Ragin' Cajuns Baseball looks to next year

[NewsCopy]

While eight other Sun Belt Conference schools prepare for the league tournament that gets under way today in Bowling Green, Ky., UL looks ahead. Having failed to qualify for the tourney for the first time since 2001 after a last-place finish in ...

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[CajunFan2012]

Yes it was a bad year for the Cajuns and yes they did come in last in batting average for the conference but before we continue negative comments (as I have seen on recent postings) on a coach and "young" team and the need to get the "bats going" for next year let's look at the statistics:

The UL batting averages in conference play in order of ranking of all individual conference stats (www.sunbeltsports.org):

4th - Compton .352 - So
15th - Leonards .322 - So
17th - Conrad .320 - Fr
38th - Girouard .284 - RS Fr
54th - Butler .254 - Fr

Hmmm ...... all Freshman and Sophomores.

If you calculate the conference batting average of the above returning players it comes to .297 which is above the conference leader FIU at .294. So I do not believe youngness was the problem with our batting average.

With the pitching we have returning next year as well as the return of Chase Traffica and Strentz I personnally think this young team has a great future ahead of them.

[RedBug58]

Yes it was a bad year for the Cajuns and yes they did come in last in batting average for the conference but before we continue negative comments (as I have seen on recent postings) on a coach and "young" team and the need to get the "bats going" for next year let's look at the statistics:

The UL batting averages in conference play in order of ranking of all individual conference stats (www.sunbeltsports.org):

4th - Compton .352 - So
15th - Leonards .322 - So
17th - Conrad .320 - Fr
38th - Girouard .284 - RS Fr
54th - Butler .254 - Fr

Hmmm ...... all Freshman and Sophomores.

If you calculate the conference batting average of the above returning players it comes to .297 which is above the conference leader FIU at .294. So I do not believe youngness was the problem with our batting average.

With the pitching we have returning next year as well as the return of Chase Traffica and Strentz I personnally think this young team has a great future ahead of them.

Excellent post!

One question......I know Strentz played a little at the beginning of the season. Will he be able to get the year back?

[LifeTimeCajun]

It's RBI's that concern me. Yes average is important, but to me it's about driving runners in when it matters the most. We have had multiple games where we had 8,9, even 10 hits and 1 or 2 runs. So to be honest...that's alot of meaningless hits. And that also means we stranded baserunners without driving them in. IMO, it's way past time for us to become physical at the plate and stick balls in the gap. With the exception of butler, compton, and maybe strentz....I don't see a whole lot of RBI producers in the lineup for next year. It's easier said than done, but that's what's gotta happen. Players need to get much better in order to compete because this program has been left behind for the past few seasons in our own conference.

[CajunMarineBBK]

From what I understand Strentz gets that year back yes.

[CajunEXPRESS]

Yes it was a bad year for the Cajuns and yes they did come in last in batting average for the conference but before we continue negative comments (as I have seen on recent postings) on a coach and "young" team and the need to get the "bats going" for next year let's look at the statistics:

The UL batting averages in conference play in order of ranking of all individual conference stats (www.sunbeltsports.org):

4th - Compton .352 - So
15th - Leonards .322 - So
17th - Conrad .320 - Fr
38th - Girouard .284 - RS Fr
54th - Butler .254 - Fr

Hmmm ...... all Freshman and Sophomores.

If you calculate the conference batting average of the above returning players it comes to .297 which is above the conference leader FIU at .294. So I do not believe youngness was the problem with our batting average.

With the pitching we have returning next year as well as the return of Chase Traffica and Strentz I personnally think this young team has a great future ahead of them.

Having said all that, will we be young again next year, and if so and we knock the snot out of the ball and win say 38 games, can we forever kill the youth, and it takes time to create chemisty threads? Really it probably does take quality upper classmen to do well in baseball as a whole, but due to the baseball draft, you will always be young and rebuilding chemistry if your teams are any good.

When you have a bunch of seniors who have a bunch of errors, base running mistakes, low batting average, and failure to hit at cruical moments you got a bunch of limited players regardless of age. I am ready to see some youth that are good, like these guys.

[CajunProud]

It's always been RBI's that concern me, but when you play small ball and take the bat out of player's hands, you will get limited RBI's.

[jumboragncajun]

Yes it was a bad year for the Cajuns and yes they did come in last in batting average for the conference but before we continue negative comments (as I have seen on recent postings) on a coach and "young" team and the need to get the "bats going" for next year let's look at the statistics:

The UL batting averages in conference play in order of ranking of all individual conference stats (www.sunbeltsports.org):

4th - Compton .352 - So
15th - Leonards .322 - So
17th - Conrad .320 - Fr
38th - Girouard .284 - RS Fr
54th - Butler .254 - Fr

Hmmm ...... all Freshman and Sophomores.

If you calculate the conference batting average of the above returning players it comes to .297 which is above the conference leader FIU at .294. So I do not believe youngness was the problem with our batting average.

With the pitching we have returning next year as well as the return of Chase Traffica and Strentz I personnally think this young team has a great future ahead of them.

Good Post. However, turnover in the roster seems to always squelch the excitement for the next season.
I am curious about the exit interviews. Who is leaving? and Who is leaving on their terms? and Who is leaving on Tony's terms?

My dark horse early pick for gap power next season is Logan Preston. Didn't quiiiite catch up to the D1 pitching this year, but when he does, I think he will be a beast.

[Boomer]

And so I now ask for a potential starting line-up with any transfers that ya'll might know about----BTW anymore Butlers coming???

[SlappyCajun]

Boomer -

As a former coach you must surely know that attempting to say a starting line-up without seeing a kid play fall ball yet is a pretty pointless exercise.

[CajunT]

Boomer -

As a former coach you must surely know that attempting to say a starting line-up without seeing a kid play fall ball yet is a pretty pointless exercise.

Not to mention that they are not done signing yet. They will add several late signees to the 2012 Class.

[Cajun8]

Well, the YOUNG excuse can only get so much mileage because we weren't YOUNG last year and got embarrassed at the
SBC tournament. So, as much as i think that we do have some talent, we definately have some problems in good old
fundamental preperation. Way to many baserunning mistakes. I don't feel like we need to be a senior laden team to practice
good defense and baserunning skills, I've seen to many youth teams execute . Communication on the bases is lacking.
Also, if you have a good program, it should never drop to last , that means that you didn't look to the future. Now , we have to re-build that reputation. Can we do it ? of course, but it shouldn't happen. I'm not ready to pull the plug on Tony, but there are alot of areas that need improving besides playing with elder classmen.