Just missed the field with the very late season issues.
I can’t be alone in thinking that while we have a sold, winning program and the AAC is a good baseball conference…they are underachieving somewhat.
What needs to change or be done differently?
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Need more hitting.
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We didn’t have the starting pitching that we had in years past. Aside from good hitting, our starting pitching was our bread and butter in recent years. I don’t know if that is a product of the pitching coach but I hope that whittling can find some above average arms for the rotation next season.
Fundamentals were awful this year.
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Win more.
I am not going to call for anyone’s job, but the hitting underachieved dramatically this year. Even last year it took about half the season for the bats to really get going.
Recruiting is cyclical, but Brad Burckel and Derrick Cherry are the only hitters from the last 2 recruiting classes that have really hit well with any kind of consistency at the college level (and even Burckel might be a stretch). Kyle Lovelace has been a huge positive, but his positive contributions are primarily his defense and working with pitchers.
I get that high school recruiting can be kind of a crap shoot, but the rate we’ve missed on juco hitters is astounding. We’ve signed 5 JC hitters in the last 2 classes: Hyland, Way, Esau, Gochenour, Redden. Who’s the best from that group? Hyland.
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We were top 40 in ERA nationally. I don’t think you’re correct that starting pitching was a significant barrier to this team’s success.
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I think our front line pitching decent, but there is no doubt that we didn’t have that stud starting pitcher like a Brad Lincoln…
That said, to me the biggest disappointment was the lack of hitting, especially with men in scoring position. It all boils down to recruiting and bringing in players who can contribute.
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Yeah, we definitely had the “wheels come off” pretty dramatically on occasion with this pitching staff. Its not the level of staff we had in 2014-15 or as you pointed out when we had a high end Friday starter like Brad Lincoln.
But like @pray10 and others have pointed out frequently, if we were even an average hitting team we certainly would’ve been the 2 seed and comfortably in the field. Unfortunately we were bottom 20-25% in a lot of the hitting stats 
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Bring back Trip Couch. It’s not like South Carolina went to the dance either.
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Winner Winner Chicken Dinner…absolutely hammer the Houston area. Cypress area is loaded with talent. I did get a laugh out of my Cy-Fair buds when told them in 17-6A team to beat was Memorial this year. Memorial was loaded this season
Pez has to decide if making the Regional round is our primary goal. If so, then make no changes.
Although we didn’t get there this year, we’ve been there plenty of times over the past several years and I have no doubt we’ll make the Regional round again soon.
If the goal is to be a Super Regional power, then we need to recruit better athletes.
If the goal is earn multiple spots in the CWS, we’re going to need a much better HC and staff, specifically a HC and staff that has a resume of CWS success.
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An HC and staff that has a resume of CWS success won’t be coming here. Here are the programs with multiple CWS appearances this decade:
TCU: 2010, 2014-17
texas- austin: 2011, 2014, 2018
Texas Tech: 2014, 2016, 2018
LSU: 2013, 2015, 2017
Texas A&M: 2011, 2017
Oregon State: 2013, 2017, 2018
Louisville: 2014, 2017
Cal State Fullerton: 2015, 2017
Florida State: 2010, 2012, 2017
Arkansas: 2012, 2015, 2018
UCLA: 2010, 2012, 2013
Florida: 2010-12, 2015-18
South Carolina: 2010-12
North Carolina: 2011, 2013, 2018
Virginia: 2011, 2014-15
Miami, FL: 2015-2016
Arizona: 2012, 2016
Mississippi State: 2013, 2018
Vanderbilt: 2011, 2014-15
None of these program’s head coaches (CS Fullerton included) would leave their current job for UH.
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How much are those Head Coaches getting paid? I think if UH wants that type of staff, money is always the talking point.
You’re selling the UH job way short IMO…you think a HC in the mold of a Gary Gilmore type at Coastal Carolina wouldn’t be interested in the Houston job with this recruiting area gold mine? I beg to differ friends…He’s done something the HC’s of the Texas school haven’t done in 13 trips to the CWS since 2010…win a Natty. We know the $$ has been going into FB and MBB but now that both are back on track it’s time to take the BB program to the next level.
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It’s so funny. I remember that is what the big mantra was when UH hired Whitting away from TCU.
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I agree with you to a point, but UH and Rice have always been located in a recruiting mecca…in every sport.
If we could go out and recruit the best athletes we could be racking up national titles in every sport, including women’s hoops, golf, tennis, etc.
Rice finally struck gold under Graham, started recruiting studs and won a national title.
Can UH do this? Yes, but in baseball recruiting is so different than other sports. Rice had academia at its disposal, and still does. But now, at least in my opinion, athletes can no longer turn us down do to “perceived” views on academics.
No doubt you have a smaller window in baseball as full scholarships are rare. Also don’t forget so many of the baseball youngsters end up going to the school where their girl friends want to go. Read into that what you want, but it is a huge factor in recruiting.
That said, I would love to win a baseball title…heck I would like to finally make it to a world series. No one has done that since that Cinderella year in 1967 when we caught fire and beat a top rated Texas team in Austin to win a spot.
I am a Coog fan, and sometimes my expectations exceed reality. But if we can hit on a few key recruits and get them to school, I think we will be fine with Whitting.
I like Whitting and I liked the way he handled the Romero situation. Seth was out of control and you can’t let one kid kill the program.
But would we take a chance on a future Romero? You bet we would…he was a lefty who threw the ball 95 mph and happened to be immature.
That all said, I will willing to let Whitting work his self out of this mess…we have achieved a lot of success with him at the helm. I know this past year did not set well with folks, including me, but I still think he can get the job done. Looney is going to take time to settle in as our pitching coach…but don’t forget he is a heck of a recruiter and well respected in the local area…
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I am not saying to get a new HC, just that hopefully now TW gets some more resources at his disposal. Also I think UH has huge potential in BB and thinking that if UH had to go another route there would be a lot of interest in the job. We know the FB team has zero chance at a Natty until get in a P5 but MBB and BB have legitimate shots at it. As far as recruiting, it is a different animal. On the front lines there having just gone through it with the knucklehead. Disclaimer–not a daddy crying over split milk cause Jr didn’t get offer from UH, he’s off to JUCO to start where he should be Not sure why UH hasn’t been just carpet bombing the local scene but they haven’t. Appears that its improving in the 2020 and beyond groups though
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You say “a HC in the mold of a Gary Gilmore type” and then specifically list Gilmore’s accomplishments. There’s no such thing as a “Gary Gilmore type” because the only other team with a remotely similar profile this century to win the natty was Fresno State in 2008.
Gilmore is a Coastal alum whos ENTIRE coaching/playing career has been in the state of South Carolina. He is a very specific case. So no, I don’t think he would come here and all the sudden take UH any further than the current staff.
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Sure they would for the $$$$$. It’s not like our baseball resume lacks success, just not lately.
UH is a good job. Good recruiting ground. Enough $$$$ might make the difference.
The bottom line is that baseball coaches have families and they are looking for financial security.