Today is signing day: in summary, Gabi Comia, Layla Lamar, Katelynn Oxley, Townsen Thomas and Taylor Shumaker all sign today. It’s a talented bunch.
All five are ranked in the top 20 variously by OnDeck, PG Softball and Max Prep. Comia ranks as high as 3rd, Lamar in the 4-5 range, Thomas 17-18 range, Oxley 20th on Max Prep and Shumaker the 4th ranked OF by OnDeck. Another Walton recruiting success stacked on top of last years #1 recruiting class. Softball Inks Five on Signing Day - Florida Gators
Now that Taylor has signed, being the last one to do so living in California, I'm going to repost a video clip I posted back in July when it happened. This is Taylor Shumaker. Plays for Batbusters-Stith and simply had the most dominant entire summer travel ball season I have ever seen. In everything...average, power, speed. The clip I'm posting sums up Taylor in my opinion. But it needs a lead in to be fully understood. Batbusters were playing a tournament in Atlanta in late July. They played three one day midway into the tournament and it was clear that Taylor was hurting, either low back or hip. She still played in all three and was her usual dominating self from a stats point of view. Late in the third game she hobbled into third and called the coach over. Clearly told him she couldn't go anymore and they pulled her for a pinch runner. Next day started the championship round. In the opener, the quarterfinal, she did not play. That is until the top of the 7th, with two outs, with the bases loaded, and the Batbusters losing 3-2 to Georgia Impact and facing elimination. Desperate times call for desperate measures and they sent Taylor to walk stiffly to the plate. See the gap midway up in the tree just to the right of the scoreboard and way past the fence. That's where Taylor put her Grand Slam. She is special. Very special.
That's much more likely to being the true ranking. For example, Max Prep published their top 20 players for 2024. UF had 4 of them. No other school had more than 2, and that includes OU. There is no way seven schools schools signed a more impactful group than our five.
I don't know anything about how the softball class rankings are figured but, if they are done the way football is the quantity over quality factor may apply. I also don't know haw many signees the classes ranked ahead of us had. Now, about that video, WOW, just WOW!!! I am already looking forward to seeing this class we just signed and we haven't yet seen a real game from the last amazing class.
Combined these last two classes have to be the most talented classes ever recruited by anyone. Kudos to TW. It looks like he is building a juggernaut. The next five years are going to be fun to watch.
No idea about MVP in any tournament but I can give you this. Two years ago Jocey Erickson led the Alliance National Championship tournament in average, home runs and rbis....triple crown and MVP. She gave an interview this year just before the Alliance National Championship and she was asked if anyone was capable of repeating her feat. She immediately answered that Taylor could do it.
Wasn't it just last year that people were saying Walton had lost his touch and predicting doom and gloom? Sunshine Pumpers Rule!
I spent an hour or so at practice today. They had already played a 5 inning Orange and Blue game. (see picture) I have no idea who was on which team. When I got there, they were finishing hitting off of live pitching by a male manager. Wilkie was the only one that I saw hit, and she was pounding it. She had on her game face all practice. Very focused. She and Jocey worked at catcher on most drills, but Ariel came to a pop-up behind the plate drill. They used a machine to do the popups. All did very well. They then practiced base running. They put 2 bags at first and second so they could have 2 per pitch. Liv Miller pitched during this drill, with Dobbins coaching her up. She was hitting between 62 and 65. Her changeup was 57-58. They then practiced the infielders making tags at their bases. CTW is so tuned in and coaching all the time. The outfielders practiced fielding balls that were hit off the wall. The infielders practice catching balls hit into short outfield. They caught the balls bare-handed. (no glove) The last drill I saw was a rundown between 3rd and home. All the infielders, catchers, and pitchers participated. There was really some detailed coaching. There were 17 of the 19 players there. The best I could tell, Kendra and Baylee were not there or did not come out of the dugout.
