New faces making a splash

[earsky]

I'll talk about the fielders first.

Tague Davis: The first guy that comes to mind. A true Freshman 1st base/pitcher who looks to have taken the lead at 1st,pushing transfer Nate Early into a battle with transfer Hott at 3rd base.

Davis not only a power hitting lefty but showed some real glove skills over there too. We got this guy for 3 years.🤞

Garret Pike: Pike is deadlocked in a battle with King Jr in right field. King obviously has the inside track opening there first game but Pike is going to be a big part of this lineup. He's not your typical looking power hitter. Tall and slender,he hit 20 dingers at Toledo last season. He's another lefty power hitter.

Kamau Neighbors: Neighbors,another Senior transfer looks to have an edge at second. A slick defender,he is the vocal leader on the field,along with Z. If he can get on base,he's a real base stealing threat,likely causing havoc for the defense.

Tanner Shiver: Versatile infielder who started his college career as a wide receiver at Tennessee Tech. Great glove and arm at short,he could play 2nd too. He's another senior.

Jack Brown: Another Freshman two way player, Brown maybe just needs his chance hitting,but I'm sure he'll be a big part of the bullpen. Him and Davis both. Davis maybe more situationally. Brown has homerun power,like Davis.
Hopefully,we can keep Brown around for 3 years. Another good looking Freshman.

More to come

 

[earsky]

Touched briefly on the battle going on at 3rd base but mistakenly put 1st baseman transfer Nate Earley in the mix with transfer Bayram Hot. It's actually transfer Jake Munroe who's battling Hot at 3rd.

Munroe has an arm injury so I'm not gonna try to favor one guy over another at 3rd base. They both could end up being the guy there.
Earley is in the battle with Davis at 1st base.

Another Freshman outfielder who has a bright future is Griffin Crain. He might be the best center fielder since Usher. This kid just in a log jam and behind a few others trying to get in the 9 but he's putting on an exhibition out there in the field,which is very near and dear to my heart.

 

[earsky]

 

[earsky]

Yall get out and check this guy out as much as possible this Spring. He's only gonna be here for 1 season. Hard for me to see him not in the 9 every day somewhere. He reminds me of a lot of players that have killed us over the years. Deceptive power from a tall,slender build with a swing that makes you sit up and notice.

 

[earsky]

View embedded media

Bump this video of Garret Pike. We are deep in the outfield.
Pike,Rose,King Jr,Lippe and Moore will all see plenty of time roaming the outfield chasing down fly balls.
We're a month away...

 

[BlockedByPetrino2015]

Bump this video of Garret Pike. We are deep in the outfield.
Pike,Rose,King Jr,Lippe and Moore will all see plenty of time roaming the outfield chasing down fly balls.
We're a month away...

Given that Pike adjusts well to ACC pitching, I think my ideal OF left to right is EKJr, Moore, and Pike w/ Zion being the DH. Flip-flop Pike and Zion if need be. I think Lippe is a plus athlete but his swing isn't nearly as pretty as the other 3. I think Moore's speed makes him too valuable to not be in the lineup. Hoping for a big year for EKJr.

 

[earsky]

Given that Pike adjusts well to ACC pitching,

Man,he's got a sweet stroke. Got a chance to see him in the Fall. I love all 5 of these guys. Might come down to who's hitting it.

 

[BlockedByPetrino2015]

Would love to see EKJr start the year hot. He was awesome for about the last 3rd of last season. I think we'll be able to hit with most teams we play, but I'm still worried about the pitching until proven otherwise. We just haven't had the same caliber of arms since the cancelled Covid season. Need Forbes to be the ace and hopefully some of the freshman from last year besides Detmers can take a big step forward.

 

[earsky]

Need Forbes to be the ace and hopefully some of the freshman from last year besides Detmers can take a big step forward.

Forbes likely leading off the weekend. He was lights out in the Fall. Everyone should do their best to get out and see this guy. He'll be gone after this season.
Parker probably going on Saturday or Sunday. It really gets interesting after that.
Cutts,West and Hartman all in the mix.

 

[Bardman]

Cutts is the guy from Indiana St right?
I am surprised by Detmers TBH. He was not as good as Hartman last year. Alas, this is a new season and guys develop. I hope Detmers and Hartman are both strong as hell. If they can have 5 very good pitchers who are capable of starter roles - I love it. This means someone is going to be a long relief guy and you need that when someone just doesn’t have it. I want a strong pitcher mid-week too. They must win 80% + of those games!

 

[earsky]

Cutts is the guy from Indiana St right?
I am surprised by Detmers TBH. He was not as good as Hartman last year. Alas, this is a new season and guys develop. I hope Detmers and Hartman are both strong as hell.

Yes Cutts from Indiana St. I think he was MVC pitcher of the year, not sure. I didn't see Hartman pitch in the Fall. Not sure if it was just bad timing or if he's rehabbing something.
I do think it's a fairly good pitching staff,top to bottom. They need to be healthy and stay healthy. There was an emphasis in Fall on pitching location. We'll get an early taste starting Valentine's Day.