struggling a bit at the end of last season but the bottom has just dropped out this season. We are bad in all aspects of the game.
I just can't figure out how we got this bad.
I just can't figure out how we got this bad.
Serious question: how did our baseball team get this bad this season? We were
- Thread starter Cola G'Cock
- Start date
I agree that Holbrook isn't leaving.
I guess my question is that you have to determine what is wrong before you can fix it. Holbrook should want to fix things, so I wonder exactly what should he do.
At the beginning of the season, we had what were considered good players. How did these same players progressively get to where they play this poorly?
If, as some have suggested, Holbrook is the problem, how can things possibly improve if he is still there? Do we give him several years and hope he learns how to be a good head coach?
Will Crowe got pounded this year, Connor Bright's average dropped about 160 points, we have no closer. Nobody on the team except for Martin is a real threat to drive in a run. We fold in close games via errors or poor fundamentals. We're pretty much an awful baseball team that is poorly coached.
I hope that means new pitching coach and a real hitting coach... If this doesn't happen, I can't too excited for Gamecock baseball next year....
We lost a game to UGA where they walked 15 of our batters.
FIFTEEN
That's more than a Baker's Dozen.
FIFTEEN
That's more than a Baker's Dozen.
It's a mental thing. Those CWS teams went into every game expecting to win, and willing to beat the hell out of the other guy if they disagreed. This team goes out there waiting on and expecting something to go wrong; when something inevitably does (which always happens when you're playing like that), they fold. Instead of going out and being the aggressors and putting pressure on the other team, they go out and let the other team push them around. Instead of playing to win, they're playing not to lose, and that's a formula for disaster in any sport.
Early in the season I was pretty convinced it was a confidence thing. I figured if we went out, got some hits and won some games, they'd turn it around. In the last couple of weeks, though, I've started to think it's Holbrook. I don't think it's an X's and O's thing with him, I think he's got the team in the wrong mindset. He doesn't seem to care about winning enough, and I fear it's rubbed off on the team. I'm not quite on the "OMFG WE HAVE TO FIRE HIM NOW" train, but if the attitude of the team doesn't improve next year I will be. We have good players, all we need is a coach with some fire to get their butts moving.
Early in the season I was pretty convinced it was a confidence thing. I figured if we went out, got some hits and won some games, they'd turn it around. In the last couple of weeks, though, I've started to think it's Holbrook. I don't think it's an X's and O's thing with him, I think he's got the team in the wrong mindset. He doesn't seem to care about winning enough, and I fear it's rubbed off on the team. I'm not quite on the "OMFG WE HAVE TO FIRE HIM NOW" train, but if the attitude of the team doesn't improve next year I will be. We have good players, all we need is a coach with some fire to get their butts moving.
The signs have been there for a couple of years....but was overshadowed by great pitching leftover from the CWS seasons.....
This staff simply has not shown the ability to evaluate and sign SEC quality hitters.
I am beginning to wonder if Holbrook isn't also falling in to the trap which doomed June Raines at the end of his career where the team became a roster filled with booster's nephews, cousins and college friends' sons instead of actual SEC\MLB quality baseball players.
Honestly this program at the moment has a ton of players whom couldn't break the starting lineups at CofC, PC, and a couple of other instate schools. And when VANDY is consistently trotting out a couple future MLB starters in their weekend rotation every year while SC has a staff of pitchers struggling to break 85 on the gun then there is something major broken.
Hitting has been the major failure of this coaching staff and program for a couple of years.......and it isn't due to the bats either, the team simply does not square up pitches enough even in mid-week games very often and NO TEAM that I have seen over the past 3 years has been able to consistently and repeatedly failed so miserably with runners in scoring position....hades, it takes a special lack of talent to be able to so consistently turn bases loaded and zero outs into one or NO runs.....but this program does it about two or times a game.
This staff simply has not shown the ability to evaluate and sign SEC quality hitters.
I am beginning to wonder if Holbrook isn't also falling in to the trap which doomed June Raines at the end of his career where the team became a roster filled with booster's nephews, cousins and college friends' sons instead of actual SEC\MLB quality baseball players.
