Brian Schmack Accepts Job as Baseball Skipper

[jetz]

As expected, Brian Schmack has been promoted to head baseball coach at Valpo.  Here is a link to a Valpo Athletics video of a Schmack interview.  I love the fact that he mentions twice his desire to "be aggressive on the basepaths" and put "pressure on the defense."  I feel like we need to steal much more than we have the past couple of years.     Coach Schmack called each of the players today, and now must hire two or three assistants to assemble a full staff for 2014.  Great that we have Brian to continue building a program that's becoming relevant nationally.  Win the Horizon again, then win the Regional, and Valpo will at least ring a bell with baseball recruits everywhere.  I'm excited for 2014.  Congrats Coach Schmack and family!

Coach Report: Brian Schmack 7|24|13

[vu72]

Seems like a nice guy.  Was he responsible for our recruiting or was that Tracy because of his bigger name?

[Dave_2010]

Seems like a nice guy.  Was he responsible for our recruiting or was that Tracy because of his bigger name?

Not sure who was in charge of recruiting, but as long as this team keeps pitching at a high level they will continue winning a good number of games. With wins come recruits. Tracy's tenure got Valpo back on the map and as long as the program doesn't fall off track it should continue to grow.

I'm most curious about what the athletic department's plans are to further support the baseball/softball programs (arguably the 2nd & 3rd most visible programs).

[valpotx]

I would have to imagine that Schmack was responsible for a lot of our Recruiting, especially since Coach Woodson would ref college basketball games during the Fall.  I feel that we are in a great position to continue our success, and wish him congratulations!  Hopefully each of the players on the team stick around, as well as incoming recruits!

[jetz]

Surprisingly, Brian was/is responsible for a lot of the Cali kids.  The hook seems to be that we establish a rapport with the big name programs and their recruiters.  Kids come to big Cali schools, and after a year or so, the coaches know (and so does the kid) that he bit off more than he could chew.  Schmack has made it known to these bigger coaches that when they have that kid, they might mention Valpo as a good place to play.  We've taken a few of these guys and it has paid off for everyone involved.  DeBoo might never have pitched in a Regional at Cal State Northridge, but he got his ring at Valpo...

[VUfan]

A good hire I wish him Well.

[valpotx]

Surprisingly, Brian was/is responsible for a lot of the Cali kids.  The hook seems to be that we establish a rapport with the big name programs and their recruiters.  Kids come to big Cali schools, and after a year or so, the coaches know (and so does the kid) that he bit off more than he could chew.  Schmack has made it known to these bigger coaches that when they have that kid, they might mention Valpo as a good place to play.  We've taken a few of these guys and it has paid off for everyone involved.  DeBoo might never have pitched in a Regional at Cal State Northridge, but he got his ring at Valpo...

I love that approach.  It allows the other coaches to feel better about giving the kid another chance, and gets us someone we might not have recruited otherwise.  Kind of like our basketball program, we will take all of your big program castaways 

[Valposter]

Congratulations to Coach Schmack!!!  Continuity should serve the program well and it certainly seems like the right move.  Moving decisively was also the right approach and reflects the Administration's confidence in their decision to promote Coach Schmack.  It's critical to have a known direction during the important summer recruiting period.  It is now job 1 to quickly and efficiently hire a quality coaching staff to support Coach Schmack.

Go Valpo Baseball!  Keep building upon the strong foundation!   

[agibson]

since Coach Woodson would ref college basketball games during the Fall.

Huh!  I'd missed this.

Is this him?
http://statsheet.com/mcb/referees/tracy-woodson/
An old photo, but I guess so.  Not a huge number of games, but 15-20 a season.  Mostly SEC and A10, apparently?  Including Butler vs. Ball State last season.  I wonder what they made of that?

Out of curiosity, googling around, I found suggestions that a "Big Six" ref might get $750 or so a game.  But be responsible for their own expenses, travel, health care, etc.  Still, I can see how it could be a nice side line.

I'm a little surprised that a D1 coach would do it.  But not _that_ surprised.

[agibson]

I love the fact that he mentions twice his desire to "be aggressive on the basepaths" and put "pressure on the defense."  I feel like we need to steal much more than we have the past couple of years.

My instincts are with you - I love the running game, and e.g. Podsednik was one of my favorite players on the CWS world series teams.

But, I'm curious, how do the sabremetrics look for the college game?  I think the usual line for MLB is that, apart from the very most effective players, stealing bases usually doesn't play out too well for the offense.

[StlVUFan]

I love the fact that he mentions twice his desire to "be aggressive on the basepaths" and put "pressure on the defense."  I feel like we need to steal much more than we have the past couple of years.

My instincts are with you - I love the running game, and e.g. Podsednik was one of my favorite players on the CWS world series teams.

