Injuries
Michael Doolin's done for the year
Sam Hliboki throwing; his timeline is, he’s tossing from 90 feet. End of May or June if he pitches this year.
Back end of bullpen
They’re not there with knowing who does what
They train guys from volume standpoint to be starters
Early season you need five starters
Finding 4-5 guys is the most important things
Other guys have less volume but they get more touches in the week
They’re not there yet
In about two weeks they’ll know more and he’ll have a better handle on it
Who’s he preparing to start?
Christian Little, Patrick Reilly, Thomas Schultz were first mentioned
They’ve talked to Nick Maldonado about it; they’re looking at him more potentially to start
Carter Holton is in that mix
Chris McElvain and Hunter Owen could fit there
There are others who could step up on the coming weeks
Kumar Rocker, what’s his situation and where he’ll be
He’ll be in Knoxville working out and will be back and forth between there and California
He could be playing some this year but it would be independent
He’s doing well, he looks as good as he’s ever looked, he’s working out hard and on course to be healthy and pitching at some point
He’s throwing off a mound right now
Do they talk about Omaha before the season?
No, they create more of a vision rather than talking about it
They don’t refer to it
But it’s the elephant in the room, they all know it
Omaha and SEC titles are outcomes that happen if you’re consistent inside your program
They don’t look ahead at all because it’s poisonous and dangerous
Kids have to center themselves on what’s happening now
Grown in the right direction and you can be successful
But they keep it simple
What’s it like going from a staff with last year’s experience to a younger group?
They’ll go through those cycles over time; 2019 was similar—they had Fellows and Hickman but they didn’t yet know Kumar would be what he was
Said 2018 they were in that spot too
The youngest staff was 2012 and that was a rough start but they’re not that young
They have guys with 40-50 IP instead of 80-90, but they have more of them than they had in the past.
New guys, what’s the personality?
They’ve recruited well through the years
Mike Baxter's been here a while, Baxter’s the recruiting coordinator and you can “see his touch” in terms of academics and maturity.
He likes how they approach people and they were more comfortable after Christmas
Leadership compared to past great teams?
There are glimpses of it
40 man roster is different because there are more “watchers”
That’s where leadership is important, to involve those people
Kids will inevitably be disappointed and that’s where you find a team role
“We’ll see, it’s going to be very fluid.”
NIL
“The wild west was an anticipatory statement on what might happen.”
It’s been minimal for him
They have some players who’d had some opportunities but they’re small
The Alston ruling (https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/ncaa-v-alston-the-beginning-of-the-end-9351737/) could affect them more than NIL
You don’t want NIL becoming ridden by your boosters to the point they supply players and getting around cheating, that’s not what it’s meant to be but you give an inch and take a mile
His eyes roll when he sees recruiting rankings in football and you wonder where the differences come from and he’s skeptical of how they get players
But it’s not a big deal for them, and that’s good. Kids shouldn’t have a lot on their plate at VU especially when it comes to an academic schedule. But their minds and efforts don’t need to be on finances and work. These should be the best times of their lives.
On super seniors helping quality of play across college baseball
He thinks that’s the case
A lot of kids have stayed back because of 2020
Free agency with the portal also makes an impact and other schools have used it
On his contract extension
Being compensated for being a teacher and a coach is an extraordinary gift
The great thing about having money is being able to share it with others
They’re lucky
He feels young but he knows what his birth certificate and he appreciates that the school can see him being around a while.
He has good self-awareness and he’ll step away when it’s time but in a way he feels he’s still beginning and loves what he’s doing, his energy is the same
On baseball being "norma"l again after the Covid times
Even a year ago he was unsure of many things
They had a no-hitter and 100 people where there
It didn’t feel normal until the Kentucky series last year (that's when Vandy finally allowed in more fans; it was the last series of the year)
Omaha was weird, “there was something missing.
Hopefully they’re moving in the right direction
Where’s he grown most as a coach?
The last 5-6 years, his day-to-day way of operating; he spends more time in the classroom and preparing for the classroom sessions; it’s a great space to center yourself and a safe haven
“Pressure’s not the right word but I feel the pressure to produce something worthy when I’m in that room… otherwise they’ll know you didn’t bring it.”
