Looking Ahead

[JayWalker]

Some things to think about moving forward:

EXIT MEETINGS--They start with the players today. We'll know by next week if anyone is leaving, whether it be their decision or the coaching staff's choice. It's possible some guys may be asked to go JUCO in order to get more AB's. There's not a doubt in my mind, IF that happens, those guys are in future plans. Coach loves this team and the players. And, it's possible that might not happen at all.

THE PORTAL--Can't guarantee we won't see activity here. In fact, I'd be surprised if no one wound up there. We already have a half dozen or so, but those guys weren't going to be a part of the future anyway, in my opinion. With the portal, guys who would otherwise may be looking at JUCO might or might not want to go that route.

I do NOT expect us to be active in using the portal to add to the roster. I'm not saying there won't be any. But any player who might be available must be fully vetted. It doesn't take a masters degree to figure out in many cases, when you go to the portal, you're taking someone else's problem. Now, that certainly doesn't apply to every one. But it certainly applies to a bunch of them. Deggs isn't bringing "me" guys into the program. If that surprises you, you haven't been paying attention.

THE DRAFT--I'll be shocked if Tyler Robertson is here next year. I think he's a slam dunk to get drafted and he's ready to go. He's certainly got great tools.

Julian Brock is the X-factor. I know some teams have shown interest. How much, I'm not sure. As a draft-eligible sophomore who just turned 21, he's eligible for the draft. Being a DES, he also has negotiating leverage. Watch this space.

NEEDS--(Pitching): Definitely the biggest area of need. You're losing four seniors. Depending on his health, Bo Bonds is a draft possibility (although I'm not expecting it.) I think we saw this staff improve as the season went along. Talley and Schultz got better. Perrin, after a tough first outing, got better. Hammond got better, Theut got better, Rawls got better. I'll stop there, but you get my point.

But we didn't have an Arrighetti or Cooke on this team. And, those aren't easy to come by. We have added a half dozen or so arms through recruiting. This may be a place where the portal can be beneficial. But, even though we led the league in ERA I think there's plenty of room for improvement here. I firmly believe our success next year will depend on our pitching staff.

HITTING--Well, even if we lose TR and Julian, we are in good shape. Rocco, DeBarge, Hood, Veillon, Marusak, Lafleur are all returning (a healthy Lafleur can really help this team). Rincones will hopefully get better. He's an every day guy if he hits .240. Recruiting has addressed this area. We have some guys coming in who can really help this team.

LEADERSHIP--Our seniors did a great job. Some led vocally, some by example. But I'm not worried about leadership for next year. We got plenty of alphas.

We will need to sign a catcher. We have signed a HS player. If Brock goes, we may need to go to the portal for this. Willis and DeBarge are both capable of catching, but I don't think we need to go there except in case of emergency.

I think the foundation has been set for continued success with this program. That doesn't mean we will be in a regional every year...we didn't do that in the past. But I think we'll be in the mix regularly.

Having Texas State, South Alabama, Troy, Southern Miss on the schedule every year will make us better. Having Coastal, GS and Old Dominion on a rotating basis will do the same. Who was it that said, "Iron Sharpens Iron."

Man, this league is gonna be good.

[HOUCajun]

I worry about the portal. Could a guy like Rocco get a full ride + some meaningful NIL money from aTm or UT? I would guess 100% yes. I just hope he doesn’t want that!

[BabbForHeisman]

I worry about the portal. Could a guy like Rocco get a full ride + some meaningful NIL money from aTm or UT? I would guess 100% yes. I just hope he doesn’t want that!

I'm not super worried about the portal, at least for baseball. Its still a zero sum game for talent across the college spectrum. We lose some, we'll fine some.

The danger is that there are some kids out there who could be good contributors on our team, but may opt to be a fringe player at a big school to get NIL money. But you know what...those kids aren't WHBs anyway. Let them go.

[Lafitte the Pirate]

Pitching seems to be the weakest part of our team. Let’s hope the new guys can help.

[JamesTheJeweler]

Great stuff Jay

[RaginDave]

Some things to think about moving forward:

EXIT MEETINGS--They start with the players today. We'll know by next week if anyone is leaving, whether it be their decision or the coaching staff's choice. It's possible some guys may be asked to go JUCO in order to get more AB's. There's not a doubt in my mind, IF that happens, those guys are in future plans. Coach loves this team and the players. And, it's possible that might not happen at all.

THE PORTAL--Can't guarantee we won't see activity here. In fact, I'd be surprised if no one wound up there. We already have a half dozen or so, but those guys weren't going to be a part of the future anyway, in my opinion. With the portal, guys who would otherwise may be looking at JUCO might or might not want to go that route.

