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Post by rmcalhoun on May 26, 2018 12:03:49 GMT -6
I think some folks here are cutting Maloney a lot more slack than they're giving to Whitford. Maloney has had one really good year in his last 10 seasons of coaching between UM and BSU. He's got a .578 winning % since his return to BSU and overall a .535 since 2009. Not awful but....considering the MAC is generally the #22-23 rated baseball conference (compared to the #13 range in basketball) these results are nationally not very good. Granted, Maloney does have the historical awards if you go back far enough that Whitford has never achieved. Recruiting has changed so much for baseball since Maloney's better days. Perhaps he's too caught up in the NFL-style combine metrics that's taken over recruiting these days. College baseball coaches don't go to high school games anymore - they'd rather have the prospects pay to attend the college's meat-market Workouts and subscribe to Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report and get analyzed through their combines. I attend a lot of Indy-area high school games and though I've sat near MLB scouts, I haven't seen a college coach at a game this whole season. I watched a pitcher the other night at Sectionals who's ranked in the top ten of '19 prospects (a guy BSU would be after) because he supposedly touched 91 mph once in a controlled-environment. A .500 Knightstown squad scored 4 runs on 7 hits off of him, somewhat because he didn't throw over 84-ish mph in the actual game. Similarly with hitters/fielders, it's all about bat-speed, crow-hop velocity, 60-yd dash, etc. regardless of how good of a competitor or teammate they are, or if they can actually throw that 91mph consistently for strikes. Kids are recruited way more on future potential than what they've actually accomplished so far, and oftentimes recruited without being watched in a live game. Comparing Maloney and Whitford is like comparing a Nissan Versa and a decked-out F-150. Whitford hasn't done anything his ENTIRE career except beat garbage pay to play teams and MAC bottom dwellers at home (and beat a very injured ND team once). Maloney has countless high RPI and power conference wins under his belt, including a handful this year. I've lurked on this site for years and never posted, but to give Whitford any rope is shameful. The guy has yet to do one thing that impressed me aside from beating ND, which was pretty meaningless in isolation. I do agree with you, though, on recruiting. The landscape has changed a great deal, that's for sure. And Maloney is in the middle of a philosophy change from power hitting teams to power pitching teams. Agree with most except the ND being injured part they were full strength when we played |
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Post by CallingBS on May 26, 2018 12:05:41 GMT -6
Good point. No one use "metrics" more than Whitford. In fact, it's all he talks about.
As for BSU baseball, the same thing has happened to it that has happened to so many BSU academic and athletic programs. Our in-state rivals - ones we used to destroy in recruiting even - IU, PU, Butler, have sprinted past us in terms of resources and commitment to baseball. It's not near as easy to recruit kids for baseball as it used to be, and we've seen that at more than one position. The plight of being a BSU fan...
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Post by 00hmh on May 26, 2018 14:05:08 GMT -6
I think some folks here are cutting Maloney a lot more slack than they're giving to Whitford. Maloney has had one really good year in his last 10 seasons of coaching between UM and BSU. He's got a .578 winning % since his return to BSU and overall a .535 since 2009. Not awful but....considering the MAC is generally the #22-23 rated baseball conference (compared to the #13 range in basketball) these results are nationally not very good. Granted, Maloney does have the historical awards if you go back far enough that Whitford has never achieved. Recruiting has changed so much for baseball... If more people followed baseball other than die hards im sure there would be more pressure from some. As far as the recruiting thats norm across all sports now. Basketball does go to some high school but mostly its all AAU/film Foototball is 90% camps/film/and 7v7 tourneys.. Staff is rarely if ever at a high school game. Not sure I like it but it is what it is and does help a school like BSU who does not have the manpower or resources to by flying coaches around the country. I am a casual fan, tend to agree with cardfan that Maloney is OK. This is the MAC, it's BSU, we're not top drawer, not going to be. We are competitive in the MAC.
On recruiting, you, reevo, and he are all certainly right about the use of camps and summer leagues, and so on. College recruiting is completely different now.
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Post by cardfan on May 26, 2018 15:09:28 GMT -6
I do want Rich to have a team break through in the MAC tourney. Definitely need to get that done.
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Post by rmcalhoun on May 26, 2018 15:31:30 GMT -6
For the record as a casual fan I really do not have a problem with Maloney but if I were more more invested my tune might change.
