Ongoing UF Softball Commentary

Absolutely my point! Charla is a great recent example. She was a beast in 2021 but after a long grueling season and postseason then globetrotting with team USA before she could blink it’s fall ball again. No time to physically recover and mentally decompress. Most ladies would kill for Charlas 2022 numbers because she’s that special but for her it was an off year. Bat speed way down was most telling to me.

 

Being teammates and all it’s not hard for me to imagine those two having conversations and Charla perhaps sharing her wisdom and thoughts about her own experiences.

 

Anyhow I know nothing except that Skylar will absolutely wear the red, white and blue one day if she so desires!

 

Charla had a thumb injury all of 2022. She had to wear a pad in her glove. I am sure the grind was some of it, too. But, the thumb was the problem. This information is from her Dad.

 

First pro homerun.

Women's Professional Fastpitch on Instagram: "CHARLA ECHOLS First home run as a pro✅"

 

Way to go girl!

 

Not good news. James Lamar requires a heart and kidney transplant:

 

Thoughts and prayers to the Lamar family.

 

Good, they can have him.

 

Once a Gator, always a Gator (unless you crap on us on the way out). Personally, I wish him well.

Apparently, they are cleaning house over at NC State. New coach announced earlier this month.

 

I wish him well. This has been an eventful month for him and his family.
He was let go at UF, and his Mother died.
She had been sick for a while. He missed the banquet at the first of the year to go visit her.

 

The Hotshots beat Mercado yesterday 6-5. Two elite teams going at it. I haven't watched it yet but our four kids on the Hotshots had 5 of their 9 hits and Mia went 2-3 with 2 runs and 2 rbis so I'm betting one or two bombs.

 

OK. I watched the Mercado/Hotshots game from yesterday. This is going to be long and, hopefully, with some order since five of our six incoming kids played in this game (only Keagan not there playing for Lady Dukes). I'll get Alyssa with Mercado out of the way right away since we know a lot about her and she had not much of a day. Played third. Medium deep fly out to right with bases loaded to end the first inning. Struck out swinging with runner on second to end an inning. I must have missed one at bat because box score shows her 0-3. Don't know what happened. Now to the Hotshots and this will be long since I don't get to see many of their games. Cassidy batted second and played left. She slapped yesterday but she does not always do that. She struck out swinging, struck out looking, beat out a chopper to third and went to second on a wild throw. Couple routine plays in left. Ariel hit fifth and caught the entire game. She is normal size but somewhat small for a catcher...or just not a typical catcher's size. She played fine with a couple strong throws to second (all safe). Ariel had a hard liner for a single in first ab off the firstbaseman's glove. She lined into a double play to third catching the runner off of first to double up. Third ab she lined a hard grounder up the middle that I think hit second base to stop it from the outfield. A single. Mia hits sixth and plays shortstop. She has a strong arm with a couple outs I didn't think she would get. She did have an error although they might have scored it a hit. She ranged over to or just behind second base and tried to throw sidearm while running and the throw pulled Ava off first base. Anyway, in Mia's first ab she flew out to right...medium deep. Second ab she beat out a dribbler to second, stole second, and scored. Third ab Mia lined a clean single to center in the bottom of the sixth driving in two to tie the game. She then stole second, went to third on a wild pitch that was blocked and only about a foot away from the catcher. Mia runs extremely well for a good sized kid who had a truly horrific leg injury two years ago. She then scored the winning run on a short SAC fly to right again because of her speed. Ava hit seventh after Mia and played first. She did not pitch. Likely pitched in some other game yesterday that I have no info. Ava walked her first ab, hit a bloop single to right for a rbi her second ab. Walked in the bottom of the sixth to keep the inning alive and set up the SAC fly that followed. A couple other impressions of the Hotshots, again because I don't see them as much, their leadoff hitter, Karyton Dawson, looked good and is headed to Baylor. Third in the lineup is a good kid, Kasidi Pickering, headed to Oklahoma. Cleanup hitter, Kennedy Marceaux, also impresses and is headed to Bama. Wow, that was a bunch. If you read this far...congrats.

 

To clear up any confusion, Ariel's hit, Ava's walk, and Mia's two rbi single in the sixth and then Mia scoring on the SAC was a walk off as the game ended with that likely due to a tournament time limit.

 

New pitching coached named:
Walton Selects Chelsey Dobbins to Lead Pitching Staff - Florida Gators

 

We have a pitching coach:

Walton Selects Chelsey Dobbins to Lead Pitching Staff - Florida Gators

 

Walton Selects Chelsey Dobbins to Lead Pitching Staff - Florida Gators

 

lol....three at the same time.

 

Thoughts on new pitching coach?