2021 End of Year Thoughts

Discussion in 'Baseball' started by FWHORN, Jun 27, 2021.

  1. FWHORN

    FWHORN 10,000+ Posts

    The 2021 Texas baseball season has come to a close and by every standard it was an amazing success. Coming in to the season Texas was a solid top three team in the Big XII and also a pretty solid top ten to twelve team nationally. I thought they would challenge for the Big XII title but with so many freshman starting, that a second or even third place finish was more likely as both Tech and TCU were stacked and experienced teams. I also thought a national seed was possible though somewhere in the 6-8 range if the starting pitchers which was the strength of the team all stepped up and if the freshman could grow quickly.

    The season started with a lost weekend in Arlington where it seemed like Texas was going to challenge every record ever written for strikeouts in a game, a weekend, a season..... That 0-3 start though was the impetus for a players only meeting and what came out of that was a team united not down and a sense of purpose that stayed constant throughout the season. It was clear early on that this team had an outstanding pitching staff both in the weekend rotation and in the bullpen. I started to think this team could be special when they swept a good South Carolina team in early March and then the 16 game win streak after the midweek loss to aggy where Pete Hansen pitched great but the bats never came alive put this team in great position to challenge for the Big XII regular season title and a national seed. The freshman and redshirt freshman in key positions were outstanding from Faltine at SS who is already the best defensive player at that position we have seen in a long time to Silas Ardoin who was a rock behind the plate. Fellow freshman Hodo and Daly became mainstays in the lineup and Dylan Campbell made some key contributions. Meanwhile the grad transfer Antico was such a leader and with Zubia and Petrinsky there was a solid group of older players who brought stability to such a young lineup. And of course my fellow El Pasoan Melendez transferring in was showing his strength and power and his 6 game home run streak was just awesome.

    The Big XII was not as stacked as years past as really there were only 4 good teams and a couple of just average ones. The Horns had winning weekends in Waco, Fort Worth, and Stillwater and even with the series loss to Tech they claimed a share of the Big XII regular season title. While the Horns would go 2-2 in OKC that was a meaningless weekend as they had clinched a national seed already and there was no need to overwork their pitching staff with far more important games on the horizon.

    Ty Madden and Tristan Stevens were a fantastic top two starters and again it was freshman in Witt and Nixon who led an outstanding bullpen. One thing I really appreciate about Pierce is that he knows that seasons can be made or lost in the midweek games and so he has a strong number 4 pitcher and an emphasis on winning those games. To start the year it was Hansen in that number 4 role though he was too good to stay there and by the end it was Kubichek and Gordon. That number four starter is critical come post season and those midweek games are the proving ground. Hansen was so good midweek he worked his way up to the three spot and by the end of the year he was pitching as well, if not better, than Madden and Stevens.

    One of Pierce's greatest strengths (and unfortunately his biggest weakness) is his trust in his pitchers. I honestly think its why he is such a good recruiter of pitching talent, he doesn't have the quick hook and he lets his pitchers pitch their way out of situations. Pitchers want to pitch for a coach who trusts them. Unfortunately for the many times where that trust works there are always a few times where it doesnt and those tend to be in critical times like the last game of this season when Stevens was allowed to come out for the sixth against MSU even though he had struggled mightily in the fifth. The night before I felt he stayed with a tired Witt too long into the 8th and then last night he did it again staying with Stevens three batters too long. The tradeoff usually works in his favor but for Pierce to go from great coach (which he already is) to the truly elite level, that is something he will need to get a better handle on.

    The other recurring issue throughout the season was the strikeouts. While that is a baseball wide issue and we all loved watching Madden mow down double digit strikeouts in games it was frustrating when the opposing pitchers did it to a very good Texas lineup culminating in a 21 strikeout bang your head against a wall performance in the first game of the CWS that led to an incredibly frustrating 2-1 loss. This Texas team forced pitchers deep into counts and that depleted other teams staffs, Texas also had great power and was hitting home runs at a pace we haven't seen in a long time so there was a tradeoff for all those K's and when you win 50 games and make the national semifinals its hard to nit pick but the K issue was a season long dilemma.

