Itโs hard to fault the coaches for picking us low. We are making a drastic change in playing style and methodology. Nobody knows what to expect. Iโll say this though, this is essentially the same roster we would have had this season before Hibbs left. I believe this roster with the old staff would have been picked higher than 11th. I also believe that the players are responding really well to the new training and playing style. I think D1 got closer to the truth by picking us 8th. The good news is that we are just over two weeks from finding out what weโve got!
Lots of unknowns this year and by nature most people assume the unknowns will turn out bad. Iโll be disappointed if we end up 11th.
I think our pitching will be improved this year. Lots of young/new guys got valuable experience last year. Look for those guys to take a step up in their development. Hopefully we get Brooks back at 100%. Last I heard he wouldnโt be ready when the season starts. Curious to see how we use Bruce and Szypinski. I think theyโll get lots of innngs.
I think going all in on the shift will benefit us and hopefully give us an edge in C- USA.
Our offense was pretty good last year but we lose 4 of our better bats. Gonna be tough to replace their production but Iโm excited about some of the bats weโve brought in. McCabe was a monster this fall and I guess heโll be our 1B or DH.
Also, the 1st pitch dinner was a great event last Friday!! Itโs something weโve needed for years and glad to see it is finally in place. Healy was the keynote speaker and knocked it out of the park as expected. Hopefully lots of money was raised because with all the new technology and the upcoming Hayes improvements, we are gonna need it!
Great to talk with lots of former and current players and coaches. Everyone is excited about the future of the program.