I do NOT expect us to be active in using the portal to add to the roster. I'm not saying there won't be any. But any player who might be available must be fully vetted. It doesn't take a masters degree to figure out in many cases, when you go to the portal, you're taking someone else's problem. Now, that certainly doesn't apply to every one. But it certainly applies to a bunch of them. Deggs isn't bringing "me" guys into the program. If that surprises you, you haven't been paying attention.

THE DRAFT--I'll be shocked if Tyler Robertson is here next year. I think he's a slam dunk to get drafted and he's ready to go. He's certainly got great tools.

Julian Brock is the X-factor. I know some teams have shown interest. How much, I'm not sure. As a draft-eligible sophomore who just turned 21, he's eligible for the draft. Being a DES, he also has negotiating leverage. Watch this space.

NEEDS--(Pitching): Definitely the biggest area of need. You're losing four seniors. Depending on his health, Bo Bonds is a draft possibility (although I'm not expecting it.) I think we saw this staff improve as the season went along. Talley and Schultz got better. Perrin, after a tough first outing, got better. Hammond got better, Theut got better, Rawls got better. I'll stop there, but you get my point.

But we didn't have an Arrighetti or Cooke on this team. And, those aren't easy to come by. We have added a half dozen or so arms through recruiting. This may be a place where the portal can be beneficial. But, even though we led the league in ERA I think there's plenty of room for improvement here. I firmly believe our success next year will depend on our pitching staff.

HITTING--Well, even if we lose TR and Julian, we are in good shape. Rocco, DeBarge, Hood, Veillon, Marusak, Lafleur are all returning (a healthy Lafleur can really help this team). Rincones will hopefully get better. He's an every day guy if he hits .240. Recruiting has addressed this area. We have some guys coming in who can really help this team.

LEADERSHIP--Our seniors did a great job. Some led vocally, some by example. But I'm not worried about leadership for next year. We got plenty of alphas.

We will need to sign a catcher. We have signed a HS player. If Brock goes, we may need to go to the portal for this. Willis and DeBarge are both capable of catching, but I don't think we need to go there except in case of emergency.

I think the foundation has been set for continued success with this program. That doesn't mean we will be in a regional every year...we didn't do that in the past. But I think we'll be in the mix regularly.

Having Texas State, South Alabama, Troy, Southern Miss on the schedule every year will make us better. Having Coastal, GS and Old Dominion on a rotating basis will do the same. Who was it that said, "Iron Sharpens Iron."

Man, this league is gonna be good.

King Solomon, to answer your trivia question. And the answer was not Ron Guidry.

[CajunT]

Some things to think about moving forward:

EXIT MEETINGS--They start with the players today. We'll know by next week if anyone is leaving, whether it be their decision or the coaching staff's choice. It's possible some guys may be asked to go JUCO in order to get more AB's. There's not a doubt in my mind, IF that happens, those guys are in future plans. Coach loves this team and the players. And, it's possible that might not happen at all.

THE PORTAL--Can't guarantee we won't see activity here. In fact, I'd be surprised if no one wound up there. We already have a half dozen or so, but those guys weren't going to be a part of the future anyway, in my opinion. With the portal, guys who would otherwise may be looking at JUCO might or might not want to go that route.

I do NOT expect us to be active in using the portal to add to the roster. I'm not saying there won't be any. But any player who might be available must be fully vetted. It doesn't take a masters degree to figure out in many cases, when you go to the portal, you're taking someone else's problem. Now, that certainly doesn't apply to every one. But it certainly applies to a bunch of them. Deggs isn't bringing "me" guys into the program. If that surprises you, you haven't been paying attention.

THE DRAFT--I'll be shocked if Tyler Robertson is here next year. I think he's a slam dunk to get drafted and he's ready to go. He's certainly got great tools.

Julian Brock is the X-factor. I know some teams have shown interest. How much, I'm not sure. As a draft-eligible sophomore who just turned 21, he's eligible for the draft. Being a DES, he also has negotiating leverage. Watch this space.

NEEDS--(Pitching): Definitely the biggest area of need. You're losing four seniors. Depending on his health, Bo Bonds is a draft possibility (although I'm not expecting it.) I think we saw this staff improve as the season went along. Talley and Schultz got better. Perrin, after a tough first outing, got better. Hammond got better, Theut got better, Rawls got better. I'll stop there, but you get my point.

But we didn't have an Arrighetti or Cooke on this team. And, those aren't easy to come by. We have added a half dozen or so arms through recruiting. This may be a place where the portal can be beneficial. But, even though we led the league in ERA I think there's plenty of room for improvement here. I firmly believe our success next year will depend on our pitching staff.