Baseball’s important but they do other things that benefit players
Michael Doolin's done for the year
Sam Hliboki throwing; his timeline is, he’s tossing from 90 feet. End of May or June if he pitches this year.
Back end of bullpen
They’re not there with knowing who does what
They train guys from volume standpoint to be starters
Early season you need five starters
Finding 4-5 guys is the most important things
Other guys have less volume but they get more touches in the week
They’re not there yet
In about two weeks they’ll know more and he’ll have a better handle on it
Who’s he preparing to start?
Christian Little, Patrick Reilly, Thomas Schultz were first mentioned
They’ve talked to Nick Maldonado about it; they’re looking at him more potentially to start
Carter Holton is in that mix
Chris McElvain and Hunter Owen could fit there
There are others who could step up on the coming weeks
Kumar Rocker, what’s his situation and where he’ll be
He’ll be in Knoxville working out and will be back and forth between there and California
He could be playing some this year but it would be independent
He’s doing well, he looks as good as he’s ever looked, he’s working out hard and on course to be healthy and pitching at some point
He’s throwing off a mound right now
Do they talk about Omaha before the season?
No, they create more of a vision rather than talking about it
They don’t refer to it
But it’s the elephant in the room, they all know it
Omaha and SEC titles are outcomes that happen if you’re consistent inside your program
They don’t look ahead at all because it’s poisonous and dangerous
Kids have to center themselves on what’s happening now
Grown in the right direction and you can be successful
But they keep it simple
What’s it like going from a staff with last year’s experience to a younger group?
They’ll go through those cycles over time; 2019 was similar—they had Fellows and Hickman but they didn’t yet know Kumar would be what he was
Said 2018 they were in that spot too
The youngest staff was 2012 and that was a rough start but they’re not that young
They have guys with 40-50 IP instead of 80-90, but they have more of them than they had in the past.
New guys, what’s the personality?
They’ve recruited well through the years
Mike Baxter's been here a while, Baxter’s the recruiting coordinator and you can “see his touch” in terms of academics and maturity.
He likes how they approach people and they were more comfortable after Christmas
Leadership compared to past great teams?
There are glimpses of it
40 man roster is different because there are more “watchers”
That’s where leadership is important, to involve those people
Kids will inevitably be disappointed and that’s where you find a team role
“We’ll see, it’s going to be very fluid.”
NIL
“The wild west was an anticipatory statement on what might happen.”
It’s been minimal for him
They have some players who’d had some opportunities but they’re small
The Alston ruling (https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/ncaa-v-alston-the-beginning-of-the-end-9351737/) could affect them more than NIL
You don’t want NIL becoming ridden by your boosters to the point they supply players and getting around cheating, that’s not what it’s meant to be but you give an inch and take a mile
His eyes roll when he sees recruiting rankings in football and you wonder where the differences come from and he’s skeptical of how they get players
But it’s not a big deal for them, and that’s good. Kids shouldn’t have a lot on their plate at VU especially when it comes to an academic schedule. But their minds and efforts don’t need to be on finances and work. These should be the best times of their lives.
On super seniors helping quality of play across college baseball
He thinks that’s the case
A lot of kids have stayed back because of 2020
Free agency with the portal also makes an impact and other schools have used it
On his contract extension
Being compensated for being a teacher and a coach is an extraordinary gift
The great thing about having money is being able to share it with others
They’re lucky
He feels young but he knows what his birth certificate and he appreciates that the school can see him being around a while.
He has good self-awareness and he’ll step away when it’s time but in a way he feels he’s still beginning and loves what he’s doing, his energy is the same
On baseball being "norma"l again after the Covid times
Even a year ago he was unsure of many things
They had a no-hitter and 100 people where there
It didn’t feel normal until the Kentucky series last year (that's when Vandy finally allowed in more fans; it was the last series of the year)
Omaha was weird, “there was something missing.
Hopefully they’re moving in the right direction
Where’s he grown most as a coach?
The last 5-6 years, his day-to-day way of operating; he spends more time in the classroom and preparing for the classroom sessions; it’s a great space to center yourself and a safe haven
“Pressure’s not the right word but I feel the pressure to produce something worthy when I’m in that room… otherwise they’ll know you didn’t bring it.”
Baseball’s important but they do other things that benefit players
