UL Baseball

Amid all of this Saints hysteria, I could not help but ponder about our upcoming baseball season. What,at one point, was the pearl of Ragin' Cajun athletics, has caught Bustleitis. Two years ago, we were preseason #19, and have not sniffed acknowledgment since. Rightfully so, because we really have been mediocre in a bad conference. But, with a lighter schedule and a deep pitching staff, this could be the year we get out of this recent "rut" that we find ourselves in. Hopefully, we find ourselves talking about a high seed in the conference tournament at the end of the year instead of being swept back to Lafayette by our little step-brother(ULM). Any thoughts?

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Originally Posted by bleedred11

_ Rightfully so, because we really have been mediocre in a bad conference. Any thoughts? _

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The Sun Belt is hands down one of the top 6 conferences in Division-I college baseball. We are one of only 6 conferences to send multiple teams to the first round of regional play for the last 20 years! 1) SEC 2) Big 12 3) ACC 4)Pac-10 5) Big West 6) Sun Belt. My numbers might be off a little but not by much. We are a VERY respected baseball conference.

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Originally Posted by bleedred11

Amid all of this Saints hysteria, I could not help but ponder about our upcoming baseball season. What,at one point, was the pearl of Ragin' Cajun athletics, has caught Bustleitis. Two years ago, we were preseason #19, and have not sniffed acknowledgment since. Rightfully so, because we really have been mediocre in a bad conference. But, with a lighter schedule and a deep pitching staff, this could be the year we get out of this recent "rut" that we find ourselves in. Hopefully, we find ourselves talking about a high seed in the conference tournament at the end of the year instead of being swept back to Lafayette by our little step-brother(ULM). Any thoughts?

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My thoughts...... SBC is not close to being a bad baseball conference.

Yes, to be more specific, the Sun Belts RPI last year was 7th behind the before mentioned and C USA. Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee made regionals, both picking up W's.

No this isn't football where we're the new conference on the block trying to earn respect.

The cajuns were 27-30-1 last year and still had an RPI of 93 because of the conference and sos. I don't know how many teams had losing records in the top 100, but it cant be many.

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Originally Posted by Jacob

_ Yes, to be more specific, the Sun Belts RPI last year was 7th behind the before mentioned and C USA.

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Good point, I forgot about C-USA. That would put the Belt at or around #7 overall.

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Originally Posted by bleedred11

_ Amid all of this Saints hysteria, I could not help but ponder about our upcoming baseball season. What,at one point, was the pearl of Ragin' Cajun athletics, has caught Bustleitis. Two years ago, we were preseason #19, and have not sniffed acknowledgment since. Rightfully so, because we really have been mediocre in a bad conference. But, with a lighter schedule and a deep pitching staff, this could be the year we get out of this recent "rut" that we find ourselves in. Hopefully, we find ourselves talking about a high seed in the conference tournament at the end of the year instead of being swept back to Lafayette by our little step-brother(ULM). Any thoughts? _

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Bad conference? You need to pay closer attention to SBC baseball.

Maybe our standards are different, but I do not consider one World Series team in ten years good. Perhaps that is the problem with this conference:our definition of "good" is not the same as everyone else.

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Originally Posted by bleedred11

Maybe our standards are different, but I do not consider one World Series team in ten years good. Perhaps that is the problem with this conference:our definition of "good" is not the same as everyone else.

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By all measures typically used. Conference RPI, ISR, inter-conference games, and post season apperances the SBC is a good baseball conference.

There are thirty baseball conferences today in NCAA Div. 1 and only thirteen conferences have more than two apperances in the CWS since 1947. The SBC has two as the Cajuns and UNO each have an apperance.

Your definition is the one that is not in line with "everyone else". Being ranked consistently in the top ten out of thirty conferences is good.

Think of it this way. Do you believe that SBC softball should be considered a good conference? After all the conference (based on current membership) can claim a number of WCWS apperances. All by one team but that certainly doesn't qualify us as a good softball conference. On the flip side I don't think you can judge the SBC as a bad baseball conference because we only have two CWS apperances.

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Originally Posted by bleedred11

_ Maybe our standards are different, but I do not consider one World Series team in ten years good. Perhaps that is the problem with this conference:our definition of "good" is not the same as everyone else. _

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My comment had nothing to do with UL baseball. It had everything to do with Sun Belt baseball and how it's not a laughing stock conference (you labeling it bad) by any measure.

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Originally Posted by bleedred11

_ Maybe our standards are different, but I do not consider one World Series team in ten years good. Perhaps that is the problem with this conference:our definition of "good" is not the same as everyone else. _

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That's like saying any basketball conference that doesn't send a team to the Final Four more than once in 10 years is a bad basketball conference.

Disregard my previous post...I miss read your sentence. I see your point but I think it goes a little deeper than just one CWS team in 10 years.

Hey,maybe that is why we have not seen much success around here. Our fans apparently do not mind the results we have been seeing.While some of you are enjoying mediocrity, the rest of us will continue to wait for progress.

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Originally Posted by bleedred11

_ Hey,maybe that is why we have not seen much success around here. Our fans apparently do not mind the results we have been seeing.While some of you are enjoying mediocrity, the rest of us will continue to wait for progress. _

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I bet myself $1000 after reading your previous posts you would bust out the old accepting mediocrity line and I won! What part of this do you not understand: The SBC is in the top 3rd of baseball conferences. By definition top 3rd is not mediocre. I also don't see how this established fact means fans are happy with how the baseball team is doing.
Almost everyone who posts here and follows the program wants and expects more out of UL baseball.

