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Wake Baseball

deacdixieboy said:
Just got back from the games. A few brief remarks before dinner and I'll add more later. First, another craphole of a BC facility. Good showing by WF fans. Offense is fine but base running and defense were atrocious again. Disappointing day where we could've taken two.
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When this team is clean defensively, they win ball games. Was the key to series wins against FSU and UNC.
 
I'm just always baffled at the awfulness of BC's facilities.

Craig seemed to be pressing today. There was an awful call on a tag at first that Walters argued for about 3 innings. Mistakes with the glove will happen. Especially on an awful field in the rain. The throwing mistakes from infielders are very upsetting when they come from the same people while our outfielders are throwing out runners on singles at the plate.
 
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Yes; both in one run decisions.

The Deacs are back at it tomorrow against HPU.
 
Wake is currently 29 in the RPI. High Point is 64.
 
Trying to catch up with where we are at after the weekend. It really is tight and there are a lot of variables at work with rain outs, etc. not everyone plays the same amount of games, so it goes by winning percentage. Top 10 teams get in the ACC tournament and top 6 get a bye into pool play. 7-10 play play in games and then play 3 days in a row after that in pool play, so it is brutal to win if you aren't in the top 6, especially for a team like Wake without deep pitching. Below is what everyone has left in the next two weeks with current records.

FSU -- 14-6 -- @ Duke, Miami
Louisville -- 16-8 -- NC State, @WFU
NC State -- 13-9 -- @Louiville, UNC
Clemson -- 13-14 -- @ND
Wake Forest -- 11-13 -- @VTech, Louisville
Notre Dame -- 11-13 -- @UNC, Clemson
Boston College -- 11-14, @GTech

Miami -- 15-6, Pitt, @FSU
UVA -- 14-10, GTech, @VTech
GTech -- 11-11, @UVA, BC
Pitt -- 10-13, @Miami, Duke
UNC -- 10-14, Notre Dame, @NC State
Duke -- 10-14 -- FSU, @Pitt
VTech -- 5-19 -- WFU, @UVA


In regards to the other teams Wake is stacked up against, there will be a lot of friendly fire. For example, BC has 1 series left vs a good Georgia Tech team. They get swept and they are out, win and they are in and maybe top 6. Clemson has just Notre Dame left, so if they sweep them, Notre Dame is probably out and Clemson would be in the top 6. There is a lot more of this.

Too much to analyze, but playing the numbers, FSU, Louisville, Miami, Virginia look to be locks in the top 6. Georgia Tech has a tough series @UVA and then finishes with Virginia Tech, so you would think they would be in. NC State is in good position as well with 2 tough series left @Louisville and UNC. Clemson, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Boston College, Pitt, UNC and Duke are 7 teams battling for 4 spots.

Wake needs to win and NC State to struggle to get in top 6. Pretty brutal to analyze, but the obvious is after a bad weekend, we need to sweep the worst team in the league by a bad margin (Virginia Tech) to have any chance to get in the top 6, with Louisville coming to town next weekend. With the typical Wake optimism, if we win 3 of next 6, we should get in the tournament but in play in game, lose 4 of 6 and probably not make the tournament, lose 5 or 6 of next 6 and don't make the ACC or NCAA tournament. I suppose it is possible to not make the tournament and still get in the NCAA tournament, but it would be borderline.
 
8 errors in 3 games this past weekend. Ugh.
 
Great analysis. Losing two run games on Saturday really hurt as WF could've essentially eliminated BC with a split. Also, hurts that WF loses the tiebreaker with ND, Clemson and BC as WF lost the series to each of them. Interesting that UNC is in deep trouble if they don't sweep ND this weekend. WF couldn't draw a better opponent for this weekend. Deacs need to pound the Hokies.
 
