Dabblin' With the Cockspur: Grading Them Harshly

posted by Roger Olivieri, 5/23/2009 03:42:00 PM

Analyzing Each Individual

Whit Merrifield: Whit hit .385 and had singles in both the anemic ninth innings where a sure fire comeback fell flat. He hit two doubles in the three games and played a solid defense. His two biggest faults were a 4:0 K:BB ratio and zero runs batted in.

Overall: B

DeAngelo Mack: Mack drove in three runs – a good number for three games, but the rest of his stats were awful. In his defense though, he couldn’t even play the field until Friday’s elimination game.

Overall: D

Nick Ebert: For the season, Ebert gets an A++, but unfortunately for him, he gets an F for Hoover. A .214 average with one walk versus five K’s is tough to overcome.

Overall: F

Jackie Bradley, Jr.: Bradley had some strikeouts where he looked like a true freshman. The good thing is this: he is a true freshman who also managed to hit .333, steal the Cocks only base, throw bullets from left field and manage three walks.

Overall: B+

Justin Dalles: Say what you will about Dalles’ 2-for-10 performance with five strikeouts. He stunk it up at the plate and there is no denying that. What is continuously ignored though is his work behind the plate. Look at the elimination game for a perfect example. Dalles gets in front of those balls that Enders botched – that’s a run right there that J.D. was responsible for not to mention the two HUGE insurance ribbies in the eleventh inning of Game 1.

Overall: C-

Andrew Crisp: What to say here? Let me start here…

I have the utmost respect for Coach Ray Tanner. In all honesty, I believe he is the epitome of the word “Coach.” I believe he is the best in the collective business. That’s right; I said “collective,” meaning all sports, all coaches. He has a combination of heart, little kid, winner, fighter, and disciplinarian – it’s awesome actually, HOWEVER…

He went against everything he preaches when he pinch hit Mike Roth for Andrew Crisp. I understand how the rightie/leftie, leftie/rightie match-ups work. I understand the “pull out all the stops in an elimination game” theory, but in my opinion loyalty to a soldier is the pinnacle. Andrew Crisp is a fifth year senior who has given his heart to the program. He’s done anything and everything asked of him (which is A LOT, by the way). He’s battled injuries that would have most kids his age crying themselves to sleep. He’s been a model student/athlete from a model family.

Bases juiced, bottom of the ninth, elimination game…

That’s when you walk up to Drew and say, “Hey buddy, you been here longer than anyone. Go up there and give it everything you got because I know you will. You don’t deliver, you’re still my soldier. You do deliver and it’s just one more hit on your ridiculous resume.”

Instead, he opted for a true freshman… I don’t get it.

(Don’t tell me it was okay because a true freshman was on the mound. The true freshman on the mound was Co-Freshman of the Year.”)

Regardless, Drew had an awful series in the field and at the plate.

Overall: F

Bobby Haney and Scott Wingo: Why grade them together you ask? It’s simple, these two guys were the team MVP’s in this tournament. Defensively and even offensively neither ever quit. Neither ever got frustrated. Both took on a “fight to the death” mentality and they delivered to the tune of 7-for-22 with defensive wizardry.

Did they have mistakes on both sides of the ball? Yes, but they never gave in – each and every pitch was a battle for the two “lightest hitting guys on the team.”

Overall: A

The Pitching Staff

Blake Cooper: Considered “the weakness” of this team, these guys showed up. Blake gave up more runs than anyone and still might have been the best of them all. Here’s why…

Two squibblers in the first inning resulted in two singles. Both batters were obviously overmatched and they both got very lucky. Their fortune led to three earned runs against Cooper.

He only walked two and he struck out seven. Aside from the first inning, “Coop” was almost unhittable.

Overall: A

Sam Dyson: Dyson has had better days, but the bottom line is this: He allowed 1.24 base runners per inning – a more than respectable numer. He only walked one and struck out eight.

Overall: B-

Nolan Belcher: Belcher matched the SEC Pitcher of the Year in an elimination game at the SEC Tournament as a true freshman. At times, Belcher baffled some of LSU’s most dangerous hitters. Allowing only one base runner per inning and continuing to keep his team in the game – he was the pitching MVP.

Overall: A

Misconceptions

"These guys have no heart. They had the bases full with one and no outs in consecutive ninth innings and scored no runs!"

Actually, the simple fact that they filled the bases in those circumstances against some intense competition tells me all I need to know about their heart. HUGE!

The True Freshmen

The true freshmen on this team deserve some pats on the back. Nolan Belcher, Adam Westmoreland, Adam Matthews and Mike Roth were asked to do way more than any true freshman should be asked. Ray knows that, but he needed them. Every one of them delivered.

Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home

---