While it's become the thing here by some to instantly blame the coaches for when things aren't going well....let's put a perspective on what is being said. We won back to back national championships. The first one was won on the spiritual back on an incredible little boy named Baylor Teal who gave a talented team a perspective on the game related to life that allowed them to come through in clutch moments and also because a bullpen pitcher who was a middle reliever evolved into being the best pitcher in CWS history. To win the second national championship it took miraculous play after play and some fortunate "bounces' in the games against UVA and Florida. Again...it was meant to be.
So now as the result of that, anything short of Omaha seems to be the standard expectation here.
The truth is nobody goes to Omaha every year. Nobody.
Coach Holbrook inherited a team with some talent his first year...but please look at everything objectively.
Yes...the trend is not headed in the right direction...but the truth is we don't have the same caliber players we had during our championship runs. The teams that have beaten us the last two years in the Super Regionals and the Regionals were quite frankly better than we were at that time of year. This year's team has a bunch of very hard working players...some great players...great young men who are giving their all but as a team don't rise to the level of past teams.
Please try to think fairly about the players on the national championship teams on which expectations now seem to be built year in and year out no matter who the players are now. Those teams had the perfect blend of team chemistry and talent.
Many of the players were not stars...some were. Christian Walker was one of the best players in the country coming out of high school and so was Jackie Bradley Jr and both became great college players and look like they have a chance to make a go of it in the majors. Adrian Morales was one of the toughest players who held other players accountable and was an inspirational fireball while Michael Roth was the fun and free spirit. That was a good combo on and off the field. Good balance. Whit Merrifield was an incredible talent and one of the most clutch hitters we have ever had. Scott Wingo was a good defensive player and an average hitter until his senior year when he when captured lightning in a bottle in every way...but from day one he would "battle" you and absolutely refuse to lose. Brady Thomas was clutch. Robert Beary was a player who could fill in anywhere, the MVP of the 2011 Columbia Regional and he and Wingo made game saving play after game saving play in the CWS finals against Florida. Blake Cooper, Sam Dyson, and yes...the incomparable Michael Roth and Matt Price. Had some great middle relievers on those teams too like John Taylor who could throw everyday and still be effective. Tremendous blend of talent and chemistry and Coach Holbrook was part of helping to blend all that talent along with Coach Tanner, Coach Calvi when he was here, and Coach Meyer.
These guys didn't all of a sudden forget how to coach. Just look honestly at now who is on this team and it is not the same kind of talent and chemistry. Good kids...good players...but it's just not the same level of talent guys. Any comparison and quite frankly expectations IMO...are not fair. Everybody goes through a "dip"...and It's okay to hope and expect to win. But some of you are posting like you have control of anything related to the program about "the only way I see this coach this and this coach that"...and that's just not living in reality.
Just remember, one of best coaches ever, Ray Tanner, is watching. Both he and Coach Holbrook are good men and good coaches. We trusted them enough to lead us to two national championships. Let me repeat that...TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!! Think for a school that had not ever won a major national championship prior to that...think we owe a debt of gratitude to coaches who helped us achieve that and as a result think the least we can do is show some patience and continue to support them and trust them to figure out how to right the ship. Thank you.
So now as the result of that, anything short of Omaha seems to be the standard expectation here.
The truth is nobody goes to Omaha every year. Nobody.
Coach Holbrook inherited a team with some talent his first year...but please look at everything objectively.
Yes...the trend is not headed in the right direction...but the truth is we don't have the same caliber players we had during our championship runs. The teams that have beaten us the last two years in the Super Regionals and the Regionals were quite frankly better than we were at that time of year. This year's team has a bunch of very hard working players...some great players...great young men who are giving their all but as a team don't rise to the level of past teams.
Please try to think fairly about the players on the national championship teams on which expectations now seem to be built year in and year out no matter who the players are now. Those teams had the perfect blend of team chemistry and talent.
Many of the players were not stars...some were. Christian Walker was one of the best players in the country coming out of high school and so was Jackie Bradley Jr and both became great college players and look like they have a chance to make a go of it in the majors. Adrian Morales was one of the toughest players who held other players accountable and was an inspirational fireball while Michael Roth was the fun and free spirit. That was a good combo on and off the field. Good balance. Whit Merrifield was an incredible talent and one of the most clutch hitters we have ever had. Scott Wingo was a good defensive player and an average hitter until his senior year when he when captured lightning in a bottle in every way...but from day one he would "battle" you and absolutely refuse to lose. Brady Thomas was clutch. Robert Beary was a player who could fill in anywhere, the MVP of the 2011 Columbia Regional and he and Wingo made game saving play after game saving play in the CWS finals against Florida. Blake Cooper, Sam Dyson, and yes...the incomparable Michael Roth and Matt Price. Had some great middle relievers on those teams too like John Taylor who could throw everyday and still be effective. Tremendous blend of talent and chemistry and Coach Holbrook was part of helping to blend all that talent along with Coach Tanner, Coach Calvi when he was here, and Coach Meyer.
These guys didn't all of a sudden forget how to coach. Just look honestly at now who is on this team and it is not the same kind of talent and chemistry. Good kids...good players...but it's just not the same level of talent guys. Any comparison and quite frankly expectations IMO...are not fair. Everybody goes through a "dip"...and It's okay to hope and expect to win. But some of you are posting like you have control of anything related to the program about "the only way I see this coach this and this coach that"...and that's just not living in reality.
Just remember, one of best coaches ever, Ray Tanner, is watching. Both he and Coach Holbrook are good men and good coaches. We trusted them enough to lead us to two national championships. Let me repeat that...TWO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!! Think for a school that had not ever won a major national championship prior to that...think we owe a debt of gratitude to coaches who helped us achieve that and as a result think the least we can do is show some patience and continue to support them and trust them to figure out how to right the ship. Thank you.