Pilchard said:
Great analysis. Losing two run games on Saturday really hurt as WF could've essentially eliminated BC with a split. Also, hurts that WF loses the tiebreaker with ND, Clemson and BC as WF lost the series to each of them. Interesting that UNC is in deep trouble if they don't sweep ND this weekend. WF couldn't draw a better opponent for this weekend. Deacs need to pound the Hokies.
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Yes, but needing to and doing so are different deals for this team. We are just a hugely better team at home than we are on the road. Seem to know how to play our turf or something as evidenced by taking 5 of 6 against FSU & UNC-Ch, then going up to BC and committing a ton of errors. Just when we think we got the upper tourney locked, we throw up on ourselves and lose 2 of 3 at BC. Even with storming back in Game 2 to even it before losing in extras, that comeback should have given us the life needed to win it, then put them away in Game 3 for the sweep--oh well! Now take on the Chokies and sweep somehow.
 
The same 9-10 guys play everyday. What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If there are issues on defense especially on the infield as a baseball coach I would maybe try someone else and give him a shot. Aiello leads the team in errors and has the lowest average in the ACC among everyday players... Freedman and Mueller are the other two position players buried on the bench that never play. Does anyone know why? Maybe its time to give Freedman another shot at the SS job. Even though he threw the ball away at ND to lose that game he is a much better shortstop than Aiello and Drew is also a spark plug on offense... and Mueller according to his bio was a defensive wiz made like 5 errors in his entire HS career and won state gold glove awards last three years and in the limited playing time he has gotten he has performed. Either one of those guys will be upgrade at SS over Aiello.
 
Poor Aiello....didn't he hit 2 bombs in his college debut?
 
Dkin said:
Poor Aiello....didn't he hit 2 bombs in his college debut?
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Aiello did his 2 HRs opening night and then absolute nothing ever since. Maybe because he was a high school all american he gets to play but look at the numbers. Yes he's a freshman but at most programs if a freshman did this poorly he would sit down. Not at Wake. Aiello is not living up to hype. .220 batting average? 50-plus strikeouts? Aaron Smith was a HS all american too. He pitched in that UA all american game at Wrigley Field 4-5 years ago. Go ahead and look up his career stats at Wake. And while I'm at it what is the deal with Maronpot? Another guy who plays a lot no matter how terrible his numbers are. He's hitting around .170. When you see stuff like certain guys getting to be in the lineup everyday no matter how bad they have been in terms of production it has to make you think winning isn't a priority at Wake.
 
On a positive note, great outings by two Deacs out of the pen who have struggled... Garrett Kelly was throwing gas tonight and pitched a clean inning and the big freshman RHP Griffin Roberts who hasn't gotten much work lately struck out the two batters he faced and stuff was electric tonight.
 
Solid 9-2 win at High Point tonight.
 
As of right now we are 26 in the RPI.

7 games left. 4-3 would you have to think would lock us into the NCAA tourney. We are 12-13 against the top 50
 
RivalsLes said:
When this team is clean defensively, they win ball games. Was the key to series wins against FSU and UNC.
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Two ACC losses are the result of a Walkoff throwing error by the SS, one at Notre Dame one at BC. ACC record should be 13-11 right now but as a result of those two huge errors it is 11-13 and now likely out of the top 6.

Also lost one of the games at Southern Cal on a stupid error by the SS who was trying to be flashy with a glove flip in a double play ball instead of just a regular toss to the second baseman. The go ahead run scored as a result and they lost. If deacs win that game they win the series at USC and have another quality win for their RPI and tournament resume.

Sure the Deacs are having a winning season and may actually make the NCAA. But The defensive issues will cost them when it really matters. Like probably in the ACC tourney and or the regional if they do get in. Or even this weekend against a hungry Tech Team that has nothing to lose and would love to play spoiler.
 
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We don't play well when we should or need to, hence I'm not optimistic about VT. Still hoping for 2 or 3 wins though as that would be great for our ACC standings.

One comment about the percentage agreement. This really will hurt teams who, say, beat someone head-to-head but finished behind them in percentage due to the other team having several games cancelled due to weather. Will hurt worse if those games cancelled would have likely been loses....
 
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A sweep this weekend would go a long way. 2-1 puts us in the place of possibly needing to beat Louisville in the final series to guarantee a berth.
 
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