***Official OMAHA CWS Thread***

[Aaron Carrara]

Complete head-scratcher to me as to why Sean Allen was let go - makes no sense.  Allen and Pierce are attached at the hip and have been for many, many years.  My guess is this wasn’t David Pierce’s decision whatsoever, but rather he was forced to make a change from someone(s) at a higher level.  Two straight trips to the CWS is impressive (yes, even for Texas).  It is not a given for any team to make it to Omaha.  Hell, Mississippi State won it all last year and failed to even play in a regional this year (first time this has happened to the Bulldogs since 2015).

With Tulo likely going West and Allen now gone, Pierce is going to have to step up the recruiting efforts immensely.    For the fanbase that thinks this season was a disappointment, it can get a whole lot worse.

Allen will get picked up soon elsewhere and will do well, as he has everywhere he has coached.  

 

[BWilk55]

I wonder if the Allen decision was made knowing that Tulo might also be leaving. 

If the issue with Allen was poor coaching of the pitching staff and not something else, perhaps he could have just returned to being the hitting coach if Tulo left. 

 

[Bear19]

So now I am confused about this board’s opinion of Pierce  

He’s done a great job appearing in the World Series three out of five years. People who don’t think so have too much entitlement. 
 

Or, he has made a major blunder by firing his pitching coach. And maybe even let someone bully him into it which a good head coach would never do.

Set me straight.

 

[joeywa]

I come in peace... but I’ll speak to your response that seemed to have a bit of an irked tone.

you mentioned a handful of pitchers who “didn’t step up.”  Well....

in other words, didn’t perform.  One, in particular, was a shell of himself last year.  This is exactly why the pitching coach was fired.  Maybe it wasn’t his fault... but coaches whose players don’t perform do get fired... nature of the beast.

I’ve been following Texas baseball since the 70s.  And you can make a case that the 8 position players and batting lineup this year was up there with the best Texas has ever had.  A fifth place conference finish with this level of talent is disappointing to say the least.  Moreover, for one of - if not the most storied baseball schools in the nation.... two and through in the CWS (with this year’s talent) is a disappointment as well.   

Thanks for your thoughts & input. 
The P in question continually being rolled out was almost certainly not the decision of the pitching coach. 
 

I also addressed the disappointment for fans. I get it. Probably more than most. That said, in this day and age of college baseball, storied programs do not guarantee squat. Ole Miss, one of the last teams into the tournament, is one game away from the CWS Championship. OU, a non-national seed, and a team that struggled early on, is also one game away. Parity is at an all time high in D1 baseball. Getting to Omaha is an accomplishment, regardless of what fan expectations are. Texas fans have almost begged for a HC to bring in the big hitters. Sean Allen did that. They wanted to see a different makeup of Augie ball, with speedy small guys that could bunt and hit singles, but couldn’t hit for power. Sean Allen did that. They wanted a good pitching staff. Tanner Witt passed on MLB to come to Texas. Sean Allen did that. The problem with pitching is if it isn’t firing on all cylinders, and often, you can’t hide that with all the time with great offense. When the Texas bats went cold this year, the team struggled to put teams away. And while people want to point to the pitching coach, a lot of the onus needs to be on the actual pitchers for not being able to execute. They didn’t. 

 

[joeywa]

So now I am confused about this board’s opinion of Pierce  

He’s done a great job appearing in the World Series three out of five years. People who don’t think so have too much entitlement. 
 

Or, he has made a major blunder by firing his pitching coach. And maybe even let someone bully him into it which a good head coach would never do.

Set me straight.

Can it not be both?  

 

[Bear19]

Can it not be both?  

No. 

 

[joeywa]

Why not?  People can have an opinion that 3 trips to Omaha in 5 seasons qualifies as success, yet still have the opinion that this situation with Allen is a blunder. I don’t think it’s an either/or thing. 

