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Ongoing UF Softball Commentary

Discussion in 'GatorGrowl's Diamond Gators' started by ocalaman, Feb 20, 2022.

  1. theemaxpower

    theemaxpower Junior

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    Yeah, I agree. Tim needs to get this right because OU and Texas are coming.. next year I believe ( I've heard '24 then no '25 but I think it's next season. I'm sure someone will set the record straight. Lol).
     
  2. sweetpotato2

    sweetpotato2 GC Legend

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    I heard Monica's name pop up even before they announced Bosch being let go.
    I also heard the hire is a "notable hire" and "game changer"
     
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  3. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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    Patty Gasso named Jen Rocha Associate Head Coach & Pitching Coach and paid her a bunch more money than what UF was paying her. If a similar title and salary close to what Rocha is getting, I would be thrilled to get Monica Abbott on staff.
     
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  4. GatorChoice

    GatorChoice GC Hall of Fame

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    So I see her name being bandied about quite a bit here - is there a connection with CTW or UF that I’m unaware of?
     
  5. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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    I'm sure a lot of us are just engaged in wishful thinking. But Monica has played with a bunch of former Gators on our National Teams and in the pro league over the years. Tim Walton has coached numerous national teams over the summer months and I'm sure they know each other. How well, who knows? It has been said that a new coaching hire will be a game changer and some are speculating it could be her. Personally, I have zero insight. Maybe others do.
     
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  6. sweetpotato2

    sweetpotato2 GC Legend

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    Great game between Roncalli and Pen kingsmen High School.
    Top 9th tied 1-1. But Ava Zachary ( player from pen kingsmen) lead off the inning with a triple.
    Keagan strikes out the side not before a wild pitch scores the go ahead run. she has 17 strike outs.
    Keagan tied the game with a home run in the bottom of the 7th inning.
    gotta give credit to a player named signorino. she shut down Roncalli and prevented the winning run from scoring in the bottom of the 7th inning. she is just a sophomore.
    2-1 final Pen kingsmen wins the state title and defeats the 2 time state champs Royals. Great game and phenomenal career for Keagan and the rest of the senior class.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2023
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  7. rickjs1

    rickjs1 Premium Member

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    From what I have always understood, money had nothing to do with it. Jen had a baby. She's from Oklahoma. Her family is there. She wanted to go back home primarily for family reasons. Opportunity was there at Oklahoma.
     
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  8. rickjs1

    rickjs1 Premium Member

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    You covered it really well. I watched it. Cost me $16. She gave up the unearned run in the 5th. Walked one and had a single off her glove. Wild pitch to 2nd and 3rd. Was out of it but with two outs the third baseman threw low but in the air to first but the first baseman dropped it for the unearned run. Losing 1-0 in bottom of seventh Keagan led off with a bomb over the left center fence. Roncalli wasted a great chance after that in the continuing seventh with runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs. Eventually had bases loaded with two outs but didn't get the runner in. Top of 9 the leadoff batter hit a clean triple off keagan over the center fielder's head who was playing way in. Keagan struck out the next two but then threw a very hard high inside pitch off the catcher's glove properly scored as a wild pitch leading to the winning earned run. Roncalli got a runner on with two out in the bottom of 9 due to a catcher's throwing error on a swinging bunt. Next batter hits a slow roller to second that might have been beat out but the runner on first ran over the second baseman trying to field the ball and that was ballgame. Keagan and Roncalli lose 2-1. I had her at 117 pitches in the nine innings although I might have missed a couple. Three hits. Two runs. One earned. Two walks. Seventeen strike outs.
     
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  9. johnny_cakes

    johnny_cakes GC Hall of Fame

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    My understanding as well. Plus CTW gave her the associate head coach title in 2017, so that had nothing to do with it either.

    What? You didn't start an official game thread for us to follow? lol Sounds like a heck of a game, well worth $16.
     
  10. alysb21

    alysb21 GC Legend

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    Really looking forward to that class next year. Has the feel of the class with Stweart, Munro, Schwarz, and Fullore. They were able to get us back on track and I think this class will do the same.
     
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  11. rickjs1

    rickjs1 Premium Member

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    Oops. Never thought of a game thread. And I actually did one privately through messenger to a friend who is also a Gator fanatic. It was good...you would have liked it.
     
  12. sweetpotato2

    sweetpotato2 GC Legend

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    "Rothrock will go down among the greatest athletes in state history. The 2022 Gatorade National Player of the Year and one of the top-ranked prospects in the country, she collected 77 wins with 13 perfect games and 22 no-hitters and posted a sub-0.50 ERA with nearly 1,100 strikeouts."

    Indiana high school softball: Roncalli suffers heart-break in finals
     
  13. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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    You've actually watched Rothrock & Brown pitch games, while most of us have only read about them or watched some highlights. Do you think both are ready to be co-aces in the SEC? Are they primarily power pitchers? Do they have high quality secondary pitches - curves, screws, drops, change-ups? Are they on par with what Canady did at Stanford this year or what Bahl did last year at Oklahoma? It seems the Gators are going to rely heavily on them in 2024 and I'm just curious what your knowledgeable observations are about these 2 highly touted pitchers.
     
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  14. rickjs1

    rickjs1 Premium Member

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    If I could answer all of that with any real confidence, I would. I have seen Keagan pitch at least 50 times and possibly more. She hit 70 mph a year or two ago so I assume she is a little higher now. She knows she need more than a rise ball and she has worked to develop at least a curve and a change. I have seen her so much because some have been tv (PGF Championships), some have been on places like Flosoftball, and many were streamed privately by her mother who would hang a camera on the backstop for virtually every game she pitched that wasn't officially streamed. Plus, Lady Dukes-Lamar have streamed some games and all of her USA National games were streamed. Ava plays for Hotshots-Nelson and their games are much harder to find. I have to search for an occasional tournament game that pops up or find games where their opponent is providing a stream. Makes it difficult. I simply haven't seen her pitch enough to offer a really valid opinion. Games I have seen she has been very good. Only times I've seen her in trouble was when she would occasionally lose the plate. Are they ready to be aces as freshmen in the SEC? I'm not that smart to know.
     
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  15. rickjs1

    rickjs1 Premium Member

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    Keagan's bomb in the bottom of the 7th last night:
     
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  16. theemaxpower

    theemaxpower Junior

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    Yeah, I haven't been this excited about an incoming group in years. Class of '24 is pretty bad ass too. Tim really needs to get this right; These two classes could in short time threaten OU with the right coaching (please replace Aric too, Tim). I know Aric isn't going anywhere, just nice to think about.
     
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  17. theemaxpower

    theemaxpower Junior

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    Hope to see that quite often next year!!!
     
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  18. johnny_cakes

    johnny_cakes GC Hall of Fame

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    And could set us up for years to come since players want to go to a program that is a legitimate national contender. Obviously, that's OU now. While I hate NIL, that is an area that we need to compete in as well. $$$ talks. And the upgrade of KSP is enough to make that basically a wash when a player is considering other schools with outstanding facilities. Our #5 academic ranking makes a UF degree MUCH more valuable ($$$) than an OU degree, since they are ranked 127, so that should be an advantage that OU won't be able to overcome. To quote Jim McElwain's motto: "Recruit or Die."
     
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  19. theemaxpower

    theemaxpower Junior

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    Yeah and we know how it turned out for Jim, just ask the shark. Lol
     
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  20. rickjs1

    rickjs1 Premium Member

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    lol....I immediately thought that wouldn't be the first guy I would go to for inspiration.
     
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