Lineup and pitching staff

#1
NighthawkVol

NighthawkVol

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#1
With 11 games down and the Vols finishing their first weekend of real power 5 competition, we now have an idea of what Tennessee’s lineup/staff will look like. Of course, this lineup has so much firepower and interchangeable pieces, putting together something like this is difficult. But that’s a great problem. Anyway, this is what I think Tennessee will look like when Blade and Halvorsen are healthy and the Vols are getting to the meat of the SEC schedule:

Lineup
C: Evan Russell/Jared Dickey/Charlie Taylor

1B: Luc Lipcious/Blake Burke

2B: Jorel Ortega/Christian Moore

SS: Cortland Lawson/Logan Steenstra

3B: Trey Lipscomb/Logan Chambers/Ethan Payne

LF: Seth Stephenson/Kyle Booker/Logan Chambers

CF: Drew Gilbert/Kyle Booker/Christian Scott

RF: Jordan Beck/Jared Dickey/Hunter Ensley

DH: Jared Dickey/Logan Chambers/Blake Burke/Christian Scott

Weekend Starters
Chase Burns-RHP

Blade Tidwell-RHP

Chase Dollander-RHP

Midweek Starters
Seth Halvorsen-RHP

Drew Beam-RHP

Middle Relief
Camden Sewell-RHP

Ethan Smith-RHP

Kirby Connell-LHP

Zander Sechrist-LHP

Will Mabery-LHP

Mark McLaughlin-RHP

Wyatt Evans-LHP

Hollis Fanning-RHP

Jake Fitzgibbons-LHP

Setup
Ben Joyce-RHP

Closer
Redmond Walsh-LHP
 
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#4
#4
I’m not sure Blade takes Friday spot from Chase. Hard to predict when he comes back but could be a while before he is ready to start. I think if Dollander finds a slide step he will be fine. Just have to mix it up. Beam is filling his role. Hard to move a guy who is doing his job.
 
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#7
#7
Halvorsen taking a weekend spot isn't likely. Interchangeable with Joyce and everything that's been said he's a bullpen arm.. he had serious control issues last year walking over 50 batters and even with dollander starting the Baylor game shakey he's thrown the ball well this year.
 
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#8
#8
Something I thought was intresting. Stephenson had been playing a lot up through Friday night then doesn't get the start on Sat or Sun. I could've missed an injury, but just thought that was weird
 
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#9
#9
OldTimer said:
Dollander and Beam won’t see any midweek action and they will both be starting on the weekends for the foreseeable future.
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Burns and Tidwell take two of the weekend spots. Halvorsen was a Friday starter for Missouri last year. While Dollander has pitched well, you can’t put a guy out there who can’t hold a runner on. Stolen bases are automatic against him. I’m not sure how you fix a stretch delivery mid-season. But maybe Beam keeps his spot in the weekend rotation and Dollander is pushed to midweek, while Halvorsen is midweek/bullpen.
 
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#12
#12
GregAmsler said:
He was 2 for 2 on Sunday with an RBI double. Don’t think he was hurt. Just mixing up combinations still.
Click to expand...
I think the moment got to Stephenson on Friday. He just looked overwhelmed at the plate against Hansen. Bounced back on Sunday. Could’ve had a 2 hit day on Sunday if he hadn’t tried to stretch it for a triple.
 
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#13
#13
Mr French said:
Halvorsen taking a weekend spot isn't likely. Interchangeable with Joyce and everything that's been said he's a bullpen arm.. he had serious control issues last year walking over 50 batters and even with dollander starting the Baylor game shakey he's thrown the ball well this year.
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I think this is spot on. Everyone wants to talk about Dollanders slow motion, but you can’t have Halvorsen walking 5 batters a game. It’ll come down to Dollander or Beam, and by all accounts Dollander was the #2 coming into the season. Vitello specifically said 2 of the top 4 or 5 guys were out. Not top 3. I think Halvorsen will sit with Sewell in that long relief spot if Frank can get him throwing strikes.
 
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#14
#14
GregAmsler said:
With 11 games down and the Vols finishing their first weekend of real power 5 competition, we now have an idea of what Tennessee’s lineup/staff will look like. Of course, this lineup has so much firepower and interchangeable pieces, putting together something like this is difficult. But that’s a great problem. Anyway, this is what I think Tennessee will look like when Blade and Halvorsen are healthy and the Vols are getting to the meat of the SEC schedule:

