2021 College Baseball Top 25 Chat (3/8/21)

Image credit: (Photo courtesy of Vanderbilt)

Teddy Cahill: Welcome to this week’s college baseball chat. Another fun weekend, especially with the Big Ten joining the party. We’re getting closer to a full complement of teams going this season, which is great to see. Now, let’s get to the questions.

Jake (Greenville, NC):

 Your thoughts on the start so far for the NC State Wolfpack? Lack of quality arms seems to be looming big right now. Also, what a roller coaster season so far for UCF. Beat Ole Miss 2/3 and then get swept by Liberty. Unreal

Teddy Cahill: Well, it hasn’t been great for the Wolfpack. They’re now 1-5 in the ACC and have played their first two series at home. The competition has been good (Georgia Tech and Miami), though that would be true no matter who they had played. There are no bad ACC teams right now. I have real concerns about NC State. It’s 4-6 overall with a 6.70 ERA. The conference-only stats actually are slightly better on the mound (6.00 ERA) but they’re still not good. And, look, it’s not getting easier. NC State is at Duke this weekend and has Louisville in Raleigh the following week. The only midweek game in that stretch is at Coastal Carolina. So the Wolfpack is going to have to get right in the thick of things, rather than maybe working some things out with a couple lighter midweek games. It’s not going to be easy to get this back on track, but I’d say it starts with veterans like Canaan Silver and Kent Klyman figuring it out. If they can work it out, maybe you can build a bullpen around them and Reid Johnston and find the right mix of starters with Sam Highfill.

CD (Columbus):

 What is your initial impressions of Ohio State? They seem to have a lot of power arms and some solid hitting?

Teddy Cahill: That was a really nice series win against a solid Illinois team. Ohio State definitely has power arms. Its upside on the mound may be the best in the Big Ten. Now, it’s going to need guys like Seth Lonsway and Jack Neely to lock in better than they were this weekend, but the depth of what Ohio State is running out there is impressive. But that was kind of what I expected. The offense Ohio State showed was more of a surprise/encouraging sign. Kade Kern had an outstanding debut and Conner Pohl came out swinging. And they defended at a high level – only two errors on the weekend in the first series out. I like what this team has. Very real upside in Columbus this year.

Neal K (Columbia, SC):

 Are the USC Gamecocks a real threat to not only reach Omaha but do well? This is the best we have looked in a while. Thoughts on the program?

Teddy Cahill: It’s been a great start to the season, running out to a 10-0 record. The No. 1 thing that stands out with the Gamecocks is what they’re doing on the mound and how much depth they have there. Holding Mercer, which is a solid offensive team, to one run on the weekend really is impressive. The rotation has been great and there are so many options in the bullpen. That’s going to take South Carolina a long way. Can’t overlook the offense either and it’s not all Wes Clarke. Allen and Eyster are doing their thing and Braylen Wimmer has been excellent, if a bit overshadowed, to this point. I think it’s time to get excited. I’d say yes to Omaha threat and yes to having a chance to do something in the CWS if they get there. The only thing this team doesn’t have is experience. We’ll see if that’s a factor at all once SEC play rolls around.

Edwin Weatherly (Florence, South Carolina):

 How big an edge does Vanderbilt have in a short series with their 1-2 punch? And am I crazy for thinking Leiter may be better than Rocker?

Teddy Cahill: Vanderbilt has the best 1-2 punch in the country, no doubt about it. I’d give the Commodores the edge among starting pitchers any time Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter get on the mound. How big of an advantage is it? Well, who are they playing? Ole Miss? Because Doug Nikhazy and Gunnar Hoglund are a pretty strong 1-2 punch themselves. UIC? We all saw how that turned out. For the most part, it’s a significant edge. But there are other teams that have premium 1-2 combinations in their rotation as well.

BRIAN (CT):

 Does any team in the north east hold a candle to BC this year?

Teddy Cahill: No. Boston College is the clear class of the region, however you want to define it. UConn and Northeastern have been more good than great to this point. I think St. John’s is good but has yet to be tested in its 7-0 start. I think Rutgers had a nice first weekend going 2-2 against Indiana and Minnesota, but I can’t say I have a good feel for what the Scarlet Knights are yet. BC looks the part, to this point and has a couple really nice series wins at Duke and at Auburn with another big opportunity on deck this weekend at Louisville.

Jeff (Bama):

 Is Coastal Carolina any good?

Teddy Cahill: Yes, I’m confident Coastal Carolina is good. The question is how good? As we talk here, the Chants are taking it to UConn and will finish up this weekend with a solid 3-1 mark against UConn, Miami (Ohio) – which threw its ace against them – and Davidson. That’s a nice weekend. It had another nice week last week, going 4-0 against Wake, Bryant, West Virginia and Kennesaw. The blemish is going 1-2 at home on Opening Weekend against Duke, which is the best team Coastal has faced to this point, but that was a very close series. Coastal’s been on the edge of the Top 25 discussion and it’s building a solid resume. If it keeps doing what it’s doing, it’ll be ranked sooner than later.

Hoyas (DC):

 Thoughts on Georgetown now officially starting their season? How do you think they will be in big east this year with Eddie McCabe back for another year? Should we be worried about UConn?

Teddy Cahill: First of all, great news that Georgetown has been cleared by its administration to start the season. That was a very vexing situation as it dragged on a couple weeks longer than the Hoyas had anticipated. I think they have an interesting team in Edwin Thompson’s first season. Eddie McCabe is a great hitter and should be one of the best position players in the Big East. They brought in some grad transfers that will help on the mound. Thompson engineered an impressive turnaround at Eastern Kentucky and I’d expect him to at Georgetown as well. But this is a program that hasn’t had a winning record in the 21st century. I’d expect this to be a slower build, especially since the Hoyas didn’t have a fall or real preseason. As for UConn, I’d be somewhat worried. I felt like they had a chance to build an at-large resume this year. I don’t think they’re doing it unless they run through the Big East. But I’m not seeing anything that says the Huskies aren’t still the favorite in the conference.

Frank (North Carolina):

 Has anyone seen the mandated or suggested “wet towel” in the pitchers pocket or on the mound this year? I haven’t but I have seen things as I would say ” as normal”. I see the fingers to the mouth and face and nose then the pitch. Is it just not enforced, ignored, or do I just not misunderstand the rule or rule change?

Teddy Cahill: It is not a rule that they use a towel instead of licking their fingers. Instead, they are allowed to have a wet towel with them on the mound if they want. That’s the same rule as the big leagues and I don’t remember seeing anyone use it in MLB last summer.

Levi (Houston):

 Do you think Oklahoma State can at least keep it competitive against Vanderbilt this weekend?

Teddy Cahill: Sure, why not? It’s not like Vanderbilt has been steamrolling the likes of Wright State, Georgia State and UIC at home. It has some blowout wins to its name, yes. But half of its games have been decided by three runs or fewer (and it lost one of them). Oklahoma State is a better opponent than Vanderbilt has seen to this point and it will be the first time the Commodores are on the road. If Oklahoma State isn’t competitive, that’s a massive disappointment for the Cowboys. I’d say getting swept at O’Brate would be a big disappointment for Oklahoma State. I’m not here to tell you the Cowboys win the series, but I think it should be a good, competitive series and I’d expect them to win at least one game.

Teddy Cahill: That’ll do it for today. Thank you for all your questions. Let’s do it all again next Monday.