Rankings Roundup | Week 3 - Red Raider Dugout

Rankings Roundup | Week 3

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WEEKLY THOUGHTS

This is our first Rankings Roundup of the season so I have a few thoughts.

The Red Raiders started by going 1-2 in Arlington, despite the gnashing of teeth associated with that start (don’t forget they went 0-3 in 2021), there were a ton of new faces and a lot of new arms that have all needed to get up to speed. Owen Washburn has been a great freshman contributor, he’s started every game in right field and has been excellent at the plate as well. Hudson White has been a solid backstop handling the bulk of the catching duties and has gotten his bat going as well after starting 0-22 in his collegiate career.

Zac Vooletich, the Navarro College transfer (previously at New Mexico Junior College as well), started all four games in left field and had an excellent weekend at the plate against Merrimack. With the injuries to Easton Murrell (3B) and Ty Coleman (DH), I’d expect to continue to see Vooletich in left, although the Texas transfer Dalton Porter is a gamer as well. Those two could swap between left and DH for the time being, I’d argue Porter is the stronger defensive option in the outfield based on experience, not based on any deficiencies Vooletich has shown.

It’s no secret that Parker Kelly had a hot weekend against Merrimack, his three-home run game Saturday morning was punctuated by two grand slams (the first Red Raider to accomplish the feat) and he tied the school record with 9 RBIs in the game. Kelly hit .533 over the weekend with a 1.200 slugging percentage and an OB% of .667. Jace Jung also got rolling last weekend with a home run and an impressive game that saw him reach on all seven plate appearances. He hit .611 and boasted a .696 OB% against the Warriors, both to lead the team.

Last but not least, Dillon Carter has proven himself as a reliable leadoff man. His OB% over the weekend was .500, coupled with Vooletich in the two-hole, whose OB% was .522 this weekend, setting the table nicely for those behind to drive in runs, which they (Jung, Cole Stilwell, Kurt Wilson, and Washburn) are doing above or close to a double-digit clip.

On the mound, Andrew Morris, Brandon Birdsell, Mason Molina, Chase Hampton, and Austin Becker have all been solid with signs of growth continuing to show. I think this rotation will be quite salty and Tech has multiple five-game weeks stacked up so they’ll get plenty of opportunities. The biggest question is who the starter will be Wednesday against Mississippi State, that has yet to be announced but I think there’s a potential to see Colin Clark or Brendan Girton get an opportunity.

The relief pitching has also had its bright spots, both relievers mentioned above have been strong, as has Derek Bridges, Jase Lopez, and Shay Hartis. The apparent closer, Trendan Parish, already has four saves on his stat line.

In the first two weeks, Tech has cleaned up in the awards department with Coleman receiving both Big 12 Player of the Week and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week nods. Kelly took the next Big 12 Player of the Week award home and Washburn was Big 12 Newcomer of the week.

Did you miss the weekend action? You can read the recaps of each game to catch up or let Keith do it for you on the Dinger Derby podcast!
DBU RECAP
Texas Tech Rallies to Down Pats in 10th

MERRIMACK RECAPS
Tech Rolls Merrimack in Series Opener
Grand Slam Thank You Ma’am
Becker Returns and Tech Completes the Sweep

DINGER DERBY
Bombing the Warriors and Previewing the Bulldogs | Dinger Derby
What We’ve Seen So Far | Dinger Derby

A few things about the rankings:

DO THEY ALL MATTER?

No, absolutely not, most of them are worthless and only exist because a baseball/statistics nerd decided to make them. Some are an attempt by various outlets to keep RPI live rather than updated weekly by the NCAA. Many are wholly subjective in the case of those from various news outlets or composites of many rankings affected by outliers. Some also update at odd times, like on Friday. Finally, rankings basically never matter. What is more useless than mid-season rankings with no consideration in a post-season selection process? The whole point of rankings and polls are for conversation, so enjoy the conversation starter. 

WHICH ONES ARE MOST IMPORTANT?

There are six rankings in college baseball that are recognized and most respected: D1 Baseball, Baseball America, Perfect Game, Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, NCBWA, and the USA Today Coaches Poll. This year, the College Baseball Foundation has begun releasing the College Baseball Hall of Fame Power Poll, I’m excited to see this one get some publicity. 

DOES THAT MEAN I WON’T INCLUDE THEM?

Also, absolutely not. I’m going to include every ranking, RPI, composite, and strength of schedule I can find. It doesn’t matter how “legit” they are, I’m going to put them on the list. I like seeing them change and move fluidly over time. It’s also nice to see that even some of the top recognized lists are subject to knee-jerk reactions.

WHY INCLUDE IT IF IT DOESN’T MATTER?

We count everything in baseball. – Billy Chapel

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