Bolt Ball Opening Series and Early Thoughts

Need to split with San Diego and beat one of the two SEC teams we face in Minny at a minimum. South Alabama in Mobile is a tough draw too.. winning that series would be a very good feather.. (can't get swept there). TBH, a .500 record heading into the S. Illinois series would be awesome!!

 
I will take a sit back and see approach.  Thought they'd be pretty good going into last year.  Got egg on my face lol.

I do like Bolt Ball, Base Bolt, and Base Bolt Ball  :w00t

 
Likely another ho hum season.  Not sure why but baseball seems to be that kind of game. It takes great pitching and decent hitting and good fielding play to be a better than average team, record wise.  
 

It’s hard to recruit locally and compete regionally, let alone nationally.   Very few guys within the area.   Without some way to attract better players, this is the plight of NU baseball.  It’s a pastime like many other activities. Hard to get too passionate about a pastime.  It’s just baseball.  

 
The pitching has been horrible—had we decent pitching all around, the San Diego series box scores wouldn’t have looked like it came straight from Ron Burgandy’s (or specifically Champ Kind’s) news desk. 
 

When Bolt was hired I was concerned about not hiring an actual pitcher (and instead going with former Catcher Christy) for pitching coach, and we’re seeing a definitive lack of coaching on the pitching side (for example: lack of situational awareness, balks, poor development). 
 

Our hitting (save for RISP, which was already covered) looked better than last year, as did our defense. I would suggest Christy is our weak link currently and (if pitching doesn’t substantially improve this year) should be replaced with an actual tenured pitching coach (e.g. Silva). 

 
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Few things early on.  

Pitching staff hasn't looked ready for live competition early on.  Seeing too many walks and HBP.  I chalk it up as a few guys being ready, the others not-so-much.  As the season goes on, should get better at this.

Batters striking out often, and seeing hitters not taking advantage with runners in scoring position.  It is still super early on, but we saw this last year. Again, it's really early on, but it is not like we are up against all-american pitchers and staffs.  Put it in play.

Lastly, I am very critical of Bolt after the 1st series.  He already changed the lineups and dropped Matthews from leadoff after a few games.  Against USA he moved him back to leadoff after a good game.  Speaking from my own experience, hitters (players) hate this.  Bolt displayed a panic move.  And in the opening series he got tossed (ejected).  This means he is pressing way too hard, way too early on.  Bolt also took shots at his pitching staff.  Dude needs to chill out and understand it's baseball and have the same confidence during the season about your guys that you did before the season started.  Or else, the lineups will bounce around like last year, the staff will get shuffled around, and the inconsistency will re-occur with your team..... because the Manager of the club is too tight, pressing hard and trying to do too much.  The players get mix-feelings and react the same way.  I think after last season and the beginning of this year, Bolt is showing that he has a long way to go to understand the process.  

 
admo said:
Lastly, I am very critical of Bolt after the 1st series.  He already changed the lineups and dropped Matthews from leadoff after a few games.  Against USA he moved him back to leadoff after a good game.  Speaking from my own experience, hitters (players) hate this.  Bolt displayed a panic move.
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:laughpound :facepalm:

Try actually listening to the broadcasts. Matthews was put back in leadoff because the opposing pitcher was left-handed. His lineups are based on matchups, not previous-game performances and "panic moves".

 
HuskersNC949597 said:
:laughpound :facepalm:

Try actually listening to the broadcasts. Matthews was put back in leadoff because the opposing pitcher was left-handed. His lineups are based on matchups, not previous-game performances and "panic moves".
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Thanks but I still disagree with you and Bolt agreeing with that.

It's only college baseball.  If he isn't panic (yeah right) but is playing matchups, he will have an inconsistent production/lineup like last year.  Up and down.  Move batters.  Shake up lineups.  Which leaves Hitters wondering about where they are in the lineup today, then tomorrow, and so on...  they will not feel comfort no matter what "matchups" the skipper is doing.  A lineup has a place and a rhythm that you can count on.  I can't believe that Bolt is stubborn enough to play major league matchups with the top of the order, but I think he is trying to control it on performance too much.  He is already doing it the same way last year and the lineup didn't gel together and had low run production.  

I am sorry, but this isn't 125-160 game season.  It's 40 games ish.  

 
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