2026 Baseball

[CaliHen98]

Sorry to keep harping on this but today's game is a perfect example. Thru 5 innings we have issued 6 walks + 1 hbp. LaSalle has issued 0 walks or hbp. No matter the opponent's, you cannot win games with this kind of disparity.

[East Coaster]

I don't think our pod pitching approach of each pitcher pitching no more than 3 innings throughout the season helps with the control problems. Identifying the three best pitchers (Hutcher looked pretty good in the LaSalle game), and giving them more innings, would help with the number of walks and hbp free passes. Of course, early in the season, limiting the number of innings makes more sense than later in the season, but once the weather warms, keep the aces on the mound until they have thrown 90 pitches or so, unless they run into trouble and a switch is needed.

All of the UD position players in the LaSalle game were transfers. What a change the new rules have wrought. Gone are the days of watching a player develop through the years. No longer do most players enroll in school and stay there because they love the school and the baseball program.

[Cluck U]

Sorry to keep harping on this but today's game is a perfect example. Thru 5 innings we have issued 6 walks + 1 hbp. LaSalle has issued 0 walks or hbp. No matter the opponent's, you cannot win games with this kind of disparity.

Hard to believe that kids on scholarship at the college level can't hit the strike zone. Seriously, what the heck is going on?

[bluehenbillk]

Guys I’ll try to make it simple, no one at this level, unless you throw 96 plus throws middle/middle strikes - hitters are too good and you’ll get crushed. So what you have is guys trying to throw away or hit corners. It’s hard to throw inside at the college level, kids don’t move and you get HBP’s -something you don’t see much on TV at the MLB level.

You have pitchers that all probably dominated at the HS level because they saw maybe 3 or 4 guys in most HS lineups that could hit. So, they’re all for the most part trying to learn to pitch differently. I didn’t even mention throwing new pitches. College baseball has been long dominated by offenses, this isn’t new.

[Hens79]

I’ll keep it even more simple. UD is continuing its tradition of walking and hitting way too many batters. Bad things always happen when pitchers can’t throw strikes no matter if it is professional, college. high school or little league. Mamula was supposed to improve the overall pitching over Sherman. He hasn’t. And this “pod” pitching is simply nuts. It probably really hurts with recruiting as many probably wouldn’t want to pitch on a staff that does that.

[BlueHenBill]

I’ll keep it even more simple. UD is continuing its tradition of walking and hitting way too many batters. Bad things always happen when pitchers can’t throw strikes no matter if it is professional, college. high school or little league. Mamula was supposed to improve the overall pitching over Sherman. He hasn’t. And this “pod” pitching is simply nuts. It probably really hurts with recruiting as many probably wouldn’t want to pitch on a staff that does that.

+1

[Heeper]

I’ll keep it even more simple. UD is continuing its tradition of walking and hitting way too many batters. Bad things always happen when pitchers can’t throw strikes no matter if it is professional, college. high school or little league. Mamula was supposed to improve the overall pitching over Sherman. He hasn’t. And this “pod” pitching is simply nuts. It probably really hurts with recruiting as many probably wouldn’t want to pitch on a staff that does that.

+1

+2. It's been an issue for years.

[UDFootballFan]

Besides it being Feb, I dont know why they only let them go 3 MAYBE 4 innings. I rather let the kids throw [with a pitch count] early until they get into trouble & later on max them on 100 pitches regardless if they are throwing well.

[Udforever1]

Besides it being Feb, I dont know why they only let them go 3 MAYBE 4 innings. I rather let the kids throw [with a pitch count] early until they get into trouble & later on max them on 100 pitches regardless if they are throwing well.

Pod pitching. I’d explain it but this article from college baseball showcase explains it pretty well.

“The "POD" system (often referred to as "Pitching Pods" or "Tandem Pitching") is a modern strategy that moves away from the traditional model of a Friday-Saturday-Sunday "Starter."

Instead of asking one pitcher to go 6–7 innings, coaches group pitchers into "pods" of 2 or 3 players who are paired together to cover a single game. This system is designed to maximize a pitcher's "stuff" and prevent the drop in effectiveness that happens when a lineup sees the same pitcher for a third time.

How the POD System Works:

In a traditional rotation, you have a Starter, a Middle Reliever, and a Closer. In a POD system, the game is split into pre-planned segments:

• The Lead (Pod A): Pitcher 1 goes the first 3–4 innings (roughly 9–12 outs).

