Did sense of entitlement catch up with this baseball team?

[CCUIrmo]

We should have known something was up from day one when they lost to College of Charelston and then said they just were not into the game really. They then said it again a couple of weeks later against Clemson. They then ran off ten straight wins before the bottom fell out. Did they feel when the season started that "hey, we are South carolina, everyone is just going to roll over when we come in and be intimidated by the name on the front of the jersey" was going to get them to host another regional or more? They seemed to not really act like they were very fired up and before they knew it, the season was slipping and they panicked and tried to get it going but pressed really hard. Then the pressing caused more errors, more men left on base and not as good of pitching.
Perhaps Chad was right when he said maybe the humbling would light a fire under them rather than him talking but that didnt happen last night.
Maybe this season will be lost but could it serve well for the younger players for next year to say "Hey we have to earn it" and maybe they will work a little harder at all phases of the game in the off-season. They wont feel entitled to everything anymore because of how this year has gone.
I think there is talent here but it needs to get right in the head and the heart before we get back to where we all want to be.

 

[spinrbait]

i have to disagree in that i just don't think the talent is there.

 

[Cola G'Cock]

If that is the case, shame on the coach for allowing the talent

level to get that bad.

Also, a horrible season like this will make recruiting that much more difficult. How bad will it be when the talent level is even worse?

 

[67gamecock]

Re: If that is the case, shame on the coach for allowing the talent

Originally posted by Cola G'Cock:
level to get that bad.

Also, a horrible season like this will make recruiting that much more difficult. How bad will it be when the talent level is even worse?

Unfortunately, Cola G'Cock has hit the nail on the head. If you screw up, sit on your ass, think you're a lot better than you are . . . losing will often follow. Then, what once seemed so natural and easy (winning) becomes as elusive as the brass ring.

 

[Cybercock]

This!

 

[USCBatgirl21]

I agree that this is part of the problem this year. My father said after that first game that he felt the team thought they could just show up and win. And sadly, I have to agree that for a while I think that attitude continued, most especially for the home Clemsux game. Now I think it's just that it's gotten so bad that it truly has affected their mentality. It's as if they go into games with the idea that it doesn't matter what they do (and let's be honest, only one player is actually doing his job at the plate - KMart), they can't win the ballgame.

This is not to say that there aren't other problems, there are and they have been discusses ad nauseam on this and every other message board out there, and I'm not going to get into them again. I still believe that instead of a change at HC we'll see changes in assistants first.

 

[FORKCOCK]

Playing in the SEC is like being a shark. You never sleep and you're always on the hunt. There's never a time to rest.

Unfortunately, our coaching staffs in football and baseball do not get that.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[raycock2001]

While a sense of entitlement may have caught up with the players, it has, without question, caught up with our fan base! It's like there is no excuse to ever have an off year. We spend all this money, we should always be a top 10, or better yet, a top 5 team EVERY year.
Well, guess what? A lot of programs across the country, spend a lot of money. ALL teams have an off season every now and then. Look at what Virginia is doing this year, one year removed from the NCS. How about Arizona? The year following their CS win over us, they didn't even make the tourney.
NO, I'm not happy with the way this season has gone but do understand the fact, that with the parity around these days ALL teams are gonna have an occasional off year.

 

[jon#]

I'm not saying this isn't contributing, but the talent level has definitely dropped off. It's noticeable if you just look around the diamond and compare this team to the ones we've had the past 5 or so years. Size, speed, and athleticism are noticeably different in my opinion.

This post was edited on 4/15 1:14 PM by jon#

 

[superflyby]

These kids were not a part of the great run so I don't know how "entitlement" even entered the conversation.....in other words ...no. This is a problem of coaching...whether that be motivation, teaching, evaluating, or a whole list of others.It's on a coaching staff that has had 3 years and a boatload of rated players to get the job done.