Weekly Practice Schedule (10/8-14)

[VN News]

Tennessee baseball continues its fall practice this week with scrimmages on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

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Discuss.

[ShowmeVols]

Roster cuts are happening quickly. As of today, they are down to 37.

Samuel Davis, Robert Lawhon, Kevin O'Leary, Nick Powell, and Brandon Zajac no longer appear on the fall roster.

[BruinVol]

Originally Posted by ShowmeVols

Roster cuts are happening quickly. As of today, they are down to 37.

Samuel Davis, Robert Lawhon, Kevin O'Leary, Nick Powell, and Brandon Zajac no longer appear on the fall roster.

For having a reputation of developing pitchers DS sure did mightily fail with Zajac. You can't win them all but very disappointed that one of the best arms wasn't developed.

[ShowmeVols]

I'm not willing to call this a failure on Serrano's part. First, Zajac wasn't his recruit. Second, Zajac had played very little because of injuries in high school and was clearly behind other pitchers in general baseball aptitude. Third, although Zajac has a live arm, he isn't a strike thrower in the Serrano mold who gets ahead with low strikes and induces grounders early in the count. It might not be anyone's fault at all.

However, it is clearly Serrano's team now. We'll see how he develops his guys.

I continue to believe we won't see what Serrano can really do until the 2013 high school grads get here. That will be the first class he had a fair shot at recruiting.

[BruinVol]

Originally Posted by ShowmeVols

I'm not willing to call this a failure on Serrano's part. First, Zajac wasn't his recruit. Second, Zajac had played very little because of injuries in high school and was clearly behind other pitchers in general baseball aptitude. Third, although Zajac has a live arm, he isn't a strike thrower in the Serrano mold who gets ahead with low strikes and induces grounders early in the count. It might not be anyone's fault at all.

However, it is clearly Serrano's team now. We'll see how he develops his guys.

I continue to believe we won't see what Serrano can really do until the 2013 high school grads get here. That will be the first class he had a fair shot at recruiting.

I can't disagree with anything said here. The one big concern I have is that I don't see a program being successful without a few power arms in the SEC. To my knowledge the current pitching staff is lacking greatly in that area. Zajac could have been that and my perception is the staff has such a cookie cut approach that he wasn't handled with any kind of expectation of success.

[volforlife50]

Anyone familiar with baseball in Southeast Tennessee knew Zajac was a project. The question is why is he gone 2 weeks into the fall? The kid was drafted out of high school! Someone saw a lot of potential there. He’s a lefty that throws in the low 90’s. It’s a shame CDS didn’t give this project more time. What’s surprising is that 3 pitchers are gone on a young staff to begin with. This pitching staff could be worse than last years.

[BruinVol]

Originally Posted by volforlife50

Anyone familiar with baseball in Southeast Tennessee knew Zajac was a project. The question is why is he gone 2 weeks into the fall? The kid was drafted out of high school! Someone saw a lot of potential there. He’s a lefty that throws in the low 90’s. It’s a shame CDS didn’t give this project more time. What’s surprising is that 3 pitchers are gone on a young staff to begin with. This pitching staff could be worse than last years.

Yes he was a project and as I said above the "cookie cutter" approach that DS seems to have by steering away from power arms worries me. My perception is the staff looked at Zajac as a kid that didn't fit their mold and never really had any expectation of success for developing him. DS won't succeed without a few power arms and I don't see those on this roster. Are there power arms on the roster now that I am missing?

[ShowmeVols]

I don't think Serrano is in the project development business right now. Maybe later, but right now he needs immediate solutions.

[BruinVol]

Originally Posted by ShowmeVols

I don't think Serrano is in the project development business right now. Maybe later, but right now he needs immediate solutions.

Maybe he has some immediate solutions but reports I am hearing are far from that. The fact is none of the polished power arms are coming to rocky top and if DS isn't concerned with developing a power arm project or two he is destined to fail IMO.

[ShowmeVols]

I don't think we disagree. By project, I meant someone rough but with a high ceiling who is at least a year away from making a meaningful contribution (i.e., a 92 mph arm with pro-potential frame who lacks control or quality secondaries). By solution, I meant someone he can use to get outs this year.

[whocaresgobobcats]

We don't even know why he was cut. Maybe it had nothing, or very little, to do with performance.

[BruinVol]

Originally Posted by #1ArencibiaFan

We don't even know why he was cut. Maybe it had nothing, or very little, to do with performance.

Performance.

[BruinVol]

Originally Posted by ShowmeVols

I don't think we disagree. By project, I meant someone rough but with a high ceiling who is at least a year away from making a meaningful contribution (i.e., a 92 mph arm with pro-potential frame who lacks control or quality secondaries). By solution, I meant someone he can use to get outs this year.

Agreed. I just question is their any real solutions on the roster. I am told no by a few that have seen the new crop. Time will tell but Zajac had such a high ceiling they are making a mistake by cutting their losses. Obviously I don't know if he is beyond help or not but my opinion is based on his ceiling.


If this was about getting a large scholarship back I could understand cutting losses but it's not. Scholarship players can't be cut to get under the 35 man roster rule. So either he was a walk on all along or his money was cut after last year.

[volforlife50]

Money was cut last year just like the majority of the returning players on the roster. Does this burn a year of eligibility for these players?

[BruinVol]

Originally Posted by volforlife50

Money was cut last year just like the majority of the returning players on the roster. Does this burn a year of eligibility for these players?

If they wanted to go d1 and play now they couldn't. Juco or NAIA could play immediately. I am not sure on D2 or 3