2026 Baseball - General

[gtbeak]

Western Carolina 10 Uga 9

A great ballgame. UGa led 4-3 heading to 8th. Western scored 3 in the 8th, and UGa answered with a grand slam in the bottom of the inning. So, 8-6 UGa going to 9th. They retired the 1st 2 Catamounts in the 9th, and then had 4 straight batters down to their last strike with each one reaching, the last with a grand slam. So, 10-8 going to bottom of the 9th. UGa scored 1, and had 2 & 3 with 2 outs and Tre Phelps up. Phelps has a 27 game hitting streak going back to last season, and the UGa school record is 28 games. Phelps grounded out to 2nd, but the throw pulled the 1B off the bag. Tie game! But Western challenged, and replay ovr-turned it, so a 10-9 Western victory and Tre Phelps hitting streak ends at 27 games!

ETA: The Western kid who hit the grand slam had something like 7 RBI for the game in total, plus 2 SB and a great play to rob Phelps of a hit early in the game.

 

[Mandingo Finkelstein]

A great ballgame. UGa led 4-3 heading to 8th. Western scored 3 in the 8th, and UGa answered with a grand slam in the bottom of the inning. So, 8-6 UGa going to 9th. They retired the 1st 2 Catamounts in the 9th, and then had 4 straight batters down to their last strike with each one reaching, the last with a grand slam. So, 10-8 going to bottom of the 9th. UGa scored 1, and had 2 & 3 with 2 outs and Tre Phelps up. Phelps has a 27 game hitting streak going back to last season, and the UGa school record is 28 games. Phelps grounded out to 2nd, but the throw pulled the 1B off the bag. Tie game! But Western challenged, and replay ovr-turned it, so a 10-9 Western victory and Tre Phelps hitting streak ends at 27 games.

ETA: The Western kid who hit the grand slam had something like 7 RBI for the game in total, plus 2 SB and a great play to rob Phelps of a hit early in the game.

Good stuff, beak. Thanks for the details. Way to go Catamounts!!!

Imagine the Dwags who took the time to attend the game driving home afterwards. And then, laugh.

 

[GT33]

Good stuff, beak. Thanks for the details. Way to go Catamounts!!!

Imagine the Dwags who took the time to attend the game driving home afterwards. And then, laugh.

Screw them, they should be playing Ga South or Mercer or Ga St or K St.

 

[CuseJacket]

A great ballgame. UGa led 4-3 heading to 8th. Western scored 3 in the 8th, and UGa answered with a grand slam in the bottom of the inning. So, 8-6 UGa going to 9th. They retired the 1st 2 Catamounts in the 9th, and then had 4 straight batters down to their last strike with each one reaching, the last with a grand slam. So, 10-8 going to bottom of the 9th. UGa scored 1, and had 2 & 3 with 2 outs and Tre Phelps up. Phelps has a 27 game hitting streak going back to last season, and the UGa school record is 28 games. Phelps grounded out to 2nd, but the throw pulled the 1B off the bag. Tie game! But Western challenged, and replay ovr-turned it, so a 10-9 Western victory and Tre Phelps hitting streak ends at 27 games!

ETA: The Western kid who hit the grand slam had something like 7 RBI for the game in total, plus 2 SB and a great play to rob Phelps of a hit early in the game.

 

[Mandingo Finkelstein]

Random observation this early morning. I'm watching the Czechia-South Korea World Baseball Classic game and all of a sudden Michael Kovala, former Jacket, takes the mound for Czechia. I admit I didn't immediately pick up or remember him, but then the announcer gave us a plug when he said "he played college ball at Georgia Tech." I had to go back and refresh my memory with him. Cool!

Kovala: https://ramblinwreck.com/roster/michal-kovala/

HIs bio advises he played for Czechia in the last WBC in 2023.

 

[GT Battle Ax]

Random observation this early morning. I'm watching the Czechia-South Korea World Baseball Classic game and all of a sudden Michael Kovala, former Jacket, takes the mound for Czechia. I admit I didn't immediately pick up or remember him, but then the announcer gave us a plug when he said "he played college ball at Georgia Tech." I had to go back and refresh my memory with him. Cool!

Kovala: https://ramblinwreck.com/roster/michal-kovala/

HIs bio advises he played for Czechia in the last WBC in 2023.

