I guess no big surprise and its not like we edged someone out for the honor.

http://www.sunbeltsports.org/news/2016/ ... 60252.aspx

The positive take away is that the expectations are so low that anything other than last would be a step in the right direction.

hapapp wrote:I guess no big surprise and its not like we edged someone out for the honor.

http://www.sunbeltsports.org/news/2016/ ... 60252.aspx

The positive take away is that the expectations are so low that anything other than last would be a step in the right direction.

I'll be the first to tell you I know NOTHING about App baseball. Does climate have anything to do with our success in the SB?

bcoach wrote:

hapapp wrote:I guess no big surprise and its not like we edged someone out for the honor.

http://www.sunbeltsports.org/news/2016/ ... 60252.aspx

The positive take away is that the expectations are so low that anything other than last would be a step in the right direction.

I'll be the first to tell you I know NOTHING about App baseball. Does climate have anything to do with our success in the SB?

It does not, other than impacting early season home schedule. The last few years our success, or rather lack-there-of, Has been directly tied to poor late game management.

Saint can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe we reached in excess of 20 games lost over the course of the last 2 seasons when leading after the 7th inning.

"I'll be the first to tell you I know NOTHING about App baseball. Does climate have anything to do with our success in the SB?"

I am not basing this on any statistical information - I agree that weather has little affect on the games - however, based on my time as a coach and as a fan of high school baseball, the weather in Boone (or reputation therein) does deter some players from coming to APP - most would have scholarship offers from teams in a better, or much better, climate for baseball ---

WVAPPeer wrote:"I'll be the first to tell you I know NOTHING about App baseball. Does climate have anything to do with our success in the SB?"

I am not basing this on any statistical information - I agree that weather has little affect on the games - however, based on my time as a coach and as a fan of high school baseball, the weather in Boone (or reputation therein) does deter some players from coming to APP - most would have scholarship offers from teams in a better, or much better, climate for baseball ---

I am guessing golf too.

Last year, App State had 17 losses when tied or with a lead after the 6th compared to only 3 wins when tied or trailing after the 6th. Take away 8 of those 17 (slightly less than half) and the record goes from 17-36 to 25-28, which is way more respectable in the Sun Belt.

Weather may deter a few guys from coming here as WV said but that isn't the problem, we had 4 guys drafted last year. That's plenty of talent. Like was mentioned above, late game management was the cause of the problem.

We lost a great coach and by some accounts one of the best recruiters in the country a few years ago. We have not recovered well from those losses.

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Many schools in far more extreme winter climates than ASU have very respectable baseball programs--year in and year out.

App doesn't recruit against Michigan, Ohio St., St. Johns, etc., we recruit against Wilmington and Charlotte and Coastal and Elon, etc.

The one difference I see between App and the other SBC programs is that they're having media days, meet the players events and what-not. Jones and company are holed up in their hitting facility. I haven't heard one quote about the season from any player or coach. And tickets were just announced, 21 days before first pitch.

bcoach wrote:

hapapp wrote:I guess no big surprise and its not like we edged someone out for the honor.

http://www.sunbeltsports.org/news/2016/ ... 60252.aspx

The positive take away is that the expectations are so low that anything other than last would be a step in the right direction.

I'll be the first to tell you I know NOTHING about App baseball. Does climate have anything to do with our success in the SB?

It most certainly does. It took several years for Coach Pollard to rebuild a program. Some years we play almost a third of our games on the road the first part of the season due to weather/climate.

asu66 wrote:Many schools in far more extreme winter climates than ASU have very respectable baseball programs--year in and year out.

Many of those schools are located in cold climates, so the point is moot.

AppDawg wrote:

bcoach wrote:

hapapp wrote:I guess no big surprise and its not like we edged someone out for the honor.

http://www.sunbeltsports.org/news/2016/ ... 60252.aspx

The positive take away is that the expectations are so low that anything other than last would be a step in the right direction.

I'll be the first to tell you I know NOTHING about App baseball. Does climate have anything to do with our success in the SB?

It does not, other than impacting early season home schedule. The last few years our success, or rather lack-there-of, Has been directly tied to poor late game management.

Saint can correct me if I am wrong, but I believe we reached in excess of 20 games lost over the course of the last 2 seasons when leading after the 7th inning.

I believe the count was up to 26 for the last two years (to be fair I was counting game with leads after 6 innings). The bullpen management has been terrible under Billy.

As far as early season games on the road App has started playing a good number of neutral site games. Two years ago Billy scheduled something like 10 of the first 12 games vs. powerhouse SEC and ACC programs killing young players confidence.

Billy came from a background that didn't prepare him to lead a mid-major program, unlike Pollard who understood how to build a program at our current level. Hopefully he's learned from his first two seasons, I'm pulling for him to right the ship

Speaking from a guy who was recruited to play baseball at the "mid-major" Division 1 level (if you will), I can tell you that tradition of the program plays an important role in decision making. App hasn't had that (although Pollard helped the few years he was here) and it does affect a recruits thinking.

For me, it was academics (as it should be) but almost as important, it was the relationship with the coaching staff as you can imagine. Pollard seemed like a great mentor type coach, almost like Coach Moore (and Coach Satterfield) in football. Although I don't know Coach Jones at all, I don't get that feeling with him, could be me though. The relationship you build over the next 4 years with a coach should be special to the recruit at this level.

The weather really doesn't come into play that much, but it certainly does to an extent. Practicing football in mountain weather is one thing, but practicing baseball in it is another. Injuries occur to your throwing arm in cold weather more than in a warmer climate. This isn't an excuse at all, and don't take it that way, but it does play into it a bit in a recruit's mind. As a college player, all you want to do is get better, and to get better you have to practice..a lot. And by that, I mean perfectly practice your craft. In Boone's climate, it's hard to do that sometimes.

On the other hand, it's just an honor to be recruited by anyone (at least that's my opinion), and the main thing again, for me, to take into account is academics. But as I just described above, other factors CAN affect where you decide to play ball.

I knew several guys that decided to play ball at smaller schools (Louisburg and Brevard College, along with Methodist come to mind) just because of the tradition of winning rather than playing for a major college. Believe me, they were good enough to play at App. They told me they would get noticed more by the big league scouts than if they were playing on a bad team. Not sure if this holds true anymore (this was 20 years ago) though with the age of the internet and social media. Just my 2 cents.