At the Letters: Catching up with the big boys

It finally is time to open up the discussion.

Most of the emails we’ve received the last two weeks dealt with our college baseball needs story published a few weeks ago. But this week many fans expanded their horizons and asked questions about topics ranging from the timing of the MLB draft to the statuses of programs including Long Beach State, South Carolina and Washington State.

New Alabama coach Mitch Gaspard, the nation’s leading pitching coaches and the future possibility of having a pitch clock also are important parts to this week’s discussion.

To ask a question for next week’s feature, email Kendall Rogers.

As always, I defend your letters in the italics that follow.

Where do you see Long Beach State at the end of the year? Do you think it will compete with Fullerton and Irvine atop the Big West standings? What do you think their chances are for postseason play?
Levi
Long Beach, Calif.

There’s no question in my mind that Long Beach State’s hiatus from the NCAA postseason last season was an aberration. But I’m not so sure it returns to an NCAA regional in the upcoming season. It will certainly be close. The Dirtbags have some key relievers to replace and also must establish more consistency when it comes to the weekend rotation. Still, I’m convinced the offense will be much better than expected even without a plethora of power. Let’s say the Dirtbags finish behind UC Irvine, Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly. There’s no reason, though, why they shouldn’t finish the season fourth in the Big West. That should be the expectation. If perception is reality in the spring, LBSU will have a 50-50 shot at an NCAA regional.

Who do you feel are the best pitching coaches in the college ranks right now?
Mark
Pittsburgh

Mark, fantastic question and a very difficult one to answer considering the number of outstanding pitching coaches around the country. Just completely off the top of my head, some pitching coaches I really like include UC Irvine’s Ted Silva, Washington’s Greg Moore, Oregon’s Andrew Checketts, San Diego State’s Eric Valenzuela, Texas’ Skip Johnson, North Carolina’s Scott Forbes, Louisville’s Roger Williams, Maryland’s Sean Kenny and LSU’s David Grewe. There are plenty of other fantastic pitching coaches and head coaches that specialize in pitching.

Will new Alabama coach Mitch Gaspard be able to turn the program into a consistent winner in the SEC?
Clark
Rainbow City, Ala.

Clark, you’re probably being a little too hard on former coach Jim Wells. There’s no question that Wells failed to meet some expectations the past few seasons. But the Crimson Tide has been a postseason mainstay the past few seasons. With that said, I do believe Gaspard can turn Alabama into a consistent “bigger” winner. Gaspard is a younger and more energetic coach than Wells. He will relate better to prospective student-athletes and boosters alike. Gaspard definitely brings excitement to the program. It also helps that he lured pitching coach Kyle Bunn away from Clemson. Gaspard put together a solid coaching staff and has the right mindset. I’ve gone both ways on how successful I believe he will be. I’ll say Gaspard will be a huge success.

My favorite team is Washington State and I’d really like to know what type of team it will have in 2010? Will the Cougars make a regional?
Griffin
Pullman, Wash.

Griffin, the Cougars have a tough row to hoe in the spring, but there’s a good chance they once again will finish in the top half of the Pac-10. The Cougars must find a way to replace ace pitcher Matt Way and top reliever Jeremy Johnson, but otherwise actually are in decent shape on the mound. At the plate is where the most improvements are needed. The Cougars finished last season with a dismal .273 batting average and must improve. Getting Travis Coulter back in the lineup certainly is a huge boost, but other returnees and newcomers must rise to the occasion. WSU will have a solid pitching staff, but its offense will determine its fate in the spring. Regional or not, I really respect the job that coach Donnie Marbut has done in a particularly difficult are of the country.

Kendall, LSU coach Paul Mainieri was upset at the way the MLB draft played out this past season. In Mainieri’s opinion, the deadline for players to make their decision on whether or not to sign a pro contract is too close to the start of school, and it doesn’t give coaches an adequate chance to go out and recruit other players in the event that some guys choose to go the MLB route at the last minute. Mainieri would like to see the deadline moved up about 2-3 weeks (maybe late July). Do you think there’s any chance that MLB would work with college baseball in order to try and change the current signing deadline?
Rod
Frisco, Texas

Rod, that’s an interesting debate to consider. I know coach Mainieri is one of the coaches on the frontlines of the draft issue. However, there are plenty of coaches that believe the signing deadline is a detriment to the college game. The current deadline is certainly better than the old deadline when coaches didn’t even know if players were going to play at their school until the first day of the fall semester. But yes, I agree, there’s even more reform needed. I spoke with an outstanding Division I coach involved in discussions with MLB officials a couple months ago about this very issue. He explained to me that the next Collective Bargaining Agreement could very well address this issue. There appears to be more MLB officials and owners alike that are beginning to like the idea of a July signing deadline. This dream is becoming closer to reality. How soon may it happen, though? It’s too early to tell at this point. Maybe two or three more years. The good thing is that Mainieri always has the ears of his best friend, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry.

I have a comment about making the game faster. I don’t agree with the pitch clock. They already are trying to make the games faster by having a limited number of mound visits per team and I believe that is enough for now. I think it’s just part of the game and when a pitcher is struggling the last thing he would need to be thinking about is the pitch clock!
Carlos
Little Rock, Ark.

Carlos, you bring up a great point. I think having a pitch clock is the last resort for leadership in college baseball. For now, though, more emphasis should be placed on making sure batters step back in the box sooner rather than later. Also, perhaps there’s a way to keep pitchers from spending a minute to walk around the mound after each pitch without a pitch clock. Either way, I’m with you in the sense that we shouldn’t need a pitch clock to get this issue resolved. Next thing you know we’ll be time limiting every game, even on days when travel isn’t involved. There’s fixing issues and there also is going too far. For now, I believe having a pitch clock is going a bit too far. There are plenty of coaches out there that disagree with me, though.

Do you still consider South Carolina to be one of the nation’s premier programs? Why or why not?
Keith
Spartanburg, S.C.

Keith, you seem to be a South Carolina fan, so you’re going to like my answer. The answer to your question is yes the Gamecocks still have a premier program. Sure, the Gamecocks have failed to make a trip to Omaha since ’04. However, it’s also worth mentioning that the Gamecocks had three CWS appearances this decade. That’s not amazing or anything, but it’s a solid accomplishment. South Carolina needs to find a way to get back to Omaha sooner rather than later, but with an outstanding fan base, a premier facility and a coaching staff led by stars in head coach Ray Tanner and assistant Chad Holbrook, this program won’t be declining anytime soon. If anything, I’d expect the Gamecocks to win their first national title in the next few seasons. This program deserves to have a national title. Tanner eventually will get it.