BB: NCAC: North Coast Athletic Conference

[old scot]

WB, as I read your take on the series, Wooster failed in coaching strategies as well as preparation on fundamentals?

This is only my reading into the future. Pettorini retires ether this year or next and Craddock becomes head coach. Coach P has been their long enough and I'm sure he is tired of the grind. Maybe new leadership will take Wooster to the next level with consistency.

[NCAC4Life]

Old Scot,

Please take these words from an Old Bishop player in the way they are meant. As a former football and baseball player at OWU, I competed against Coach P in both sports. He is a good man and a great baseball coach. He has always been hard on his players and his teams have always been known for power and strong arms. Never for defense or the short game. He also has made a few trips to the College World Series and finished as high as 2nd. I loved the old match ups between our schools. It is great to see it continues.

There is a reason Coach Craddock is at Wooster today and not at Denison. Never saw an NCAC title under him for the Big Red or an NCAA bid. Be happy with what you have. The Scots have the head coach they need and I for one, hope he stays for a long time. He has brought national respect to the Wooster program and that helps the NCAC.

[mideastfan2]

coach P has definitely built a strong program, but as I've seen over the last 12 years, Wooster has had way too many REALLY GOOD teams that haven't made the World Series.  I would've guess that they would have a World Series title by now, but then again, those aren't easy to come by.

Regardless of what happens with Coach P, Wooster will be a top program in the region for years and years.

But I agree that the coaching needs to emphasize a little more fundamental baseball, and not so much on dropping the back shoulder and swinging for the fences all the time.

[old scot]

NCAC4life,I would not classify someone as a great coach if they don't teach defense or the fundamentals to play small ball. I know coach P, played for him for a year.
Bob Morgan, the prior coach, ran circles around Pettorini as far as teaching the game and fundamentals. He was a stickler for drills and repeating different game situations during practices. When these situations came up in a game, all you had to do was react because we were well schooled before hand. Coach P was not even close to preparing a team like Morgan.
As far as a coach you would want to play for, I'll take coach P. He was more personable with his players and treated you with mutual respect.

[ScotsFan]

Every year in tournament time it comes down to this.  When the level of pitching improves and the Scots cannot outslug their opponent, they are in big trouble.  Their attempts at little ball fail for two reasons: they not only cannot execute (probably because not enough time is spent on this) but the plays are called at all the wrong times and instead of aiding the team only proceed to shoot them in their collective feet.  Unless this changes, and it hasn't in years, the Scots will continue to disappoint.   

Well said WB.  This is also a result of the double edged sword of playing in the NCAC.  Wooster's record is inflated by bludgeoning their lowly conference opponents (although that didn't even happen this season).  And as a result, there are rarely situations that present Wooster the opportunity to work on small ball.  And as old scot stated that, "repetition is the mother of all education," I would argue that this applies not just to practice, but to actual game time as well.  It's one thing to execute a bunt in practice, but to do it in an actual game when the pressure is on is entirely different.  And the reality is, just how many times this season were the Scots presented with those types of situations? 

In the end, you have to wonder if Pettorini has just become so accustomed to pounding teams to oblivion, that he has slowly allowed the emphasis on small ball to diminish.  At least one thing positive has happened this season.  I never bought into this team's lofty ranking and I never really had high expectations when it came time for post-season play, so to see them bow out in the manner they did really didn't come as much of a surprise to me. 

[ScotsFan]

One last thing to add from Wooster's disappointing weekend result.  I just read the writeup in the Daily Record and the following quote stood out quite profoundly:

"I don't think it was pressure," he said. "They just outplayed us in all phases -- they outpitched us, outhit us, out-fielded us and out-executed us."

Anyone notice one glaring omission?  How about they OUTCOACHED us.  After all,  you probably wouldn't have been outhit, out-pitched, out-fielded and out-executed if you hadn't been OUTCOACHED to begin with...

[wally_wabash]

congratulations to OWU and Denison on their series victories.  Gives me some solace to see the NCAC-West perform well and it shows that the division was very competitive this year.

