I do regret that we didn't keep Kalia Pollard in the fold. She transferred for to Oregon and sat out 2024 as a redshirt. She was a highly rated SS coming in. I'm not sure where she played for UF as a freshman, but she did play quite a bit. In our final game loss against Stanford, Kaila was the DH. Her batting average was about like Ava Brown's this year, just above .260.
Pollard started off very well at Florida, but had injury issues that kept her out of the lineup for most of the season. I think it was lower back issues. She was feeling better at the end of the year and was getting some plate appearances, primarily as a DP. She transferred to Oregon because it was clear she was not going to see the field much her sophomore year at Florida. I think someone said she reported for fall practice not in the best shape and was passed up by better players. But the reason she redshirted at Oregon was because she broke her leg, tore ligaments in her ankle and needed major surgery and extensive rehab.
As I have said before, Kaila is nowhere near the player that AK has turned out to be. She struggled at 3B in Fall Ball, and you could see in her body language that she knew the handwriting was on the wall. She and her parents were unhappy that such a strong class was coming in. So instead of staying and working for a position, she quit. I hate she was injured at Oregon, and I wish her nothing but the best. She and Gigante were/are best friends, and they were not good teammates.
All close except she redshirted immediately. Had nothing to do with her injury. I am assuming she was still practicing even though in a redshirt year. I do not know if she broke her leg during softball practice or fell off her bike. Or at least she posted about her injury months after she had already redshirted so I don't think the two are related. I always thought it strange that she redshirted immediately upon transferring. As far as I know, she would have been eligible to play last season.
On a personal note, all of this about Lefty, which is sad but true, really hit me when she transferred and still does. Lefty was one of the early commits. Years before she arrived on campus. Back when you could recruit and commit before a kid's junior year. Accordingly, I followed her intently. Watched most of her games with Athletics Mercado. Followed her on social media. Had high hopes for her career at UF. What you can't tell from a travel game with a camera behind home plate and self-serving social media posts is what really makes a person tick. I found out different. And it is very disappointing to me. Almost like a wayward child you can't keep on the right path.
While I am certainly not disputing what you say, this confuses me. The NCAA, in the face of lawsuits and threats of legislation has capitulated on almost every single restriction when it comes to player's rights and movement. Why there would still be one instance, a fall transfer, that doesn't lead to immediate eligibility totally makes no sense to me. What is the logical difference between the fall and any other time of year? In any event, that would explain the immediate redshirt long, long, before any injury.
QUOTE="candymanfromgc, post: 16637103, member: 730"]Who?[/QUOTE] Kayla Pollard primary and Olivia Gigante secondary, but shhh, only top secret insiders are supposed to know these ex-Gators are best friends that didn't work out for Florida. (shaking head)
Anybody else tired of the uniform tops? Especially, the collar trim! They have been around about six years, now.
The only uniform that our girls wear that I really don’t like are the black uniforms. Black is not the University of Florida color. It belongs to the Bulldogs.
I like the black uniforms in basketball. And technically, white is not the UF color either. But I’m fine with whatever the players like.
Batbusters are playing in a "home" tournament. Supposedly it is a Triple Crown National tournament but it looks more like practice for them before the Alliance Championships. They played two today, not sure if they are done, but won both by a combined 45-2. Taylor was 5-6 with 4 runs, 5 rbis, 2 doubles and 2 more home runs. I'm going to wait to update stats until deeper into the tournament but I'll try to find time to clip the home runs and post them. I think one might have been a grand slam but not sure until I find it.
And Kalie Matsuno, playing for Batbusters-Black, had the best day in the first game today of her entire year. She went 2-2 with a triple and a home run. Recall she was absent for two weeks. I don't know, but perhaps she has been nursing an injury, and is getting back to form? Anyway, it is worth finding a clip of both her triple and home run. It will come...sometime....when I can find the time. Edit: 2-2 in the second game with a double. Interesting.
USA scratches out a win over Canada in the World Cup in Italy. Strange. The Puerto Rico stream in the game before ours was fine. Our game started with nothing...just a lock and a message about a network error. It finally started in the middle of the first but kept buffering. I keep a full book on every game I watch so that wasn't going to work and I figured the archived replay might be smooth and it was. Anyway, Aly Carda got the start in the circle and she was not sharp. Went three and gave up three hits, two earned runs, struck out two and walked two. USA down 2-0 heading to the fourth and Kelly Maxwell came in. She was simply lights out the rest of the game. Went four no hit innings striking out 7 and walking none. Going into the fourth we had no hits. Amanda walked and eventually scored to scratch out one run after Alo singled and Amanda came in on a Jessie Warren FC making us down 2-1. Scratched another run in the 5th to tie the game. Maya Brady was hit with a pitch and eventually scored on Haylie McClenney and Hannah Flippen back to back singles. Broke the game open in the 6th for a 5-2 win. Jessie Warren singled. Deja Mulipalo walked. Rachel Garcia walked. Maya Brady won the game with a two run bases loaded double. Got the third run when Haylie hit a SAC fly to left driving in Garcia from third. Maxwell struck out two in the 7th and that was the game.
Interesting. Although they are playing in Italy, everything is in English. Not just the announcers who are, frankly, quite good for a surprise but also everything in background at the stadium is in English. The stadium announcer...all of the music played, etc. They are playing a few miles north of Milan and within shouting distance of the Switz mountains. The spectacular Lake Como is just across the border and I strongly suggest that Tim waiver on the USA plane back to the States and take his bride to Lake Como for a couple days they would never forget. He can afford it.