Completely forgot about that guy lol. I also don't know much about the state of Australian baseball, but I would have thought Will Baker had a shot at making a team this year

 

[gtrower]

#2 LSU drops to 0-2 this week after their weekend slate extended to Monday. Lackluster last week as well despite winning. They’ve looked shaky all season. Chance to jump them with a good weekend.

 

[FredJacket]

#2 LSU drops to 0-2 this week after their weekend slate extended to Monday. Lackluster last week as well despite winning. They’ve looked shaky all season. Chance to jump them with a good weekend.

I listened to the D1 Baseball podcast that 'reviewed' the weekend. The pod was done before LSU lost on Mon and Wed; but the 3 dudes on that pod were still quite high ('not worried at all') on LSU despite admitting they'd been lackluster through Sun. My anecdotal thought is (unfortunately) these guys (D1) .... who have influence with their commentary and poll... are super slow to come off teams not living up to their expectations. We tend to attribute it to SEC bias ... maybe that is in there ... but they don't really discriminate. Any team they are high on before the season begins ... is not going to be penalized for a couple of mid-week losses in the 1st few weeks of the season. They see the "talent" and the "great coach" ... and just can't imagine LSU is not a top 5 team. It will take more losses. Now.. if you're just looking at Ga Tech relative to LSU.. maybe we jump them; but only because that wouldn't take a lot of movement for either Ga Tech or LSU... but we need to go 3-0 this weekend.

 

[Home Park Jacket]

we need to go 3-0 this weekend.

especially with all of the SEC still in non-conference

 

[gtbeak]

I listened to the D1 Baseball podcast that 'reviewed' the weekend. The pod was done before LSU lost on Mon and Wed; but the 3 dudes on that pod were still quite high ('not worried at all') on LSU despite admitting they'd been lackluster through Sun. My anecdotal thought is (unfortunately) these guys (D1) .... who have influence with their commentary and poll... are super slow to come off teams not living up to their expectations. We tend to attribute it to SEC bias ... maybe that is in there ... but they don't really discriminate. Any team they are high on before the season begins ... is not going to be penalized for a couple of mid-week losses in the 1st few weeks of the season. They see the "talent" and the "great coach" ... and just can't imagine LSU is not a top 5 team. It will take more losses. Now.. if you're just looking at Ga Tech relative to LSU.. maybe we jump them; but only because that wouldn't take a lot of movement for either Ga Tech or LSU... but we need to go 3-0 this weekend.

Agree except that I don’t think the D1 guys have much influence. I think it actually goes the other way…they have access to the people who do have influence and are trusted enough by these influencers such that the D1 guys know what the influencers are thinking.

 

[DecaturJacket]

Former Jackets update:
Most recent transfers:

• Shouse, OF/P Texas Tech
  • has started all 11 games, .333/.434/.578, 2 2B, 3 HR, 15 R, 15 RBI, 7 K, 5 BB, 1/1 SB
  • 6 ERRORS in the field for a .786 fld% EESH
  • 1 appearance on mound, 0.1 IP, 108.00 ERA, 12.00 WHIP, 1 K, 3 BB
• McMullen, P KSU
  • 3 Friday starts
  • 9.2 IP, 8.38 ERA, 1.97 WHIP, 7 K, 7 BB, .293 opp avg
• Royer, P KSU
  • 3 starts, 1 midweek, 2 Sunday
  • 5.1 IP, 13.50 ERA, 1.88 WHIP, 6 K, 6 BB, .211 opp avg
• Chicoli, P South Carolina
  • 4 appearances, 3 midweek starts
  • 12.1 IP, 2.92 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 11 K, 3 BB, .286 opp avg
• Musci, P KSU
  • No appearances yet
• Johnson, P Illinois
  • 1 midweek start
  • 1.1 IP, 33.75 ERA, 3.00 WHIP, 1 K, 0 BB, .500 opp avg
• Sheffield, OF North Alabama
  • has started all 13 games, .114/.235/.136, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 13 K, 6 BB
• Brosnan, P ETSU
  • 6 appearances out of the pen
  • 10.2 IP, 0.84 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 10 K, 6 BB, .235 opp avg
• Evans, P Georgia State
  • 4 appearances out of the pen, 1 start
  • 4.2 IP, 13.50 ERA, 3.21 WHIP, 4 K, 7 BB, .348 opp avg
• Denby, INF Wright State
  • 3 appearances, 2 starts
  • 5 AB, 0.00/.286/.000, 2 K, 2 BB
• Murrary, INF Pensacola State
  • 13 gp, .333/.417/.738, 5 2B, 4 HR, 8 K, 3 BB, 2/2 SB
• Lippman, OF/P FGCU
  • 5 pitching appearances, no offensive
  • 10.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 13 K, 5 BB, .156 opp avg
• Page, IF Georgia Highlands (transferred before spring and was at GHC last season too)
  • 21 gp, .469/.597/.714, 6 2B, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 6 K, 12 BB, 1/1 SB
• Marcos, IF Georgia Highlands (transferred before spring and was at GHC last season too)
  • 28 gp, .405/.505/.690, 9 2B, 5 HR, 19 K, 14 BB, 6/8 SB

