size of the players on UT's team vs the size of Vandy's players was very noticeable. I think UT had the same # of hits as Vandy but VU had more extra base hits including the grand slam hit over the scoreboard. This weekend, UT was bringing in guys throwing in the mid 80s while Vandy's bullpen was trotting in guys throwing in the low 90s. Big difference.

2. Pitching: UT has a Sunday pitcher as their Friday night guy and he is holding his own so far, but the next few series UT will face some future MLB talent on the mound on Friday and Saturday. Once, you get past Godley, Williams, and Ownby, you are not sure what you are going to get. Quillen, Charpie, Cox, and Bettencourt have had 2 or 3 good outings and 3 or 4 not so good outings. Saberhagen should be used to get out one or two LH guys per game....only.

This team has done a remarkable job of scrapping and having a chance to win every series they have been in. They have several guys hitting the ball well but it's hard to win close games without having one or two guys who can provide some power at the plate and hit a 2 run double or 3 run homer instead of a two out 1 rbi single.

The Vols should make it to Hoover this year and the experience gained this year by a lot of freshman plus another off season in the weight program will provide better benefits next year if the Vols can pick up 2 or 3 power arms and at least one power hitter.

Serrano is the right guy for the job.

 

[RichRollin]

Oh, there's been improvement over last year's team and a few pieces are now in place. The biggest upgrades are needed in:

1. Power. At the plate and on the mound. The size of the players on UT's team vs the size of Vandy's players was very noticeable. I think UT had the same # of hits as Vandy but VU had more extra base hits including the grand slam hit over the scoreboard. This weekend, UT was bringing in guys throwing in the mid 80s while Vandy's bullpen was trotting in guys throwing in the low 90s. Big difference.

2. Pitching: UT has a Sunday pitcher as their Friday night guy and he is holding his own so far, but the next few series UT will face some future MLB talent on the mound on Friday and Saturday. Once, you get past Godley, Williams, and Ownby, you are not sure what you are going to get. Quillen, Charpie, and Bettencourt have had 2 or 3 good outings and 3 or 4 not so good outings. Saberhagen should be used to get out one or two LH guys per game....only.

This team has done a remarkable job of scrapping and having a chance to win every series they have been in. They have several guys hitting the ball well but it's hard to win close games without having one or two guys who can provide some power at the plate and hit a 2 run double or 3 run homer instead of a two out 1 rbi single.

The Vols should make it to Hoover this year and the experience gained this year by a lot of freshman plus another off season in the weight program will provide better benefits next year if the Vols can pick up 2 or 3 power arms and at least one power hitter.

Serrano is the right guy for the job.

Somebody gets it.

 

[VolinTitanTown]

Obviously there are only a few people on this board who follow college baseball and know what is going on.
This team has 18 freshmen!!! That is practically half the team. You couldn't make up a team with the best freshmen in the country and compete in this conference. I think they will be a great foundation for the years to come.
3 more are first year players.
CDS has been to the World Series with practically every team he has been with, including the Vols under Delmonico. The man's resume speaks demands patience from a bunch of know nothings.

 

[ShowmeVols]

The offense is improving. Last year we were at the bottom of the conference in hitting. As of today, we are respectably in the middle of the pack, though light on power. There is progress there, and it's reasonable to believe some of these hitters will grow into a little more power.

However, I'm still looking for reasons to believe the pitching staff is headed in the right direction. Godley is a senior. Williams is a draft-eligible junior who might get an opportunity. Nobody else on the current roster has performed in a way that says they're on the verge of being solid SEC weekend starters.

Of the incoming recruits, the one advertised as having the highest ceiling (Will Carter) does not appear to be pitching this spring for Walters. He's on the roster, but not in the box scores. Don't know if he's hurt or something else is going on, but a potential exclamation mark is now a question mark.

The other JUCO transfer signees all carry the same risk as the JUCO arms we lost to the pros this year. If they do well enough at their JUCO to step into a starting role here, they will have pro options. Raphael Ramirez at El Camino College in California and Josh Peterson at Walters are both having good seasons. We'll do well to land one.

That leaves us with our two power arm high school recruits, Kyle Serrano and Hunter Martin. Both are the kind of recruits we want to be bringing in every year, developing as freshman and giving them leadership roles as sophomores. As it looks now, if we land them both, they'll get thrown right into the fire. Hope they can handle it.

Oh, and there are no LHP's announced yet, so pending further developments, Cox, Owenby, and Saberhagen look to be all we have from that side.


Frankly, I'm a little bit tired of the folks who come on here and respond to every post that is anything less than total rah-rah, give-me-more-of-that-purple-kool-aid by reminding us how many freshman we have and reciting Coach Serrano's resume highlights. Duh! We all know all that.

We're still allowed to have opinions on how the rebuilding project is going. And right now, my opinion is there's not much cause for optimism on the pitching front. Maybe there will be when the new team forms in the fall, but not yet.

As good as Serrano's track record was, and as glad as I am we got him to come, the fact remains that he is trying to do something he hasn't done before: namely, taking a perennial last place team in the nation's toughest conference back to national prominence. It is a significant new professional challenge for him. All you people who think it's a done deal that we'll be hosting super-regionals in the near future are seriously underestimating the difficulty of his task.

I have said all along and continue to believe we won't be able to evaluate Serrano's performance until the end of the 2015 season. He was hired in June, 2011 after all the elite 2012's were already verbally committed elsewhere. He had a decent shot at the 2013 class, and when those guys are sophomores, we'll see what his work product really looks like.

 

[Backwards K]

Well, dang Showme, now I feel bad for having an opinion and trying to back it up with facts. I'll try to do better and be a little more negative about the future of the program.

You make good points but seem to get real defensive if anyone has anything good to say about the future. Most of are just saying, there is some talent here that will develop but they will need some help. Despite what some of y'all believe, I figure that Serrano is aware of this as well.

The UT baseball program had slipped further than the football program and it will take a while to get it back. I think it's headed in the right direction and I think even stronger that the right man is in charge of the rebuilding project. I hope that doesn' offend you and your superior baseball knowledge.

 

[Backwards K]

As for power pitching: Andrew Lee was a low 90s guy in HS before the Tommy John surgery and he is expected back to full strength and on the mound next year. Kyle Serrano is 90-92 and recognized as a top draft eligible prospect by many. UT is also in on several JUCO pitchers, so there is help coming.

Again, just to appease Showme, there is a chance Lee won't regain the MPH he had in the past and Serrano may go high enough in the draft that he will sign. Also, the JUCO guys will probably sign somewhere else or go pro also.

 

[vol66]

It's early in the season, so...stats, at this point, don't carry much weight. However, it's a pleasant surprise to see Price, Simcox, VJax, and Maddox hitting so well vs. SEC competition. Price is batting .405, Simcox .385, VJax .370 and Maddox .324. (SEC Conference statistics (as of Mar 31, 2013)
(SEC games only Sorted by Batting avg)

As a team this time last year, we were batting .260, next to last, ahead of only Bama. This year we're at .279 tied w/LSU in 4th behind Bama, Tamu, and Vandy.

So far, we've taken a game from Bama, won a series from Mizzou, and we were swept by a Vandy team that I believed we only really had a shot at on Friday with Godley. Given the horrendous conditions, we did far better over the weekend than I thought we would. That's not anything to be psyched about, but it's nothing to cry over either. Vandy may be the best team in the league.

The Gamecocks come to town sporting a 5-4 SEC record. Obviously, another good test for us, hopefully we can win a game or two and stay in the middle of the pack. GBO! I don't know a lot about USCjr, anybody have a scouting report on them?