Ongoing UF Softball Commentary

It was a great time! So much fun! Thanks for posting Roger!

 

Yep. It was U19 not U18. That makes more sense. I didn't make it to Columbus but just prior to them getting there they played a two game exhibition at Georgia State against Georgia Impact and the Birmingham Thunderbolts. Met most of those kids and also ran into Hannah Adams and spoke with her a little. That was just after Amanda was finished and I mentioned to Hannah she had to assume a new role as leader of the team. She sure did that. Met Charla for the first time and was immediately struck by how that face-wide smile never left her face. I don't think it ever did the entire time she has been in Gainesville.

 

Still? I know they changed head coaches this month.

 

I must be living under a rock. Did anyone notice this? I don't remember ever seeing it before. We have another 2025 commitment. I must have missed it because she did it in March of this year rather than last fall. Kalie Kay Matsuno. She is an infielder. She is another California kid and is keeping the Batbuster pipeline open. She plays for Batbusters-Stith Black which is not the top Batbusters 18U team that Taylor Shumaker is on. Other than that....I don't know much about her. Plenty of videos of her on her twitter page:
x.com

 

Interview with Kalie Kay:

 

Well spoken, good add.

Kalie Kay Matsuno (@kksoftball07) • Instagram photos and videos

I checked floridagators.com and the internet and could only find the video and Kalie's Instagram. She may well be committed, but I can't find it other than the YouTube video.

Max Preps doesn't show her committed to UF. Max Preps does show her as a SS.

I sadly did see that her father passed away from Covid complications a few years ago.

 

It is a commitment. UF can't say anything about it or her until she actually signs the NLI this November. It is all over her twitter feed I linked and I found it because I was reviewing who Tim is following trying to get a handle on who we might be going after in the upcoming 2026 class. Noticed her link on his page said "2025 Gator commit" and I'm like "what...who is she?"

 

Thanks folks. Who does UF have committed in the 2025 class?

 

Shaw, Matsuno and this girl, Makenna Bellaire: x.com

 

I'm seeing Bellaire C, Matsuno SS, and Shaw CF, right?

It's a good start for the 2025 class.

 

That’s who I have in my list.

 

2025 recruiting is over. What we need to look at is what happens with 2026 recruiting starting September 1.

 

Hold it!

 

Official visit photos are always allowed. The school just simply can't talk specifically about a commitment or talk specifically about the player until after the NLI is signed. She posted these pics and announced her commitment which is OK. The player can do whatever she wants. Or perhaps I didn't understand what you meant by your post.

 

We did ad Liv at the last second last year. If they don’t get what they want in the portal, they can still add a hs recruit or two if they want.

 

Olivia was a very unusual case. I can't think of another situation where a player signs the NLI with a different school and nine months later and just before hitting that first school's campus jumps to a different school. The whole thing with her was weird. We never did announce her officially the way we do with everyone else that is signed and ready to go. We never posted her bio on the official roster the way we do for every other player. Sometime during the season, we added one line to her bio...again not the way it is usually done. She doesn't fit the same thing as a late high school recruit that is committing but won't actually sign for several months and won't enroll for another year.

 

It may not happen much in softball, but it’s definitely not that uncommon in other sports. It’s why I wasn’t all worried about her eligibility like most of the folks on this board.