Everybody found out where they stood at the end of the season in May. Some were cut loose or encouraged to transfer, and I heard Serrano helped at least some of them find other places to play.
Others had their money taken away (or never had any to begin with) and were invited back to compete for roster spots with no guarantees. That's a much tougher situation. Anyone who came back on those terms knew they were taking a chance. That doesn't make it easier for them when they get cut, but it does mean they were warned.
Some of the guys who didn't come back for whatever reason used the summer and landed on their feet: Richard Carter at Coastal Carolina, Conner Stevens at Duke, and Jake Rowland at Tennessee Tech.
It is a tough business. Serrano is getting paid a lot of money to turn things around, and he has to make some tough decisions. There's no way around it unless you're willing to wait a couple extra years to see results. I do feel bad for guys who burned a redshirt year, then got cut this fall, and now either have to move to their third school or give up on baseball.
yeah, clearly Serrano has a vendetta against Tennessee kids.
do you just type the first irrational thought that comes to your head.
I don't know but It would appear Tennessee kids aren't welcome on that roster.
For a program that doesn't want "Tennessee kids" on the roster, they sure have committments from a lot of local kids including; Jammer Strickland, Kyle Serrano, and Eric Freeman from Farragut, Lane Thomas from Bearden.
Then you add that to all of the local kids brought in last year including Simcox, Lance, Owenby, Quillen, Lloyd, etc. This staff has recruited this area and this state harder than any UT baseball coach in recent history.
There is a lot of good things going on at LNS and UT is on the right track. There is still a long way to go to get the program back to where it was pre-Raleigh but the right folks are in place to get it done.
Thanks for that info Vol4ever,
I think the common denominator between most of the departures is not their home state but who recruited them.
It's just a fact of life that coaches prefer working with players they recruited over players they inherited. Unless the children from the previous marriage quickly convince the new coach they are key contributors, it's generally better for everyone if they find a fresh start somewhere else with a new coach who chooses them. It's nobody's fault. Just the way the business works.
More than 2/3 of Raleigh's last recruiting class is already gone now heading into their sophomore season. I will be surprised if more than 5 Raleigh recruits from all classes combined are on the roster next year.
Allen was a top 1000 prospect out of high school. A season at a JUCO where he gets lots of AB's and has the chance to figure out college pitching may be the best thing for him.
I'm not sure I understand the logic of the explanation for Harris. If he leaves for a two-year school now, UT takes a guaranteed hit against its Academic Progress Rating. Granted, it's not as big as the hit we'd take if he's not eligible after the spring semester. But, c'mon, we do have that fabulous Thornton Center and all the advising and tutoring available there. Are we really supposed to believe the coaches so doubted their ability to monitor his academic progress that they didn't think they could keep him eligible for one more semester? Hmmm.
Not to go into too much detail but this coaching staff has set certain standards both on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. If a player wants to meet these standards, they will be a part of the program.
That's how you establish a winning tradition in a program. If you check into this, most of the ones who were asked to leave, did not meet this criteria.
So only 14 of 40 met these requirements but you are using this as an example of why kids have left the program??Showme, funny that you would make that comment. You have been whining about the baseball program with NO FACTS to back up your made up assumptions. Further, it is not my job to educate you on these matters but here is an example of what I am talking about:
In the fall, the players had been given benchmarks to meet in their conditioning. When they returned for the fall and had their time trials, about 14 (less than 20) of the 40+ players met or exceeded their expected times. Included in the number not making the times were several if not all of the returning players who were later taken off the roster.
There are more facts but I will not call out individuals or groups of players who are no longer with the program. Now, why don't you give some facts to back up your whining.
Some are no longer with the program because they were either unwilling or unable to meet the standards that have been set. I'm OK with that. If you are looking for something to complain about, you will have plenty to complain about once the SEC season starts and this young team begins trying to compete with the best teams in the nation. But, better days are coming and soon.
If you have an ax to grind with this coaching staff, at least admit that so we can move on. If not, please provide some facts to back up your complaints.
Bruin, not sure why Vandy would be so highly thought of by in state coaches. There are less than 10 in state players on Vandy's roster and only two of those are from outside the Nashville/Murfreesboro area. What area of the state are you talking about where the coaches are not happy with UT?
I don't know what happened with Harris. I was excited about him being here and expected big things. As a UT parent pointed out earlier, there were apparently some questions about grades and/or performance in the classroom. Hate it for him, hope he lands on his feet.
Serrano stepped into a tougher situation than Butch Jones is inheriting. He is obviously trying to build from the ground up and set the tone for what is expected from players in the program. There are growing pains in any rebuilding process. Lets' see how it plays out.
Bruin, who was the Freshman pitcher from Columbia that left the program last spring? Did his situation affect Stone's decision?
Interesting to hear about Serrano's perception in the mid state area?