 

[Bear19]

Why not?  People can have an opinion that 3 trips to Omaha in 5 seasons qualifies as success, yet still have the opinion that this situation with Allen is a blunder. I don’t think it’s an either/or thing. 

Regarding Pierce’s long-term success I think it is. And I’m not sure which it is.

 

[joeywa]

Regarding Pierce’s long-term success I think it is. And I’m not sure which it is.

I tend to think Pierce is a good coach. Not great, but good. His time at UT and success getting the team to Omaha cannot be denied. Now, he still has work to do to get the team over the hump in Omaha. That can be said for many, but he’s shown he can get them there. 
That said, I don’t know what to make of the direction right this second. The whole Allen thing is concerning.  My hope is that there is a plan that has been in place and it’s not a knee-jerk reaction. Also, I don’t know how much input CDC had in this, if any at all. Some of the answers will come out in the coming days/weeks, some won’t. 
 

Where the board’s baseball posters’ opinions fall on all of this is anyones guess. I’d say it’s likely all over the place. And right now, dropping two in Omaha, and one to A&M no less, still stings to most-me included. I’d imagine that once the new hires are announced, things will become more clear, both with direction of the program and with opinions on Pierce. 

 

[Eastexhorn]

Allen was let go maybe for reasons we will never know. Tulo might leave.

Texas base ball will go onas it always has. better or worse Hook em.

Still wondering about no throw to let runner advance.

 

[joeywa]

Still wondering about no throw to let runner advance.

I addressed that above and you replied. 
There were 2 outs, runner on 1B due to being HBP as the Leadoff hitter of the frame. 
Count was 1-1, next pitch is inside, batter checks his swing. Ardoin appeals the check swing to the 1B umpire, instead of throwing down to 2B. 1B ump says batter didn’t offer. So runner on 2B, 2 outs and a 2-1 count. 
 

I didn’t see it as “quitting” in any shape or form. 
 

Let me know if that answers your question. 

 

[Eastexhorn]

Sorry for this misunderstanding belive my original post said. Read some where that in eight inning A$M batter singled and there was no throw to allow him to take second.

If this never happenedgreat bad infro on net. But was nothing to do with catcher and no throw

No important except player should been taken out of game if this happened.

 

[TexCoyote]

The whole thing is hard to figure out. As someone mentioned, maybe Pierce was pressured to make a change. He and Allen had been together a long and it’s hard to believe he let him go that quick. CDC is a different kind of AD. He gets a lot of money donated and upgrades everything to be tops in the country, so he’s not looking for “good” at Texas……he’s looking for great. I look back on the way he did on WBB. Karen Aston was good but CDC wanted great with knowing that the Moody center was coming in soon. He made the change and you can see the difference fairly obviously. I’m not saying fire Pierce, but this could be from higher up. Pierce did better last year getting into the loser bracket and ended up finishing 3rd. I think it didn’t help looking so bad this year in Omaha. Never fired against Norte Dame and then the Aggies routed you.  They better figure it out fast because the SEC is murder’s row and our 3 biggest rivals are still playing.  As always we’ll see I guess. 

 

[tejasrulz]

I tend to think Pierce is a good coach. Not great, but good. His time at UT and success getting the team to Omaha cannot be denied. Now, he still has work to do to get the team over the hump in Omaha. That can be said for many, but he’s shown he can get them there. 
That said, I don’t know what to make of the direction right this second. The whole Allen thing is concerning.  My hope is that there is a plan that has been in place and it’s not a knee-jerk reaction. Also, I don’t know how much input CDC had in this, if any at all. Some of the answers will come out in the coming days/weeks, some won’t. 
 

Where the board’s baseball posters’ opinions fall on all of this is anyones guess. I’d say it’s likely all over the place. And right now, dropping two in Omaha, and one to A&M no less, still stings to most-me included. I’d imagine that once the new hires are announced, things will become more clear, both with direction of the program and with opinions on Pierce. 