    At the end of the year I thought Texas was a legit top five team and would slot in at the four or five seed but the NCAA gave the Horns a very favorable two spot. Going into the post season Texas had the pitching staff to not only get to Omaha but really do some damage. But this was very young team and how they would stand up in the crucible of the post season was an open question. The home regional drew a solid field with traditional power Arizona State and a Fairfield team that had only lost three games all year. In the supers was a likely matchup with pre-season number one Florida or traditional power Miami. Texas made quick work of its regional and watched as the world was turned upside down in Gainesville and South Florida was the surprise winner. The Horns almost blew game one of the super but a ninth inning rally won that game and they cruised to Omaha with a game two blowout. The team that had dominated all year, Arkansas, was upset in its home super and going into Omaha the Horns were the top seed remaining. The Horns pitching in Omaha was good enough to win it all but at crucial times in the two losses the bats went silent. You cant win when you strikeout 21 times and you almost never win when you only get four hits and that is what led to the two losses. In spite of that opening loss in Omaha, the Horns showed incredible resilience winning three straight elimination games before falling in another heartbreaking loss to a very good Mississippi State team. Texas ends the year with NC State as co number three finishers.

    While the loss last night is heartbreaking it does us all well to remember just how young this team is and just how much it accomplished and in many ways how it over achieved. While Madden, Stevens, Zubia, Melendez, Antico, Cam Williams and a few others are likely gone, the freshman core of this team will be back next year with all this experience and with a likely weekend rotation of Hansen, Witt, and Gordon next year, Texas will start the year as a top five team. Pierce has shown his recruiting chops and the future of Texas baseball is in good hands and is very bright. It has been a tremendous pleasure watching Texas baseball this season and this is a team quickly climbed into a group of my favorite teams at Texas for its heart, grit, and never say die attitude. 2021 will always have a special place in my memories.

    :hookem:
     
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    Last edited: Jun 27, 2021
  2. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

    Awesome summary of the season. We had our issues offensively, as you noted, but this team will be known for its growth during the season and its tenacity. Defensively, we are pretty damned good and look to be set for next season, particularly in the middle infield. I really hope Tulowitzki stays on staff for several more years, as I feel like his influence on our batters was a huge net positive, despite the strikeout plague.
     
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  3. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    Totally agree FW. As I said on another thread, the killer Ks in February ended up being the killer Ks in June. Losing that first Mississippi aggy game made reaching the finals very difficult for an average hitting team with strike out tendencies.

    Next season will bring new challenges, but a god foundation has been laid.
     
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  4. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    Excellent write up. You’re a credit to this website.

    My 2 cents to throw in (prolly worth about that much…)—

    Pitching depth was the strength of this team. Hansen’s development over the course of the season was phenomenal. By the end of the year, he’d be the number one starter for all other Big 12 teams. Kubichek is still real young. He’ll likely develop into a legit weekend starter by the time he’s done here. He already would be for other Big 12 teams. I think all our top relievers will be back. (I hope so)

    Congrats and well done to the entire team. My extra kudos to: Madden, Hansen, Quintinilla, Nixon, Witt, Ardoin, Kennedy, Melendez, and Faltine.

    Speaking of which, I don’t remember a better double play combo than Faltine and Daly. They really helped our pitchers all year. It made a difference.

    :bevo::bevo::bevo:
     
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  5. Ut forever

    Ut forever 25+ Posts

    Agree 100 percent FWHORN.Its nice seeing you and some of the others on this board have such a passion for horn baseball like myself… Hopefully the list of players you showed leaving one or two of those decide to come back… Coach pierce i hope dips in to the juco ranks or grad transfer route to grab another Melendez or Antico …Overall i was extremely proud of what they accomplished and those five games they played in Omaha will be great experience for the younger players going in to 2022 ..
     
