[Stevev]

We just lost 2 games today to 2-14 Columbia. How embarrasing! Not too sure what to say about that since I am so shocked. What is going on with this team?

[checkmate]

We just lost 2 games today to 2-14 Columbia. How embarrasing! Not too sure what to say about that since I am so shocked. What is going on with this team?

You just need to understand with JB it is always about more than the wins and losses. At least according to Superjon. the players are having fun, we are much more fundamental and our LU alums are discarded but they will bounce back. Hey it is all part of our progress.

[olldflame]

Ready to swoop in on every failure, aren't we checkers? Feel free to use this as your avitar.




Those were definately disappointing losses.

[checkmate]

It is all about the facts. I don't swoop in. Never left. I am always willing to discuss the reality of the scoreboard, how tough it is to compete at the DI level, where we were with our programs and how successful men were done wrong. But I know I am stuck in the past....no really I am disappointed with the handling of people and results. Maybe someday I will figure out how 4th is better than third and how much fun we are having to get drilled by a 2-12 non baseball school. The answer must be just give the programs more money and upgraded facilities. But yeah it is a business we will be blessed no matter our ethics.

[Stevev]

That is just too funny!

Back to the game, I can get over the first 7 losses that we experienced but the 2 yesterday defy logic. Was it just a bad day or is this Toman guy overhyped to begin with. I know that in baseball upsets do happen but we have an experienced team that has had much success in the last 3 seasons. Nevermind the "wait till he gets his players in here" attitude, its not like Coach Toman is trying to build the team from scratch, he is inheriting a very good experienced team. Right now I would not want to know what Coastal will do to us as we play on our newly lighted field.

[thesportscritic]

Ready to swoop in on every failure, aren't we checkers? Feel free to use this as your avitar.




Those were definately disappointing losses.

i was thinking of CM as a cry baby just because he can't get his way

[Knucklehead]

Embarassing, yes. Time to panic - NO! 1st year with totally new coaching staff is NOT the time to expect anything other than growing pains. They will be fine soon, and then they will have a much better year next year. It's reality of a totally new staff in ANY sport.
Checkmate, you have my sympathy! You must not sleep much!

[LUMU11]

A lot of people don't understand how hard a coaching change is. It's not about the talent that's out there it's about getting the guys to buy into the new staff's ideas and plans and being able to go out there and execute. Toman and Royer are polar opposites of each other and most of the guys out there playing have all been with Royer for 3 or 4 years so it is a huge transition for them trying to play under Toman and the new staff. However, the start is dissapointing, but conference hasn't even started yet so it's still early. Not time to jump ship yet. And for crying out loud somebody shut this checkers retard up. He destroys every thread just so he can defend MR's honor. Kudos to him for supporting his guy, but support him if he gets a job somewhere and our school. Don't just support us when your buddy is the head man. And if your going to keep complaining you need to get some more facts because you don't have them all, actually hardly any of them. So until you know shut the heck up.

[flameshaw]

And I thought all this time checkmate was Mrs. RD. Don't tell me she is really Mrs. MR.

[JDUB]

checkers, we know how you feel. now please shut up. and if you must post, at least try to stay on topic

[Stevev]

I thought that Checkers was from Winthrop. Anyways, I think that a coaching transition in a sport like baseball would be a lot smoother than say for basketball or football since the sport of baseball has more to do with individual talent and not so much teamwork like running certain plays in certain situations or formations or the various defenses you would throw at your opponents. Baseball is not that way, although you do have situations where coaches have to know when to make pitching changes or who to start and others but not like you do for hoops or football. Right now we definately have the talent since we return a majority of our team this year from what has been a very good 3 years of baseball under Royer. No one is ready to jump ship yet but there is some concern about the short term but in baseball even some of our better teams go through stretches like this where you figure some of these sure wins such as a team as bad as Columbia or any other team from the north comes down here and beats us at home and we all scratch our heads and figure how it could possibly happen. It will get interesting in the next week or so when Coastal Carolina pulls into town with the great program that they have. In that series we are all going to know where we stand.