Previous transfers (before last season)

• Jaros, IF Rutgers (was at NCST last season)
  • Has started all 11 games
  • .324/.462/.432, 1 2B, 1 HR, 8 K, 4 BB
• Craska, 1B North Alabama
  • Has started all 13 games
  • .256/.429,.465, 3 2B, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 11 K, 11 BB
• Kovala, P Chipola JC
  • 5 appearances, 4 starts
  • 15.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 21 K, 7 BB, .214 opp avg
  • PLAYING FOR CZECHIA IN THE WBC
  • IN WBC (v Korea): 2.0 IP, 9.00 ERA, 4K, 2 BB
• Graziana, OF Mercer
  • Has started 7 games
  • .381/.536/.619, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 4 K, 6 BB, 0/1 SB
• Sabathia, 1B Houston
  • 6 appearances, 4 starts
  • .429/.500/.929, 1 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 K, 1 BB
• Senese, INF Georgia Southern
  • Has started all 12 games
  • .261/.292/.326, 3 2B, 8 RBI, 10 K, 2 BB
• Diamant, P/INF Utah
  • 2 appearances out of the pen
  • 4.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 1 K, 2 BB, .167 opp avg
  • 3 appearances hitting
  • 2 AB, .000/.000/.000, 2 K, 0 BB
• Minnick, C MTSU
  • Has started all 13 games
  • .327/.414/.633, 3 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 3 K, 5 BB, 0/1 SB
• Gaspard, P Mercer
  • 5 appearances, 1 start
  • 7.2 IP, 5.87 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 6 K, 6 BB, .258 opp avg

 

[Vespidie]

#2 LSU drops to 0-2 this week after their weekend slate extended to Monday. Lackluster last week as well despite winning. They’ve looked shaky all season. Chance to jump them with a good weekend.

Would the SEC capos allow this to happen?

 

[DecaturJacket]

I listened to the D1 Baseball podcast that 'reviewed' the weekend. The pod was done before LSU lost on Mon and Wed; but the 3 dudes on that pod were still quite high ('not worried at all') on LSU despite admitting they'd been lackluster through Sun. My anecdotal thought is (unfortunately) these guys (D1) .... who have influence with their commentary and poll... are super slow to come off teams not living up to their expectations. We tend to attribute it to SEC bias ... maybe that is in there ... but they don't really discriminate. Any team they are high on before the season begins ... is not going to be penalized for a couple of mid-week losses in the 1st few weeks of the season. They see the "talent" and the "great coach" ... and just can't imagine LSU is not a top 5 team. It will take more losses. Now.. if you're just looking at Ga Tech relative to LSU.. maybe we jump them; but only because that wouldn't take a lot of movement for either Ga Tech or LSU... but we need to go 3-0 this weekend.

Agree except that I don’t think the D1 guys have much influence. I think it actually goes the other way…they have access to the people who do have influence and are trusted enough by these influencers such that the D1 guys know what the influencers are thinking.

LSU is still 11-3. 2 of the losses are midweeks. They lost their pitching from last season, so they're definitely light on the arms and you're gonna see that the most in midweek games. You don't typically see teams get all that penalized for early midweek losses unless they start piling up - SEC or otherwise. I will say that their offense started the season looking like everybody expected it would, but has really cooled down the past 2 weeks.

They're probably overrated by a little, but I don't think it's egregious and I do still think they'll be a top team in the SEC again.

