With a decent number of games under our belt and conference play around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to look at how we stack up nationally and in the SEC in a few different statistical categories.
Hitting:
While our strength of schedule has not been particularly impressive to this point, statistically we have a top 10 offense nationally. This is with some of our best hitters missing significant time so far. We have shown an ability to get on base and hit for power. If we get Wesley Jordan and Chris Hacopian back healthy for conference play, it will only make our lineup even more dangerous.
Batting Average: 0.340 (8th nationally, 3rd in the SEC)
On Base Percentage: 0.470 (8th, 2nd)
Slugging Percentage: 0.600 (9th, 4th)
Home Runs Per Game: 1.93 (14th, 4th)
Pitching:
While there are still some questions about our pitching staff, so far the numbers have been really good. Our ability to limit free passes has been very impressive. It remains to be seen how Shane Sdao and Weston Moss compare to the top Friday/Saturday pitching combos in the conference, but Aiden Sims, Juan Vargas, Clayton Freshcorn, Josh Stewart, and Ethan Darden have all done really well in their roles.
Earned Run Average: 3.05 (12th nationally, 5th in the SEC)
WHIP: 1.01 (4th, 2nd)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 6.14 (1st, 1st)
Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings 1.52 (1st, 1st)
Fielding:
Our fielding has been much improved this season through 15 games. We have only committed 8 errors, and 7 of them have been by true freshman.
Fielding Percentage: 0.984 (23rd nationally, 3rd in the SEC)
Overall, our numbers are on par with some of the top teams in the country and we have shown an ability to win games in a variety of ways. Conference play will no doubt be a much tougher challenge, but we have handled our business so far and should have a lot of confidence heading into the SEC gauntlet. I understand why everyone is being cautious with this team, but we are playing really good baseball right now.
Hitting:
While our strength of schedule has not been particularly impressive to this point, statistically we have a top 10 offense nationally. This is with some of our best hitters missing significant time so far. We have shown an ability to get on base and hit for power. If we get Wesley Jordan and Chris Hacopian back healthy for conference play, it will only make our lineup even more dangerous.
Batting Average: 0.340 (8th nationally, 3rd in the SEC)
On Base Percentage: 0.470 (8th, 2nd)
Slugging Percentage: 0.600 (9th, 4th)
Home Runs Per Game: 1.93 (14th, 4th)
Pitching:
While there are still some questions about our pitching staff, so far the numbers have been really good. Our ability to limit free passes has been very impressive. It remains to be seen how Shane Sdao and Weston Moss compare to the top Friday/Saturday pitching combos in the conference, but Aiden Sims, Juan Vargas, Clayton Freshcorn, Josh Stewart, and Ethan Darden have all done really well in their roles.
Earned Run Average: 3.05 (12th nationally, 5th in the SEC)
WHIP: 1.01 (4th, 2nd)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio: 6.14 (1st, 1st)
Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings 1.52 (1st, 1st)
Fielding:
Our fielding has been much improved this season through 15 games. We have only committed 8 errors, and 7 of them have been by true freshman.
Fielding Percentage: 0.984 (23rd nationally, 3rd in the SEC)
Overall, our numbers are on par with some of the top teams in the country and we have shown an ability to win games in a variety of ways. Conference play will no doubt be a much tougher challenge, but we have handled our business so far and should have a lot of confidence heading into the SEC gauntlet. I understand why everyone is being cautious with this team, but we are playing really good baseball right now.