But, I'm curious, how do the sabremetrics look for the college game?  I think the usual line for MLB is that, apart from the very most effective players, stealing bases usually doesn't play out too well for the offense.

I'm curious too.  I have an MLB mindset about it, but have no idea if that mindset is valid in College.  I'm not sure the usual line for MLB is what you say it is, agibson.  It's the usual line for MLB advanced metrics fans and I suspect for the front offices of some franchises, but it feels like the usual line embraces a healthy dose of so-called "small ball".

[valpotx]

since Coach Woodson would ref college basketball games during the Fall.

Huh!  I'd missed this.

Is this him?
http://statsheet.com/mcb/referees/tracy-woodson/
An old photo, but I guess so.  Not a huge number of games, but 15-20 a season.  Mostly SEC and A10, apparently?  Including Butler vs. Ball State last season.  I wonder what they made of that?

Out of curiosity, googling around, I found suggestions that a "Big Six" ref might get $750 or so a game.  But be responsible for their own expenses, travel, health care, etc.  Still, I can see how it could be a nice side line.

I'm a little surprised that a D1 coach would do it.  But not _that_ surprised.

Wow, they really DO keep stats for everything nowadays!!

[agibson]

Wow, they really DO keep stats for everything nowadays!!

You know it!

[agibson]

I'm not sure the usual line for MLB is what you say it is, agibson. 

Sorry if that wasn't clear.  What I was trying to say is that I thought I knew what the sabrmetrics crowd said based on MLB stats.  And that I was curious if the SABR-type analysis would draw the same conclusions, or different ones, for the college game.

But, yeah, absolutely not all clubs follow the sabrmetric advice (or maybe they know that the general trends don't apply directly to their club, for whatever reason).  And, from this fan's perspective, I'm often happy when they skip that advice and hit the base paths!  I think it's an enjoyable brand of baseball.  Even if it might not lead to the most wins.

[Enrico Palazzo]

There's greater disparity in college baseball than in the bigs. And with respect to the running game, the difference between the worst and best catcher in MLB is much smaller than the difference in the worst and best catcher in CBB. Not many Mike Piazzas still getting full-time work behind the plate. With 296 teams at the college level, you're gonna find a lot of catchers that are easy to run on.

The SABR crowd holds that unless a team has a stolen base success rate of 75%, they're doing themselves a disservice. I think it's a good baseline regardless of the level of play. Last season, Valpo had exactly an 80% success rate. 

I'll touch upon the subject in a few months when the time is more appropriate, but the stats from 2013 speak volumes in a number of areas. Valpo recorded 544 hits in 1976 at-bats. Its opponents recorded exactly 544 hits in 1976 at-bats. That's a crazy statistical coincidence. (Milwaukee, for example, had 519 hits in 1739 AB's compared to an opponents' mark of 408 hits in 1586 AB's.)

What isn't a coincidence is that Valpo had a +31 run differential. There were three reasons for that:

1) Billy Cribbs threw out 43.1% of would-be base stealers.
2) The team drew 63 more walks than their opponents.
3) They executed the sacrifice exceptionally well (36 more sac bunts than opponents).

The SABR stuff can get to be overwhelming, but its core belief remains true at all levels: when on offense, don't make outs. A team on-base percentage of .361 is darned good. Spencer Mahoney's batting average was down from his freshman year, but he still got on at a clip of .381. That's excellent.

Guys will go in slumps, but a disciplined eye at the plate will avoid those.

[StlVUFan]

There's greater disparity in college baseball than in the bigs. And with respect to the running game, the difference between the worst and best catcher in MLB is much smaller than the difference in the worst and best catcher in CBB. Not many Mike Piazzas still getting full-time work behind the plate. With 296 teams at the college level, you're gonna find a lot of catchers that are easy to run on.

The SABR crowd holds that unless a team has a stolen base success rate of 75%, they're doing themselves a disservice. I think it's a good baseline regardless of the level of play. Last season, Valpo had exactly an 80% success rate. 

I'll touch upon the subject in a few months when the time is more appropriate, but the stats from 2013 speak volumes in a number of areas. Valpo recorded 544 hits in 1976 at-bats. Its opponents recorded exactly 544 hits in 1976 at-bats. That's a crazy statistical coincidence. (Milwaukee, for example, had 519 hits in 1739 AB's compared to an opponents' mark of 408 hits in 1586 AB's.)

What isn't a coincidence is that Valpo had a +31 run differential. There were three reasons for that:

1) Billy Cribbs threw out 43.1% of would-be base stealers.
2) The team drew 63 more walks than their opponents.
3) They executed the sacrifice exceptionally well (36 more sac bunts than opponents).

