2025 Baseball Mega Thread

[Stonewall]

Look for a shake up. Trying to right the ship.

[Bigdaddyg1]

I totally agree with the scholarship statement. I would think that guys choose to play college baseball for many reasons. Obviously there are the select few who have legit chances to play pro ball, there is the next group who think they will but probably won’t and there is that group who plays for the free ride. That (possibly) next group includes guys who are ok and just want to keep playing even at a partial scholarship level or at none at all. Unless a coaching staff just gets really lucky for a year and brings in really good but overlooked players it’s going to be really difficult to compete. There is a world of difference between App baseball and Coastal baseball right now. We talk about the weather issues and I believe they are real. Play at Myrtle Beach in February or Boone. Some want to point out the mid major teams from similar climate areas who do well but those are few and far between. Just look at the teams who have advanced.

[ASUFan4863]

Decisions had been made for awhile and shared among teammates on the way home from Montgomery. A lot going on within the program . I’ve heard nothing positive.

Yeah I was on 247 and asked if he could speak to the state of the program. I got a diatribe of the "positives". I knew right there nothing was going to be said. This situation has the same vibes as the whole football thing.

David (and a few others on there/here) are too afraid to critique anything at the risk of losing their personal access. That’s what people mean when they say “too close to the situation”.

No situation is ever going to be positive 100% of the time, so it is disingenuous to act like it is and honestly is an insult to the intelligence of his subscribers. His reporting is very similar to that of “legacy media”.

David hates change because then he has to make new connections. The new football staff has been effectively told to tread carefully with him. Hence his renewed focus on baseball. Kerns and staff has already shown him the door.

[AppSt94]

Decisions had been made for awhile and shared among teammates on the way home from Montgomery. A lot going on within the program . I’ve heard nothing positive.

Yeah I was on 247 and asked if he could speak to the state of the program. I got a diatribe of the "positives". I knew right there nothing was going to be said. This situation has the same vibes as the whole football thing.

David (and a few others on there/here) are too afraid to critique anything at the risk of losing their personal access. That’s what people mean when they say “too close to the situation”.

No situation is ever going to be positive 100% of the time, so it is disingenuous to act like it is and honestly is an insult to the intelligence of his subscribers. His reporting is very similar to that of “legacy media”.

David hates change because then he has to make new connections. The new football staff has been effectively told to tread carefully with him. Hence his renewed focus on baseball. Kerns and staff has already shown him the door.

It’s not a scenario of being too close to the situation, rather it’s a difference of perspective. It’s ok to be upset over what you see but if you don’t want to understand why it happened then you can’t make a fair and accurate assessment. The eye test is fine, but unless you understand the play call, individual responsibilities that need to be carried out to make the play work then how can you properly judge it. Coaches know way more than you and have most definitely forgotten more than you. David is asking questions to understand the breakdowns and successes. He isn’t critical because he isn’t looking for clicks. Like him or not, he is more into understanding why it happened than being critical on the results.

[Appmountaineers19]

I totally agree with the scholarship statement. I would think that guys choose to play college baseball for many reasons. Obviously there are the select few who have legit chances to play pro ball, there is the next group who think they will but probably won’t and there is that group who plays for the free ride. That (possibly) next group includes guys who are ok and just want to keep playing even at a partial scholarship level or at none at all. Unless a coaching staff just gets really lucky for a year and brings in really good but overlooked players it’s going to be really difficult to compete. There is a world of difference between App baseball and Coastal baseball right now. We talk about the weather issues and I believe they are real. Play at Myrtle Beach in February or Boone. Some want to point out the mid major teams from similar climate areas who do well but those are few and far between. Just look at the teams who have advanced.

Agreed. There’s a reason why there hasn’t been a team above the mason/dixon line or cold weather team that has won in 60 years.

[AppSt94]

I totally agree with the scholarship statement. I would think that guys choose to play college baseball for many reasons. Obviously there are the select few who have legit chances to play pro ball, there is the next group who think they will but probably won’t and there is that group who plays for the free ride. That (possibly) next group includes guys who are ok and just want to keep playing even at a partial scholarship level or at none at all. Unless a coaching staff just gets really lucky for a year and brings in really good but overlooked players it’s going to be really difficult to compete. There is a world of difference between App baseball and Coastal baseball right now. We talk about the weather issues and I believe they are real. Play at Myrtle Beach in February or Boone. Some want to point out the mid major teams from similar climate areas who do well but those are few and far between. Just look at the teams who have advanced.