[SuperJon]

Baseball takes a lot more than you're giving it credit for. There may not be set plays at the plate, but there are approaches and philosophies that are different from coach to coach. It takes a while to adjust to those philosophies. If I a pitcher is used to pitching the game one way and the new coach has a different philosophy, then it takes a little bit of time to get comfortable with that.

For example, the team I work with has the philosophy at the plate of: less than two strikes, look for a fastball and drive it somewhere. With two strikes, look fastball away and drive it to the opposite field. Sit fastball, adjust to everything else. Other teams, at times, sit on the curveball or slider and adjust to the fastball. Getting that approach down in your head is something that takes some adjusting to.

The same with pitching. Some coaches like to use the fastball to set up the other pitches. Some coaches like to use the other pitches to set up the fastball. Some coaches like to pound the inside of the plate and then hit the batter with an outside pitch to get them out, and some the exact opposite. Adjusting to that type of stuff and how a game is being called takes time.

[Hold My Own]

Right now I chalk everything you're seeing to fundamentals...some of our older players are just making stupid mistakes as if they have no baseball IQ what so ever...I cant peg this on Storm as of yet...but I do like some of the changes I've seen him make in the field...it needed to happen


I'll be out there today, nothing better than watching basketball and baseball at the same time...good thing it's at the Hillcats!

[LUMU11]

FYI.....if your older guys are making fundamental mistakes after being here for 4 and 5 years then that probably has to do with a lack of coaching of the fundamentals....that is what has led to Storm making numerous lineup changes and putting other guys in positions they haven't played before....and that is not a shot at Royer in anyway, it's just a statement....it has to do with the way Royer coaches and the way Toman coaches, its a philosophical thing. Royer liked to be in total control and told guys what plays to make all the time and where to throw the ball, whereas the new staff expects guys to have some instinctive feel for the game and know how to make plays instead of just being robots....both philosophies work its just that guys are trying to make the adjustment from one to the other.

[Hold My Own]

Well yeah, I see what your saying...I didnt really want to get into the details but yeah I hear what your saying

[Stevev]

I see what you guys are saying. I hear that Coach Toman's strength lies in his ability to recognize talent in the recruiting end of things and maybe that is why USC was so good year in and out and maybe Tanner coached them from a philosophy standpoint. Could it be that Coach Toman is still trying to get a feel of what everyone is capable of and where to put them. Or maybe Friday was "just a bad day at the office" for LU baseball. At least we won today and got the split.

[Hold My Own]

Def. Dont confuse what I'm saying....Coach put people in positions they have been in...after a few games he saw what most saw and made the switch...not to soon not to late, there's not much he can do about baseball IQ and fundamentals at this point...I mean if some of the guys havent gotten it in 22 years of life they surely wont pick up on it the few months he's had them.


But dont think I think this season is a lost cause...b/c it's not...we'll be fine...we're still about a little less than a month into seeing what we truly have

[truedrewdawg87]

Normally I'm more of a reader than a poster around here and in the past I've probably wrongfully ruffled a few feathers with some things I've said. However, as a proud alum, Checkers I can't sit back and let you bash on an athletics program that is clearly headed in the right direction. I'm sorry that you had certain attachments to previous head coaches that were let go for various reasons. But that's the past. No matter how many posts you make on here whining about the current state of things those coaches aren't coming back. If you honestly believed Storm, Ritchie or any other recently hired head coach wasn't going to go through at least the smallest amount of adversity than you're probably a tad bit delusional.
From what I can tell Jeff Barber has gone out and hired coaches that not only have proven success in their respective sports but more importantly are people of integrity that love Jesus Christ and represent Liberty the way it should be.
I wanted to see Liberty athletics excel as much as you or anyone else does. I was in the Vines Center the last time Liberty clinched a men's NCAA Tournament berth. I was on campus during the tail end of the Ken Karcher era. So, I know what it's like to experience the good times and the bad and I know which one is definitely more enjoyable. But, to come on here and rip the athletic department and decisions made in the PAST every time a coach you wish hadn't replaced a coach you feel you should still be at Liberty is wrong man. I have to believe Tohman and McKay were hired because Jeff Barber prayed and sought God's will for who He would want in those positions. As alums, current students or casual fans we should respect those decisions and trust God to complete what he's begun through those men. Being a fan isn't always about living in the past man or letting one loss or one disappointing season get you bent out of shape. I have a hard time understanding the thinking behind being a fan of a team or university but doing more complaining than cheering. Sometimes it's about seeing the big picture and focusing on things you CAN control not those you CAN'T.