The SABR stuff can get to be overwhelming, but its core belief remains true at all levels: when on offense, don't make outs. A team on-base percentage of .361 is darned good. Spencer Mahoney's batting average was down from his freshman year, but he still got on at a clip of .381. That's excellent.

Guys will go in slumps, but a disciplined eye at the plate will avoid those.

Good stuff.  Thanks!

And you captured the SABR mentality well for my money.

[jetz]

All great info.  I can't believe the 544 hits in 1976 AB's stat both for and against.  That's a lottery thing.  In general, though, I think we need to run more.  I don't know the college numbers well enough to support that, but I know that your team has a more aggressive mindset when you get to second base via the steal vs. the bunt.  YSU baffled me last year when they kept running on Cribbs and he kept throwing them out.  I think you have to be smart about when to run.  Run on the right count, and you'll get there in the Horizon League.  We played against a few catchers in the spring trip that we could have stolen bases against all afternoon.  Run in that way, and your team feels like it's on the attack on offense, vs. giving up an out to get to second.  The numbers don't lie, however.  In this era of dead bats and balls, Woodson's approach worked.  We were in a lot of one run games over the past couple of years.  We were great at sac bunting.  A +31 run differential is good, but I think we can do better in the HL.  Plus I love to watch teams that run.  I guess I'm advocating a balance.  Play some small ball, but run when it's smart to do so.  More of a gut feeling than a numbers approach....

[agibson]

Plus I love to watch teams that run.

For sure!

In this era of dead bats and balls,

I've not followed this, but is it something like recreational softball?  A back and forth between technology and safety?  And bat restrictions have recently been tightened down?

Has the ball changed too?  That seems more surprising.

[valpotx]

The bats have changed dramatically from when I was at Valpo.  It was still -3 back then, but you would hear that 'ping' echo for days whenever someone hit the ball, and they would occasionally come at you like a rocket.  The one I took off my head the summer before my SR year is a testament to that lol.  Nowadays, you don't hear the bat much at all, so it has gotten much closer to hitting with wood.  I don't know the specifics behind the composition difference of the bat, I just know that when I hit with these bats, it's like you swatted at the ball with a dead bat (real quick 'ping' that quickly dissipates).  I would have LOVED to pitch against these bats, and it is obviously another reason our team ERA has changed so much recently, but coaching and preparation is probably the main reason for the change.

[agibson]

It was still -3 back then,

I play a bit of softball, but it's been ages since I played baseball.  In slow pitch I use -6 or even sometimes -8.  In baseball, if players could, would they use something lighter, or heavier, than -3?

[valpotx]

The larger the difference, the easier it is to swing.  Thus, it would be most people's preference to have a -5 or -8 to allow for quicker hands

[agibson]

The larger the difference, the easier it is to swing.  Thus, it would be most people's preference to have a -5 or -8 to allow for quicker hands

So, what would a major leaguer use, vs. a college player?

In slow pitch, I use a 34-28, or even a 34-26 (or, indeed, perhaps a 34-27).  Some players might prefer something a bit heavier, with some notion of more momentum, etc.  I've seen some more or less careful looking studies that suggest bat speed _after_ hitting the ball is best for a pretty light bat (e.g. 26 or 27 ounces) even for pretty beefy guys.

And, I could imagine that any notion of having to deliver a lot of momentum to the ball would apply more to slow pitch softball, where the pitcher's not giving you much help in the kinetic energy department.

So, it makes sense to me that baseball players might also prefer a light bat.  But, I also remember the stories of the Babe with his bats at 40 ounces and more (but maybe those are the exception that proves the rule).

[valpotx]

It's the main reason that people used to drill out some of the wood and 'cork' the bat.  The quicker the hands, the more momentum, which is better than lugging a tree to the plate, is the theory.  I watched an episode of 'Mythbusters,' where they supposedly proved this myth incorrect. 

In MLB, there cannot be a drop of more than 3 between inches and ounces.  This means if it is a 34 in. bat, it must be at least 31 oz, 33 in. must be at least 30, etc.  You are allowed to have a heavier bat in oz than it is in length in inches. 

Interesting article on the subject of people who preferred heavier bats:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1251649-20-biggest-bats-in-mlb-history

[Valpo2008]

Although he has yet to prove his overall management skills, I am sure Schmack will be fine.  During his tenure he has been in charge of a majority of the recruiting as well as the team's overall skill development.  He has a winners mentality when it comes to the day to day approach of putting the best possible team out there. Hopefully he can surround himself with like-minded people and things will keep progressing in the right direction. 

[covufan]

Has the baseball coach ever had a radio show?

If our new coach were to get his own radio show, what are the suggestions from here on the board for the name of the show?

"Talkin' Schmack"