D1 Softball now has the Gators ranked #21, but #16 in RPI. Right on the bubble for hosting a Regional. They've got work to do in order to avoid being the first Tim Walton team to have to travel for a Regional tournament.
Ocasio lives in Altamonte Springs, FL, plays softball for the Puerto Rico national team and Athletes Unlimited and is married to a player in the WNBA. She recently had her first experience as a TV commentator for Gator softball. Haeger is a pitching & hitting instructor at a softball development academy called The Softball Academy in Stallings, NC., owned by former Gator Kelsey Bruder. Rogers is married with a small child, I think living in her home town of Lake Wales, FL. Her last name now is Clay. She's a life insurance broker and part time softball instructor.
We need hard questions asked right now. Why do our players regress when they come here? Do you want to have the two recruiting classes we have in the pipeline be coached by someone who doesn’t develop them? I think not.
I for one will be interested in what happens/doesn’t happen in the offseason. That said will we even be updated if there are changes? I’m guessing not. This series was tough to swallow. The opportunity to take 2 of 3 on the road vs a great team was legit there and slipped away and that hurts but I’m sure the players are feeling it worse than us. Bright side Skylar continues to amaze, Charla finally got another homer, the bottom of the lineup stepped up and the team put up a lot of runs against the best staff in the SEC. Obviously didn’t face off against Rodgers much (heard she might be dinged up) but still the offense did well. I won’t comment on the other side.
Ocasio, Haeger and Rodgers - great suggestions to go along with my suggestion of Georgina Corrick. Any one of those 4 would be great. At this point, i'd be happy with any of those 4. Questions is, would they come on board?
Probably not. They seems to have established lives, especially Rogers & Haeger. Corrick is just out of college and playing pro softball, plus plays for Great Britain's national team. To me she's maybe the best college pitcher of the last 10 years. Walton probably needs to look for an ex-pitcher who is already coaching college somewhere and wanting to move up. Hiring an assistant coach for UF softball without any prior coaching experience is risky, no matter their connections to UF or how good they were playing the game. But that's just my humble opinion. It'll be interesting to see what he does, if anything.
Obvious answer is the 3 of the 4 that are Ocasio is still actively playing, Haeger and Rodgers are living their post softball lives apparently. Just because we want them to coach doesn’t mean they want to lol. Big difference imo between teaching the next generation in softball camps and coaching in a D1 program.
Why wouldn’t anyone not want to come onboard? Gators softball is still an elite program that happens to be going through a rough patch atm. I understand nobody’s happy atm including myself but this program is still in good hands. I’m not willing to write off all the success CTW has brought to Gator Nation because of a couple down seasons. Last seasons down season went to the WCWS don’t forget. It’s possible all of us, myself included are just spoiled by over a decade of success. That said I’ve no coaching experience but I’m critical of the assistant staff. Stuff slides downhill where I come from. For the benefit of present and future lady Gators I hope some changes are made in the offseason.
Damn man that's a lot of info. Sounds like Bruder is entrenched in NC, but she does have coaching experience. Ocasio would be a great gamble if she is interested...former NC multiple position pro softball playing Gator and living nearby.
Working with the pitchers now at USF according to the TV telecast last week when we played them. Also when @scrappygator @sandman70 and I were at USF for the early season tournament, she was in the stands with a clipboard charting pitches.
Ocala is a fountain of softball knowledge past, present and possibly the future. Now if he was only a fountain of youth, that’d really be something lol. I could certainly stand to lose some grey hairs!
I just put on my rose colored glasses. IF they can split with FSU and take 5 of six from Miss and KY Gators will host and it is a very large IF.
Agree with this. And the last thing I want is for Walton to hire a former player just because they played the position. That doesn’t mean they can coach it. Either find the up and comer with multiple coaching years under their belt already or go head hunt a stud assistant somewhere like what Oklahoma did to us with Rocha.
