2012 Season Grade

[ThotDoc]

I would have thought that the "grounded into DP" stat was about 150! Perceptions can be tricky.

[jikastew]

Admittedly, I hope to never compare NU baseball to the rest of the Big 10. If you have to use NU's Big Ten rating as proof to justify anything not related to a negative connotation, the argument is already lost. That is the attitude I believe NU needs to take in order to avoid getting sucked into the void forever and is the same attitude that will get us back to baseball relevance.

[II HUSKERS II]

I will give them a C+ ...with all new coaches, new conference and a stretch in March that would have burnt out most teams...i should be giving a B.

The issue is pitching, 1 senior(?) And a new pitching coach spells bright future for this team, pitching-wise. ..and as a whole, 4 seniors...next yr should be an actual contender for a regional in my opinion

[Merle]

D++ or C minus minus. Overall, disappointing year, even though much wasn't expected. Fourth place in Big 10 is very unimpressive! Second team out in the conference tourny is embarrassing. Untimely errors hurt. The poor pitching staff was devastating, I realize the players were not the responsibiliity of this coaching staff, but I expected the coaching staff to somehow figure out how to get more out of them. I await results of pitcher recruiting soon!

[II HUSKERS II]

D++ or C minus minus. Overall, disappointing year, even though much wasn't expected. Fourth place in Big 10 is very unimpressive! Second team out in the conference tourny is embarrassing. Untimely errors hurt. The poor pitching staff was devastating, I realize the players were not the responsibiliity of this coaching staff, but I expected the coaching staff to somehow figure out how to get more out of them. I await results of pitcher recruiting soon!

New pitching coaches put a strain on all the pitchers. They come in, see something they dont like and change it, its like teaching a QB a new throwing motion. I think on the tebow pre-draft workout special on espn they state it took something like 30k throws to change the throwing motion permenatly.

I feel this was the case with this years pitchers, one game they would come out and throw like no tomorrow, next time out they gave up big runs or walks against mediocre competition.

...with saying that...guys like bummer should be great to watch in the future...it can onlu get better from here

[Fromunda Cheese]

Admittedly, I hope to never compare NU baseball to the rest of the Big 10. If you have to use NU's Big Ten rating as proof to justify anything not related to a negative connotation, the argument is already lost. That is the attitude I believe NU needs to take in order to avoid getting sucked into the void forever and is the same attitude that will get us back to baseball relevance

This.

The B1G is a one bid league this year, the hitting stats mean little, if anything.

What was most disappointing to me was the team didn't seem to improve as the year moved on. Next year will hopefully show us some big improvements.

[HuskerWeatherman]

This.

The B1G is a one bid league this year, the hitting stats mean little, if anything.

What was most disappointing to me was the team didn't seem to improve as the year moved on. Next year will hopefully show us some big improvements.

Not just this year (though this year is only relevant to the Huskers)... The Big Ten has been a one-bid league almost every year for the past quarter-century.

[Merle]

And so, Mich State gets in! Good grief! Does that mean NU would have made it if they had completed the rally against MSU in the first game? Really? Somebody with strong Big Ten leanings had to be involved on the selection committee in order for MSU to make it. Or it just a very weak field of 64 this year?

[BraskyMan]

And so, Mich State gets in! Good grief! Does that mean NU would have made it if they had completed the rally against MSU in the first game? Really? Somebody with strong Big Ten leanings had to be involved on the selection committee in order for MSU to make it. Or it just a very weak field of 64 this year?

Mich St has a pretty good RPI of 45 (and has a win against Baylor) which is typically enough to get a B1G team in....plus the committee made a statement that it wanted to reward northern teams that go on the road early in the season and play a ton of games away from home. Overall, I think this is a pretty good field this year.....you even have bubble teams like Texas which got left out altogether. And if you look at the projections for the last month plus, almost all have included Mich. St. in the field.

[gutterputt]

C-

Thanks to Erstad I have renewed interest. Dissappointed the pitching staff didn't progress throughout the year but the hitting kept it fun to follow.

[ShortSideOption]

I think the thoughts that are being thrown around are spot-on. As fans, we hope that there is going to be a massive turn around, and quicker than normal, but I think everyone was realistic in knowing that this cupboard was more bare than a homeless persons. I believe Erstad even at the beginning of the year said it was going to be a tough road to get to the conference tournament?? Or am I wrong?? I think him getting us there was a big victory considering the state of our pitching staff.

My analysis: I think Fromunda called it way early in the season, our pitching staff was pathedic. There is really no other way to put it. There are glimpses that there could be a couple bright futures down the road, but not even Silva or Erstad could save us with good coaching from what we were having to run out to the mound. I think many of us knew this going in to the season, but hoped that going in to a weak league we may be able to hide that deficiency. If Anderson was still at the helm, I would almost think that this team may have folded after the UCLA series.

It will be huge for Erstad, Silva, and Bolt to bring in some arms that can pitch NOW. I can't help but wonder what would have happened if Ehlers would have stuck around to be our Friday starter, he is putting up ridiculous numbers at his JUCO. I think the offense will even improve over this year to next, and I don't think our pitching can get any worse. Couple that with the fact that we have a season under our belt so that the players can SEE what the coaches want on the field rather than just being told it, and I think there will be a big improvement.

I would give it a B- for the season, for the simple fact that I think many of us were hoping the weak league could get us a surprise back door birth to the NCAAs? Fact of the matter is, we were worse than we thought Anderson left us with. Maybe I should change my grade to a C and say that Erstads coaching job was more of a B or B+?

[Husker Mort]

Some really insightful and valid posts here -- thanks for that.

I agree with those cautious to use statistics as an evaluation method without a significant adjustment for strength of competition. It is obvious that Bolt has improved the approach at the plate, but Silva didn't show much in terms of in-season adjustments to cover pitching deficiencies and develop confidence. I hope the non-con schedule gets upgraded quickly. All-in-all, I tremor to think about what the season would have been had conference realignment not taken place.

[CrnhskrBob]

C+

C! A C+ requires decent pitching. Enough said.

[ThotDoc]

C! A C+ requires decent pitching. Enough said.

decent pitching might have gotten us to a B+, 10 more wins, and a NCAA berth

[CrnhskrBob]

This! Man you guys are freakin' harsh on this board. None of the other boards are near this bad. I think he did alot with almost nothing. I am proud of our season and I think the ship is heading in the right direction.

Don't group us all by what HWM said, ok? Most of us are totally pleased with the coaching of Erstad. I, truly, believe, he improved on his mistakes, as the season progressed. His biggest weakness, at first?.........................pulling the struggling pitcher waaaaaaaaaay too late. I give Darin a B+, considering, it is his first season. He is going to be a Hall of Fame coach, in my books.

[CrnhskrBob]

decent pitching might have gotten us to a B+, 10 more wins, and a NCAA berth

Heck, Doc, it might have gotten us to the Super Regionals, minimum!

Sayin that, I would have given a A!!!