Ditto.  These two teams split their regular season series, which was also played at Denison.  It should be a really good series in Granville this weekend. 

Here's some funny business...per the NCAC website, Wabash and Allegheny officially tie for fifth in baseball based on the divisional standings..all of this despite Wabash having posted a better record (9-7 vs. 8-8) against the stronger division.  Not that Wabash can ever possibly win the All-Sports trophy, but come on!  Every point counts!   

[wally_wabash]

And then there are the coaching decisions, decisions in which the situation was completely over-analyzed instead of just letting the player swing the bat. 

Game one, fourth inning: A suicide squeeze, on the first pitch, with the bases loaded and Wooster down two runs?  Unbelievable!  Then, when the hitter doesn't make contact on a pitch that was high and a foot outside (the runner, of course, being out at the plate by a mile) the coach states that the hitter didn't execute?  Man.

Baseball is a funny game.  I was always taught that when the squeeze was on, it was incumbent upon the batter to put bat on ball...no matter what.  Under no circumstance can you hang that runner out to dry.  During my playing days I remember a kid actually jumping vertically in order to put a bat on a ball that was way high with a squeeze on (he did his job...fouled the ball off and kept the runner alive).  Whether or not the squeeze should have been on in the first place is another issue altogether.  Looking at the play by play I'm inclined to say that the squeeze wasn't a good idea there.  Wooster had homered in consecutive innings, loaded the bases and seemed to have stolen the momentum...unless the coach was so convinced that the #9 hitter was going to bounce into a double play and end the inning (and if you've got that little confidence in a kid to do a little situational hitting, then what's he doing in the game in the first place?) then I think you have to let the offense work.  Looks to me like Pettorini was looking for the safest way to roll that lineup back over to the top with the bases still loaded.  If he could steal an extra run in the process, even better. 

[old scot]

Wally, you are correct. When the squeeze is on it is imperative that  the batter puts the ball on the ground or foul it off. Squeezing with the bases loaded makes no sense.

Point well taken to try to turn over the order but, the batter homered twice the day before. I would think his confidence level at the plate should have been high. Swing away, base hit, grand slam, or DP, I would have taken that chance.

It's easy to be an arm chair coach. Baseball is a game of percentages. I'm just saying use them to your advantage.

[old scot]

I have been reading some posts on the national topics board regarding pool C bids. Many think Wooster is a lock for a pool C.
I don't think that will happen. Based on the NCAC playoffs they are the third best team in the NCAC.
I don't know when the next regional rankings come out but, I would have to place them third at best with Heidelberg and Denison above them.
When the OAC tournament plays out, I'm sure this will impact the pool C bids handed out within the Mid East. Coach P himself said he would be shocked if they get in.

[wally_wabash]

I agree with you, old scot.  Based on the play by play that I read and based on what I've read about Wooster through this thread, I don't think the squeeze was the right play.  Wooster doesn't sound like a "small ball" kind of team and the call to squeeze there seemed to be a call made to change things up just for the sake of changing things up.  By the time you get to tournament time, I believe you've got to go with what has gotten you to that point which, in Wooster's case, is smashing the ball all over the diamond. 

[ScotsFan]

By the time you get to tournament time, I believe you've got to go with what has gotten you to that point which, in Wooster's case, is smashing the ball all over the diamond. 

And this is why Wooster has struggled once they get to tournament time the past few years.  Come tournament time, you had better be able to play small ball because you will be facing arguably the best pitching you've seen all season.  Wooster doesn't really work on playing small ball throughout the regular season because the opponents they face predominantly don't warrant them doing so.  And that makes this squeeze decision even more puzzling.  That was the time to start playing small ball when suddenly you are faced with an unexpected elimination game, with the bases loaded and a guy at the plate who had homered twice the day before? 

