I agree if you build it they will come but things have gotten really quiet about the Tigue renovations.
I agree if you build it they will come but things have gotten really quiet about the Tigue renovations.
First, this is not excuse making, as I want a consistent winner as much as anyone. I know folks are dreading our record this year, but we're inexperienced and young. We have two (2) guys starting who were part time starters of any significant time last year (Sinclair, Nichols). We lost Strentz with a Tommy John, and Bowman has never been a consistent starter until this year alternating with Francia (who's also nicked right now). Out of our eight starting fielders, we have three seniors, three sophomores, one red-shirt freshman, and two true freshmen. We also have one (1) weekend starter back (Nicholson) and two sophomore relievers back (Hicks, Kellogg) with Kellogg being nicked right now. We expected Traffica to be our primary reliever/closer, but he's also out with Tommy John.
Untimely errors have killed us this year, extending innings where the opponent always seems to score multiple runs. It seems we've also given up a number of two out hits. I think they are young guys who are pressing, trying to play faster rather than letting the game come to them.
I just sometime think we forgot how successful our program has been on a consistent basis since Coach Robichaux has been here. I think sometime we expect a world series every year, which is a bit unrealistic. I'd love it, but realize unless you have a BCS type budget and facilities that a super regional appearance every couple of years is actually pretty good. After someone had mentioned the last five years, I ran down the information below.
2011 31-27 overall 18-12 conference (3rd)
2010 38-22 overall 21-9 conference (1st) 1-2 in Austin Regional
2009 27-30 overall 14-15 conference (5th)
2008 30-29 overall 16-14 conference (6th)
2007 45-17 overall 23-7 conference (1st) 2-2 College Station Regional
In 2006 and 2005, we finished 2nd and 1st in the conference regular season as well, with one regional appearance. In the 15 regular seasons since 1997, the Cajuns have finished out of the top 3 in the conference in four years [01(8th), 04(4th), 08(6th), 09(5th)].
COACH ROBICHAUX'S UL COACHING ACCOMPLISHMENTS
-One of only 27 active Division I coaches with 800 career victories (currently has 840)
-All-time winningest coach in UL history with 577 victories
-Has a 341-127-1 record at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field as UL head coach
-Won at least 20 games at home in 11 of his 16 seasons at Louisiana
-Pitching staff has led Sun Belt in ERA in nine of the last 11 seasons (2000-10)
-Ranks in the Top 25 among active head coaches in career victories (DI)
-In 2002, became one of only eight coaches in NCAA Division I history to win his 500th career game before his 41st birthday
-In 2001, was listed by Baseball America as one of the top 10 coaches of a mid-major program in the nation (who were younger than 40 years of age)
-Currently ranks second in victories among active head coaches in the Sun Belt
-Has led Louisiana to eight NCAA postseason appearances (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2010)
-Only coach in UL history to guide baseball team to Super Regional and World Series appearances
-Led Louisiana to school-record 49 wins during its historic run in the 2000 College World Series
-Has led Louisiana to five 40-win seasons (1997, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007)
-Sun Belt Coach of the Year in 1997, 2005 and 2007
-Louisiana Coach of the Year in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2007 and 2010
-ABCA South Central Region Coach of the Year in 1999, 2000 and 2010
-Guided Ragin' Cajuns to four Sun Belt regular season titles (1997, 2005, 2007, 2010) and to one SBC Tournament title (1998)
-Thirty-nine (39) of his former players from Louisiana have been in the MLB Draft since 1995
-Has coached 14 All-Americans since 1997
-Has produced 54 All-Sun Belt Conference selections
-Had 12 straight non-losing seasons (1997-2008) - the longest such streak in program history
-Won his 300th game at "The Tigue" on May 15, 2008, over New Orleans.
Sorry about the length, but just wanted some perspective.
So you saying in five years he finished first to third three times, and middle of the pack twice, and this year maybe below the middle of the pack or maybe still better, and of course nobody knows if we get hot for four games in the tournament.
Fair enough. That does not look like a downward trend, and the team is young in lots of areas, and nobody knows exactly what led to that.
Still we are nowhere close to our historical best in RPI or wins over the course of the entire season. We need to get better, and we need to not alibi. Robe gets lots of money from those chairback charges. The baseball program is not making enough to buy a new stadium, but it makes enough to do better than it has. Sorry if he built up my expectations.
What happened to our pipeline from Canada, and also the kids we would get from West Texas and Also from Arizona? That's true they wanted Robe to start recruiting locally, well I don't care if they come from a small town in Kansas or from China, as long as they can play ball go and get them.
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