Beat UCLA, won 2 out of 3 in tuscalosers, face all top teams in SEC except TN, and play 2 with surging FSU. UF has lots of opportunities to perform well enough to earn super regional hosting. Stomping the LSU tiggers would be an excellent start.
Not sure if anyone ever noticed but to me the miss state broadcast was good but you could tell it was favored to state.... female announcer is miss state pitching coach tarynn mowatts wife.
From D1 Softball: What to Watch Week 9: Red River Rivalry and Dawgs in Knoxville TOP STORIES Justin McLeod - April 3, 2024 Two of the most anticipated series’ of the entire season take place in week nine. Texas plays hosts to Oklahoma in the latest installment of the Red River Rivalry on the softball diamond – and the final regular-season meeting between these two teams as Big 12 foes. Georgia will also visit Tennessee in a clash of two of the favorites within the SEC. A couple of underrated matchups in other conferences add some depth to the week nine slate. Washington and Oregon is a pretty crucial matchup in the PAC-12, while the faceoff between Michigan and Northwestern has the potential to have a far-ranging effect on the Big Ten race. Even in the American Conference, Charlotte will play host to Florida Atlantic in an unexpectedly-major series in the Queen City. In non-conference play among Power Five teams this week are Auburn in the SEC; Georgia Tech in the ACC; and Cal in the PAC-12. Here’s your primer on the games, matchups, and storylines to keep an eye on in week nine: Top Five Matchups to Watch 1. Oklahoma vs. Texas — Perhaps this one is not for all the marbles, but it certainly has some long-lasting and meaningful effects, whichever way the wind blows. This series has been circled on the calendars of softball fans and pundits alike since early in the 2024 season, thanks to Oklahoma’s continued excellence and Texas’ continued emergence. The Longhorns are the only team to take over the national No. 1 ranking from the Sooners at any point this season – which lasted all of one week – and there may not be a better matchup anywhere of explosive offense and mirror-image pitching. 2. Georgia vs. Tennessee — Before the season, this was the premier series in the SEC. Last year’s defending champions against this year’s presumed darlings. And in large part, the series should live up to most of that billing. Tennessee is on top of the league at this point and Georgia has been a juggernaut, as expected – but both teams are coming off of performances they probably would like to have back from week eight. The Lady Vols dropped their series finale against Auburn and Georgia lost the series on their home turf against Arkansas. This series is a must-see, but the new piece of recent results add something different to the mix. 3. Oregon vs. Washington — Two teams that packaged themselves together and shipped off to the Big Ten will still meet on a regular basis, though this is the final time they’ll meet as PAC-12 foes in the regular season. Conference realignment aside, this is a big series for both teams. Oregon could really use a series win to get ‘back on track’ after a so-so start to conference play; Washington’s RPI is outside the usual range from which a team hosts in the postseason, but the Huskies’ schedule has several opportunities to improve their metrics, starting with this visit from the Ducks. Pitching could be the key in this series; Washington’s pitching particularly has been a major piece of their success to this point in the year. 4. LSU vs. Florida — LSU looks to be back on track and are certainly back to some winning ways, coming off a sweep of Texas A&M in week eight that was inarguably the Tigers’ finest showing yet in conference play. Florida remains among the top teams in the SEC, having just picked up a series win over Mississippi State in Starkville. The showdown of LSU’s veteran, explosive offense against Florida’s young and generally-consistent pitching will be key; the winner of that matchup could pocket a series win and vault to an upper echelon of the conference standings. 5. Michigan vs. Northwestern — Since Big Ten conference play began, some series’ have delivered more than expected. It’s still a free-falling league at this point, but this series marks a meeting between two teams who could provide a buoy for the conference. Michigan currently sits atop the B1G standings, undefeated in league play at 6-0, while Northwestern dropped the series finale to Ohio State last week but has otherwise been fairly consistent. These two teams are also two of the best RPI hopes for the Big Ten, with Michigan steadily rising and now bordering on the top 50 in that metric. The winner of this series could be in the driver’s seat in the league the rest of the way. Three More to See 1. North Carolina vs. Duke — Can anyone stop Duke’s incredible offense? Archrivals UNC would sure like to try. Duke’s offense has carried the day for the Blue Devils throughout the season, scoring runs left and right and utilizing a full offensive gameplan to wreak havoc on opposing pitchers and defenses. Jala Wright and the Duke bullpen have done well and have been able to settle into games, even against top-level foes, thanks to the backing of that offense. UNC has some offensive standouts of their own this season, including freshman Sanaa Thompson, and bring a hearty gameplan to the table. Even with the statistical divide between the two teams and with Duke currently atop the ACC standings, this could be a hard-fought three-game set. 2. Kentucky vs. Texas A&M — Kentucky finally won a conference series, taking two wins against Alabama in week eight to finally get into the win column in league play. At the same time, A&M was being swept on the road by LSU where their usually-explosive offense was firmly handled. Both teams enter this weekend on different trajectories: Kentucky would love to keep their hot hands hot and add to their tally of victories in the SEC; A&M would love to get back on the winning side in conference play and add a couple of wins to their resume as a potential regional host. This is an important series to both teams, because not only would the wins make a big difference in how they’re seen on the national picture, but so would a couple of losses. 3. Auburn vs. Georgia Tech (two games) — The two teams out of conference play in the SEC and ACC respectively this week, the Tigers and Yellow Jackets will meet for a pair of games on the Plains in a weekend mini-tournament that also includes Louisiana Tech. Auburn and Maddie Penta salvaged their series finale against Tennessee last weekend, while Georgia Tech has come back down to earth a bit after their explosive start to conference play. The matchup of Penta and the Auburn bullpen against Tech’s powerful bats could be one to write home about when all is said and done.
