2025 Season Thread

[Chicat]

For those that don’t want to click…

Baseball isn’t a driver of realignment, but the old Big 12 playing at just nine teams and losing its most prestigious program was going to deal a blow to its competitive strength.

For fans of quality baseball programs that legitimately try to invest in winning, the additions of Arizona and Arizona State are pretty massive.

Arizona:
Stadium capacity is 9,500
4x National Champions
18 College World Series appearances
Ninth most wins all-time
Eighth best all-time win percentage

Arizona State:
Stadium capacity is 8,775
5x National Champions
22 College World Series appearances
More players in MLB than any other school

These are extremely welcome additions to the Big 12. Combine these programs with Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and TCU and that’s a pretty sturdy top of the conference that should keep strength of schedule and national perception strong. West Virginia looks to have momentum as a program, Baylor is capable, and UCF has tons of potential if they invest in baseball. LFG

[azcat49]

Cats picked to finish 9th out of 11 teams in the last PAC go around. This is unacceptable IMO. I guess we had warnings about the Chipster so I wonder how long the new AD will stomach mediocrity

[EastCoastCat]

According to this thread title are we just skipping the 2024 season? I guess with that prediction might as well...

[Irish27]

Cats picked to finish 9th out of 11 teams in the last PAC go around. This is unacceptable IMO. I guess we had warnings about the Chipster so I wonder how long the new AD will stomach mediocrity

This team is not finishing in 9th and Chip is not going to be fired after this year. Maybe Willie Bloomquist will get fired since asu's players are not producing like they were expected.

[wyo-cat]

His pitching coach has been nails. He’s gotta be assistant coach of the year.

Prolly saved Chips ass.

[84Cat]

[TheCatInTheHat]

I tend to look forward, so I had to refresh my memory about our recent post-season performances. Four straight NCAAs is fine, but it's a large field, and with our history in baseball, you'd think we should usually be in it, just like in hoops. A 5-9 record isn't great, but there's a trip to the CWS as part of it. However, even looking at it though the rosiest of lenses, the whole thing is propped up by Johnson's last year, with a 5-3 post-season record, two-and-barbecue in Omaha, and the sour aftertaste when he left. I doubt with all the other issues and the unknowns of a new league that there's any undue pressure on Chip this coming season. But, when you're oh-fer the post-season three years running, you finish in the final Top 25, and you lose at home to two unranked teams, it's a legitimate story line. So, it'll be Year One in the Big XII, Year Two with Kevin Vance, and Year Four with Chip Hale, and then we'll see about any heated seat cushions.

[TheCatInTheHat]

Glad to see the Star story about the transfers (5 pitchers and an outfielder.) A couple of big (6-5 and 6-6) pitchers, so we'll see how they do under Vance's coaching.

[ChooChooCat]

Arizona's top two recruits: Mason Russell & Smith Bailey, both didn't go drafted in the top 10 rounds of the MLB Draft. That basically pretty much guarantees they will arrive on campus next season.

[azcat49]

Curious Choo if you share some of the optimistic predictions of a possible run to Omaha next year?

[Irish27]

Curious Choo if you share some of the optimistic predictions of a possible run to Omaha next year?

They lost all three starters. If the Cats make it to Omaha next year, Chip deserves a lifetime contract.

[azcat49]

Oh I agree but there have been a few people who have picked them to be a team that could be in Omaha.

Saw a tweet that picked them as one of the Omaha 8

[ChooChooCat]

Oh I agree but there have been a few people who have picked them to be a team that could be in Omaha.

Saw a tweet that picked them as one of the Omaha 8

I guess if Kevin Vance is a miracle worker then sure Omaha is possible. At this point he's got to fix two talented transfers that had bad years or ride the arm of a D-III transfer & two highly rated freshmen. If our staff is legit next year and we get to Omaha, I'm paying Chip to retire and hiring Vance as our coach immediately, because otherwise we're losing him.

[azcat49]

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... -for-2025/

Ranked 20th by D1 for next year. Have to wonder if the elimination of the 11.7 partial scholarships will negate some of the NIL advantages some schools have

[Irish27]

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... -for-2025/

Ranked 20th by D1 for next year. Have to wonder if the elimination of the 11.7 partial scholarships will negate some of the NIL advantages some schools have

With Oklahoma State (#15) being the only other ranked Big-12 school, the Big-12 looks like it could be wide open.

[Irish27]

Great news.

[ChooChooCat]

Great news.

Not sure how it'll play out, but this is my lineup:

C- Guzman/Splaine
1B- Cain/Splaine
2B- Caulfield
3B- Mihalakis
SS- White
LF- Breyfogle
CF- Summerhill
RF- Walton/Adams
DH- Whoever is hot

[Irish27]

I accidentally had posted this on the former Cats thread.

[Irish27]

The Cats open the season against Ole Miss.
https://www.azdesertswarm.com/arizona-b ... as-rangers