BTB Mailbag: 5/19/2017

I would like to see a power ranking of Tech’s biggest football rivalries. ---William L.

In this day in age I would not say that Tech has a clear cut rival. Looking back to the 90s I think that Tech’s primary rival could be seen as NLU (ULM) or USL (UL-Lafayette). Those days have come and gone as neither of those two schools are on the level that the ‘Dogs now are. When entering Conference USA in 2013 many Bulldog fans were excited to resume playing Southern Miss on a year-to-year basis. The games over the previous four years have been competitive but just don’t really have that true rivalry feel to me quite yet. The younger generation of Tech fans does not truly understand the Rivalry in Dixie which dates back to 1935. The two teams had not played since 1992 before a 2010 matchup that saw Southern Miss defeat Tech 13-12 in an absolute monsoon in Hattiesburg. The Tech and UTSA matchup has created some chippiness on the field and at times brings the feel of a rivalry atmosphere. The brief series of only five games has seen Tech dominate the RoadRunners. With Tech winning 63-35 in 2016 including a late touchdown with five seconds to go, Coach Frank Wilson has mentioned that his team will be looking for revenge in 2017 which makes for an intriguing game. Looking at the schedule, CUSA officials are trying to create a rivalry between the two premier teams in the league in Western Kentucky and Tech. Western Kentucky has a fan base that is the size of a large high school so that may take some time to develop. Those are the three schools that are rivals to a degree in my opinion with UTSA being the primary rival at the moment. That said, in the next 5-10 years I expect the rivalry with Southern Miss to pick up some steam and become a game that is look forward to by both fan bases each year.

I have a question regarding the 15-run rule in C-USA baseball, on Saturday May 13 there were two high scoring games: Tech 19 Marshall 4, and ODU 21 FIU 1. The Tech game was ended by the 15 run rule after eight innings whereas the ODU/FIU played the full nine innings. Is the 15-run rule in effect for all CUSA games, or do the coaches determine this before the start of the game? It seems as though CUSA should be consistent in its interpretation of the rule, whatever it may be. Why were nine innings played in the FIU vs. ODU game, but the game was called in the eighth inning of the Tech vs. Marshall Game? ---Bill C.

I noticed this scenario as well. The CUSA rules state that the middle game of a conference series is the only game that can be end early by run rule. With the ODU/FIU game being the first game of the series, that explains why their game was played out the full nine innings. Back in my playing days, it did not matter which game of the series got out of hand in conference, there was always a ten run rule that came into effect after seven complete innings. Whether all games should have a run rule or not is up for debate, but I don’t believe a run rule should ever come into play. If a team cannot manage to get through innings without using an abundant amount of pitchers, then they should have to suffer the consequences throughout the weekend.

With a large number of seniors on the baseball team this season, does Lane Burroughs and his coaching staff plan heavily recruiting high school players, JUCO players, or a combination of both? From the 2017 season, what players were redshirted? ---Bill C.

With 14 seniors departing after the 2017 campaign, Coach Burroughs and his staff will certainly have a lot of production that will need to be replaced. Coach Burroughs has mentioned that they have signed 20 guys for 2018 season to this point and there could be more signed in the late recruiting period as well. All of these guys will not be scholarship players however. With baseball only having 11.7 scholarships, coaches around the country have to be careful in how they divide the money up. I don’t have exact numbers, but there is a combination of high school and junior college players in this class. Junior college players are expected to fill an immediate hole as many of them have a good deal of game experience which is extremely valuable especially on the mound. High school players can sometimes take a little longer adjusting to the speed of the Division 1 game. As far as players who have redshirted in 2017 those are: Mason Mallard, J.T. Migues, Tanner Propst, Brandon Talley, Kolton Vermillion, and Doc Wilkerson. Mallard was expected to be the starting CF before going down just before the season began. With many new faces coming in this fall, the competition for roster spots will be intriguing to watch. Be sure to join us at BleedTechBlue.com as the season comes to a conclusion for a full breakdown on all the newcomers as well as where the 2018 returners will be participating in summer ball.

The Diamond Dogs had three MLB draft picks in 2016, which players could hear their name called in the June draft in 2017? ---Bob S.

Phil Diehl, Braden Bristo, and Adam Atkins all heard their names called in the 2016 MLB Draft. In 2017 Tech is expected to have more MLB Draft picks. Brent Diaz is the best overall prospect on the team in speaking to various scouts. Having a breakout year in 2017 hitting around .330 with nine home runs and 48 RBI while throwing out 43% of potential base stealers, Diaz is putting together a spectacular campaign. Nate Harris will hear his name called after he concludes one of the best single-seasons in Bulldog history on the mound. Other potential draft picks include Raphael Gladu and Chase Lunceford. A more in-depth draft breakdown will be done at BleedTechBlue.com right after draft time. Be sure to join us for can’t miss Louisiana Tech coverage.

There have been a lot of discussions of this being the golden-age of Tech Athletics, what are your thoughts? ---John R.

I have been following Louisiana Tech for 25 years and I would say this is the golden-age, since I have been around at least. When you look at football winning 27 games over the previous three years including three bowl games, basketball winning 129 games over the previous five years including two trips to the NIT, and baseball on the verge of consecutive regional appearances for the first time since 1986 and 1987, the three major sports are certainly holding up their end up the bargain. When you look at the direction Brooke Stoehr has the women’s basketball program headed with a WNIT appearance in 2017, a C-USA Golf Championship in 2016, and this year’s Lady Techster softball team winning a C-USA Championship and advancing to a regional, Tech Athletics are in a great place. When I look at totality of Tech sports right now, this is certainly the golden-age. Winning more Conference Championships in the three major sports would help to further support my belief.