Post by orangeandblack on May 30, 2017 14:41:34 GMT -5
This was one of the best Mercer teams of all time, and it's a crime that they missed the NCAA's. The talent was there by a long shot. A HUGE upset to not win the SoCon tournament. The #2 seed and defending champion was eliminated without having to play them. It was gift wrapped.
Hunter Bening hit .250 with 12 home runs this season, however, his last home run was hit on April 15th. How can that be? For the remainder of the season he was constantly removed from games for pinch hitters with no power and averages below his. In all 12 games where Bening hit a home run, he had a minimum of 4 plate appearances. For the final 16 games of the season, he would be given that opportunity only twice. Mercer went 6-10 in those games.
Baseball America ranked Mercer #24 on April 24th. This was the peak of the season, and also the changing point. From this point forward, Bening rarely finished a game. In the final elimination game of the year, Bening didn't start or get an at-bat.
What could possibly be the reason for that? Especially when you consider that his replacement hit .240 with no power (0 home runs on the year).
Mercer was also one of the few teams that didn't start their ace in game 1 of the tournament, and instead waited until they reached the loser's bracket to use him.
Mercer's RPI fell from #31 on April 24th all the way to #80 in only 16 games.
To be fair, if I'm going to criticize the final 16 games, I must praise the first 40 games. That's was makes it so frustrating. The winning formula was already in place. Just put the lineup on cruise control, but instead the final game of the year had a brand new lineup that was never used in the prior 55 games. That's not a good sign.
I love the team we had, and it's tough to see them miss the NCAA's when they could have done some serious damage. Thank you to all the players, and especially the seniors for the entertainment this year. It was a lot of fun to watch, and I can't imagine their pain when the NCAA tourney starts this week.
Hunter Bening hit .250 with 12 home runs this season, however, his last home run was hit on April 15th. How can that be? For the remainder of the season he was constantly removed from games for pinch hitters with no power and averages below his. In all 12 games where Bening hit a home run, he had a minimum of 4 plate appearances. For the final 16 games of the season, he would be given that opportunity only twice. Mercer went 6-10 in those games.
Baseball America ranked Mercer #24 on April 24th. This was the peak of the season, and also the changing point. From this point forward, Bening rarely finished a game. In the final elimination game of the year, Bening didn't start or get an at-bat.
What could possibly be the reason for that? Especially when you consider that his replacement hit .240 with no power (0 home runs on the year).
Mercer was also one of the few teams that didn't start their ace in game 1 of the tournament, and instead waited until they reached the loser's bracket to use him.
Mercer's RPI fell from #31 on April 24th all the way to #80 in only 16 games.
To be fair, if I'm going to criticize the final 16 games, I must praise the first 40 games. That's was makes it so frustrating. The winning formula was already in place. Just put the lineup on cruise control, but instead the final game of the year had a brand new lineup that was never used in the prior 55 games. That's not a good sign.
I love the team we had, and it's tough to see them miss the NCAA's when they could have done some serious damage. Thank you to all the players, and especially the seniors for the entertainment this year. It was a lot of fun to watch, and I can't imagine their pain when the NCAA tourney starts this week.