(SB) For What It Is Worth

Wish we could steal Oklahoma's hitting coach to pay them back for taking our pitching coach. lol

 

Scrappy you hit the nail on the head perfectly. Hopefully the 3 game Anonaomly of hitting does not make Tim forget 3 years of bad offense against good pitching. We kill average pitching and struggle mightly against better pitching. The UCLA pitcher was yanked after 1.2 innings against TX. I live in total fear that Tim is becoming Mullen 2.0 as respects his best friend/hitting coach.

 

Just a quick note I asked my daughter that plays a college sport if as a senior in her last game if she would want her coach to pull her out of the game for a round of appreciative applause from the fans and she said no way...I want to finish on the field with the rest of my team.

 

There's no way of knowing, but I think CTW was waiting for something decent (like even a strike call) to go Nat's way so she could come out on a high note. After Chey came out to her deserved round of applause, Nat didn't really have an "up" moment so she could leave the game on a high note. And the game ending early with a run rule didn't help. When Kelly Barnhill came out for the last time at the WCWS after giving up a home run, CTW later put her back in at the very end, with a two strike count, just so she could finish her career on an up note. I definitely agree with you that Nat should have had her chance for appreciative applause and I bet CTW agrees as well.

 

After taking the night to think about it, scrappy, I disagree with your premise. This was a crappy year that got perfumed over by a choking VT team -- an error not he first play, and a collision that led to our first run -- and a ace-less, freshman-laiden Oregon State team. We didn't win either the SEC or the tourney -- we didn't even make the finals IN GAINESVILLE. We got an easy regional, but didn't host a Super for the first time in forever. And in our last two games we were shutout, and run-ruled in our last game.

We ranked 174th in HRs per game and 40th in scoring. 18th in batting average and 32nd in ERA. Our team was built on defense (4th in FP) and yet when it mattered most, our defense let us down -- the bunt-scores by Okie State and the errors at short and catcher against UCLA. This was a team with 13 upperclassmen -- five of them starters.

If you're UTChatanooga, it's a fine, great year. But that's not who or what this program has been, and we shouldn't gloss that over.

eta: crappy was an unfortunate word choice. Any season that ends in OKC is a good season. I’ll leave it up to take my beating, but it was a good season and I’m an ass for suggesting it wasn’t.

 

without a doubt great coaching job, but he needs to cut ties with at least one coach.

 

A crappy year.......?
We made the COLLEGE WORLD SERIES and were the only SEC team to do so. We have two huge recruiting classes coming in over next two year. If Tim Walton were a female I think your opinion would be different, however thank you for your consistency.

 

That's the kind of crap post you get from someone who hangs out in THFSG.

 

You know, at some point that comment just becomes insulting and stupid. I'm consistent in holding all coaches responsible for not only success, but for maintaining successes. While I think women should coach women, and when openings occur, women candidates should be given preference over male candidates for a plethora of reasons, including experience playing the game they would be coaching, the male coaches I've criticized have flat out sucked. I've never called for Walton's job or his firing, nor have I said he's a bad coach. EVER. So get off your MRA/aggrieved incell paranoia and actually try reading from time to time instead of perpetually fearing some woman is coming for your stuff.

We're a team that's EXPECTED to reach the WCWS. That's the status of the program. Were you thrilled with Mullen's NY6 appearances? White's string of first-round wins? Or do you expect a little bit more? UF has played softball for 27 years -- they've made the WCWS 11 of those. It's the standard for the position. This was the first time in those 11 appearances that we've been shut out in our two losses.

The only reason anyone is satisfied with this appearance is because the rest of the year was so bad.

 

My statement still stands. lol

 

Of course, it isn't the standard that was set years ago, but they still did what needed to be done to reach the WCWS. The game has grown so much to where nothing is guaranteed anymore. You have programs like Duke and Clemson that jumped hot on the scene while others are also improving. Just look how many of the top 8 national seeds failed to reach the WCWS. It is much harder to reach OKC than it has ever been due to the parity across the nation. Them reaching OKC is definitely something that should be celebrated and not taken for granted. This just wasn't their year to win it. You don't think Arkansas (the SEC regular season and tournament champs) would have liked to trade a few wins during the season if it meant they made it to OKC? How about Alabama who also had a great season but had it end in the regionals?

 

Yes, and they were all disappointed. But does the fact that they were disappointed change anything about our season?

I've said it was a great ending. It was. Lots of fun, grateful for another week of cheering. But the ending doesn't undo everything else, nor does it demand we overlook apparent and ongoing flaws.

 

You conveniently ignore the injuries to Goddard, Adams, and Hightower, and the mid term transfer of Cottrill.....and how that impacted the season. Few teams could survive that, to reach the CWS in a year where so many things bounced wrong is incredible.
The entitlement of UF fans is sometimes astounding.

 

So you think we're in great shape for the future? No reason to be concerned with hitting or pitching, or anything? We're just a few less injuries away from a title is your contention?

 

Absolutely. Have you got any remote idea of the recruits lined up in the next 3 classes? They look to be the most talented teams UF has ever had. Next year would ideally add a portal arm to replace Lugo, but the overall program is in phenomenal position......every field position has a quality player.
Just look at the next class.....UF has the top 3 recruits in the country. Rothrock has been called the Lebron of softball. Just read an article calling Mia Williams the ARod of softball. Ava Brown has better stats than Rothrock playing in Texas. Oh, and then throw in 3 more border top 10 recruits. Add that to Pollard, Roe, Walsh, Falby, Delbry, Kistler, Goelz, Decker, and maybe Wallace. Potential thru the roof. Not sure what more youcould want at this juncture