Post by Trojan Warrior on Mar 16, 2014 15:30:04 GMT -6
by Jeremy Wise
With the departures of several key seniors and draft-eligible juniors – guys like Logan Pierce, Josh McDorman, Trae Santos, Danny Collins and Brandon Brown – Troy Trojans fans knew a drop in offensive production was likely coming.
They knew a drop in the win total was likely coming, although pitching and defense were probably going to be as good or even better than last year.
I don’t know if 10-8 overall and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play was in everyone’s minds, though.
As expected, Troy’s pitching has been dynamic. Shane McCain is putting up better stats than last year, and he won the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year award.
Tanner Hicks has been almost as tough, shutting out South Alabama in a complete-game effort Friday. That will definitely lower an already solid 2.79 ERA.
The fielding percentage is close to where it was last year during Troy’s 42-20 campaign that ended in an NCAA regional final.
The offense, though, has lagged behind – mainly in batting average. The Trojans hit .292 as a team last year, good for a top-50 finish. Entering this weekend’s series with South Alabama, the Trojans were hitting just .254, which is just inside the top 175.
The runs have been OK – averaging almost five per contest. Troy has 86 in 18 complete games, while they have only surrendered 62.
The home runs have been fantastic, tallying 19 so far. If Troy were to play 60 games, that would be 63 homers. Last year’s juggernaut squad hit just 54.
The last two stats I think tell a better story of where this team is. The Trojans are averaging more than a run per game than their opponents and have plenty of home run power to win any game.
That is why I think this squad has the potential to make a huge run down the stretch, especially since Sun Belt play has opened. (Full Article)
iconTroy3
With the departures of several key seniors and draft-eligible juniors – guys like Logan Pierce, Josh McDorman, Trae Santos, Danny Collins and Brandon Brown – Troy Trojans fans knew a drop in offensive production was likely coming.
They knew a drop in the win total was likely coming, although pitching and defense were probably going to be as good or even better than last year.
I don’t know if 10-8 overall and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play was in everyone’s minds, though.
As expected, Troy’s pitching has been dynamic. Shane McCain is putting up better stats than last year, and he won the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year award.
Tanner Hicks has been almost as tough, shutting out South Alabama in a complete-game effort Friday. That will definitely lower an already solid 2.79 ERA.
The fielding percentage is close to where it was last year during Troy’s 42-20 campaign that ended in an NCAA regional final.
The offense, though, has lagged behind – mainly in batting average. The Trojans hit .292 as a team last year, good for a top-50 finish. Entering this weekend’s series with South Alabama, the Trojans were hitting just .254, which is just inside the top 175.
The runs have been OK – averaging almost five per contest. Troy has 86 in 18 complete games, while they have only surrendered 62.
The home runs have been fantastic, tallying 19 so far. If Troy were to play 60 games, that would be 63 homers. Last year’s juggernaut squad hit just 54.
The last two stats I think tell a better story of where this team is. The Trojans are averaging more than a run per game than their opponents and have plenty of home run power to win any game.
That is why I think this squad has the potential to make a huge run down the stretch, especially since Sun Belt play has opened. (Full Article)
iconTroy3