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Post by comet on May 26, 2018 15:31:46 GMT -6
We appear to have the pitching to get that done, but the guys were sooooo inconstant this year that it would have to drive a coach nuts.
Like three weeks ago, Baker was fantastic. Then in the last regular season series he stunk. Pitched pretty well in the MAC opener, I believe.
Jameson was pretty much the same way, but on opposite weekends of Baker.
Marquardt seemed to also fit the same mode. Ya just never seemed to know what you were going to get.
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Post by rmcalhoun on May 26, 2018 15:57:47 GMT -6
I do not know for sure but a couple of these pitchers we are talking about are freshman right? I remember reading something about us getting or using a couple good freshman pitchers. Maybe they are coming next year I do not remember
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Post by cardfan on May 26, 2018 16:25:05 GMT -6
More good pitchers coming in. Some players will also return from injuries.
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Post by TakeMeBackto2008 on May 26, 2018 17:07:35 GMT -6
Another year, another boring, uneventful Ball State season.
Does anyone else feel like they're just hate-watching BSU sports anymore? Obviously we don't hate BSU, but we only watch just because it feels satisfying to come on here and bitch about how pathetic this team or that team is?
I wish we were better at sports.
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Post by cardfan on May 26, 2018 17:17:56 GMT -6
We’ve been just good enough to piss us off at the end of each sport’s season.
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Post by reevo on May 26, 2018 19:01:51 GMT -6
Rich Maloney is a unbelievable good guy who deserves a hell of a lot of credit for what he has done for our baseball program. BSU watched my son but BSU had not made a scholarship offer before Tyler died as they were going to wait to see how Tyler performed his junior year. BSU was present at more than a few of Tyler’s summer league games. I never talked to Rich, as his pitching coach was the guy present at Tylers games but when my son died, Rich sent me a two page hand written condolences letter. Other than former Purdue coach Scrieber and Pitching coach McIntyre, no other school recruiting Tyler contacted us. Rich did not have to do that but he did and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.
My son understood my passion for Ball State but the deciding factor for him was Purdue’s new facility Alexander Field which is big time and the chance to pitch on TV on the Big 10 network. Tylers recruiting class at Purdue is helping Purdue’s new coach Wasikowski to the final game of the Big 10 tournament. BSU’s facilities are better but can’t compare to Alexander field or IU’s Kaufman stadium. Considering the difference between the facilities, Rich has done a pretty good job attracting good talent. He is a first rate college baseball coach and person and we should be happy to have him!
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Post by redbirdman on May 26, 2018 20:46:13 GMT -6
I have been disappointed with our play in the tourney since Maloney returned. But I have been satified with our overall in season records. My big questions are regarding our pitchers. It seems pitchers come in & look great their 1st season but never regain that form.(thinking Scott Baker & Zach Plesac) So I worry if what we saw from Drey Jameson is likely going to be his best work. I also must ask about Nestor Bautisa. He was 4-13 for us with 8.05 era. Yet he got drafted & Marlins have him listed in top 100 prospects & is in 4th season of pro ball. What happened there or what did we not do here.
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Post by Chi-town northsider on May 27, 2018 13:07:03 GMT -6
Maloney seems to recruit pitching fairly well out of HS. Baker and Jameson have been homeruns. He's also done very well with getting solid JC position players. Seven of the starting 9 were JC. Brockhouse was signed as a pitcher. You can't blame an injury. Hulecki was a walk-on.
He's been awful other then his first year at getting position players out of high school. That was Alex Calls class. His big scholarship signings were Alexander, Bacon and Gunn. None of those guys stayed after last year.
Maybe signing pitchers to scholarships and going JC for everyday players is the way to go.
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Post by cardfan on May 27, 2018 13:57:17 GMT -6
I agree that he needs to strengthen his position player recruiting.
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Post by reevo on May 27, 2018 17:49:44 GMT -6
Bacon was an outstanding shortstop out of high school. Saw him play a bunch as his high school is in the same conference as my boys and our county rival. The problem is Rich got a kid who severely hurt his shoulder the summer after he graduated and they switched him to first base. Maverick does not hit the ball with power and his bat is not D-1 as a first sacker. He ended up transferring to Marion to play for his dad and had a great year this year taking Marion to the NAIA baseball playoffs. I believe he ended up hitting around 350. He would have helped BSU if it were not for his arm.
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