BATTING

Make it 30

 

Carlson is batting 0.305 and getting a lot of at bats. We needed somebody like Carlson to step forward and shore up the bottom of the batting lineup.

 

As a team, we're now batting 0.299.

 

Big 12 Conference

5/13/2023

we've hit 74 homeruns on the year

our opponents have hit 29 homeruns on the year against us

 

And by my unofficial account, we’ve been more negatively impacted by the wind too.

Our staff is pretty solid in limiting XBHs. That is how SJSU got us in game 1.

 

It’s not the homers but the walks and HBP’s.

 

Last year it was the Denny’s grand slams that killed us. This year, it’s the unlimited salad and breadsticks at Olive Garden.

 

three more games at Disch Falk next weekend to extend the streak.

 

Yep. Dylan Campbell's hitting streak is now up to 30 games!

 

I'm definitely no "bat swing mechanics" guy, but watching Campbell's swing, you can kind of see the physics behind all of that power. He's compact and tightly wound up, and just explodes through it with a very rapid twist. He owns the inside half of the plate, and you'd better not throw a fastball there.

Our LHN announcers (who, as former MLB players, actually do know a lot about "bat swing mechanics") mention his swing efficiency and lower body mechanics a lot.

 

There's a lot of really good players in college baseball this year, including outfielders. And some have really good numbers on the stats sheet. But I think Dylan Campbell, at a minimum, is in the discussion when they're picking All-Americans at the end of the year. He's got to at least be an Hon. Mention All-American.

- hitting for average
- hitting for power
- clutch hitting
- fielding (great range and catches, and a cannon for an arm)
- stealing bases (24 for 25 stolen bases!!!)

He has done all of those things really well.

 

Kennedy is another guy who should enter the discussion when they pick All-Americans at the end of the year. He's certainly an All-American bunter and at getting infield hits. (he's got a great future in Japan if he doesn't make it to MLB).

I remember plenty of good individual outfielders over the years, but can you recall a group of 3 outfielders this good?

 

I attribute the improvement to Woody being on staff but I was hoping he would get Stehle and Morehouse on a better track by now.

As for hitting success, there are a million different batting stances and swings that work, the majority of the issues or success lie between the ears, not in the eyes, the hands or the legs. I used to didn't like Brandon Belts swing and didn't think it would translate into the pros well, i was wrong, in fact he's probably one of the most successful hitters to come out of UT and EK's swing reminds me of Brandons, their hands drop during the swing and it doesn't look right to me but ..it works cause they just use their hands to whip the bat head through the zone. Different strokes for different folks never had more meaning than it does for this topic.

 

The outfield is definitely the strongest group on our team, many opponents have stopped at third and shockingly because of our arms in the outfield and how many guys we've already thrown out from there. I say shockingly because I would have tested it again if I was on third in those scenarios. If I remember correctly, It has saved us at least two games from going into extra innings.

 

Make it 31 games.

 

Once again, extended his streak in his first at bat. Go DC!

 

And now, at last.............................



We're batting 0.300 as a team.

 

Updated homerun calculator:

5/19/2023: we have 79 homeruns on the year.

79/54 games = 1.463 homeruns per game

Conservatively, 7 games left. With Super Regionals, say 10 games left.

10 x 1.463 = 14.63 or 15 more homeruns.

79 + 15 = 94 homeruns on the year projected!!!

Very, very good power hitting.



Now, for all you pessimists--
Without getting out of the Regionals:
7 more games x 1.463 = 10.24 or 10 more homeruns

79 + 10 = 89 homeruns on the year projected!!!

Still, a fantastic power hitting year!


(and since we're going to Omaha, where we'll win it all, we'll hit even more homeruns than the above projections!!!)

 

Make it 32 games for Dylan Campbell!

 

We now have 82 homeruns on the year!!!!

We're looking at 90+, I think!

Not as good as last year, but probably better than any other year in our history.

 

Dylan Campbell's hitting streak is now at 33 games!!!

 

In other news, J. Thomas has a hitting streak somewhere in the 20s about now...

 

5/20/2023

83 Homeruns on the year!!!!

 

Carlson is gone for the year. That hurts, we lose a 0.300+ bat from the lineup.

So, here's what we're looking at:

OF......Brown
OF......Kennedy
OF......Campbell
1B......Thomas
2B......O'Dowd
SS......Flores
3B......Powell
C........Guillamette
DH.....????????

Until he turns the corner on that batting average (0.185), Flores is the weak link. We'll probably keep him in there, but Daly (0.222, 5 HR) is still available for our tournament(s) run(s) and he's certainly had his moments before. If our SS, Flores/Daly, bats well in the tournaments, that will help out a lot.

For DH, we've got:

Gumbo DuPlantier...0.262, 0.354 OB%
Galvan........................0.232, 4 HR in 82 AB, 0.779 OPS, 0.364 OB% (but not fast on the bases)
Belyeu........................0.333 (in only 18 AB)

A case could be made for any of the above 3 batters to be our DH. Frankly, I wish we'd gotten Belyeu more AB over the course of the year to see what he can do. I wouldn't mind seeing him at DH or pinch hitting more regularly. Galvan keeps inching up his batting avg towards a respectable-ish 0.250, and he brings massive power to the plate. Gumbo gets on base, but Galvan actually has a higher OB% with a lot more walks. And Galvan can hit it as far as any batter on the team.

By the numbers, I think Galvan makes the strongest case. Although, it would be nice to see if Belyeu's even better numbers can hold up with more at bats.

 

Another possibility if both Flores and Daly's bats are cold as ice, is to start Gumbo at SS, but that's quite a bit of a risk. Fielding wise at SS, for now, I think it goes:

1. Daly
2. Flores
3. Gumbo

I think that Coach (to say nothing of the fans) got sick and tired of Daly's bat going into long-term hibernation. However, like the NCAA basketball tournament, sometimes a below average performer catches fire in the tournament. It will be interesting to see what Coach does. I don't know if he'll go with Flores or Daly...?

 

We finish the regular season with a team batting average of 0.302.

 

Augie sorted counted on a mediocre/poor bat to come thru during the post season, like David Maroul.

I’d bet he goes Flores at SS. That was by far his best game at the plate Saturday. It’s still questionable whether he’s ready for good pitching. That’s not what he saw this weekend. He’s a little shaky in the field - limited errors, but he’s bobbled several and missed an opportunity for an out on the high throw on the steal preceding the WVU homer. If the confidence keeps growing, he could finish out strong.

 

Flores will be a star by the time he's done here. The conservative bet is to go with Daly for now for his defense. Flores' bat can get hot. I dunno.

 

We lost 82% of our homerun production from last year. Yet we still have 83 homeruns on the year, with probably 4-10 games left.

 

Campbell extends his hitting streak to 35 games vs KSU at the Big 12 Tournament!