Well HOUCajun, if the boot fits. We will be labeled that until proven otherwise.

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Originally Posted by bleedred11

_ Well HOUCajun, if the boot fits. We will be labeled that until proven otherwise. _

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Labeled as what? We are not satisfied with what we've seen and the staff isnt either. We're in a pretty darn good conference, but its not an excuse to be where we've been the last 2 years or so.

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Originally Posted by bleedred11

_ Hey,maybe that is why we have not seen much success around here. Our fans apparently do not mind the results we have been seeing.While some of you are enjoying mediocrity, the rest of us will continue to wait for progress. _

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I'm not gonna argue with the fact that the cajuns have played some mediocre to bad baseball the previous 2 season, you're right, but if you think that the conference as a whole is lousy, you need to have your head examined. Making it to the CWS is equivalent to making it to the elite 8 in basketball, or being in a BCS game in football. I mean seriously, I want us to get there, who doesn't, but baseball is definitely the conferences strong point. With that said, we may not have teams in the CWS every year, but we do constantly have teams playing on championship sunday/monday, meaning that they are in the top 35.

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Originally Posted by TuffGuy84

_ I'm not gonna argue with the fact that the cajuns have played some mediocre to bad baseball the previous 2 season, you're right, but if you think that the conference as a whole is lousy, you need to have your head examined. Making it to the CWS is equivalent to making it to the elite 8 in basketball, or being in a BCS game in football. I mean seriously, I want us to get there, who doesn't, but baseball is definitely the conferences strong point. With that said, we may not have teams in the CWS every year, but we do constantly have teams playing on championship sunday/monday, meaning that they are in the top 35. _

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Agree with yall that the SBC is a way better league in baseball than other sports. But when you look at the sucess of the post season and what conferences actually have schools make deep runs into the playoffs, they normally come from 3 or 4 leagues. Yes every year seems to have a cinderalla team making it to omaha from a non BCS conference. despite the SBC being in the top 10 RPI, i think there is a few real strong conferences, and then everybody. what seperates the ACC, SEC, big 12 from all other leagues is depth. however, the SBC has done a real good job of getting the bottom half of our conference alot better the past few years.just need to keep improving!!

Fan day was pretty great Saturday, and though it was my first experience, the crowd was good, per Tyler Frederick's dad.

Football is officially over, I'm ready for some Baseball. I can't wait to watch our starting rotation pitch when it means something. To have two Sr. pitchers going Friday, and Saturday is exciting to me. Our defense is going to be even stronger on the carpet. We have been making good contact at the plate (grated its practice) but skill still shows up in practice. We have more gap power than the regular fan realizes.
There is no guarantee in baseball, so to predict how many wins we "should end up with" is unrealistic, but I think we'll be in strong contention for a conference championship as well as a NCAA bid.

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Originally Posted by Tin Pan

_ Football is officially over, I'm ready for some Baseball. I can't wait to watch our starting rotation pitch when it means something. To have two Sr. pitchers going Friday, and Saturday is exciting to me. Our defense is going to be even stronger on the carpet. We have been making good contact at the plate (grated its practice) but skill still shows up in practice. We have more gap power than the regular fan realizes.
There is no guarantee in baseball, so to predict how many wins we "should end up with" is unrealistic, but I think we'll be in strong contention for a conference championship as well as a NCAA bid. _

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Did anyone go to the inter-squad game Sunday morning?

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Originally Posted by Tin Pan

Football is officially over, I'm ready for some Baseball. I can't wait to watch our starting rotation pitch when it means something. To have two Sr. pitchers going Friday, and Saturday is exciting to me. Our defense is going to be even stronger on the carpet. We have been making good contact at the plate (grated its practice) but skill still shows up in practice. We have more gap power than the regular fan realizes.
There is no guarantee in baseball, so to predict how many wins we "should end up with" is unrealistic, but I think we'll be in strong contention for a conference championship as well as a NCAA bid.

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I'm optimistic about the Cajuns but the SBC looks like it could be a battle. This could be the strongest the SBC has been in a number of years. Look for FIU, MTSU, W.Ky., Troy, & UNO to all have good potential.

The early season could tell a lot about the league but don't be surprised to see a good mix of SBC teams getting attention at the end of the season.

Happy to here it, as you know the better the competition the better the league. Most people don't realize the quality baseball played in the SBC. I'm looking forward to watching some good baseball at the " Tigue ". I'm originally from Southern California and many people think that just because it's Southern Cal. that baseball is just better, it's not. I've lived in California, Chicago, Seattle and settled down here in Lafayette. Our college baseball program is solid and very competitive. I'm so appreciative to have this kind of baseball right here in Lafayette.

For the record, I predicted the Saints Super Bowl victory before the season and I'm back with another prognostication. The Ragin' Cajun baseball team will win the Sun Belt and a regional.









Another for the record, I've picked the Saints to win the SB for at least 15 years so I'm an awful prognosticator when my heart's involved. Anyway, Geaux Cajuns!

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Originally Posted by raginsaints

_ For the record, I predicted the Saints Super Bowl victory before the season and I'm back with another prognostication. The Ragin' Cajun baseball team will win the Sun Belt and a regional.


Another for the record, I've picked the Saints to win the SB for at least 15 years so I'm an awful prognosticator when my heart's involved. Anyway, Geaux Cajuns! _

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You sound like ME!