The Sarge

It's all mental toughness and effort, which are interdependent. There's no other explanation. A lineup capable of sweeping an SEC team and having a winning record in the SEC has no business playing to the level of a FMU or CoC. And I don't buy the "it's baseball" thing. Every game presents opportunities and either you get it done or you don't. Midweek you've got to go play and not just go through the motions.

You are exactly right Postal! So many folks are anxious for us to dominate regular season, make a run through post season and come home with a three-peat in Omaha. While that is still feasible, folks need to temper their expectations. We have five new players starting in the field as well as several key reserves off the bench, many of which are freshman. We also are having to rebuild a bullpen with new folks, several of which are freshmen. Baseball is a fickle game which, as you alluded, can deal you a loss on any given day. CofC is a quality team and their pitcher had a great outing last night. Much of our success the last two years was built on pitching and defense. Throw in some mental toughness and timely hitting, and we have a lot of pieces to replace. We need to allow these guys to grow as a team. The makeup this season is much different from the last two seasons. To win National Championships, you have to have a lot of things go right for you. We have for two years now. This season, not as much but fact is we are still Top 10 with a legitimate shot at defending our title in Omaha. Reality check fellas........we are still a heck of a team that is having a very good season despite all the changes.

I'm not jumping off any ledge. I completely understand baseball having been in or around the game for the last 20 years. It's not one game that has me concerned because I understand full well anything can happen in any given game. This though is beginning to look like a trend of mental lapses that results in either avoidable mistakes or what appear to be effort issues that concerns me going forward. I think though, and hope, that the stakes getting higher the further we get will ramp up the intensity and take care of that. We seem to play best in big games/situations. I think we need to always hope for Omaha at this point in our program. This team could certainly do it we just need to get everything put together in the next month.

I agree with you to some extent - this team just seems to make more mental errors, and we certainly don't execute on defense like we have. I don't think Pankake is a recruiting mistake - the kid was a top national recruit at SS. He is a terrific hitter, and people that know his game are surprised that he has struggled as he has in the field at times. I still love the kid, and believe he will leave here as another in a long, long line of really good SS's to play at SC.

I'm sorry but Pankake is not a good SS. I'm glad we have him as I think he can be a very good at 3rd and he is a good hitter. Yes, some have not performed as expected-my definition of a recruiting mistake, a mis-eval if you like that term better.

And yes I think everyone understands that losses happen, even at midweek.

Um, remember our junior ss last year? I believe he had 10 errors in the first month of play. Don't give up on the kid just because he doesn't meet your expectations.

I do not buy the 'effort issues' thing, nor can anyone say anything that will make me believe these guys are not giving their all every night. Do not confuse being tight, or over thinking stuff with effort. There is a big difference. As far as making recruiting mistakes, I really do not know what to say. He has and will always pull in huge recruiting classes, and full of guys that fit their needs.

Pankake is having some issues, but he is improving. It is easy to remember the bad plays, and he has made a few. Make no mistake about it, though, this was a big recruiting haul, and he is the future at SS. He will continue to improve. Although he does need to tweak some stuff about his movement going right, he has big range, AND, he is a HUGE, HUGE upgrade at the dish over the guys we had last year.

Some people get mad, and do not believe any of our issues are youth related, but they are. High school coaches are not used to dealing with the talent level of good SEC players, thus they cannot focus on some of the finer points that players will have to tweak in college. It's just the way it is. In college, they have to start doing stuff that has never even crossed their mind while in high school.

Some are dead set on blaming things on effort, or coaching, or talent or just being dumb. We, as fans, can believe whaetever we choose to believe, and can have our own opinions, and that is the beauty of being a fan. We get emotional, and that in itself shields us from the reality of situations sometimes.

Our team is such that the majority of our guys are in their first season of playing SEC baseball. Their is a learning process that comes with that. Christian Walkers and JBJ's are elite, and there is a reason why so few play as well as they did as freshmen. 99% of guys have a lot more to learn than guys like that when they get to college. This is a good team.

We are not the 10th best team in the country right now, but we have the talent of only the best 4 or 5. We will continue to improve, and the guys will continue to make adjustments to playing against top notch competition every night. Remember that Wingo was an offensive liability his first couple of years. Mooney, even though he had 2yrs of JC ball when he got here, made a few errors at the beginning of the year. Our catchers were fierce competitors, but were not even in the same ballpark, talent-wise, of Greiner. Tanner English is as talented of a player as we have had that does not pitch or play first base. I don't know of a freshman in the country that has his skill set, and I do not believe there is one. Things are good now, they will get better.