Baseball Coach Rayner Noble Chats Live With Cougar Fans

 Coach Rayner Noble

In his first eight seasons as the head coach at the University of Houston, Rayner Noble has set a standard of excellence difficult to equal in college baseball.

Looking at his resume, it is easy to see why he is considered one of the nation's top collegiate coaches. In eight seasons at his alma mater, Noble has led UH to five NCAA Regionals, two NCAA Super Regionals, three Conference USA regular-season crowns and a pair of C-USA Tournament championships.

During his tenure, the Cougars have never finished below second place in the final C-USA standings, making UH the only team to accomplish that feat since joining the league in 1996.

Individually, Cougar players have flourished under Noble's tutelage. As the Cougar leader, Noble has guided 18 All-Americnas, 15 All-C-USA First Team honorees and 25 players to be drafted in the annual amateur draft.

Coach Noble will stop by to chat on Tuesday, March 18th at 11:30 a.m. Central.

Moderator: Good morning everyone, Thanks for joining us today. We are fortunate to have head coach Rayner Noble with us today. Some fans have already submitted questions so we will get to those first, but feel free to ask as we go along. Let's get started.

Dee-Sugar Land: Coach; I really appreciate the great job your doing. You've visted my service station in the past-Voss Road Exxon-and would love to see you in the future. Question: Do you recruit more heavily in the Houston metroplex or all over TX in general?

Rayner Noble: Probably more heavily in the Golden Triangle. Houston area, down in Beaumont, up to College Station. There are so many players in the whole area, but we use the whole state.

Khoi (City): Has Gene Flores been hurt in the last 2 seasons? He had a promising freshman season. Do you expect any players to leave for the Majors this season?

Rayner Noble: Pertaining to Gene, he has had little injuries here and there, shoulder, and elbow. They have kept him from staying in the starting rotation. He seems to be healthy now and that's why we are starting him during the weekday games. Hopefully, he can stay healthy. We have a lot of draft-eligible juniors. You can go down the list. I would imagine that Sullivan, Bourn and Wagner are the hottest prospects we have. It will be determined by where they are drafted and what they are offered.

David P. (Houston): Sullivan appears to be pressing this year. Is this due to a mechanics or just high expectations he has placed on himself? His numbers are still impressive but in the game he does not seem as "untouchable" as last year.

Rayner Noble: Anytime that you try to match the season he had last year, it's hard to maintain that level, especially at his age. Brad is throwing the ball extremely well right now with a high level of confidence.

David P. (Houston): This year's team is relying on defense and pitching so far. Do you think you can get to Omaha with this formula or are you expecting more offensive power from your lineup?

Rayner Noble: We're not going to go anywhere until we stasrt [producing some runs. We have to produce some runs if we are to go to the postseason. Missing Bourn and Cooley has really hurt us offensively., When Michael gets on it stets the table for everything. With Cooley out, we have very little punch in our lineup. With those two guys out, I've had to put guys in places int he lineup where they do not belong.

Scott Wilson (Osaka, Japan): Coach - Your players play a long and tough schedule - sometimes playing five games per week. How do you keep the players focused on their school work responsibilities while still having to "stay up" for each game?

Rayner Noble: The big thing is constant reminders about the importance of their education. The main reason they are here is to get their education. It's doubly tough to go through a tough stretch like we are in and focus too much on their baseball and not enough on their studies. It' becomes more difficult when you have a rough season. It's just constant reminders to stay on top of things

Allen (Houston): Who will be the starting pitcher versus Rice on Wednesday?

Rayner Noble: Gene Flores

Houston: We have a lot of the same players from last year. So why is it this team is struggling so much? Is there not enough power on this team offensively? But I'm glad Sullivan is back to his old self.

Rayner Noble: The hitting is probably one of the most difficult things to do in athletics. People take it for granted that if you have a good year one year, you have to have a good next year. About five or six of our guys are going through a tough slump and sometimes that's hard to get out of, especially with revolving doors in the lineup. That's where we are right now. With the injuries, it giving some guys an opportunity. Nick Bott is swinging the bat well now. Greg Buchanan has a high upside. Stuart Musslewhite has been struggling but he is a much better hitter than he has shown. When you don't have to key players in your lineup, it compounds the issue.

RM: Coach - will Brad Sullivan ever get a chance at the plate this season? With how we've struggled offensively, it doesn't seem like it could hurt.

Rayner Noble: It has entered my mind, but it's my duty to look after the best interest of the player. There is no doubt in my mind that Brad could help us. But there is a danger at the plate or on the bases. I just don't think it's worth it for him to do that when his future is on the mound. I like to win games but not at the expense of hurting a pitching prospect.

RM: Coach - Is there ever a chance we could see Trip Couch affiliated with the UH program again?

Rayner Noble: Sure.

Bryan Taylor Texas City: With the tough start to the season, is the philosophy to take it one game at a time and what is the teams immediate goal?

Rayner Noble: It's not taking it one game at a time. It's taking it one pitch at a time. It has boiled down to that. We have to be specific about how we are approaching each pitcher, hitter and situation that arises defensively. It's that fine. Garrett Mock pitched as well as he has pitched since he's been here. From a hitting standpoint, we hit the ball well. It's just a matter of driving runs in. That's where we have been poor this season -- hitting with runners in scoring position. Our goal against Rice is baserunners and stringing hits back-to-back, especially when people get in scoring position.

Chris (New Braunfels): Coach, Thank you for all of your hard work. What do you see as the solution to our lack of offense? Have you seen any internal signs of it coming out of the offensive slump?

Rayner Noble: Both on Saturday and Sunday we did a good job of swinging the bat. Guys are starting to hit the ball hard. That's when you are going to get hits. As long as we do that, the hits will start falling. The ball hasn't bounced our way much this sesaon but that's going to even out. With the combination of those two things, that could bring us our of our drought.

Moderator: Are there any more questions for Coach Noble.

Moderator: That's all the time that we have for Coach Noble today. We certainly thank him for joining us today and thank you for taking part in our chat. A reminder that the Cougars play host to Rice in Game Three of the Silver Glove Series at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cougar Field. Thanks again and have a great day.

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