HITTING--Well, even if we lose TR and Julian, we are in good shape. Rocco, DeBarge, Hood, Veillon, Marusak, Lafleur are all returning (a healthy Lafleur can really help this team). Rincones will hopefully get better. He's an every day guy if he hits .240. Recruiting has addressed this area. We have some guys coming in who can really help this team.

LEADERSHIP--Our seniors did a great job. Some led vocally, some by example. But I'm not worried about leadership for next year. We got plenty of alphas.

We will need to sign a catcher. We have signed a HS player. If Brock goes, we may need to go to the portal for this. Willis and DeBarge are both capable of catching, but I don't think we need to go there except in case of emergency.

I think the foundation has been set for continued success with this program. That doesn't mean we will be in a regional every year...we didn't do that in the past. But I think we'll be in the mix regularly.

Having Texas State, South Alabama, Troy, Southern Miss on the schedule every year will make us better. Having Coastal, GS and Old Dominion on a rotating basis will do the same. Who was it that said, "Iron Sharpens Iron."

Man, this league is gonna be good.

Enjoyed the read, thank you. Brock and Robinson will interesting to watch next week in the MLB Draft because neither are listed in the top 200 prospects on several sites including MLB. With the draft now only 20 Rounds, and catchers that have a good hit ceiling are a premium, so he should get decent money.

I am excited about some of the hs kids the staff have signed like Stelly, Amedee, Doucet and Yuhasz. All of them have a similar makeup as Debarge, physical hitting ability.

[Dad04]

I have proven to be no draft wizard, but Brock sure looks like a professional baseball player to me.

[Dad04]

I worry about the portal. Could a guy like Rocco get a full ride + some meaningful NIL money from aTm or UT? I would guess 100% yes. I just hope he doesn’t want that!

If I am Roccoforte, I don't fix what's not broke. He gets paid in a year anyway.

[Rougarou]

If I am Roccoforte, I don't fix what's not broke. He gets paid in a year anyway.

I agree. Moving would impart too much risk for little reward. He can pad his stats at the familiar place with familiar staff and familiar teammates. He goes into the draft on a high.

I think there are too many variables that can throw things off with a change. Baseball players more than any other athletes are superstitious. If you are on a hot streak, you don’t change anything on or off the field. What does he really have to gain by going to a bigger school? He has the exposure now. He has the ability to compete on a national stage now. He should be a favorite for conference player of the year next season. He’s in an advantageous, and maybe more importantly, a more comfortable spot now.

[zeppelincajun]

I am not saying this is the most important issue, but the thing I'm most interested in seeing next year is what the staff does, if anything, to put a premium on reaching base.

To date, we are 265th in the country in walks and 211th in OB%. We finished 6th in the country in stolen bases and 10th in stolen bases per game. Scoring 169th. So despite the constant pressure we put, a batting average in the top 1/3 of the country (88th) and a slugging % just outside the top 1/3 (101), we still scored fewer runs per game than over half the teams in the country.

Our deadly speed coupled with an inability to get on base felt to me like a world renowned Cajun chef working in a Chinese restaurant at times. I'm fully aware a Deggs lead team is not going to lead the nation in walks. There's too much movement and guys swinging to protect stealers and for hit and runs, but just AVERAGE stats in those first two categories I mentioned could push this offense in to a new stratosphere.

[Rougarou]

I am not saying this is the most important issue, but the thing I'm most interested in seeing next year is what the staff does, if anything, to put a premium on reaching base.

To date, we are 265th in the country in walks and 211th in OB%. We finished 6th in the country in stolen bases and 10th in stolen bases per game. Scoring 169th. So despite the constant pressure we put, a batting average in the top 1/3 of the country (88th) and a slugging % just outside the top 1/3 (101), we still scored fewer runs per game than over half the teams in the country.

Our deadly speed coupled with an inability to get on base felt to me like a world renowned Cajun chef working in a Chinese restaurant at times. I'm fully aware a Deggs lead team is not going to lead the nation in walks. There's too much movement and guys swinging to protect stealers and for hit and runs, but just AVERAGE stats in those first two categories I mentioned could push this offense in to a new stratosphere.

After 2013 Tony told Deggs he wanted to improve in on base and slug. We saw what happened after.

But my take is that Deggs didn't want most of our hitters going deep in counts because he wanted them to jump on the fastball in the zone early. I don't know if that is a general Deggs' tenet or if he felt with the hitters we have that worked best. It could also be Deggs' preferred solution to fix our high K rate from previous years.