 

[DecaturJacket]

Random observation this early morning. I'm watching the Czechia-South Korea World Baseball Classic game and all of a sudden Michael Kovala, former Jacket, takes the mound for Czechia. I admit I didn't immediately pick up or remember him, but then the announcer gave us a plug when he said "he played college ball at Georgia Tech." I had to go back and refresh my memory with him. Cool!

Kovala: https://ramblinwreck.com/roster/michal-kovala/

HIs bio advises he played for Czechia in the last WBC in 2023.

Completely forgot about that guy lol. I also don't know much about the state of Australian baseball, but I would have thought Will Baker had a shot at making a team this year

I was a big Kovala fan when he was here. He looked like a guy who could develop into a stud. He's in my transfer stats above. Has done pretty well at Chipola.

Michal Kovala's four strikeouts | 03/05/2026

Michal Kovala strikes out four batters over two innings in his outing vs. Team Korea during the 2026 World Baseball Classic

www.mlb.com

 

[GTNavyNuke]

I listened to the D1 Baseball podcast that 'reviewed' the weekend. The pod was done before LSU lost on Mon and Wed; but the 3 dudes on that pod were still quite high ('not worried at all') on LSU despite admitting they'd been lackluster through Sun. My anecdotal thought is (unfortunately) these guys (D1) .... who have influence with their commentary and poll... are super slow to come off teams not living up to their expectations. We tend to attribute it to SEC bias ... maybe that is in there ... but they don't really discriminate. Any team they are high on before the season begins ... is not going to be penalized for a couple of mid-week losses in the 1st few weeks of the season. They see the "talent" and the "great coach" ... and just can't imagine LSU is not a top 5 team. It will take more losses. Now.. if you're just looking at Ga Tech relative to LSU.. maybe we jump them; but only because that wouldn't take a lot of movement for either Ga Tech or LSU... but we need to go 3-0 this weekend.

I agree D1 is very influential. This podcast talks about poll mechanics and changes to the polls during the season. I agree 100% with Chris Burke that preseason rankings are mostly marketing. (12:58) The SEC gets the benefit of doubt since it makes more subscribers happy. Then the burden of proof is then to change rather than justify the rankings. I think LSU will get put down next week even if they sweep Sacramento State (rpi > 200) this weekend. We'll see.

Embracing Volatility In The Rankings Process [D1 Daily] • D1Baseball

Burkie and Roons discuss the natural tension in adjusting (or not adjusting) early-season rankings for teams like Auburn, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt.

d1baseball.com

 

[DecaturJacket]

I agree D1 is very influential. This podcast talks about poll mechanics and changes to the polls during the season. I agree 100% with Chris Burke that preseason rankings are mostly marketing. (12:58) The SEC gets the benefit of doubt since it makes more subscribers happy. Then the burden of proof is then to change rather than justify the rankings. I think LSU will get put down next week even if they sweep Sacramento State (rpi > 200) this weekend. We'll see.

Embracing Volatility In The Rankings Process [D1 Daily] • D1Baseball

Burkie and Roons discuss the natural tension in adjusting (or not adjusting) early-season rankings for teams like Auburn, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt.

d1baseball.com

I mean I bet they don't drop below 5 or 6 - nor do I necessarily think they should. Remember guys, midweek games don't mean anything (partially saying that in jest, but they really don't mean all that much this early).

Early season baseball polls are meaningless anyway though. I would ignore until 2-3 weeks into conference schedules.

 

[Home Park Jacket]

Early season baseball polls are meaningless anyway though.

We will agree to disagree on this one. It's the burden of proof to change vs. justify argument. It is much harder to crack the top 5 than to stay there.

 

[DecaturJacket]

We will agree to disagree on this one. It's the burden of proof to change vs. justify argument. It is much harder to crack the top 5 than to stay there.

In football sure, but college baseball polls are literally meaningless. Especially prior to conference play.

 

[DecaturJacket]

We will agree to disagree on this one. It's the burden of proof to change vs. justify argument. It is much harder to crack the top 5 than to stay there.

In football sure, but college baseball polls are literally meaningless. Especially prior to conference play.

Example: In 2019 we were just hoping to get a hosting spot (top 8) going into Selection Sunday, yet we got the #3 National Seed. We weren't top 5 in any poll.

The committee does their thing. Any of the random polls in March are even more meaningless than the ones later in the season.

 

[Home Park Jacket]

The committee does their thing.

Just like the committee did their thing last year sending us to Oxford. I don't trust the committee.