I don’t have a link, but it’s being reported in other places.
Yeah looks to be true…I’m not a big fan of Bolden but further depletes a staff that has a LOT of holes… we better hope we can keep our top pitching signees or bring in some really good Portal pitchers or this Staff is going to be very shaky,we won’t have Kopps to bail us out next yr.
It’s very possible that he was nudged toward the portal, as inconsistent as he was. I have no sources and wouldn’t know, but I’ve seen it suggested.
Hopefully Van Horn and Hobbs will put a good pitching staff on the field next year.
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I trust that they will…we just don’t know who the leaders will be at this time. But DVH has a track record of getting them ready by the new season.
By the way, as much as I’ve heard “some” fans disparage our pitching this year, it wasn’t really that bad at all. Of course, Kopps’ numbers help that, but to hear some people talk you’d think we couldn’t get a soul out.
I’ll admit it was different. Most seasons, we are solid in our first 2 starters - sometimes all 3. And that certainly wasn’t the case this year. I’d say that Wick was consistent enough to count as 1…and both Pallete and Lockhart had their moments. But we just didn’t have the consistency. Thank goodness we did have KK!
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how many sports psychologist to repair the damange done to staff not named Kopps or Wicklander? no confidnece exuded from DVH and Hobbs to an uncomfortable watching level. I get the old guys saying toughen em up, but I don’t think that is how things go these days with D1 athletes. Physical ability abounds and the curse of potential is high. Hard to solve with a fragile psyche.
The other side of that coin is that it did appear to me that DVH/Hobbs DID try to give the others opportunities to earn their confidence…and, by and large, those pitchers failed to do so. And I’m talking about multiple opportunities over several weeks.
I’m not down on the kids. I’m absolutely sure they all tried their best to perform. And they weren’t “terrible”. But the bottom line is that none of them instilled confidence that they would come in and consistently perform well, outside of Kopps and Wick. And, to some degree, Costeiu.
Which came first? Fragile psyche resulting from DVH’s old school approach or a pre existing fragile psyche that was responsible for poor performances on the mound, thus necessitating a quick hook from Coach?
I think it’s a big assumption to say DVH and Hobbs created the insecurities. Hindsight is easy, but 50-13 likely doesn’t happen with a different approach from Coach.
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I never said they created the fragile psyches only magnified it. I don’t think they showed confidence all year and let kids work thru in game problems. Easily understood when you have player of the year who wanted to always go. We will have to recruit and also pare our way out of the pitcher quagmire. Preseason, I thought the P staff was gonna be our strong point. First weekend playing in Texas was the top of the peak. Wiggins has next level ability and tell me how he got better with the way he was handled and I think that kid thinks he is better than the chances he was offered. Connor N seem to come back and just get left on the side of the road,. This strategy could very well work and make a fantastic staff next year or the damage is done and not repairable. Lockhart came on the recommendation of Andy Pettite to learn under Hobbs. I heard a lot about that from a LA coach that I fish with, so I think our reputation is still great.
yeah I don’t think it was his decision for sure.
I think the pitching will be fine next year. It was ok this year. Maturity has a big role for these kids. Our bats is what cost us. DVH/Hobbs tried to get a third pitcher after Paulette but no one stepped up. I firmly believe we would have fared better with a healthy Paulette down the stretch. There will never be another Kopps. I’m glad we had him or the record wouldn’t have been so good. JMO
It was a tough 2020 year for pitchers across the country (and in MLB). No SEC baseball. Short summer ball, too. Lot of injuries. Pitchers didn’t get to pitch and I think it’s affected elbows and shoulders. Not everyone is like a Kopps that handles everything with no one watching just fine.
Coaches were not allowed to be around players for most of 2020 (until late August).
I sensed tension from Van Horn about Bolden trying to pitch against Nebraska with an injury that he didn’t tell the coaches about. Dave said before the super regional that he would be left off the roster and that he should have told the coaches he wasn’t 100 percent before the game with NJIT.
The toughest day in college baseball is exit meetings when players find out what percentage scholarship they will be on. I give Dave credit for honesty.
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