Small Ball is dead

[Sacrifice Fly]

Back when the big bats were outlawed I thought the Robichaux era had begun. Now it seems the rest of the baseball worked has again figured out how to win without small ball. The UL guys can hit if we just let them have their space. I ask you this when was the last time a UL baseball player failed to get down a bunt? Where has it gotten them?

[CajunProud]

_ Back when the big bats were outlawed I thought the Robichaux era had begun. Now it seems the rest of the baseball worked has again figured out how to win without small ball. The UL guys can hit if we just let them have their space. I ask you this when was the last time a UL baseball player failed to get down a bunt? Where has it gotten them? _

I hate small ball. There is no place for it in the college game, but Robe can't get that through his thick head.

[Clutch0364]

_ I hate small ball. There is no place for it in the college game, but Robe can't get that through his thick head. _

Hmmmm...why dont you go check out the last few National Champions because they have been small ball teams. Sense lsu's hay day small ball has become the norm of the college world series teams.

[CajunProud]

_ Hmmmm...why dont you go check out the last few National Champions because they have been small ball teams. Sense lsu's hay day small ball has become the norm of the college world series teams. _

I respect your opinion, but you couldn't be more wrong. Great pitching is the reason OSU won the last two. Has nothing to do with small ball. We were supposed to have great pitching, but we don't.

[Kal]

_ I respect your opinion, but you couldn't be more wrong. Great pitching is the reason OSU won the last two. Has nothing to do with small ball. We were supposed to have great pitching, but we don't. _

How many runs did we prevent from scoring the past few years because our pitcher's had an excellent set of fielders who always came through? Yeh we had a little bit of a problem with short and third last year...but not like what's going on this season. I agree our pitching is struggling, but the numbers are making our pitcher's look alot worse than they really are. Think about it this way. A pitcher could throw a no hitter and not strike anyone out. Who's the real MVP in that situation - the pitcher or the fielding unit? This season has been very dissapointing and our pitching is down, but these are some of the same guys that pitched awesome last year. I don't think you can place so much blame on the pitching staff. I think its a combo of bullpen and fielding that's got us where we are.

[CajunProud]

_ How many runs did we prevent from scoring the past few years because our pitcher's had an excellent set of fielders who always came through? Yeh we had a little bit of a problem with short and third last year...but not like what's going on this season. I agree our pitching is struggling, but the numbers are making our pitcher's look alot worse than they really are. Think about it this way. A pitcher could throw a no hitter and not strike anyone out. Who's the real MVP in that situation - the pitcher or the fielding unit? This season has been very dissapointing and our pitching is down, but these are some of the same guys that pitched awesome last year. I don't think you can place so much blame on the pitching staff. I think its a combo of bullpen and fielding that's got us where we are. _

You're right in that it takes a team effort and we have not had a TEAM effort this year in any aspect of the game. I don't know what the problem is this year, but there is not excuse. Our same great pitching staff from last year is getting pounded. Our defense is pathetic. These are two areas that we are normally very strong in. Our hitting as of late has been better, but all in all just horrible. We have a few guys contributing, but that is it. I sure hope whoever does our recruiting wakes up and gets some talent for next year.

[Turbine]

4 posters 3 different opinions . . . sport is interesting even when things aren't going our way.

[Clutch0364]

_ I respect your opinion, but you couldn't be more wrong. Great pitching is the reason OSU won the last two. Has nothing to do with small ball. We were supposed to have great pitching, but we don't. _

One part of small ball is great pitching and defense...Cal State Fullerton, Oregon State, Rice, and Texas all had great pitching and defense , but none of them were teams like Arizona State last year who just smash the ball or like lsu in there hay day.

Dont get me wrong I think hitting is an issue for this team but its not small balls fault. I see a lot of guys who just cant seem to get timely hits. I'd love to see us smash the ball but I am not one who thinks that will get us to the next level....we need a combination of small ball and have some pop in the middle of the lineup so the teams we face have soemthing to fear.

[CajunProud]

_ One part of small ball is great pitching and defense...Cal State Fullerton, Oregon State, Rice, and Texas all had great pitching and defense , but none of them were teams like Arizona State last year who just smash the ball or like lsu in there hay day.

