IU Baseball

[CSP]

19 hours ago, Aaron said:

Nebraska just took Arkansas who is best team in country to an elimination game tomorrow for the Regional Championship. If that does not prove once and for all they are best team in Big Ten I don't know what does. Deepest pitching staff (although their 2 and 3 starters are not always good) with depth to go all the way and best offense in conference.

Does not excuse IU not finishing second and taking Maryland's spot in NCAA Tournament (No excuse to lose Illinois and first Maryland game which is what kept us out and put them in), but Nebraska was far and away best team in Big Ten and I thought so all year and earned the conference championship. There is a reason the Huskers were several games ahead of everyone and it was a muddy mess for the few spots behind them.

Congrats to Cornhuskers for representing Big Ten. 

Zero chance I root for NE. 

[LamarCheeks]

3 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Former IU coach, Tracy Smith, has been fired at Arizona State.

https://247sports.com/college/arizona-state/Article/ASU-baseball-Tracy-Smith-fired-Ray-Anderson-Pac-12-NCAA-Tournament-MLB-draft-166251700/

This really seems to fall under the ol' "grass is always greener" metaphor. 
He's an Indiana native and was in his garden spot -- but apparently, had his sights set on greener pastures. I was really bummed when he left, because of the aforementioned reasons -- Indiana guy, built the program up, was a great face of the program, helped get the Bart built. He just seemed like an IU guy. When Lemonis left, I couldn't have cared less. 

Wonder how the program would look had he stayed. 

[LamarCheeks]

2 hours ago, Aaron said:

Can we have him back? 

We still don't know enough about Mercer and absolutely no way you can fire him right now nor should we, but would love to bring Tracy back somehow in someway which is not possible right now. 

If one of the assistants leaves (which if Held or Simmons want to go or are fired my feelings would not be hurt) maybe he can have that job for a year but obviously not going to happen. 

Wish ASU had done this right after we lost Lemonis and Smith came back, but obviously Sun Devils not working on our schedule:).  

TBH, not sure I'd want him back. 

He was here, and he decided he wanted the bright lights and big city -- so to speak -- of a blueblood program. 

Seems to me, too, that coaching reduxes very rarely are successful. 

[CSP]

17 minutes ago, LamarCheeks said:

TBH, not sure I'd want him back. 

He was here, and he decided he wanted the bright lights and big city -- so to speak -- of a blueblood program. 

Seems to me, too, that coaching reduxes very rarely are successful. 

Yuuuup. Mercer wants to be here and is a Hoosier through and through. He not only hasn't been at IU very long, he's flat out not very old. 

He is going to learn A LOT in the next 8 years as far as being a coach goes. I'm willing to suffer, some (still had a solid year, but not good)... for bigger and better down the road. Mercer is playing the long game with some of the athletes he's taking a chance on. 

[CSP]

5 Top 160 kids in one class is nothing to bat your eye at though. Plus a couple other solidly ranked ones. First top 25 class ever. 

[Aaron]

1 hour ago, btownqb said:

Yuuuup. Mercer wants to be here and is a Hoosier through and through. He not only hasn't been at IU very long, he's flat out not very old. 

He is going to learn A LOT in the next 8 years as far as being a coach goes. I'm willing to suffer, some (still had a solid year, but not good)... for bigger and better down the road. Mercer is playing the long game with some of the athletes he's taking a chance on. 

My dream is to have Smith take Dan Held's spot which would be a truly All-Star staff. One can dream and it would never happen, but that would really give IU a heads up with Mercer as head coach and Justin Parker and Tracy Smith as assistants. Three head coaching type people on one staff:).

[CSP]

1 minute ago, Aaron said:

My dream is to have Smith take Dan Held's spot which would be a truly All-Star staff. One can dream and it would never happen, but that would really give IU a heads up with Mercer as head coach and Justin Parker and Tracy Smith as assistants. Three head coaching type people on one staff:).

Best staff in the country. Justin Parker is fantastic. We still aren't OVERLY talented on the pitching staff.. talented yes, but not a Top SEC school loaded. Parker amplifies that though. 