[wally_wabash]

This is all very true.  In the tournaments, the competition is better and a team has to be able to sacrifice some outs to manufacture a run here and there.  You need to look no further than Oregon State, winners of the last two CWS titles, to see how a small ball approach can take you all the way.  Nether of the two lineups that OS put forth during their championship runs were particularly scary but what they could do is draw a walk, swipe a bag, sac a guy to third, and get a fly ball to score the run.  That's how the Beavers score...then let the pitchers and defense work.  It's definitely a much different makeup of a champion than the gorilla ball LSU teams in the 90s. 

But I digest...it's easy to second guess Pettorini about these things because they didn't work.  I think some attention should be paid to the six errors Wooster made in Sunday's doubleheader as well as the 11 walks issued.  Mediocre pitching and poor defense is as much at fault here as any play Pettorini may or may not have called.

[old scot]

Wally,
       Good point. The way I see it 6 errors and 11 walks and up to 17 additional outs and 17 base runners. You know what they say regarding football, defense wins championships. I think it rings true for baseball, also.

Yes, physical mistakes will happen but, they should not be compounded by coaching errors. With 27+ years, coach P should be a rock in strategies. Like Scots Fan has stated, maybe he is to comfortable with beating his opponents into oblivion.
I knew a coach that said, " If the opportunity presents itself, I'll play for 1 run every inning. I like my chances of winning in that situation." AKA small ball works if practiced, like your reference to OSU.

[woosterbooster]

But there is also the old adage (might have been Earl Weaver) that says, "If you play for one run, you will only get one run."  Meaning, usually, there goes the hope for the big inning.

Wooster's pitching has not lived up to expectations, and that now includes everyone on the staff, even Mark Miller, who has been getting hit hard of late.  The defense has been, well, the Wooster defense.  Way too loose almost all over the field.  They just don't throw and catch the ball well, and that is such a root issue I don't even know what to say about it.

But the little-ball, coaching-decision issue is different.  First of all, over the last few years, Wooster has tried to integrate more small-ball tactics into their offense, and the idea of doing this was a good thing.  It implies that the coaching staff has recognized the necessity of having this in the arsenal at tournament time. 

They've tried to steal more bases, and for the most part, the execution and choice of when-to-go has been fine.  No problem.

It's the bunting (I almost typed bungling - Freudian slip) and hit-and-runs that have really hurt them.

Year after year, the Wooster players, with some rare exceptions, have not been good bunters.  So, even if you call upon them to do so in the right game situation, it ISN'T a good game-decision, because you're putting a man into a spot where he's probably not going to succeed.  How much they actually work on this in practice, I don't know.  But I've seen lots of other teams that are much more skilled at moving runners along than The Scots.  My conclusion: work on this, seriously, early in the season.

Wooster does much worse with the hit-and-run, which is a more complex tactic.  If you don't understand the nuances, you're better off just leaving this club out of your bag. 

What Wooster doesn't get is that the goal of setting the runner in motion is to advance him and to stay out of the double play.  Period.  Getting a base hit is gravy.  Getting an extra-base hit REALLY SHOULDN'T HAPPEN, because the hitter should be trying to keep the ball on the ground.  The Scots are not bad at hitting the ball to the right side.  But they don't hit the ball down, and have hit into lots of line drive double plays when starting the runner.  Bad luck?  Somewhat.  But luck is the residue of design, or lack of it.  You're supposed to be hitting ground balls, and when you don't, you may not get good results.

The hit-and-run play is game-situational.  Do you use it when down 3 or more runs?  No, certainly not often and with anyone who's got some power, because, as mentioned above, you should be shortening up on your swing and placing the ball, vastly reducing the chance of an extra-base hit.

The hit-and-run is also count-situational.  2-1 is good, 2-0 or 3-1 are better.  You want the pitcher to need to throw a strike so your man can get a ball to hit.  If you do it with your guy behind in the count, you'd better have a bonafide basestealer out there.

Wooster not only attempts to hit-and-run in too many wrong situations but doesn't execute well.  Much more work needs to be done in this area.

The less said about suicide squeezes the better.