Dont get me wrong I think hitting is an issue for this team but its not small balls fault. I see a lot of guys who just cant seem to get timely hits. I'd love to see us smash the ball but I am not one who thinks that will get us to the next level....we need a combination of small ball and have some pop in the middle of the lineup so the teams we face have soemthing to fear. _

Maybe our definitions of small ball are different. I hear what you are saying, and I agree that we need some aspects of "small ball". It just seems that most of our guys aren't swinging with authority. I don't necessarily want to see every guy in the lineup hit home runs, but at least but an agressive swing on the ball. We hit too many weak dribblers and pop ups. Even when we try to play small ball, we can't get a bunt down, and with this years team, if you lay a bunt down to move a runner from 1st to 2nd you are giving up a precious out that we can't afford to give up because no one other than Gisclair, Hawkins, Goulas and now Harst is swinging with any authority on a consistent basis.

It has just been a very frustrating year, and it looks as though next year will be a rebuilding year when it shouldn't be this way.

[Clutch0364]

_ Maybe our definitions of small ball are different. I hear what you are saying, and I agree that we need some aspects of "small ball". It just seems that most of our guys aren't swinging with authority. I don't necessarily want to see every guy in the lineup hit home runs, but at least but an agressive swing on the ball. We hit too many weak dribblers and pop ups. Even when we try to play small ball, we can't get a bunt down, and with this years team, if you lay a bunt down to move a runner from 1st to 2nd you are giving up a precious out that we can't afford to give up because no one other than Gisclair, Hawkins, Goulas and now Harst is swinging with any authority on a consistent basis.

It has just been a very frustrating year, and it looks as though next year will be a rebuilding year when it shouldn't be this way. _

I think we see things the same just definitions r a little different. I feel like you we need guys to start swinging with some aggression.

[Just1More]

"Small ball" is partially created when you sit further away from the field and it makes the ball seem a lot smaller. The ball is the same size, it just looks smaller cause you aren't as close. If a player hits the ball real hard, it not only compresses the ball (hence, small ball), it also travels a lot further and makes the ball appear to shrink in the sky as it travels away from you. It can get a little confusing if you sit in the outfield bleachers. These people experience the reverse effect. For those sitting behind the plate, the effect is the most obvious. The ball is actually the same size as before, it just looks smaller as it flies away. We need to play some of this kind of small ball... where we hit the ball really hard, compressing it momentarily, and then letting it fly... real far... into a gap or over the fence, in the field of play. That would be really cool. Another key is to limit how many times the other team hits the ball into compression (or small ball) and not allowing subject ball to get into the gaps or over the fence, in the field of play. If you combine both your team hitting well and their team not hitting well... the outcome is generally in your favor. It generates more wins and less losses. I call it "small loss" with "small ball".

[RaisingCajun08]

_ Back when the big bats were outlawed I thought the Robichaux era had begun. Now it seems the rest of the baseball worked has again figured out how to win without small ball. The UL guys can hit if we just let them have their space. I ask you this when was the last time a UL baseball player failed to get down a bunt? Where has it gotten them? _

How can you expect us to play small ball when we are constantly down by 5 or 6 runs?

[RaginCajun77]

Unless this team starts playing better baseball soon we will find ourselves on the losing side of more games. This pitching staff had a very poor weekend. ULM scored 39 runs this weekend. Pitching and fielding have to get better. We talk about our hitting struggling but look at it this way ULM scored an average of 13 runs over three games, that is asking alot of your hitting no matter how you look at it. Granted we need everyone to be more aggressive when at the plate. We need to swing the bat with authorityand get timely hits, but let's also be realistic expecting your team to score more than 13 runs over a three game series is a tall order.

My point is this season isn't over, but a few more weeks like this and it very well could be.

[Boomer]

Take away the errors in the first 2 games and the poor pitching in the first game and I think that ULM is Damn good ---Like Robe said --that is what the number one team looks like--Lil Swagger also!!!! Man I hope we get in the tourn. and it will be close!!!

[CajunProud]

We can't get a break this year. Now Benzel is out with a fractured wrist. It appears that this season is over and we need to get all of the young players a lot of experience for next season. I just can't understand why this program can't have sustained success. Oh well, I guess that is just baseball. Here's to next season.