Do the Cats give the Vols Hope?

[BruinVol]

I have mentioned on here that DS could very well be a top 10 coach in the country and still not succeed here due to the supreme competition he faces.

We all seem to think the task of turning the Vol program around will take a number of seasons but does the success of the Cats this season give Vol fans hope for that turn around to come sooner?

Anybody with a good knowledge of the Ky program know if they are having this success with new juco players? If that is the case that very well may be where DS can speed up the process.
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[ShowmeVols]

Of Kentucky's 7 hitters batting .320 or better, 2 are transfers. Of their three leading inning eaters on the mound so far, 1 is a transfer.

That seems consistent with the usual formula for success--bring in a few well chosen guys from the JUCO but build around the young guys being developed within the new system.

BTW, Giacalone, the JUCO stud Serrano is bringing in next year is having a great season as a two-way player: ERA of 2.15 and batting .422 with 4 homers and slightly more than an RBI per game.

 

[BruinVol]

Of Kentucky's 7 hitters batting .320 or better, 2 are transfers. Of their three leading inning eaters on the mound so far, 1 is a transfer.

That seems consistent with the usual formula for success--bring in a few well chosen guys from the JUCO but build around the young guys being developed within the new system.

BTW, Giacalone, the JUCO stud Serrano is bringing in next year is having a great season as a two-way player: ERA of 2.15 and batting .422 with 4 homers and slightly more than an RBI per game.

Thanks for the detailed answer. Any idea on how much the draft factors in with giacalone?

The problem with what you say about developing the young guys is this: I am afraid Allen and Maddox are the only SEC caliber young ones to build around.
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[ShowmeVols]

No idea on Giacalone's draft prospects.

This year's freshmen aren't Serrano's recruits, and the timing of baseball recruiting is such that Serrano was hired too late to compete for the best 2012 high school grads. That's why it will probably take three years for him to get in his kids and develop them before we see the full turnaround of the program, certainly before we see a pitching staff that is really his handiwork.

 

[BruinVol]

No idea on Giacalone's draft prospects.

This year's freshmen aren't Serrano's recruits, and the timing of baseball recruiting is such that Serrano was hired too late to compete for the best 2012 high school grads. That's why it will probably take three years for him to get in his kids and develop them before we see the full turnaround of the program, certainly before we see a pitching staff that is really his handiwork.

I agree that the Vol roster is worse than last years KY roster or any other SEC roster in a long time but I am not sure by how much. Most agreed the Cats and Vols were fighting for last place this season. I guess the point of the thread is that if they found a way to shock many of us with a few transfers maybe DS can do the same.
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[fryeguy93]

We are in a far better position than Kentucky.

(1) We have far better facilities than Kentucky

(2) We have far greater commitment to baseball and our entire sports program than UK. Outside Bama/Auburn and their single minded devotion to football; Kentucky truly is the most one-sport school in conference.

(3) There is more talent in Tennessee than Kentucky

(4) Tennessee has a little bit more tradition than Kentucky in baseball.

(5) Tennessee has a little bit better weather than Kentucky

So where Kentucky can pop up out of nowhere and have a successful season occasionally; Tennessee should have a fairly consistent program with the occasional bad season or 2.

I still think the Wildcats will come back to the pack. I was not enthralled with the pre-conference schedule that USC had as they were beating a few bad teams by low scores. Had the series been in Columbia I think USC would have won 2/3.

It appears that Florida is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the conference and the east right now.

That one win we got on road against UGA will loom large for either UGA or UT later this season. (Write it down)

 

[BruinVol]

We are in a far better position than Kentucky.

(1) We have far better facilities than Kentucky

(2) We have far greater commitment to baseball and our entire sports program than UK. Outside Bama/Auburn and their single minded devotion to football; Kentucky truly is the most one-sport school in conference.

(3) There is more talent in Tennessee than Kentucky

(4) Tennessee has a little bit more tradition than Kentucky in baseball.

(5) Tennessee has a little bit better weather than Kentucky

So where Kentucky can pop up out of nowhere and have a successful season occasionally; Tennessee should have a fairly consistent program with the occasional bad season or 2.

I still think the Wildcats will come back to the pack. I was not enthralled with the pre-conference schedule that USC had as they were beating a few bad teams by low scores. Had the series been in Columbia I think USC would have won 2/3.

It appears that Florida is head-and-shoulders above the rest of the conference and the east right now.

That one win we got on road against UGA will loom large for either UGA or UT later this season. (Write it down)

I agree that overall Tenn is in a much better spot than Ky but this thread was intended to look at the 2 schools rosters in the short term.

I disagree in that I feel its time to give this Ky team some serious credit. Will they win the SEC no but IMO they will be a team that won't sweat making it to Hoover.

I also agree that Sundays win is huge when looking at the overall picture.
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