We are now beyond the midpoint and Texas baseball sits 4 games below .500 at 12-16. By losing the rubber match and the OU series Sunday, we squandered a 4-2 tie for 2nd place in conf. Instead our 3-3 record has us tied for 5th. Needless to say, the momentum from winning the TCU series has all but vanished after losing 3 of the last 4. For Texas to make a legitimate run at the postseason, this week marks the time to begin the turnaround surge. The next 4 games are extremely winnable and provide the best chance to make up ground with a 4-game winning streak. Tonight: 10-16 Texas A&M CC Weekend: 12-17 Kansas St. (0-6 conf) Sweeping these next 4 games would even our season record at 16-16. It would be akin to a new beginning, with a 20-game season left to determine our fate. Also, a KSU sweep would raise the conf record to a respectable 6-3. On the contrary, if we lose even one game to KSU, we'll still be 2 games below .500 and have a punchless 5-4 conf record with only 20 games left. IMHO, this is the most important week of Texas baseball to date this season. We need all 4 of these games to position ourselves for a realistic shot at the postseason. Sure there are other ways to get there like a sizable late season winning streak or conf tourney championship like last year. But relying on either monumental longshot with a team this inconsistent in relief pitching, defense, and RISP hitting is foolish. If we want to still be alive in June, proving our worth in the regular season is our best shot. Sweeping these two scrub teams is of paramount importance to begin the charge.
Here are the Big 12 team stats for this season. Stats don't lie, they don't have any bias, they are what they are. If you want to argue with them, they will just stare back at you. Texas is seventh in batting average, the two teams with a lesser batting average, have both scored more runs, than the Horns. Texas batters have walked 99 times and struck out 221 times. Texas is seventh in runs scored, the two teams with less runs have only played 25 games, to 28 games played for the Horns. They are dead last in team fielding, this is telling. The pitching ranks third in the conference. The relief pitching has greatly improved since Sawyer returned and Shugart didn't have to be the closer anymore. Shugart has been very solid since then. The only failure at all for the the relievers, in the OU series, was the ninth inning of the third game. The run given up by Mayes, when the pop up was misplayed. The only run given up by the bullpen in the series. 2016 Overall Statistics - Big 12 Conference - Official Athletic Site
You're absolutely right about the stats and they clearly show we've played sloppy, inconsistent baseball for a large chunk of the season. Which only proves the massive importance of these next 4 games against two much maligned foes. This 4-games stretch provides a great opportunity to clean up the defense, improve money time hitting, and stabilize pitching against two teams who provide fertile ground. If we can accomplish those improvements this week, then maybe confidence gained from things starting to click will turn this ship around and carry over to the final 20. I'm not holding my breath as we had these exact type conversations after the midpoint last year. But there's no question this 4-game opportunity is ripe for the taking.
Used to be, after losing in a crappy bowl, and then going one-and-done or not even making the big dance: "Hey!, Omaha's around the corner." I'm still hoping, but ....
I wasn't referring to the OP, in my post. I just meant if any anbody in general wants to argue with the stats.
Struggling and losing a game to a weak OU team was proof enough to anyone with baseball knowledge. This team isn't going anywhere. We needed to sweep the week teams or win some with ease to have a realistic chance against the likes of Tech, OSU, and on the road at WVU. We should win a series here or there and finish mid range or toward the rear of the Big 12. Such is the state of Augie ball. We have players who are just happy to be wearing Texas across their chest. That, or they just aren't very good. We don't have the type of guys with talent, grit, and drive who did all that was necessary to get to Omaha each and every year. The days of hosting regionals and making Omaha an annual destination are over until we have whole sale changes........Was it Augie getting old, poor recruiting, or was it angering the baseball Gods by moving our dugout to the first base line......Who knows.....but Texas Baseball is broken just like the rest of the main male sports at Texas.
So is their a plan B, the first of the four games, wasn't close to being ripe. In fact it looked like it was still on the vine.
It seems to me that the mental slide to "nowhere land" started in the California series. The players seemed to lose confidence in themselves, individually, and each other. I think we tried to make a statement and show that we had gotten some luster back against TCU, but we never rounded the corner after the series. The team seems frustrated, lost, and scared. It would take more than a miracle to bring this team back....perhaps "fate" will rule! I think we used more pitchers tonight than we had hits..... Think they're up for starting the season all over again, beginning this weekend at KState? I might even be inclined to start the KState series with our original lineup that started the season.....and say the 2016 season will begin anew on Friday.
I'm close to wearing a paper bag over my head to the games like some of the New Orleans Saints fans did in 1980. I'm fiercely loyal to my university, but the on field product is unacceptable. 5-0 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ???
