2025 Season Thread

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Chicat
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2025 Season Thread

Post by 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
Of the 12 coaches, Rush picked the one whose fans have the deepest passion, the longest memories, the greatest lung capacity and … did I mention deep passion?
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by 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
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by EastCoastCat »

According to this thread title are we just skipping the 2024 season? I guess with that prediction might as well...
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by Irish27 »

azcat49 wrote: Thu Feb 08, 2024 2:30 pm 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.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by wyo-cat »

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

Prolly saved Chips ass.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by 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.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by 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.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by 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.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by azcat49 »

Curious Choo if you share some of the optimistic predictions of a possible run to Omaha next year?
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

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azcat49 wrote: Tue Jul 16, 2024 1:36 pm 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.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

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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
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by ChooChooCat »

azcat49 wrote: Wed Jul 17, 2024 5:15 am 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.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by 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
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by Irish27 »

azcat49 wrote: Wed Jul 24, 2024 5:40 pm 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.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by Irish27 »

Great news.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by ChooChooCat »

Irish27 wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2024 8:09 pm 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
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by Irish27 »

I accidentally had posted this on the former Cats thread.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

Post by Irish27 »

The Cats open the season against Ole Miss.
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Re: 2025 Season Thread

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