Already Excited for Tomorrow
We face Mason Hickman tonight. His stats...are overwhelming. So if we're going to win it, we'll have earned it. Mason has 119 Ks in 90 innings this season with a 2.08 ERA, he's 8-0 with a 0.94 WHIP. His fastball is low 90s and comes from a high angle downwards. Has a slider that he can overthrow at times, hopefully he is over hyped and that happens because he's been harder to touch than Rocker was this season.
This is the problem with all of us being college baseball noobs. I thought the same thing yesterday until Alton or somebody who's really been on this stuff added a little context.
Mason Hickman is definitely good, but he was their mid-week starter all season. He faced a lot of non-conference competition sprinkled in between the 3-game SEC weekend series. Again, not that he's bad - he's done just fine against playoff competition. But if you look at his opponents all season long, you can see why his numbers are so impressive. He was pitching one-off games against lesser competition most of the season.
Hickman will be fresh and he’s coming off the game against Louisville last Friday that saved Vanderbilt from having to pitch Drake Fellows (Monday’s starter) on Saturday in a must-win game against Louisville. He has pitched only 23 innings since May 15 (6 vs. Auburn on May 22, 7 vs. Indiana State on June 2, 4 vs. Duke on June 9 and 6 vs. Louisville on June 21), while allowing only ten hits and four runs and striking out 30.
In that same time, (a) Karl Kaufmann has pitched 44-1/3 innings in six games while allowing 33 hits and 15 runs and striking out 28 and (b) Jeff Criswell has pitched 31-2/3 innings in eight games while allowing 28 hits and 14 runs and striking out 38.
It's a mixed bag for me. As a player and coach I could not wait for "this" game. As a spectator...it is excruciatingly painful and I generally cannot even stand to watch...and likely will not...just the reality of the situation-for me.
We’ve got them right where we want them. I’ve got a feeling someone will step into the DH position and get the job done. Our pitching is lined up. Get the bats going, support Kaufman, have Jeff finish it off, and be crowned champs! Go Blue!
Fire ? Bakich‼️