I'll post any B1G related mentions from this week's chat:
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Chandler: How do you think the B1G is shaping up? What teams are sleepers?
Kendall Rogers: Chandler -- that league actually looks pretty damn solid to me right now. You have Iowa at the top, Illinois has played really, really well at times this season, and Nebraska has woken up from its California trip and is playing good baseball. Also, as Fitt astutely said would happen a couple of weeks ago, Rutgers has suddenly figured it out after sweeping AND no-hitting Georgia Southern this past weekend. The league is shaping up to be pretty solid, and that's without even mentioning Maryland, which will certainly be in the postseason mix as well.
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Terpitude: Has Maryland's Nick Lorusso entered the list of potential draftees? He's a senior, but he's playing at an extremely high level. Also RSO Nigel Belgrave has taken a giant step in terms of control, and he's striking out hitters at an incredible pace.
Aaron Fitt: Belgrave has definitely boosted his stock, I think he’s one of the guys David Seifert has on his upcoming list of early draft risers. Age is definitely working against LoRusso, as a fifth-year senior, but the fact that he’s controlling the strike zone better as well as hitting for power and average could make him more appealing to an analytics-driven club. He’s a really good college player, would be cool to see him get a shot in pro ball.
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Jake: How good is the B1G? At this early stage, is it likely they could get 4 or 5 into regionals? Illinois, Nebraska and Iowa all look like borderline top 25 teams and I still think Maryland will be good as well. Who knows about Rutgers and Indiana, too.
Aaron Fitt: Five feels too rich for me, but I could envision the Big Ten being a four-team league this year -- it has been in the past. Ultimately I think three is more likely, but I do agree that Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska and Illinois all feel like legit regional contenders, and Rutgers started to get on track this weekend, too, so don't count them out. I think Indiana probably winds up just behind that group when the dust clears, but you never know. If I'm betting today, I'm gonna say three out of those five wind up in regionals.
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Tannor: Overall thoughts on Nebraska? Iowa seems to be the Big Ten's best team to this point, where do the Huskers stand, and how do you see the rest of the season going for them?
Kendall Rogers: Tannor -- I feel pretty good about where the Huskers are right now. Sure, they had that rough first weekend out in California, but they've played impressive baseball since that point. I know last season was frustrating, but that was just a blip and an aberration for me when you consider that coaching staff. It's back to business in Lincoln.
D1Baseball Weekly Chat: Week Five • D1Baseball
Have questions about the latest D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings and much more? Aaron Fitt and Kendall Rogers answer your burning questions.
Chandler: How do you think the B1G is shaping up? What teams are sleepers?
Kendall Rogers: Chandler -- that league actually looks pretty damn solid to me right now. You have Iowa at the top, Illinois has played really, really well at times this season, and Nebraska has woken up from its California trip and is playing good baseball. Also, as Fitt astutely said would happen a couple of weeks ago, Rutgers has suddenly figured it out after sweeping AND no-hitting Georgia Southern this past weekend. The league is shaping up to be pretty solid, and that's without even mentioning Maryland, which will certainly be in the postseason mix as well.
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Terpitude: Has Maryland's Nick Lorusso entered the list of potential draftees? He's a senior, but he's playing at an extremely high level. Also RSO Nigel Belgrave has taken a giant step in terms of control, and he's striking out hitters at an incredible pace.
Aaron Fitt: Belgrave has definitely boosted his stock, I think he’s one of the guys David Seifert has on his upcoming list of early draft risers. Age is definitely working against LoRusso, as a fifth-year senior, but the fact that he’s controlling the strike zone better as well as hitting for power and average could make him more appealing to an analytics-driven club. He’s a really good college player, would be cool to see him get a shot in pro ball.
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Jake: How good is the B1G? At this early stage, is it likely they could get 4 or 5 into regionals? Illinois, Nebraska and Iowa all look like borderline top 25 teams and I still think Maryland will be good as well. Who knows about Rutgers and Indiana, too.
Aaron Fitt: Five feels too rich for me, but I could envision the Big Ten being a four-team league this year -- it has been in the past. Ultimately I think three is more likely, but I do agree that Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska and Illinois all feel like legit regional contenders, and Rutgers started to get on track this weekend, too, so don't count them out. I think Indiana probably winds up just behind that group when the dust clears, but you never know. If I'm betting today, I'm gonna say three out of those five wind up in regionals.
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Tannor: Overall thoughts on Nebraska? Iowa seems to be the Big Ten's best team to this point, where do the Huskers stand, and how do you see the rest of the season going for them?
Kendall Rogers: Tannor -- I feel pretty good about where the Huskers are right now. Sure, they had that rough first weekend out in California, but they've played impressive baseball since that point. I know last season was frustrating, but that was just a blip and an aberration for me when you consider that coaching staff. It's back to business in Lincoln.
