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Fall Scrimmages



I was at the Bart for game 1 and 2 innings of game 2........I think this is an excellent article as far as it goes, but it does not address the elephant in the room......catching. very odd, because it is a glaring weakness.

How bad?? Well, my brother, who was also there, said "Don't you feel bad about putting down Wyatt Cross so much?", and I had to say "yes", because WC would be a very welcome returning player indeed, if he was eligible.

Hunter Combs caught the 1st game......I was hoping for big things from Hunter, but was pretty concerned about his base stealing #s at JL. And I have to tell you....he is nowhere near being a BT catcher when it comes to throwing out runners. JL's runners ran at will, and we did not come close to throwing any out. Weak arm, off target, slow release. In his defense, he is an athletic looking kid, who is pretty quick and skilled in the other aspects of catching, esp. blocking pitches. But....and I'm not being a troll or alarmist here....just keeping it real.....I think he WILL be our starting C next Spring, and we will be in big trouble at that position unless he can dramatically improve his throwing.

Hopkins, the WKU transfer, caught the second game. His arm is no better that that of Combs, and he's not as athletic. He is, very simply, not a BT level baseball player.

I did not see Voth, the freshman from California. After watching the other guys, I was hoping to see him. However, from reports, I don't think he is the answer.

I noticed we added a last-minute recruit to this Fall's incoming class. I do not think he is highly regarded, and do not expect him to be the answer either.

Based on what I saw, I wonder whether we are done looking for help for next year at the catching position. I hope not. I feel that this is an unusual for IU baseball because, in the last 4-5 years, if there were obvious holes in the team, like SPing, there were also possible solutions. I don't see that here, other than dramatic improvement from Combs.

With regard to the other matters the author addresses.....SPing may be an issue. Tommy S. got hit pretty good & was not sharp. Gabe B. was not dominant. But everyone I have talked to is impressed by the sheer # of talented arms in the program now, including 3-4 true freshmen. So...I think SPing is a solvable problem, and pitching overall should be a strength.

In terms of position players......Jesse playing over Vecumba? I asked about it.....and, don't kill the messenger, was told that while Vecrumba is a freak athlete, at this point in time he is not all that skilled as a baseball player. He played at a small school. Jesse is a kid that looks very comfortable defensively, as does Trinkle at 2nd. I don't know if JM is trying to send a message or not, but the line-up he went with looked like the best defensive line-up we have, including the Samford transfer, Fucci, at 1st, who started both games.over Jack Skrine. JM seems to very fond of his veteran transfers, Fucci, Trinkle, Macciocchi. Right now. I'm not as excited about them. Fucci is a guy who hit over.300 last year, but struck out more often than Cole Barr, and didn't hit much for power. He is a huge target to throw to at 1st, however. Macciocchi has played at 2 SEC schools and a JC and never really has stood out. I did not see him play...my brother, who did, was not all that impressed. Trinkle is from Columbus, my hometown. Apparently he went off against the Canadians, who were a glorified HS team. I think he'll be solid defensively, limited offensively. Those guys are all guys who will play some, maybe a lot in CT's case, but they are glue guys not stars.

What I AM excited about is this freshman class, especially the pitchers. Platt & Hacker look like two of the best, but the others looked the part as well. Stahl is a kid who will be interesting to watch......will he end up as a position player or pitcher, or both? Reading about him, I thought his ceiling was higher as a 3rd baseball, but everyone was impressed by his pitching. As far as position players go, Jesse, Vecrumba, Stahl, Toetz all look like prospects.
 
A few comments:
Couldn’t make game with Canadian team. Assume there was a player or two of interest, or at least a relationship that lead to these games. Didn’t appear to be contested match ups.

Did catch the 2 with Logan. First Logan has a strong program, this team would probably make the B1G conference tourney.

You are spot on wrt catching, it wasn’t very good in the second game either. We didn’t see Voth, seemed a good prospect per recruiting sites, but it a big jump. Coaching will and no doubt needs to be an area of focus before February. If there isn’t significant improvement I wouldn’t be shocked to see Drew Ashley at least looked at behind the plate. IMO that would be a less than ideal solution.

Having said that it is early and there are a lot of new players to be evaluated and fit together to make the best team, and there does appear to be talent, albeit much of it young. If the catching situation can be solved I think this team will look a lot better in April than it did against Logan

Finally, Sommer was not sharp in his two innings. He is not going to be overpowering and to be effective he needs to hit spots. I understand he is carrying a significant academic load this fall and has not gotten the work he will this winter and spring.
 

A chill in the air for the first game of the series and Wednesday was forecasted to be the best day of the 3.

Catching was improved over what I saw in the Logan doubleheader, but not where it needs to be. Combs (team Sommer) better hitter, Hopkins (team Scott) no stick, somewhat more athletic behind the plate. Voth played second base for team Sommer, looked to me he has at least year of filling out before he could be an every day catcher.

Based on yesterday and the Logan games it strikes that there are a good number of talented newcomers on this team, but it may well take time for the team to jell. Besides a new catcher, I expect Fucci to be the primary first baseman, Trinkle/Macciochi to be involved in the middle infield, and Vercrumba and Jesse to get some time in the outfield. Vercrumba’s bat seems to be ahead of his glove, Jesse has looked pretty good in the field. Dunham didn’t play yesterday and seemed somewhat hobbled running the bases in the Logan games. Ashley didn’t play yesterday but he will be a plug a play defensive player and a steady bat. I could see him anywhere: 2nd, center or left, catcher.

A side issue, they bunted some yesterday, a rare sight last year. Along that line Houston didn’t attempt a bunt though it seems to me that would be something with his speed and poor contact swinging away would be worth a try.

There is a lot of pitching on this roster, so much that there will be tough decisions selecting the 35 man roster and 25-27 travel squad (not sure of number but believe at least in league games there is a travel squad limit).

A big bright spot yesterday, Cal Krueger came into a tough spot and pitched out of the jam. Live fast ball, good breaking ball and kept his pitches down, looked very good. It would be great to have him back!

A little over 3 months until Baton Rouge starts what promises to be a very interesting year. Baring significant injuries I believe this team will be much better in May than it is in February and March.
 
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