• The Bridge (Pod B): Pitcher 2 takes over for the next 3–4 innings.

• The Finish: A high-leverage reliever or "closer" finishes the final 1–2 innings.
The "bridge" pitcher isn't a traditional reliever coming in for a jam; they are essentially a second starter who knows exactly which inning they will enter, allowing them to prepare mentally and physically just like a starter would.

Why Coaches Are Switching

This shift is driven largely by data analytics and injury prevention. Here are the primary benefits:

The "Third Time Through" Rule: Data shows hitters’ stats skyrocket the third time they see the same pitcher. In a Pod System, a hitter rarely sees the same arm more than twice. Fresh eyes, fresh arms!

Max Effort Every Pitch: Pitchers don't have to "pace themselves" for the 6th inning. They can go 100% max intensity for 3–4 innings, leading to higher velocity and sharper breaking balls.

The "Starter" Mindset for Everyone: Unlike a typical reliever who might be tossed into a bases-loaded jam, the "Bridge" pitcher in a pod knows exactly when they are going in. They get a full, structured warmup just like a starter.

Matchup Nightmares: Coaches can pair a high-velocity righty with a "junk-ball" lefty in the same game. Making hitters adjust to a completely different look in the 4th inning is a massive advantage.

Faster Recovery: By keeping pitch counts lower (around 50-60), pitchers recover faster. This often allows a "Friday" pitcher to come back and give the team a high-leverage inning on Sunday.”


It’s certainly different. I’ve always been a traditionalist when it comes to pitching with the program I coach, but we’ll see how this works out. Sweeney certainly had great success with it at W&M. Now it’s about translating it here. The staff did show improvement a bit last year, but not off to a great start this year.

Mississippi State this weekend for 3. Hopefully we can be somewhat competitive.

[HENJOHN]

Good Stuff Coach. Thanks

[Hens79]

Yes. Thanks for the info UDF. I’ll put it under the category of “whatever works”. If it does, great. But there are so many moving parts every game and college weekend. Plus, it seems overkill for the college game where starters would make 15 and at most 20 starts in a year. One of things I think that has gone a little haywire recently is “load management”, including in the pros. Throwing a 120 innings or so shouldn’t be too much for a college pitcher even in an era where velocity is king.

[Udforever1]

Yes. Thanks for the info UDF. I’ll put it under the category of “whatever works”. If it does, great. But there are so many moving parts every game and college weekend. Plus, it seems overkill for the college game where starters would make 15 and at most 20 starts in a year. One of things I think that has gone a little haywire recently is “load management”, including in the pros. Throwing a 120 innings or so shouldn’t be too much for a college pitcher even in an era where velocity is king.

Agree, 79. Nothing frustrates me more than watching a guy in the mlb dominate for 6 innings, be at say 80 pitches and he gets pulled because some computer told the manager he should do so. I think it was a few years ago, Blake Snell was dominating with like 70 some pitches in the World Series, gets pulled and it completely backfired and the Rays lost the World Series.

[Caribbean Hen]

Yes. Thanks for the info UDF. I’ll put it under the category of “whatever works”. If it does, great. But there are so many moving parts every game and college weekend. Plus, it seems overkill for the college game where starters would make 15 and at most 20 starts in a year. One of things I think that has gone a little haywire recently is “load management”, including in the pros. Throwing a 120 innings or so shouldn’t be too much for a college pitcher even in an era where velocity is king.

Agree, 79. Nothing frustrates me more than watching a guy in the mlb dominate for 6 innings, be at say 80 pitches and he gets pulled because some computer told the manager he should do so. I think it was a few years ago, Blake Snell was dominating with like 70 some pitches in the World Series, gets pulled and it completely backfired and the Rays lost the World Series.

+ 1

Pitchers dropping like flies every year

Probably have something to do with you have to throw your fastball at 98 MPH to get batters out now, Major league hitters are incredible

[BlueHenBill]

UD has recently had a history under Coach Sherman and perhaps Coach Mamula (now in his 4th year as UD HC) of pitchers requiring Tommy John surgery. Last season (2025) the first year under Pitching Coach Daniel Sweeney and his pod system, I may be wrong but I can't recall any serious arm issues among the pitchers. We will see how it plays out over the next 2-3 years

[UD '01 grad]

Hens fall in opener against top-10 ranked Mississippi State.

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/spo ... 652691007/