[thesportscritic]

checkmate is always going to be bitter towards LU's athletic department mostly because he didn't get his way or with whatever ties he had to previous coaches. Heck he could be one of them coaches

[prototype]

Hey it's freedom of speech I believe. There are many people that rant about many things on this board and last year everyone was on Royer - boy - when only a few get on Storm - everyone is acting like we should ban the poster. There are some issues here and we should be able to discuss them as baseball fans the same way we dissect the Yankees and decisions Torre made. Such is sports - so checkmate - post on!!

Jury is still way out for me too. Mel, I mean Toman, has arguably a better team than last year (and all Royer recruits may I add). And unlike other sports such as Football and Basketball, there really isn't that much different baseball strategy from coach to coach - that is a bunch of crap! You either play small ball or power ball and cater your game philosophy to the talent you have.

The difference is the players are having tons of fun scrimmaging every practice and not doing the drills like last year that kept them sharp. Keep telling yourself things will get better over time - this is it, unless the new lights and facilities hit over 400 and can strikeout 10 opposing batters a game. I'm just hoping that Mel, I mean Toman (sorry - I keep slipping), can recruit like everyone thinks he can - this isn't USC.

[truedrewdawg87]

Then why don't you go post on USC's board and quit being a negative Nancy.

[SuperJon]

And unlike other sports such as Football and Basketball, there really isn't that much different baseball strategy from coach to coach - that is a bunch of crap! You either play small ball or power ball and cater your game philosophy to the talent you have.

I just disagree with that statement. There are philosophies that every coach has that he tries to instill in his players that take time to get comfortable with. I don't know if that's the case here, but it's something that I fully believe.

[truedrewdawg87]

Is it just me or is Toman not even halfway through his first season and some of us at least by the words we're using seem to be writing this guy off.? Good thing our friends and family and more importantly our God are all more patient with us than we even begin to be with the coaches and teams we CLAIM we root for.

[RagingTireFire]

The difference is the players are having tons of fun scrimmaging every practice and not doing the drills like last year that kept them sharp.

We blew monster leads in the conference championship game each of the last two seasons. Is that how you define "sharp"?

[checkmate]

Normally I'm more of a reader than a poster around here and in the past I've probably wrongfully ruffled a few feathers with some things I've said. However, as a proud alum, Checkers I can't sit back and let you bash on an athletics program that is clearly headed in the right direction. I'm sorry that you had certain attachments to previous head coaches that were let go for various reasons. But that's the past. No matter how many posts you make on here whining about the current state of things those coaches aren't coming back. If you honestly believed Storm, Ritchie or any other recently hired head coach wasn't going to go through at least the smallest amount of adversity than you're probably a tad bit delusional.
From what I can tell Jeff Barber has gone out and hired coaches that not only have proven success in their respective sports but more importantly are people of integrity that love Jesus Christ and represent Liberty the way it should be.
I wanted to see Liberty athletics excel as much as you or anyone else does. I was in the Vines Center the last time Liberty clinched a men's NCAA Tournament berth. I was on campus during the tail end of the Ken Karcher era. So, I know what it's like to experience the good times and the bad and I know which one is definitely more enjoyable. But, to come on here and rip the athletic department and decisions made in the PAST every time a coach you wish hadn't replaced a coach you feel you should still be at Liberty is wrong man. I have to believe Tohman and McKay were hired because Jeff Barber prayed and sought God's will for who He would want in those positions. As alums, current students or casual fans we should respect those decisions and trust God to complete what he's begun through those men. Being a fan isn't always about living in the past man or letting one loss or one disappointing season get you bent out of shape. I have a hard time understanding the thinking behind being a fan of a team or university but doing more complaining than cheering. Sometimes it's about seeing the big picture and focusing on things you CAN control not those you CAN'T.