Men - UConn @2024 NCAA Baseball Tourney > Super Regional in Tallahassee Florida vs. Florida State Seminoles. Gm. 2 Sat. 6/8/24 @11a on ESPN & MIXLR/Fox97.9 (2024)

Happy to say that I attended todays game after getting up early and driving 4.5 hours. After the 24-4 loss I almost didn’t attend.

I’m proud that UConn played a very competitive game today and as others have said, they had their chances. I felt UConn had to score in the 11th since Brady was close to 50 pitches and top off the order was due. Malcolm could have been a hero with a second HR. Great game for Luke. Their shortstop was shaky. Too bad UConn couldn’t take advantage of that.

I hated the curtain calls and chop too. Most fans left me alone but two in particular were pretty cool. One was from Jersey and wanted to talk about Hurley which I tried to avoid. He even hoped that Hurley stays.

Great season especially after the tough start. I hope to attend the tournament in Puerto Rico next season.

Assisted access <<

-> “I’m devastated for us and the guys who played their last game in our uniform,” coach Jim Penders told reporters in Tallahassee, “but so proud of the way they fought, the way they competed, the way they comported themselves all weekend. Life’s about getting back up when you get knocked down and these guys epitomized that. They couldn’t have got knocked down worse (Friday, a 24-4 loss).” <-

-> “We came up short,” Penders said. “We’ve got to go back to the drawing board. I got out-coached, we’ve got to learn from this. But I told these guys in the huddle, they left (the program) better than they found it, and they found it pretty darn good. When we do lift the trophy in Omaha, which we will, it will happen, we’ll be standing on their shoulders. … This is a team I will treasure forever.” <-

uconnbaseball said:

I think our ceiling is Omaha. We could have gotten there in 2011 if not paired with USCe, and in 2022 if Crawford were healthy. Need to get our best recruits to make it to campus, we had a lot of #7 type hitters and Sunday starters — great depth every team needs and FSU will likely wish they had in Omaha — but we need more front line talent. It does exist in CT, and we sometimes land them, so I have faith.

Expand ...

FSU simply doesn't have the horses to compete in Omaha. I suspect they'll be :Two and BBQ"

You know...UConn has one of the few studies on the efficacy of trash talking on an opponent's performance...

“We always think of sports as being very physical games but they are absolutely mental games,” says Karen C.P. McDermott ’19 Ph.D., whose recent doctoral dissertation in communications is one of the first studies to statistically show the specific effects of trash talk on competitive performance.

Husker Husky said:

FSU simply doesn't have the horses to compete in Omaha. I suspect they'll be :Two and BBQ"

Expand ...

I agree...surprised that they have swept all their games in the regional and super...don't have the pitching for Omaha.

Tomahawk said:

It was a sarcastic comment. I got out of work Thursday at 1pm drove 4 and a half hours to Tallahassee, Florida. The next day I sat through the entirety of a 20 run loss with FSU fans chirping in my ear the whole game. Then I drove back the 4 and a half hours back because I worked at 5am today. So please don't ever call me a fair weather fan. Is that good enough for you ? F@#$ off

Expand ...

Well, that certainly sounds different than what you originally posted, so my apologies. We were all a little raw after that loss. The added detail certainly makes it an understandable comment. Sarcasm doesn’t come over well in print.

billybud said:

I agree...surprised that they have swept all their games in the regional and super...don't have the pitching for Omaha.

Expand ...

They take a game or two. Arnold is sick. Agreed they don’t have the depth to actually win, nor would it be fair to expect otherwise given the mess Jarrett inherited. Talented team though and the fans on social media are much nicer than OU.

Always the politician:

Yep...from Ira Schoffel on X...

UConn coach Jim Penders says this was the best atmosphere he’s coached in.

Said he had heard a lot about FSU and the Animals.

“It lived up to its billing.”

Said it was “tough” but not “hostile.”

“The people are baseball fans. They’re true fans.”

huskymedic said:

Always the politician:

Expand ...

Smart, honestly.

Palatine said:

Nice effort. But giving up 24 yesterday hurts. It's historically bad.

Made the NCAA. Won the Norman regional. See you next year.

Expand ...

With all due respect, that shows little understanding of baseball. You win a game or you lose again and you play again next day. To paraphrase Tom Hanks, “there are no performance metrics in baseball.”

HCCForever said:

Happy to say that I attended todays game after getting up early and driving 4.5 hours. After the 24-4 loss I almost didn’t attend.

I’m proud that UConn played a very competitive game today and as others have said, they had their chances. I felt UConn had to score in the 11th since Brady was close to 50 pitches and top off the order was due. Malcolm could have been a hero with a second HR. Great game for Luke. Their shortstop was shaky. Too bad UConn couldn’t take advantage of that.

I hated the curtain calls and chop too. Most fans left me alone but two in particular were pretty cool. One was from Jersey and wanted to talk about Hurley which I tried to avoid. He even hoped that Hurley stays.

Great season especially after the tough start. I hope to attend the tournament in Puerto Rico next season.

Expand ...

I enjoyed interacting with all of the U Conn folks I spoke with. Bought a round for the folks near our seats and shared restaurant recommendations and "things to do" tips. Re: the curtain calls, it's just tradition. Every homer for the 40 years I've been going to FSU games has been celebrated with a curtain call. Congrats on a great season.

uconnbaseball said:

They take a game or two. Arnold is sick. Agreed they don’t have the depth to actually win, nor would it be fair to expect otherwise given the mess Jarrett inherited. Talented team though and the fans on social media are much nicer than OU.

Expand ...

I really enjoyed chatting with the U Conn fans throughout the weekend. I'd like to see a home and away regular season series with U Conn (earlier in the season for the FSU-hosted games).

Husker Husky said:

FSU simply doesn't have the horses to compete in Omaha. I suspect they'll be :Two and BBQ"

Expand ...

Given the injuries to FSU's pitching staff, that wouldn't surprise me. Losing our #2 starter and a couple of middle relief guys for the season has left the pitching situation extrmely thin. Still, I'll hit the road Wednesday headed to Omaha.