Thoughts after 2 Weekends....

#1
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TNVols58

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#1
Granted the competition has been less than stellar, but here are some thoughts

-It appears we've got decent depth on the mound this year.....Gruver, Reed, Dean, Godley, Watson, Steckenrider, and Williams have all done pretty well so far...hopefully they can continue to pitch well....avoiding walks is the big thing with our staff

-I'd like to see a change with the Sunday starter...maybe put Dean or Godley there....Peper has really struggled

-Ramsey still hasn't pitched...guess they're resting him which is smart....he's done a pretty good job at catcher, throwing out 4 of 7 runners

-At the plate Duffy and Norfork have really stood out....both are great defenders as well....both are over .450 at the plate

-Osborne swung a nice bat this weekend and is also a great fielder

-Toles has had a decent start...he's hit a lot of hard balls right at people that will even out to hits as the year progresses

-We need more production out of Liles and Fritts for sure
 
#2
#2
One more thing....the new bats have made a HUGE, HUGE impact....there's been tons of balls that were outs that would've been HRs last year....hard to believe really how big the effect has been....we've got 2 HRs in 6 games
 
#3
#3
Who can argue with the start for sure.
Time will tell when they play LSU, Florida, Vandy, etc., you get my drift.
Well, if your style is small-ball the new bats will definitely help. Who knows, it might just be the change this team needs.
GO VOLS!
 
#4
#4
TNVols58 said:
One more thing....the new bats have made a HUGE, HUGE impact....there's been tons of balls that were outs that would've been HRs last year....hard to believe really how big the effect has been....we've got 2 HRs in 6 games
Click to expand...

i hope it's the bats and not a lack of power.
 
#5
#5
I saw this post on another forum but it was a great breakdown on the stats. See what you think:

Through six games, here are some key stats for the Vols and the opponents, first for the Vols: .311 batting average, 36 runs off of 57 hits (63% efficiency), 25 walks, 11 hbp, 23 strikeouts, 18 of 22 stolen bases, 3 errors, and an ERA of 3.00. For the opponents: .247 batting average, 21 runs off 48 hits (only 44% efficiency), 26 walks, 7 hbp, 51 strikeouts, 3 of 8 stolen bases, 6 errors, and ERA of 6.61. All those stats are from the offensive side, so the Vols have only struck out 23 times. That's only 1 strikeout in about every 4 innings. This team is playing INCREDIBLE baseball right now.

I did not double check his numbers but I agree with him that the Vols are looking much improved this year. Keep up the good work and GO VOLS!!!!
 
#6
#6
I wouldnt say "incredible", but so far they sound like they are playing much better.

Noticed UGA is 2-5 and was swept by Stetson and lost 2 of 3 to Baylor.

Kentucky hasn't fared much better.
 
#10
#10
tigervol9802 said:
Finished 6th in the Big 12 last year.

That's a legit series loss. Getting swept by Stetson is pretty bad.
Click to expand...

They were swept by the Stetson which was ugly, and it has gotten uglier. I know it's still early in the season but I think the Dawgs will be in a big hole before the division games, and then a bigger hole losing the division games.
 
#11
#11
TNVols58 said:
Granted the competition has been less than stellar, but here are some thoughts

-I'd like to see a change with the Sunday starter...maybe put Dean or Godley there....Peper has really struggled

-Ramsey still hasn't pitched...guess they're resting him which is smart....he's done a pretty good job at catcher, throwing out 4 of 7 runners

-At the plate Duffy and Norfork have really stood out....both are great defenders as well....both are over .450 at the plate

-Osborne swung a nice bat this weekend and is also a great fielder

-Toles has had a decent start...he's hit a lot of hard balls right at people that will even out to hits as the year progresses

-We need more production out of Liles and Fritts for sure

One more thing....the new bats have made a HUGE, HUGE impact....there's been tons of balls that were outs that would've been HRs last year....hard to believe really how big the effect has been....we've got 2 HRs in 6 games
Click to expand...

On the Sunday starter, I think you will see a change. In articles and interviews before the season, Raleigh said that the back end of the rotation was undecided, and I think it still is after two weekends. You'll see other guys get a chance there, not having mid-week games early on is both a blessing and a curse, in that we can't get issues like that decided. Several guys have performed well enough in relief to earn a chance at the Sunday spot, but it's a whole different game when you're the guy that goes out there first. I'll be interested to see what happens on that front this weekend.

There are guys we need more production from, you're certainly correct on that. Lots of hits. The baserunning will get better, the guys are starting to figure out the difference between aggressive and stupid. Some of the guys caught stealing so far have been situations where they sent one guy in order to advance or score another. It's worked like they planned, but you still see a CS in the box score. With the pressure system that Lawson has put in, we're going to get some guys thrown out. It's going to happen. But it's also going to pay great dividends at key times, in my opinion.

The bat change is playing into our favor because the situation has put a lot of emphasis on defense, which is a strength of this team. Norfork and Osbourne have amazing range, and Duffy brings the range of a shortstop to the 3B position. Horne and Liles are solid at first. Outfielders have speed and poise to get to balls so far.

Hope the pitching continues to blossom, the competition thus far hasn't been great, but teams across the country (and in the SEC) have been getting beaten pretty good by less than stellar competition, so taking care of business, regardless of opponent, is nothing to sneeze at.
 
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