Granted this is after only 2 games so a small sample size (and I will miss tomorrow's game because of a 11:30 tee time!), but here are some strengths and concerns after the first 2 games:
Strengths
- Hewett and Vastine are the real deal at the plate and both barrel up real well and hit every ball hard. For a big guy, Hewett is very fast and I like his aggressiveness on the basepaths. Vastine seems to becoming the team leader, very vocal.
- Austin and Polk need more at-bats at this level, but they both have some pop in their bats and the potential to be real good later in the season
- Noland is very close to being in the same conversation as Hewett and Vastine, and I expect him to be there soon
- EBJ is not getting many good pitches to hit as he is well-scouted so he has to be patient
- Schreck is a good addition as he has a good approach at the plate and the hits will start falling for him
- Owen looks like a weekend starter as his FB was quick and off-speed stuff was good, he just needs to fine tune his accuracy prior to SEC play starting
- Schultz came back after some bad pitches and struck out his final 2 batters, simply overpowering them. If he goes with that attitude he will be a real asset
- Maldonado looked as good as ever and was throwing harder than I remember him last year
Concerns
- Holton may have a sophmore slump that some kids go through. He was not sharp and gave up some balls that were hit hard
- Hliboki has a lot of movement on his pitches and good control, but he may be best used to go one-time through the lineup as TCU started hitting him pretty well
- Dutkanych looked like a freshman, he was inconsistent but has a lot of talent that should only get better with more innings. I do not see him being a starter this year unless they give him some mid-week games to get more consistency
- Diaz hit a couple of balls real hard, but his glove has to improve as I do not have much confidence in him when a ball is hit his way. Corbin may have to make a tough call if he keeps booting simple plays.
Keep an eye on TCU throughout the season as they are very well-coached and have a roster built for Omaha, so the loss may not look so bad later this season.
Strengths
- Hewett and Vastine are the real deal at the plate and both barrel up real well and hit every ball hard. For a big guy, Hewett is very fast and I like his aggressiveness on the basepaths. Vastine seems to becoming the team leader, very vocal.
- Austin and Polk need more at-bats at this level, but they both have some pop in their bats and the potential to be real good later in the season
- Noland is very close to being in the same conversation as Hewett and Vastine, and I expect him to be there soon
- EBJ is not getting many good pitches to hit as he is well-scouted so he has to be patient
- Schreck is a good addition as he has a good approach at the plate and the hits will start falling for him
- Owen looks like a weekend starter as his FB was quick and off-speed stuff was good, he just needs to fine tune his accuracy prior to SEC play starting
- Schultz came back after some bad pitches and struck out his final 2 batters, simply overpowering them. If he goes with that attitude he will be a real asset
- Maldonado looked as good as ever and was throwing harder than I remember him last year
Concerns
- Holton may have a sophmore slump that some kids go through. He was not sharp and gave up some balls that were hit hard
- Hliboki has a lot of movement on his pitches and good control, but he may be best used to go one-time through the lineup as TCU started hitting him pretty well
- Dutkanych looked like a freshman, he was inconsistent but has a lot of talent that should only get better with more innings. I do not see him being a starter this year unless they give him some mid-week games to get more consistency
- Diaz hit a couple of balls real hard, but his glove has to improve as I do not have much confidence in him when a ball is hit his way. Corbin may have to make a tough call if he keeps booting simple plays.
Keep an eye on TCU throughout the season as they are very well-coached and have a roster built for Omaha, so the loss may not look so bad later this season.
