I agree Rick. Transfers played a big part and she wasn't going to lose time for a transfer not nearly as good as she was.
Tim Walton has NEVER in his career promised a transfer or any player a starting position carte blanche. They have an opportunity to earn it and I don't believe Ariel left because she was going to lose her position to a lesser player. That's just not the way Coach Walton runs his program. To me, it's all about love and what her life's priorities are. I applaud her for that and wish her the best.
I am not best friends with her family but I do know them pretty well. Trust me there are 2 things at work here. First, if you want to be an Engineer and work in TX, you go to aTm. Name me another schools Engineering Department that can churn out engineers that can tear down half a stadium the day after the football season ends, rebuild it and have it ready to go before the next season. Then do the same thing the next year. The debt on the stadium - ZERO. Heck, we couldn't even rehab the O Dome in 10 months. Second, look her boyfriend of 7 years is also an engineering student and is also a life long Texan (as are Ariel's parents). All are Aggie graduates on both sides. In Texas being an Aggie is a way of life, not a part time thing. You need to live in and grow up in TX as I did to understand this. I have a granddaughter who is at aTm and she lives and breathes Aggies (almost as much as I do Gators). The family pull (her sister is also an Engineering major at aTm) was to much for her coupled with a probable engagement to her boyfriend. It had zero to do with playing time, getting along with her teammates, etc. She loved UF BUT she loves Texas more. As a person who commutes every weekend to Fla, people ask me why I do not move to Fla. My answer is always the same, I was born, grew up and I will die here in Texas. In addition, my 4 daughters, son in laws, 9 granddaughters and 1 grandson all live within 15 minutes of me and everyone of them are Native Texans as are their parents. There is no way for me to explain it better but I truly understand Ariel's decision and I continue to hope she has great success in her future!
And if she did lose 3b that means we should be very excited about Cahalan. Who imo has a ton of potential.
The Meet the Gators stories and brief videos are a really nice introduction to the new team members. This new approach to softball sports information is great!
If you watch the video, there is a picture of her when she was kid wearing catcher's gear. I nominate Kenleigh to be the backup catcher.
TV and streaming. I sure hate to miss any games. If JU, UNF and Stetson can broadcast every home game, why can't USF and Other tournament’s do the same. UF softball certainly draws more viewership than USF. Any ideas?
Sure, offer to pay for it. It costs them money to broadcast these games. If someone was willing to pay for it, they’d probably air them.
I don’t understand the economics of streaming thru ESPN. For example USF already has the cameras and production equipment installed to carry each of their games. Shouldn’t the labor and other production costs be offset by advertising and create a profit? If there is net loss, I don’t see how the small schools can still manage to get every game streamed. If you look at Stetson’s 2024 schedule, they had 30 games home streamed on ESPN. Maybe USF and ESPN just need some prodding from visiting schools and their fans.
