(SB) Ongoing UF Softball Commentary

Think there are always two sides to every situation. Think there are certainly questions on Bosch, but we also don’t know what work LD has put in.

No doubt coaching can help, but at some point responsibility falls to the player as well. And no doubt the surgery did not help things.

 

If Baylee doesn't return this team only has 10 players on the current roster. That is a problem.

 

Julia, cali, and now Lexi. 3 top players who would've big impacts in the program have left. Were they all unhappy at Florida? If that's the case why? Am I reading too much into Lexi leaving or is this program about to go to into unknown territory with transfers and possibly de commits? I hope im reading too much into it.

 

I think there is something there. Now all 3 may have their own personal reasons for leaving, but those are 3 high impact players that have transferred from the program in recent years. I was hopeful Lexie would be back to 100% next year and lead the freshmen and give us a strong rotation. Now we are headed deep into the unknown and everyday that passes that Bosch is still attached to this program is a problem, in my opinion.

I also worry about Sam Roe being a transfer candidate. While she received a lot of at bats this season, she was still among the 1st benched for a spot start and she may want an opportunity to catch everyday that I think clearly will not happen at Florida, based in what we have seen this far.

 

I wonder if a part of it was her playing this season. Like did she feel she wasted her sophomore year? Coming from a person that never thrown a competitive pitch I felt Lexi wasn't ready to pitch effectively this season and should have red shirted.

 

This is being presented as a false fallacy -- because pitching didn't improve or regressed, then then that must mean the coach is to blame. But as Porschegator says, we have no idea. Maybe the coach is to blame. But maybe the best coach in the world wouldn't have improved things. These are young women, not career athletes. Barnhill's stats didn't improve under Rocha and she wasn't able to develop a change-up until she went pro.

It sure seemed like CTW lost confidence in Delbrey once we hit SEC play -- and not without reason:
3 earned runs in 3 innings against Arkansas, followed the next day by two earned runs in less than one inning.
4 earned runs in 2 innings against SC
5 earned runs in 4 innings against Georgia
4 earned runs in 2 innings against Tennessee
Down the stretch it seemed like the Hightower/Trileck show, with Delbrey just a stopgap afterthought. I'm sure that didn't sit well with Delbrey, who was probably frustrated as hell with CTW for not using her more. There's no way of knowing the personality vibe in the clubhouse. I really hope that she lands in a program that's a good fit for her and she reaches her full potential.

 

It's human nature to blame outside factors for failure. I'm not exactly sure how she blames coaching for regressing. Did the coach suggest how to get worse and she followed that advice?

 

Funny, our group was just discussing that very statement you made and as it turns out, that is not entirely accurate.

2016 her freshman year she had a 1.36 era with Rocha coaching
2017 her sophmore year, her era went to 0.50 with Rocha coaching
2018 her junior year, her era was 1.08 with Rocha coaching
2019 her senior year, her era was 1.61 with Bosch coaching

So her average era while Rocha was her coach was .098 and the year Bosch was her coach it went to 1.61, a full 6/10ths of a run higher than the three years Rocha was coaching her.

Is that coaching or was Rocha able to call better pitches for Barnhill to throw than what Bosch called her to throw? Maybe Rocha was better at calling pitches in game situations than Bosch?

To further the point, let’s do Hightower

2019 her freshman year her era was 2.16, Bosch was the coach but she had been working with Rocha while she was being recruited and Rocha was working with her

2020 her sophmore year her era was 2.55 with Bosch coaching
2021 her junior year, her era was 1.61 with Bosch coaching
2022 her senior year, her era was 2.43 with Bosch coaching
2023 her super senior year, her era was 3.48 with Bosch coaching

Over her carrier, her era was 2.45 so she was full run higher in her last year and a case could be made that she regressed over her last two years here under Bosch.

Again is that coaching or pitch selection in game situations?

In comparison, Oklahoma’s team era has gone from 2.62 in 2020 (the records only go back that far) to .088 this year with Rocha coaching.

In that same timeframe, our era has gone from 1.89 to 3.69 with Bosch coaching.

You could make the argument that the Sooners has better pitchers to work with but then that would signal that Bosch was not able to recruit better talent. Keep in mind, both Lexi and Riley were top 5 rated pitchers in their respective classes.

So, what is it?

Substandard coaching, substandard pitch calling, substandard player development or substandard recruiting (I don’t think so)?

All of these are the job of the pitching coach and from what I and others can see, the job over the last 4 years has been substandard.

I don’t envy the decisions coach Walton has to make in the coming weeks.

I’ve been saying since the start of the season that I cannot wait for Fall Ball but I’m even more excited about the next few months before Fall Ball to see what transpires.

 

Can you expand on how Rocha was working with EH while she was being recruited?

 

I agree Ocala, but having two Kelly Barnhill type pitchers on the team as freshman is going to be fun to watch.

 

Didn`t sit well with Delbry? It did not sit well with me or any other gator fan watching our pitchers give away winnable games. Players were recruited to win games and improve their play. Whether coach or player...things must change!

 

Second post in this thread--with three AGREES

I miss those days.

 

Quick! Tell Mike Bosch there's an opening!

 

Liz was at pitcher's camps in the summers prior to her visiting, committing and enrolling at UF. Her recruitment started in 2015 as shown in an article by Softball America:

SA: Why did you choose to play college softball at Florida?

EH: It all came down to Florida and one other school. Florida was coming off winning their second championship in 2015 when I was being recruited. On my visit, everything felt right. Playing for Coach Walton was also what drew me to Florida. He is a consistent, tough coach that will make you work hard and expects a lot from you, and it was the right fit.

Once she committed in 2015, I'm sure our staff told her what to work on and i'd bet that they kept in contact with her to see how she was progressing in HS with things they told her to work on. I've seen some of the softball camps at KSP over the course of the last few summers and you see all our staff working with the players that attend.

Here is a list of camps this year:

Florida Softball Elite Prospect Camp Monday, June 12
Florida Softball Elite Prospect Camp Tuesday, June 13
Florida Softball Advanced Pitching Camp Tuesday, June 13 – Wednesday, June 14
Florida Softball Advanced Catching Camp Tuesday, June 13 – Wednesday, June 14
Florida Softball Hitting Camp Wednesday, June 14
Florida Softball All Skills Camp Monday, June 19-Wednesday, June 21
Florida Softball Pitching Camp Tuesday, June 20
Florida Softball Catching Camp Tuesday, June 20
Florida Softball Elite Prospect Camp Thursday, July 6
Florida Softball Elite Prospect Camp Friday, July 7

These camps can be pretty interesting to see, if you have an opportunity, try to catch some of them (especially the Elite Prospects Camp and the Advanced Pitching Camps)

 

I'm familiar with all of that....none includes Bosch working with EH while she was being recruited, other than a generic "things to work on" that every athlete gets

 

That says much about him if he thinks she would get better tutelage elsewhere.
I am like the other poster who said Lexi was not a malcontent.
If he told her that he is admitting he will keep an incompetent coach who doesn't develop pitchers.
If that is true, has he told Rothrock and Brown that, or just let them come and find out for themselves?
If Bosch stays and we do not start developing pitchers, they will quit coming here.
As they say in the country, he is cutting off his nose to spite his face.