UConn Baseball 2021

[HOOK C FAN]

Casparius and P. Winkel got snubbed.

Like everyone else, I am starving for baseball. Having said that, these preseason rankings are ridiculous. There is no way there are 90 pitchers better than Ben Casparius in the NCAA. For example, someone who has faced both Rocker (from Vandy) and Ben said Ben is a tougher assignment. Some of the other UConn player rankings are suspiciously high. These rankings are just vapid publicity cultivated by people with agendas.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[BaseballDog]

To be fair, the Pre-Season All Big East Catcher did hit .230 with a HR last year and .237 with 4 HR's the year before.
Cant expect P. Wink to match those numbers.

You can even make a case that Ciaran Devenney as all big east catcher over that guy based on those stats. His 2019 he batted .287 with 7 HRs

 

[huskymedic]

Here is the Big East release... UConn Favored In #BIGEASTbase Preseason Coaches’ Poll

 

[BaseballDog]

Here is the Big East release... UConn Favored In #BIGEASTbase Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Per the release, Kyler Fedko is co player of the year but not a unanimous selection for first team Big East OF??

 

[huskymedic]

Per the release, Kyler Fedko is co player of the year but not a unanimous selection for first team Big East OF??

It’s our first season in the Big East... I had no expectations that we’d place as many as we did on the team. I had a low bar and figured we’d be hosed in some fashion or another. I rather enjoy the bulletin board/chip of the shoulder material for these guys.

I imagine there are some jealous sumnabeetches out there. 😉

 

[Viet Vet]

Let's chill out on polls. I'm as bad as the next guy..................all psyched when the hockey team cracks the top 20, upset when our baseball team doesn't get the recognition we "deserve". Polls are fodder for armchair experts like us. The only poll that matters is the last one.

 

[dbmill]

Here's the news I've been waiting for. Just hope they don't end up in a Virginia snowbank.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

Like everyone else, I am starving for baseball. Having said that, these preseason rankings are ridiculous. There is no way there are 90 pitchers better than Ben Casparius in the NCAA. For example, someone who has faced both Rocker (from Vandy) and Ben said Ben is a tougher assignment. Some of the other UConn player rankings are suspiciously high. These rankings are just vapid publicity cultivated by people with agendas.

Some of these rankings are no doubt based on what a player has done in past NCAA competition. Ben Casparius has never pitched in an college baseball game with UConn, and it would seem that while he was at North Carolina no one ever thought of him as a Friday night starter. In fact, he never started a game as a pitcher for the Tar Heels. Something obviously clicked in terms of his pitching ability when he arrived in Storrs (perhaps the UConn coaching staff helped him some), as the UConn coaching staff and the visiting scouts definitely see the ability that he now has. Still, I would imagine for some people Casparius will need to show what he can do on the mound this college season before they rate him higher. Given the platitudes the UConn coaches, players, and other have given him, I would expect him to move up up in these ratings as he shows what he can do as the season progresses. He has shown he can do it in summer ball, now he has to do it on Friday's for UConn.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

It’s our first season in the Big East... I had no expectations that we’d place as many as we did on the team. I had a low bar and figured we’d be hosed in some fashion or another. I rather enjoy the bulletin board/chip of the shoulder material for these guys.

I imagine there are some jealous sumnabeetches out there. 😉

I pretty much agree here. Preseason awards are the ultimate popularity contest. No matter how well regarded the team is, they are the new kid on the block in the Big East and will have to prove themselves there. If UConn dominate the competition in the Big East, I would expect there to be a bigger tilt towards UConn in the Big East post season awards.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

Alternate reading link here

 

[businesslawyer]

Good God. All this worry and conflict about what other people think.

Here is what is great about sports -- it doesn't matter a god damn what people think. We will play the games and achieve what we achieve. I'm relatively optimistic about this years team. I think the line up is incredibly strong and the pitching staff has great depth. Will the starting pitching be good enough for a run in the post season? Not a sole knows. Not the coaches, not the sportswriters and certainly not us.

In less than 48 hours it won't matter a damn what anyone thinks -- only what happens. Unless, of course, we find ourselves hashtag "outmatched" for the first inning of the season. (man, I wish I was young enough to do a smiley emoji.)

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

 

[huskymedic]

D1Baseball Field of 64 projections: UConn as the #3 in the Fayetteville Regional w/ Arkansas (1), Miami (2) and Bryant (4):

 

[huskymedic]

Worth the 30 minutes time investment if ya have it...

 

[dbmill]

I listened to the Coach Penders part of the interview session. At one point he was asked about the D.H. spot. Penders said it would likely to be a revolving door. Pat Winkel likely to see time there when he is not catching, which will be more than a few games considering the four game weekends including double headers that the Big East has scheduled. Also likely to see time at D.H. would also include Ciaran Devenney, Ben Maycock, and Kevin Ferrer among others, including two way players Reggie Crawford and Erik Stock.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[dbmill]

Penders injury report from this interview. A few relief pitchers are not available this weekend due to minor injuries. Andrew Marrero, who Penders described as one of the backend bullpen guys, is out for the weekend, should be back next weekend. Justin Willis is also out for the weekend. Devin Kirby has a forearm issue, should be back in a month or so.

The UConn Sunday starter as mentioned elsewhere is undecided at this point. Jimmy Wang, Pat Gallagher, and Austin Peterson all got mentions as possibilities for Sunday. Some of it depends on whether one of these guys gets used earlier in the weekend.