Despite RC's seeming screw ups in belatedly changing pitchers tonight, Corey Ray pitched a superb game and easily the best game of his career! Is any of this improvement attributable to RC as a reputed pitching coach? Don't know but I sure hope so and congratulations to Corey, our hitters including Lankford, Banks, Taylor and others--big night at the plate early in the game! Great plays in the field also by Bradsen, Allemond and Banks!! Keep it up Ags as you head to Startsville!

Lost in the melee....

Man, what a start from Corey Ray. Tabbed for a start in a crucial game against a Rival and potential RPI boost, taking a role he hasn't had for much of the season.

I heard Gabe and crew this morning talking about him on the radio this morning, and they said that he believed the coaching staff would agree that Corey has the "best stuff" on the team if he would "just believe in his arm". There were some hints of that tonight. Big time performance.

Schlottmann also came in and had another good game against a good opponent.

awww **** it! we won!

Early returns from the win as it relates to A&M's RPI.

Win jumps A&M up about 10 spots to #53 according to warrennolan.com. Expect to be in low 50s when Boyd updates in the morning. Expect any wins in Starkville to jump the Ags into the 40s.

Block84 could use a good dose of patience and reasonable expectations. In fact, a lot of you could. If you want to become a Knowledgeable Baseball Fan, you should consider it.

quote:

---

Block84 could use a good dose of patience and reasonable expectations

---

Is that you Hyman?

Corey Ray has Wacha-like stuff, and that's no exaggeration. Similar delivery, angle, velocity, and great change up when it's right. Quietest, nicest kid I know, which I think is what has limited his career so far; just has never had that Stilson/Wacha like attack mentality a pitcher needs. Awesome to see him perform the way we all knew he could. Hope he keeps it up!

Looked like a crazy 9th inning! Never easy to get out of Reckling with a W.

Take it easy fellas

Good post Lance.

There's a lot of angst and scar tissue over RC's bungles over the years, and they (the bungles) tend to overshadow the great performances. Thanks for the reminder.

Wow, some great posts the last few posts here.

Loved watching Strip pitch and love having him here on the board!

Big win!

We actually moved from 65 to 53 in RPI. Wow! We have a long way to go, but have a fighting chance now, esoecially the way we are hitting.

I had to take my daughter home after the top half of the 6th with Ags up 6-0. Perfect way to watch a game. All the good stuff. No heart attacks. Home by the kid's bedtime.

Sterling and Lefty, yes i know we won and very happy for the team/players. The role of the coach at this level is to put players in a position to succeed. This guy has had nine years to get it done and i am out of patience. This is Texas A&M and we should not be struggling to get to a regional year in and year out. And i am a very knowledgeable baseball fan having played the game until I was 22.

Simmer down block!

Struggle to get in a regional year in and year out?

We've never been lower than a 2 seed (other than RCs first year). Last year when everyone thought we were out, we were safely in.

Last year is the only year since '07 we actually worried about being in.

And "we're Texas A&M?" We're currently in our longest postseason streak EVER.

I'm not the Childress apologist I once was, as I've been disappointed more often the last 2.5 seasons, but you make Childress haters look stupid when you claim your position based on assertions that just aren't true.

Plenty to be upset about...but (a) not tonight and (b) no need to make up reasons to be mad.

Ross: Thanks for your input! I too believed that Corey has always shown the ability to be a truly dominant pitcher but has just not been able to develop the mind set to really be effective. (Also, thanks a lot for the great job you did on the mound for our Ags!!)

Made it interesting but we'll take the W

I come home from my meeting and go to the last page and find out, damn, we lost. Thankfully I went back a couple of pages and be damned if we didn't win. Only on texags can you not tell the winner from the loser after the game.

An AB2 sighting!!

Just glad we won

Very glad we won, but definitely thought RC left both Ray's in too long tonight...gotta have a short leash when they let 2-3 runners on in a row

That said, if this team can take 2 at Miss St and then we'll have a much more positive outlook for the regional bid

In other news, A&M had more fans than Rice did.

Big win! Thanks for the updates!

Good to get the Big W.

We had 8 1/2 innings of great baseball and a 1/2 inning of Rob's bumbling decision making trying to close it out. Damn near ruined the whole thing. When your brain trust is brain dead it's a lot to overcome, especially for this team, who doesn't need a liability in their own dugout.

Happy to have the win. Big road win, real huge boost for our postseason chances.

Admittedly though, I continue to be baffled by the setup followed by closer strategy. Schlottman pitched a brilliant 8th inning - why pull him for somebody else in the 9th? We ran into the exact thing I am always afraid of, where the new guy doesn't have the stuff and we've just burned a guy who does.

Great win and very happy for the guys. Any time you beat Rice it's a good day. Any time you win on the road is a good day. So, overall, we should be happy with the win. I think most of us are.

However, just like in a loss where it is normal to look for postives to build on, it is normal to analyze what when right and what went wrong in a win. There are things to be learned.

If we know anything about RC it is that he has a strategy - a formula - for what he's going to do and he's hell bent on sticking to it. My biggest criticism of RC over the years has been the head-scratching pitching moves that don't seem to fit the flow of the game. Leaving guys in too long, pulling them when they're in a groove, insisting on the "right match-up."

He just seems to overthink his pitching strategy. I'm sure Ross could speak to that (but I wouldn't blame him if he doesn't).

Again, great win for the Ags. Enjoy it, but learn from it.

Big time win.

quote:

---

However, just like in a loss where it is normal to look for postives to build on

---

What Texags have YOU been reading?!

here's a positive:

Logan Taylor ---> 15 x-base hits in 149 AB's thru 37 games

one x-base hit every ten at-bats. I'll take that

24 Ks and a .915 fielding % for Taylor aren't stellar by any means

quote:

---

quote:
However, just like in a loss where it is normal to look for postives to build on


What Texags have YOU been reading?!

---

Never, ever judge "normal" by what you read on TexAgs.

Corey was not even on the "eligible" squad for the Florida series and yet he gets the start against a strong Rice team. You just never know.

quote:

---

In other news, A&M had more fans than Rice did.

---

From the Rice attendance records that Dave South was quoting, it sounds like Rice has had several games where their attendance is near or better than we have at Blue Bell. That surprises me.

quote:

---

here's a positive:

Logan Taylor ---> 15 x-base hits in 149 AB's thru 37 games

one x-base hit every ten at-bats. I'll take that

---

Dang! I just read earlier this week that Taylor was lazy and should be benched. You just don't know what to believe.

quote:

---

From the Rice attendance records that Dave South was quoting, it sounds like Rice has had several games where their attendance is near or better than we have at Blue Bell. That surprises me.

---

Why? They are a better program historically in a major metropolitan area. We are actually only ahead of one team in our own division when it comes to attendance or 4th place behind LSU, arky, and both miss schools