Agreed. There’s a reason why there hasn’t been a team above the mason/dixon line that has won in 60 years. The majority of these teams win their conference and get a ALB. APP had a very good 2023 year, an above average year in 2024. I know I know injuries derailed them this year… They didn’t have the arm talent even if a few stayed healthy. They catch lightning every 8-10 years but it fizzles to lack of talent or coaching. I hope I’m wrong but I doubt they will be consistent enough to have sustained success.

I think that this rationale and expectations can be applied to a number or teams across the athletic department.

[Stonewall]

Recruiting and developing talent is the responsibility of the staff , ultimately the HC. I have no idea what the ceiling is given all of the circumstances but I saw a step backwards in ‘25.

[311neers]

Recruiting and developing talent is the responsibility of the staff , ultimately the HC. I have no idea what the ceiling is given all of the circumstances but I saw a step backwards in ‘25.

‘24 was going to be tough to replicate. Banks and Steensma alone were good for a handful of wins. But, this year we were sitting at 21-16 with a month left. Anything sub .500 would be dissapointing from that point, and then we lost like 12 in a row. Would be a different tune if we finished those last 15 games at .500 and finished +-30-24 We just folded down the stretch, no fight at all.

I’d like to see Kermit back, but without the aggressive analytics which probably means new assistants on both sides of the ball. Play a little more small ball, steal a few more bags, continue to hit gap to gap, play defense (no shift) and command the zone on the mound. 30+ wins should be the goal every year and top 6 in conf. Oh, and schedule a fun away P5 for the boys!

[AppState222]

In the last 35 years, we've had 30+ wins 9 times, two of which were 2023 and 2024 under Kermit. Six of the other 7 were in the Chris Pollard run. So we hit your goal 25% of the time. That can be the stated goal, but I think that's also going to lead to disappointment and a lot of coaching turnover if that's the standard theyre being held to without the support and accountability from the higher ups.

[Stonewall]

Is our ceiling thirty wins and a respectable showing in the conference tournament? There is a finite amount of money to spread around if that’s what is meant by support. Increasing baseball means decreasing somewhere else. So where?

[Oldlknapp]

Since attracting good athletes at App is now about “pay for play” rather than academics and getting a great education… we could reduce the faculty.

[Stonewall]

There does seem to be a lot of ummm overhead.

[311neers]

In the last 35 years, we've had 30+ wins 9 times, two of which were 2023 and 2024 under Kermit. Six of the other 7 were in the Chris Pollard run. So we hit your goal 25% of the time. That can be the stated goal, but I think that's also going to lead to disappointment and a lot of coaching turnover if that's the standard theyre being held to without the support and accountability from the higher ups.

The stated goal in the huddle was “Omaha” for years FWIW. Im just asking for 2-3 games above .500 haha.

The University and Athletics department need to give the program more support. Shoot, I’d bet 30% of campus doesn’t even know we have a team.

Quick story, but kinda funny. On my official visit circle late 2010ish, my family got lost on the way to the field coming into town. My dad, who is a boomer, does like every father, and tries to get somewhere they’ve never been to without maps. So we pulled over in Raley and asked a student where the baseball stadium was. They sent us to State farm fields….

We’ve got way more support now than we did then!

[Tru2ASU]

Where do you suppose to get more money for baseball? We just had the state cover our hides just to finish current construction projects on campus.

[311neers]

Where do you suppose to get more money for baseball? We just had the state cover our hides just to finish current construction projects on campus.

Take some of the fully funded East Expansion. Or the $10M indoor. Basketball needs major reno as well.

[Bootsy]

Recruiting and developing talent is the responsibility of the staff , ultimately the HC. I have no idea what the ceiling is given all of the circumstances but I saw a step backwards in ‘25.

‘24 was going to be tough to replicate. Banks and Steensma alone were good for a handful of wins. But, this year we were sitting at 21-16 with a month left. Anything sub .500 would be dissapointing from that point, and then we lost like 12 in a row. Would be a different tune if we finished those last 15 games at .500 and finished +-30-24 We just folded down the stretch, no fight at all.

I’d like to see Kermit back, but without the aggressive analytics which probably means new assistants on both sides of the ball. Play a little more small ball, steal a few more bags, continue to hit gap to gap, play defense (no shift) and command the zone on the mound. 30+ wins should be the goal every year and top 6 in conf. Oh, and schedule a fun away P5 for the boys!

…and maybe get some better gloves. Committing fewer fielding errors typically leads to good things.

[Stonewall]

Ouch !

[311neers]

Ouch !

I do not like the sound of that… now I can’t sleep.

[311neers]

4,938 in the portal according to 64analytics. 2 days in.
That’s 154 teams worth at 32/team.

[AppSt94]

Wonder how many of those 4,938 have ended their careers because they were provided a path to do so.