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  6. giveemhell

    giveemhell 1,000+ Posts

    Nice season recap, we’ll no doubt eventually see “FWHORN…he’s a Longhorn Legend...” commercial breaks on LHN. I feel sorry for the Longhorn fans who waited until the Big 12 tourney to watch this team, conclude that we sucked (and post here about it), and move on to something else. They missed out on a special season. It’s a young team and the future is bright. Damn, I’m already going through Longhorn baseball withdrawals…:hookem:
     
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    Last edited: Jun 27, 2021
  7. FWHORN

    FWHORN 10,000+ Posts

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  8. giveemhell

    giveemhell 1,000+ Posts

    When we make it to Omaha and win a game or two (or more), I think I enjoy it more than football season…I just never want it to end. I’m curious, does anyone else here feel this way?
     
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  9. longhorn47

    longhorn47 500+ Posts

    Hansen is draft-eligible...just pray he's not tempted...
     
  10. Ut forever

    Ut forever 25+ Posts

    I have seen some places that he is draft eligible because of age and other places where people are saying he barely misses the age cut off …( Hansen)
     
  11. Ut forever

    Ut forever 25+ Posts

    FWHORN it would be nice to see a write up about the incoming class and your thoughts on who makes it to campus…
     
  12. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    How TCU and Tech recover will be a big factor in how Texas does in 2022. The ceiling would be a Regional win (loss in the Super Regionals away from Austin). 2023 will be the next big push.
     
  13. Phil Elliott

    Phil Elliott 2,500+ Posts

    A baseball season, like a game, does not have a definite end unless you go all the way, and even then you cannot say "on this day the season will be over". So when the end comes, it's very disappointing and hard to get used to that, all of a sudden, you don't have anymore games to watch. I have thought many times (to myself) that if God Himself came to me and said, "you can only watch one Longhorn sport in person for the rest of all time" I think I would take baseball. I sure hope we go back to normal next year so I can get my season tickets again.

    Having said that, I am looking forward to football season, even tho I don't have to watch the mailbox for my season ticket package to arrive anymore (sigh).
     
  14. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    That seems to be a significant part of Pierce's strategy. Work the counts, get opposing pitch counts up. Pounce on them when the opposing pitcher hits 80-90 pitches. Blast the incoming reliever. Wear their staff down over 3 game series. IMHO, sorta reminiscent of Tony LaRussa.
     
  15. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    I don't know the ins and outs of the mechanics of how we do it, but I suspect our scouting and analytics is superior to that of most, if not all, opponents. This gets down to those wristbands and which pitch we throw to a particular batter for any given pitch. We also did some pretty extreme shifts of the infield at times.
     
  16. FWHORN

    FWHORN 10,000+ Posts

    BON's Wescott Eberts has great article (link in my post above in this thread) looking ahead to next year and includes some thoughts on who might and might not make it to or come back to campus. Most interestingly there is thought Melendez comes back to get full season at first base, that would be huge.
     
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    Last edited: Jun 28, 2021
  17. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    This writer has more going pro than I'd like.

    If he's right, then our likely starters may be: Hansen, Witt, Gordon, Kubichek. Keeping an eye on incoming Freshman Joshua Stewart.

    Likely go-to relievers: Nixon, Quintinilla (who may go pro now), Southard, Duplantier.

    Other relievers who may be counted on a lot: Shifflet, Lummus, Wallace, Noah, and incoming Freshmen Jace Hutchins and Luke Harrison.

    With Witt bumping into the starting pitcher rotation, the starting rotation may still be a tad shy when compared to that of this year's staff (overall one of the best ever). I think Witt would be roughly on par with the 3 starters this year. We've seen how good Witt is in relief. With development, Witt could ultimately end up better than any of our starters this year... :yikes:(not exaggerating). Gordon isn't too huge of a drop off, but, at this stage, our top 3 looks to be a bit weaker overall--still the best in the conference and possibly top 5 in the nation. If Gordon doesn't transition well to a starting role, we still have Kubichek--a starter for the 1st 1/3 or so of the season this year. Kubichek would make the top 3 starters of any other team in this conference. If Kubichek could improve his control and have fewer walks, he would improve his stock significantly.

