Ongoing UF Softball Commentary

I could write a page about rankings. There is no possible way these various services have a really strong insight into several hundred players across the country. Names get thrown about. Someone gets some extra publicity. Boom...they are highly ranked. Millions of examples....just one....Lexie, in some rankings, was the #1 pitching prospect. Same class as Jordy Bahl. Which one would you take? Mia, Keagan, Sam and Alexis (is it Alexis or Alexia?) all committed at very young ages. There was at least one other kid who committed very young and then decommitted. For the life of me I can't remember her name. I think she was from Keystone Heights, or Trenton,....somewhere close to Gainesville. I think she eventually committed to some small South Carolina school. While given the situation, I don't want to speak ill of Sam, but everyone always raved about her and I was somewhat perplexed. I follow travel pretty closely. Obviously impossible to cover everything as there is too much. I rarely came across Sam and the couple times I was able to watch her there was nothing overly impressive. I emphasize a very, very, small sample. But, and I could be wrong, I don't think Sam regularly played for an organization's premier team. I think she was with the Thunderbolts for quite some time but never on their top team. Again, I could be wrong on that and I'm a little leery of throwing Sam's name into this particular discussion.

 

Sam is a very nice slightly above average catcher/player. She will thrive on a Group of 5 team. In the SEC, PAC 12, BIG, ACC B12, if you can not throw a runner out at second from your knees, you will be lit up. She needs to stand to make her throw and as hard as balls are hit at second and particularly third were the ball gets to you quicker and harder she has trouble fielding them. Throw in the fact that Emily is better defensively, has more power, a better arm and can successfully play 1st base - Sam was a player without a real position. I do indeed wish her great success wherever she goes and thank her for 2 years here!

 

Coincidence of all coincidences....today's story in Extra Innings. Even with the fluff and accolades, the question remains....why is this kid apparently not getting decent offers and remains uncommitted if she is the supposed elite talent? Something doesn't make sense. The Redemptive Story of Alexia Carrasquillo… The Youngest Commit in Softball History & Her Subsequent Baptism by Fire & Water - Extra Inning Softball (Edit: I need to read it again at leisure as I'm trying to watch the Bama/Stanford game and I only quickly skimmed this but I don't recall, with all of this Batbuster's stuff, they talk at all about what she did on the field with them. My recollection is she got a solo pinch hit once every blue moon and nothing else. And they never mentioned her time with the Lady Dukes. See my post on prior page.)

 

So glad the recruitment period for these players got adjusted to a more appropriate time. I think often in the last 6-7 cycles we had kid’s commitments way too early and they didn’t turn into the players we thought they would. My hope is that now that that is out the window, we are recruiting more kids that going to be big time players like what appears to be the case in the next couple classes. They still need to be developed though and put in a position to succeed.

 

I never liked it and am thrilled it is over. We did at least 5 kids early. We have the chance of two of them (Mia and Keagan) turning out OK and they haven't hit campus yet.

 

While I have no reason to dispute we backed off the offer, there is a ton of stuff in that article that confuses me...mostly of the cherry picking of some stats and ignoring the higher level of competition. I have a hard time not viewing that story as more of a puff piece than solid reporting. They have had stories on her over the years. Sort of like she's in their hopper come what may. Which, in a way, gets back to my argument on rankings based on publicity and not necessarily on performance that nobody can accurately evaluate for hundreds of kids across the country.)

 

Rankings are more about popularity. These travel ball coaches and organizations get buddy buddy with these sites. I'm sure the stats used are fudged. Probably someones dad logging Game Changer.

 

Which gets into my pet peeve. I've scored more than a thousand games as official scorer in various avenues and I am astounded and pull my hair out at how ridiculous some of the scoring is in college softball.

 

Down go the gumps. One hitter by Stanford 2-0.

 

While I am laughing that Bama is history and they lose their 3 best players (Prange, Shipman and Fouts), you have to give it to Montana who is clearly not close to 100%. She was pitching on guts and brains with velocity 6 mph less than normal and she still pitched well enough to win.

 

Gutsy performance by Fouts.
Glad the Gators don’t have to face her again.

 

Exactly and good riddance to Sandercock as well!

 

Crazy to think just 2 seasons ago Alabama was a win away from the champ series.

 

Might have been you, I don’t remember, but someone posted a breakdown of FSUs freshmen pitcher Makenna Reid’s usage this season and I loved how she was used. Not relied upon to start a bunch of games, not thrown to the wolves in bad situations, gets plenty of innings against good teams to build and develop. Would love to see a similar philosophy find it’s way to Gainesville.

 

It was me. I went through every box score to see how Reid was used. Against Power Five teams she was used almost exclusively to come in and pitch one or two innings and then go out. Rarely went through the lineup more than once. She appears to be a real talent. Unless we get an absolute stud transfer pitcher, our incoming freshmen won't be able to be treated the way Reid was with Sandercock being there to shoulder the load.

 

Ava Brown and Lake Creek are playing today for the state championship. Lake Creek won semi 9-0 with Ava throwing a 3 hit, one walk, 10 strike out shutout. 0-3 hitting but with a fielder's choice rbi and a sac fly rbi. Frisco Heritage vs Montg. Lake Creek (Jun 02, 2023)

 

9 - 0 Sooners over Vols bottom of third. There is Oklahoma and then there is everybody else. I don't think it is good for the sport to have one team that is so completely dominate. I wouldn't be surprised if nobody scores against Sooners in this year's WCWS. I'm not looking forward to them joining the SEC.