Lineup
C: Evan Russell/Jared Dickey/Charlie Taylor

1B: Luc Lipcious/Blake Burke

2B: Jorel Ortega/Christian Moore

SS: Cortland Lawson/Logan Steenstra

3B: Trey Lipscomb/Logan Chambers/Ethan Payne

LF: Seth Stephenson/Kyle Booker/Logan Chambers

CF: Drew Gilbert/Kyle Booker/Christian Scott

RF: Jordan Beck/Jared Dickey/Hunter Ensley

DH: Jared Dickey/Logan Chambers/Blake Burke/Christian Scott

Weekend Starters
Blade Tidwell-RHP

Chase Burns-RHP

Seth Halvorsen-RHP

Midweek Starters
Chase Dollander-RHP

Drew Beam-RHP

Middle Relief
Camden Sewell-RHP

Ethan Smith-RHP

Kirby Connell-LHP

Zander Sechrist-LHP

Will Mabery-LHP

Mark McLaughlin-RHP

Wyatt Evans-LHP

Hollis Fanning-RHP

Jake Fitzgibbons-LHP

Setup
Ben Joyce-RHP

Closer
Redmond Walsh-LHP
Click to expand...
I think Christian Moore has to be in the lineup. Put him at DH and Dickey in LF until Moore overtakes Ortega. Those two bats are hot and you have to get them ABs. Really positive sign for the future. Your underclassmen are Burns, Beam, Dollander, Tidwell (probably gone after this year), Sechrist, Joyce, Dickey, Burke, Moore, Stephenson, Booker, Gilbert (gone), Beck (gone), Chambers, Tears, Taylor
 
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#15
#15
txbo said:
Dollander certainly gave us a reason for concern but Beam looks like he’s going to be hard to keep off the mound on weekends.
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I'm not too worried about him. With all the pub surrounding his transfer and him knowing our program's reputation, I suspect he was wound a bit tight and pressing. I'd run him back out there and let him settle in. Gonna need him for sure.
 
#16
#16
Zvols said:
I think Christian Moore has to be in the lineup. Put him at DH and Dickey in LF until Moore overtakes Ortega. Those two bats are hot and you have to get them ABs. Really positive sign for the future. Your underclassmen are Burns, Beam, Dollander, Tidwell (probably gone after this year), Sechrist, Joyce, Dickey, Burke, Moore, Stephenson, Booker, Gilbert (gone), Beck (gone), Chambers, Tears, Taylor
Click to expand...
Move Lipscomb to SS and Moore to 3B. Really opens the lineup up. Lawson is OK so far offensively but a nice glove.
 
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#17
#17
Mr French said:
Move Lipscomb to SS and Moore to 3B. Really opens the lineup up. Lawson is OK so far offensively but a nice glove.
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Since all of us are second guessing one of the top staffs in college baseball, I’ll play, let’s move Ortega to third and keep Moore at 2nd. However, I’ll take a light hitting SS if he has the best glove of the bunch. So far, Lawson has been solid in the field.
 
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#20
#20
Mr French said:
Move Lipscomb to SS and Moore to 3B. Really opens the lineup up. Lawson is OK so far offensively but a nice glove.
Click to expand...
I don’t hate it, but Lawson has a very good glove and Lipscomb has held down the hot corner well. If Lawson starts to regress at the plate then I could see a change made.
 
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#21
#21
I'm not seeing what you guys are seeing on some of this. I'm a numbers guy also and just because a stock is hot today you don't put all your money on it. How is it doing in the long haul?
Luc is a long-term guy and Blake but .385 versus .182 batting average is not a long-term bet. i will agree on Luc's struggles with lefties this weekend but let it play out. Plus Luc has 10 walks and 8 strikeouts and Blake is 5 and 6. Blake will find spots to get at bats and will be successful but I'm not sure he beats Luc out.
C. Moore is batting .250 and all of the guys that ya'll are talking about batting better than him with a lot more at bats to weigh it out. Plus there is chemistry that has to be there in the infield. And taking Lipscomb out of the lineup because of one bad weekend? .432 ba is not happening. I think you will see a continued rotation in LF and DH for a while unless someone gets on fire and stays on fire or someone gets hurt or tanks it. Otherwise I think the positions are set for the weekend until something happens.
From past experience and knowledge, I don't expect to see Blade or Halvorsen until late April or May with any significant innings. Especially if we keep winning. Why would you risk pushing too fast for them or us? We need them for the run. The teams that get hot in May/June are the winners in Omaha. But I have all trust in Vitello, Anderson, and Elander. They have done a decent job so far. :)
 
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#22
#22
Zvols said:
I think the moment got to Stephenson on Friday. He just looked overwhelmed at the plate against Hansen. Bounced back on Sunday. Could’ve had a 2 hit day on Sunday if he hadn’t tried to stretch it for a triple.
Click to expand...

It still counted as a hit. It was a double and he was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. He was 2 for 2.
 
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#23
#23
CAVPUT said:
I'm not too worried about him. With all the pub surrounding his transfer and him knowing our program's reputation, I suspect he was wound a bit tight and pressing. I'd run him back out there and let him settle in. Gonna need him for sure.
Click to expand...

Being wound tight isn’t my concern. We know he can pitch. But Baylor exposed his inability to hold runners with his long delivery from the stretch. Anytime someone gets on base, we can’t have them stealing 2nd and 3rd. That has to get corrected.

As for Halvorsen, a weekend starter projection for him would be predicated on the assumption that Anderson has been able to get his control realized.

Beam is certainly making his case, though. If Dollander can’t correct his stretch delivery, we may see Blade, Burns, and Beam by season’s end.
 
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