    With the development of Witt into an all-conference level starter (I can see that), and the development of Gordon into a solid, reliable starter (we'll see, I hope so), next year's starting rotation could conceivably be very, very good. Although that might take some significant growth and development for Gordon. A one-two punch of Hansen and Witt could have us taking the first 2 out of 3 in series most weekends. Of course, if Stevens comes back, we're set, we're better than set.

    [​IMG]
    :arrow-up::arrow-up::arrow-up::arrow-up::arrow-up::arrow-up::arrow-up::arrow-up::arrow-up::arrow-up::arrow-up::arrow-up:
    Looks like it's all on you, man... (Lucas Gordon)

    Relievers--this writer is pretty high on Duplantier. If Duplantier can recover fully from his surgery, he'll have plenty of opportunities. Also, if Cole Quintinilla comes back, that would be huge.

    [​IMG]
     
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    Last edited: Jun 28, 2021
  18. Ut forever

    Ut forever 25+ Posts

    FWHORN i did see the article and thx for the heads up… I personally think Stevens comes back more than Quintinilla…Q was hitting mid nineties on fastball..Melendez needs to come back to work on and prove he can play defense… I am probably one of the few on here who doesn’t want Todd back..I would rather go transfer portal or Juco rank for OF.. Just have not been that impressed with Todd over the years and he is a great kid i am sure..I guess with some of these guys it just comes down to whether they want to start playing pro ball or enjoy college and class work..
     
  19. mchammer

    mchammer 10,000+ Posts

    Do you mean floor?
     
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  20. Sangre Naranjada

    Sangre Naranjada 10,000+ Posts

    If Viper meant to say ceiling, I would call that a very pessimistic take.
     
  21. zuckercanyon

    zuckercanyon 2,500+ Posts

    I wasn't fired up about Pierce coming over from Tulane (yawn). Then the two and q with Augie's players and the .500 season and I was like SEE YA! Thought covid saved him and then here comes 2021 and the CWS and almost made it to the final series (similar to 2014). I've been thinking lately that the shortened season has changed college baseball so there's going to be less dominating programs. Pierce could be like the Vandy coach, who knows. Anyway, my entire perspective on our coach has done a 180 (not a 360 like some would say)...
     
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  22. bystander

    bystander 10,000+ Posts

    Awesome synopsis. I posted your quote about allowing Stevens to pitch the 6th because I remember mentioning it to my wife (a great baseball fan).
     
  23. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    I meant that right now with what Texas has coming back plus the HS'ers who don't go pro; what TCU and Sand Aggy (and probably the remainder of the conference) will have, winning a Regional away from Austin is all that can be expected (to me that means the ceiling). The conference is going to take a lot of energy and effort (including somehow halving the Ks) just to get through it.

    Realistic, not pessimistic. Let's see who ends up on campus and reaccess.
     
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  24. mchammer

    mchammer 10,000+ Posts

    I don’t see how a tough conference line up affects the team’s potential
     
  25. ViperHorn

    ViperHorn 10,000+ Posts

    The closer to .500 the harder to get an invite.
     
  26. Chop

    Chop 10,000+ Posts

    If we don't even make the Regionals next year, I would regard that as an utter collapse.
    :dumpster:

    Even if all three of Madden, Stevens, and Quintinilla leave, I think we still have the best overall pitching staff in the conference. Witt can start, he's good--real good. By the end of the year, Hansen was arguably our best. The 3rd starter is the ?, and we'll see if Gordon (or someone else) steps up. Worst case scenario I can see there is Kubichek nails down the 3rd starter position--which is exactly what he was for the early part of this season. If he can improve his control, he could even be real solid at that 3rd spot.

    Batting may still be a bit frustrating at times, but will likely be equal to or better than the bats of most Big 12 teams.

    This was a special team this year, and I expect us to be good next year.
     
  27. FWHORN

    FWHORN 10,000+ Posts

  28. Ut forever

    Ut forever 25+ Posts

    Players are hitting the transfer portal… P- Mason Bryant…. OF- Dalton Porter… Austin Wallace…. Hate to see Porter leave . Could develop into a solid player at another school…Probably a few more to follow… Hopefully this means some people are considering coming back that are draft eligible …
     

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