2024 Utility Rankings: April By Brady Vernon - April 3, 2024 Courtesy of Texas Athletics Each month of the Division I season, we’ll update our position power rankings to track the best players at each position. Our power rankings are determined by offensive and defensive statistics, the eye test on the field, strength of schedule and the player’s value to their team’s success. A pair of athletes on powerful offenses in the Sunshine State headline our utility rankings. Reagan Walsh has been an X-Factor for the Gators. Walsh is right behind Jocelyn Erickson, our top-ranked catcher, with 42 RBIs as she leads the team with 12 home runs. The trustworthy Kalei Harding has been a powerful force for Florida State. The veteran has 20 extra-base hits and 44 RBIs. The newest utility players to the rankings are possible Big 12 Freshman of the Year Oklahoma’s Ella Parker and reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year Texas Tech’s Kailey Wyckoff. Then Saint Louis’ Cami Newbanks and UNI’s Alexis Pupillo represent the Mid-Majors. Statistics through April 3 games Search: Rank Player School Stats Previous Rank 1 Reagan Walsh Florida .372 BA, 1.317 OPS, 9 2B, 12 HR, 42 RBI, 17 BB, .919 FLD% 7 2 Kalei Harding Florida State .368 BA, 1.126 OPS, 11 2B, 9 HR, 44 RBI, 13 BB, .958 FLD% 10 3 Joley Mitchell Texas .450 BA, 1.310 OPS, 9 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 18 BB, 11 SB, .968 FLD% 5 4 Michelle Chatfield Virginia Tech .327 BA, 1.283 OPS, 7 2B, 15 HR, 27 RBI, 16 BB, .980 FLD% 2 5 Ella Parker Oklahoma .415 BA, 1.235 OPS, 7 2B, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 18 BB, 12 SB, 1.000 FLD% NR 6 Trinity Cannon Texas A&M .308 BA, 1.167 OPS, 5 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 33 RBI, 23 BB, .957 FLD% 4 7 Kristin Fifield GCU .376 BA, 1.106 OPS, 8 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 40 RBI, 12 BB, 8 SB, .959 FLD% 9 8 Cami Newbanks Saint Louis .425 BA, 1.311 OPS, 9 2B, 7 HR, 35 RBI, 20 BB, .985 FLD% NR 9 Alexis Pupillo UNI .321 BA, 1.285 OPS, 4 2B, 12 HR, 28 RBI, 11 SB, 14 BB, .947 FLD% NR 10 Kailey Wyckoff Texas Tech .443 BA, 1.175 OPS, 8 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 12 BB, .973 FLD% NR
I've been impressed with her body transformation. She looks like she's put in a lot of work this past offseason.
I find most local broadcasts to be biased. I’ve always loved our guys and former lady Gators behind the microphone for being so exceptionaly professional on air when we all know they really wanna bash the other teams lol. What’s to be said? There’s the Gator way and then there’s others. Go Gators proud and strong!
I live in Ohio so I get to see very few games. I'm currently in Stuart so yesterday I decided to drive to Stetson. After our victory there were 5 or six distinguished gentleman all wearing orange and blue standing around just talking. I walked up to these guys and asked if anyone posted on Diamond Gators. I hit a homerun. It was Scrappy and the boys. It was great fun meeting some of you and now I can put faces to the name. You guys were the icing on the cake. My five hour round trip drive to watch a two hour softball game was well worth my time. Go Gators.
It was great to meet you @Porschegator, and as you said to put a face to a name. Thanks for looking for us. We hope to see you at other games.
