Game 3 did not disappoint. The match up between the Vols and Aggies looked to be one of the best winner takes all finales. In a play that looked to seal the deal for the Vols ended up becoming a crucial play.
In a lot of the game recaps they will mention this play, but what made this sequence great?
First, you had a hitter in Kavares Tears who has 20 home runs on the season and batting .324. A runner on first with Ensly who is a non running threat, and LaViolette who is arguably the best player on the Aggies roster playing centerfield.
When Tears smashed a waist high fastball into center, I said, “uh oh, that’s the game.”
LaViolette had two ways of playing this ball:
1) Gamble and jump into the wall to hopefully make a highlight reel play.
2) Play it off the wall, glove it, and stop the runner at third.
He took the smart route to make sure the damage was limited, but he bearhanded it instead of using his glove. This aspect of the play will be a vital role, but first let’s talk about Ensly.
In this situation with two outs the runner is told to run on contact. Most players get okay reads, but Ensly probably had one of the best reads of his career from a ball whose exit velocity was extremely high. He was able to run just under 270ft before the ball reached him at home. To put it in perspective: that’s almost end-zone to end-zone on a football field, but not in a straight path.
Now, LaViolette’s play in center.
Having the game sense to bear hand a ball off the wall is hard. Judging the angle and having the eye hand coordination to execute is eye bending. I have seen this play happen a handful of times and in each time the outfielder has mishandled it.
But it was the right decision! If he gloves the ball, the play at home plate never happens.
LaViolette didn’t just handle the ball, he threw a strike to the cutoff man which looked to be the setup of the best defensive play of the 2024 College World Series.
Ensly had other thoughts. His slide was not just highway robbery in broad daylight. It was a dance number that any Broadway star would applaud. There was nothing the catcher could do from stopping this slide. I don’t think he could have moved his glove more to his right than he already did without mishandling the ball.
So recap: If Ensly doesn’t hustle or read the ball right, the play never happens. If LaViolette gloves the baseball, or jumps to make the catch, the play never happens.
This will go down as one of the best plays in college baseball history. It will be a sequence that many coaches will point to from an execution standpoint both offensively and defensively. I have watched this play over 20 times and it’s hard to find ones where both sides didn’t make a mistake. It was one of the few gems where all the players involved completed the job they were given.
Does the transfer portal have a negative image now?
So many players hit the portal as their seasons wrap up looking for a new home because they did not quite fit the square peg in the square spot.
Joey Hawkins head coach at Missouri State gives his thoughts on the transfer portal and how as a coach he handles it and interacts with it. What are your thoughts on the portal currently? What do you think of how Coach Hawkins handles the portal and interacts with it?
2/ Former Texas A&M Coach Gets Mad About A Press Conference Question and Then Leaves for Texas
"If you don't like the weather in New England just wait a few minutes." - Mark Twain
I guess you can say the same for questions about switching schools. In a weird turn of events, right after the Tennessee Volunteers beat the Texas A&M Aggies in the College World Series, Coach Schlossnagle gets asked a question regarding his future at A&M.
His response was one filled with frustration and contempt towards the reporter. The next day, the whole Texas A&M coaching staff made the announcement they are leaving for the University of Texas.
What are your thoughts on how he answered the reporter? Is this the right move for the coaching staff to go to University of Texas?
3/ MLB Pitchers Want A Machine that Duplicates Any Pitchers Delivery To Be Outlawed
Trajekt Sports is a startup company who services MLB teams by providing a robot that can duplicate any pitchers delivery, pitches, and cadence without delay.
ESPN's, Alden Gonzalez reports that the MLB has disregarded the request by a number of pitchers to outlaw the product in MLB stadiums. Here's a brief description of what robot can do: Trajekt -- essentially a pitching robot that can play the video of any pitcher's windup, then spit out all of his pitches from the appropriate arm angle based on the reams of data available.
Here is Trajekts Co-Founder delivering his pitch to an audience. (watch here)
Points: I started something new this week. I'm adding up the points of previous Rundowns to have a grand total for the team. I think this is a great way to represent past winnings while showcasing this weeks championship runs.
Here's how it works: If you make the championship game you get points! 2 points for first place. 1 point for second place.
Picture of the Week- "Rally Mooo-Staches" Corvallis Oregon Tigers 11u White
Oregon state champions 11U White. Winning in style with their playoff mustaches to propel their way to champions. (see post)
Sponsor of the Rundown: Win Reality
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What's Win Reality? You can take unlimited at-bats before your game inside the virtual reality headset. I tested it myself and i'm convinced this is the most unfair advantage i've seen for hitters.