Bingo! However, is it wrong for us Texas fans to want great coaches, i.e. Gus & Augie? I've seen Pierce appear to be nervous in the dugout, could he be passing that onto the team?

I know you have questioned some of Pierce's moves this year and it appears he has made another one which is surprising to you. Is Peirce the baseball version of Coach February? Can recruit but not excel at the X's & O's? Another big question is, did CDC (if involved) get rid of the wrong coach?

I admit you know more about Texas baseball than I do. I too am curious to see where all this goes.

 

[BWilk55]

Bingo! However, is it wrong for us Texas fans to want great coaches, i.e. Gus & Augie? I've seen Pierce appear to be nervous in the dugout, could he be passing that onto the team?

I know you have questioned some of Pierce's moves this year and it appears he has made another one which is surprising to you. Is Peirce the baseball version of Coach February? Can recruit but not excel at the X's & O's? Another big question is, did CDC (if involved) get rid of the wrong coach?

I admit you know more about Texas baseball than I do. I too am curious to see where all this goes.

I think it's all a bit complicated and nuanced. 

Pierce is 3/5 with the CWS which is stellar. Was 1 game away from the championship series last year which is great. He hasn't won it all yet which is a limitation.

This season, making it to the CWS was a great result considering how things were looking midway through. But then we had 2 very poor performances in Omaha which is leaving a bad taste in our mouths. 

He's hired Tulo which was so genius we may end up losing him to USC. At the same time, many who follow closely are perplexed to see Allen let go. 

Like most things, it's a mixed bag who pros and cons. I think his first 5 years have been a success overall, the next 3-5 years will make it clear how his time at Texas will be viewed.

 

[joeywa]

@Eastexhorn

I misspoke. There were 2 outs, nobody on when Morehouse HBP Aggie Rock. 
It wasn’t the Leadoff man as I stated above. 
After Rick advanced to 2B on the 1-1 check swing, (explained above) there was an RBI Double to score Rock from 2B. Next batter KL to end the 8th. 

 

[HornSports Staff]

 

[joeywa]

Bingo! However, is it wrong for us Texas fans to want great coaches, i.e. Gus & Augie? I've seen Pierce appear to be nervous in the dugout, could he be passing that onto the team?

I know you have questioned some of Pierce's moves this year and it appears he has made another one which is surprising to you. Is Peirce the baseball version of Coach February? Can recruit but not excel at the X's & O's? Another big question is, did CDC (if involved) get rid of the wrong coach?

I admit you know more about Texas baseball than I do. I too am curious to see where all this goes.

When coaches are making what they do these days, I think they are not above being questioned on their decisions. They don’t owe us answers, but we can watch how they grow/change from their past successes/failures/decisions. 
 

Fan expectations are always fun to discuss. Augie didn’t win it all in Omaha with Texas until year 5, and Gus was here in a very different time. While hoping for similar success is fine, I think expecting it is a bit of a reach. That said, 3 trips to Omaha in his first 5 years at the helm at Texas is pretty good. It’s really no different with the fan expectations in football. Basketball tends to be a bit more forgiving. Texas fans want Texas to be on top, in every sport, every year. And that’s great. But realistically everyone knows, (although many won’t admit,) that it’s not truly possible to do that very often, if at all. Hence you get the complaining and grandstanding often seen on message boards and social media platforms. Also keep in mind, those on message boards and social media are probably the most vocal of sports fans, yet make up probably less than 5% of the total fanbase. 
 

 

[Eastexhorn]

Beating on a dead horse. Finally  found origional article.

24/7  titled Texas leaves Omaha with a wimper at hands of A$M.

Quote In bottom of 8th D. Rock singled and moved to second with out a throw.On a rare defensive indefference by a losing team.

A lot different from your description of the play. No throw is why I wonderedif team or player quit.

IMO this team neededsome of ladies fire.

 

[Eastexhorn]

 Hook em