Honestly this program at the moment has a ton of players whom couldn't break the starting lineups at CofC, PC, and a couple of other instate schools. And when VANDY is consistently trotting out a couple future MLB starters in their weekend rotation every year while SC has a staff of pitchers struggling to break 85 on the gun then there is something major broken.
Hitting has been the major failure of this coaching staff and program for a couple of years.......and it isn't due to the bats either, the team simply does not square up pitches enough even in mid-week games very often and NO TEAM that I have seen over the past 3 years has been able to consistently and repeatedly failed so miserably with runners in scoring position....hades, it takes a special lack of talent to be able to so consistently turn bases loaded and zero outs into one or NO runs.....but this program does it about two or times a game.
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Many of last years problems were hidden behind a good weekend rotation. Yeah, we didn't score many runs but we gave up even less. And we did have a closer. Will Crow was the weak spot in the rotation for a good part of last year as a freshman, rightfully so. He developed once he found his curve ball late in the year. He was our Friday night guy this year, and he struggled; perhaps due to injuries.
The lack of hitting is perplexing at this level. Defense, no longer reliable. Guys we were spoiled with like Wingo that had great range and defensive reliability have been replaced by guys with average range and not always reliable (Example). Maybe CCH has been forced to play the better hitter and sacrifice defense when selecting lineups.
I still do not think Jerry Meyers is the pitching coach we need. Never develops depth, only recall Kip being his great arm and he threw him to death.
I thought CCH did a great job the year we had all of the injuries keeping the team competitive, but the trajectory is heading South for the overall program. Replace some assistants and give him a year.
The lack of hitting is perplexing at this level. Defense, no longer reliable. Guys we were spoiled with like Wingo that had great range and defensive reliability have been replaced by guys with average range and not always reliable (Example). Maybe CCH has been forced to play the better hitter and sacrifice defense when selecting lineups.
I still do not think Jerry Meyers is the pitching coach we need. Never develops depth, only recall Kip being his great arm and he threw him to death.
I thought CCH did a great job the year we had all of the injuries keeping the team competitive, but the trajectory is heading South for the overall program. Replace some assistants and give him a year.
What reason would we have to think Holbrook is going to change from this season to next season?
The Braves won the division two seasons ago and this year will lose about 95-100 games...it happens
Baseball is baseball...there are ebbs and flows...nobody is good every year in baseball. Unlike football and basketball where you can predict the top ten and be pretty close every year. That's what makes baseball the best game there is in my opinion.
Well . . . back in the 50's, the NYC Yankees . . .
Ironically, one of the greatest Yankees ever, Bobby Richardson, made this program a national power. GO COCKS!!!
Chad looks lost. Watch any of his post-game pressers. The guy sounds defeated.
To many issues to name. Chad better get it together next year! The pressure is on.
I thought I've heard all the foolish post from our fans that anyone could hear...UNTIL this one! Are you serious dude?
When you start your journey at the top of the mountain...there is only one way to go! Holbrook took over the best baseball program in the country and has been to a regional and super...This season will either make CCH a better coach or he will never recover and be hired as a top assistant at another program...We will see just how good he really is next year after this years disappointing season...Get up and fight or lay on the mat
Some times you overachieve (perhaps our two CWS championship years......and some time you underachieve.....like we did this year. The make up of the team is not just tallent...but include many intangiables (attitude, tanacity, confidence etc.). Dissapointing i know...
That's the way I felt about the football team, although Spurrier didn't let it get completely unglued!
HA! our FANS don't care about winning enough either. Rather say crap like "so what? It's just baseball. It doesn't matter" and make every excuse to under the sun to act like a terrible season like this is not a big deal.
It's not a big deal. Baseball is a non-revenue, regional sport that is, at best, only the 4th most popular sport at USC.
"Fourth most popular sport". Guess you're basing that on total attendance. A few years ago, baseball was easily the second most popular sport behind football. Maybe more people were coming out to see the men's and women's basketball team but that's because the CLA holds twice as many people as Carolina Stadium.