[NashvilleHoosier]

Totally random story here....I was talking to a good buddy of mine who is a Vandy grad. I brought up the 2013 regionals where we would have hosted Vandy in the super regionals in Bloomington if not for the bottom of the 9th walk off homerun by Stanford b/c that still bugs me (PUT IN DENATO TO PITCH TO THE LEFTY!!). Anyway, I just discovered today that the guy who hit the walk-off was none other than the guy who has become my favorite player on the Cardinals, Tommy freaking Edman. I'm distraught. I can't believe this. I just don't understand how my man Tommy Eds could have done this to me. 

[ap2345]

16 hours ago, Aaron said:

My dream is to have Smith take Dan Held's spot which would be a truly All-Star staff. One can dream and it would never happen, but that would really give IU a heads up with Mercer as head coach and Justin Parker and Tracy Smith as assistants. Three head coaching type people on one staff:).

Getting rid of Dan Held would be completely moronic and also won’t happen. 

[LamarCheeks]

BTW, was I the only one to notice that Chris Lemonis has Mississippi State in the CWS final? 

[CSP]

1 hour ago, LamarCheeks said:

BTW, was I the only one to notice that Chris Lemonis has Mississippi State in the CWS final? 

No. He can coach and is at a POWERHOUSE

 SEC is so loaded 

[LamarCheeks]

Looks as if Lemonis' crew will force a third game at the CWS final. 

 

[CSP]

13 minutes ago, LamarCheeks said:

Looks as if Lemonis' crew will force a third game at the CWS final. 

 

Yep. Goodness this was a whipping. 

[LamarCheeks]

Mississippi State is beating the snot out of Vandy in Game 3.

Chris Lemonis is gonna win a natty. Too bad it wasn't in B-town! 

Kinda weird: I totally understood why Arizona State would poach Tracy Smith, but had no friggin' clue why Mississippi State would've been interested in Lemonis.

Shows what I know!  

[LIHoosier]

17 minutes ago, LamarCheeks said:

Mississippi State is beating the snot out of Vandy in Game 3.

Chris Lemonis is gonna win a natty. Too bad it wasn't in B-town! 

Kinda weird: I totally understood why Arizona State would poach Tracy Smith, but had no friggin' clue why Mississippi State would've been interested in Lemonis.

Shows what I know!  

Surprisingly, it will be Miss State's 1st national title....in anything!

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Congrats to former coach Lemonis whipping Vandy 9-0 to win the national championship.

https://www.thedailyhoosier.com/former-iu-baseball-coach-chris-lemonis-wins-national-championship-at-mississippi-state/?fbclid=IwAR3CGbscuYTz4Ozq-KrfYCwSdGscnZECCNn0JqJU5yWMHu0GNMmD1eeLr00

[CSP]

Mercer is a boss. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Losing our pitching coach Justin Parker to South Carolina.   :-(

[Aaron]

This team could be in trouble. We lost top 6 players to draft and now Parker. To cap it off Toetz is in the transfer portal. 

Mercer is facing the test of his career now and how he handles it will determine if he is the long term coach here (the four transfers is a good start but a lot more to do).

I am not mad at Mercer, but he certainly has some things to prove and whether he is up to coaching at this level remains to be seen. Not saying he cannot do it, because he absolutely can, but time will tell if he is the right guy or job is simply to big for him. To early to know and not fair to pass judgement either way yet.

Next couple years will be telling. 

[CSP]

35 minutes ago, Aaron said:

This team could be in trouble. We lost top 6 players to draft and now Parker. To cap it off Toetz is in the transfer portal. 

Mercer is facing the test of his career now and how he handles it will determine if he is the long term coach here (the four transfers is a good start but a lot more to do).

I am not mad at Mercer, but he certainly has some things to prove and whether he is up to coaching at this level remains to be seen. Not saying he cannot do it, because he absolutely can, but time will tell if he is the right guy or job is simply to big for him. To early to know and not fair to pass judgement either way yet.

Next couple years will be telling. 

Fair. Hayden and Gilbert should help. We could still get some very good players in the portal. Could lose some too. Shew.