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Ongoing UF Softball Commentary

Discussion in 'GatorGrowl's Diamond Gators' started by ocalaman, Feb 20, 2022.

  1. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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    Thanks for the post OTK. I had not heard of this commit and appreciate you adding her to the list of 2024 commits. Here's a link to a good article about her, the #3 player in Extra Elite's Top 100 for 2024.
    The Last Inning (Nov. 7, 2022): Spotlighting Future Gator Gabi Comia, Big Tournaments, Latest Verbals, Ozzy & Andor - Extra Inning Softball
     
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  2. johnny_cakes

    johnny_cakes GC Hall of Fame

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    Does anyone know the answer to Porschegator's question? Although, let me rephrase it: If Florida won all three games over Tennessee and all three games were very close, would that effect Tennessee's RPI differently than if they were destroyed in all three games by Florida?

    Related RPI question -- South Carolina travels to Georgia this weekend. Would our RPI benefit more with a USC sweep, thus making our loss to USC seem not so bad or would we benefit more with a Georgia sweep, thus making our win over Georgia all the better?
     
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  3. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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    Margin of a win or loss has no bearing on RPI calculations. Here's an explanation I found.
    The rating percentage index, commonly known as the RPI, is a quantity used to rank sports teams based upon a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. It is one of the sports rating systems by which NCAA basketball, baseball, softball, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and volleyball teams are ranked.
    In its current formulation, the index comprises a team's winning percentage (25%), its opponents' winning percentage (50%), and the winning percentage of those opponents' opponents (25%). The opponents' winning percentage and the winning percentage of those opponents' opponents both comprise the strength of schedule (SOS). Thus, the SOS accounts for 75% of the RPI calculation and is 2/3 its opponents' winning percentage and 1/3 its opponents' opponents' winning percentages.

    The RPI lacks theoretical justification from a statistical standpoint. Other ranking systems which include the margin of victory of games played or other statistics in addition to the win/loss results have been shown to be a better predictor of the outcomes of future games. However, because the margin of victory has been manipulated in the past by teams or individuals in the context of gambling, the RPI can be used to mitigate motivation for such manipulation.

    Baseball formula

    The formula used in NCAA baseball is the same as that used in basketball except for the adjustment of home and road records. Starting in 2013, college baseball RPI formula values each road victory as 1.3 instead of 1.0. Each home win is valued at 0.7 instead of 1.0. Conversely, each home loss counts 1.3 against a team’s RPI and each road loss counts 0.7 against a team’s RPI. Neutral-site games have a value of 1.0, but the committee is studying how to determine if a game should be considered a neutral-site contest. The adjustment is based on data showing that home teams win about 62 percent of the time in Division I baseball."[6] The change was made because of the discrepancy in the number of home games teams play. Some schools are able to play 35–40 of their 56 allowable games at home, while other teams, due to factors such as weather, may play only 20 home games.

    This adjustment replaces the previous system of bonuses or penalties that teams received. Bonus points were awarded for beating top-75 non-conference opponents on the road and penalty points were given for losing to bottom-75 non-conference opponents at home. Bonuses and penalties were on a sliding scale, separated into groups of 25, with the top bonus for a road win against a top-25 team and the worst penalty for a home loss to a bottom-25 opponent.[6]
     
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  4. johnny_cakes

    johnny_cakes GC Hall of Fame

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    Since we get the most "credit" for an opponent's winning percentage, I think we'd be better off with a Georgia sweep over South Carolina. OTOH, this gave me a major headache, so maybe not.
     
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2023
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  5. buffy2222

    buffy2222 Junior

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    Way too much information (TMI). I appreciate the research and explanation of RPI rankings. No more speculation, just play ball!
     
  6. scrappygator

    scrappygator VIP Member

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  7. orangeblue77

    orangeblue77 GC Hall of Fame

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  8. hoyt233

    hoyt233 GC Hall of Fame

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    Prattvile, AL-Go Lions!
    Where is today's game thread?
     
  9. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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    Remember Cali Decker? Catcher from Lake Mary, FL. As a true freshman in 2022 she played in 21 games for UF, started 7, hit .375, then transferred to San Diego State after the season. She's started 40 of their 42 games this year, primarily as their catcher. She's hitting .358 (3rd best on the team), .927 OPS, .474 OBP, fielding at .988, The Aztecs are 30-12, 14-5 in the Mountain West Conference. Sure would have been nice to have those numbers at the catcher position for the Gators, huh? I know the Mtn. West isn't the SEC, but it's still D1 softball.
     
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  10. johnny_cakes

    johnny_cakes GC Hall of Fame

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    If you want to talk about what could have been at catcher, Julia Cottrill is hitting .368 this year and that *is* the SEC. If only we could have found a job for her Dad, who was the hitting coach at Oklahoma State where she transferred (although they both left in 2022), maybe she would have stayed.

    Plus her tooth is still at KSP.
     
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  11. LTG61

    LTG61 GC Legend

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    Speaking of finding a job:

    Does anybody know why Jen Rocha, an assistant coach at an (at that time) elite tier program, left UF to become an assistant coach at an elite tier program?

    I'm coming to the conclusion that she was the reason UF was so good.
     
  12. gtr2x

    gtr2x GC Hall of Fame

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    Well for starters she is an OU alum and has family there. Probably the heir apparent to whenever Gasso retires. Don't recall if $$ was a factor.
     
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  13. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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    Money was a factor as well. She's being paid in the neighborhood of $250,000/year at Oklahoma and was making about 1/2 that at Florida, if I'm not mistaken.
     
  14. scrappygator

    scrappygator VIP Member

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    Also, she had young children at the time and needed help with childcare with her hectic schedule. I wish we had addressed that issue. Also, her husband needed a job, and we should have found him one.
     
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  15. GatorsOTK

    GatorsOTK Senior

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    I have to think if Jen Rocha wanted to be a head coach, she would already be one. Miss her and wish she was still here but it’s time to find the next Jen Rocha. If Walton only makes one change in the coaching staff, it has to be Bosch. This is the best offense we have had in several years, if Thomas stays so be it if it means getting rid of Bosch. Also, did that fourth paid assistant get approved for baseball and softball?
     
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  16. gatorntuscaloosa

    gatorntuscaloosa VIP Member

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    We are all waiting on the next two recruiting classes to get into the fold. At that point, it is reasonable to expect that our team will become much more talented and by process, hopefully more competitive against the teams that have passed us. If CTW stubbornly holds on to his ‘guys’ and the team isn’t much improved developmental wise by the 25 season, there will have to be some hard questions asked.
     
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  17. tggator07

    tggator07 Junior

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    As others have cogently pointed out on this forum, our pitching situation for this season was very apparent, yet the effort to obtain the best available pitchers in the portal seemed to lack any substantive effort. It begs the question, does CTW have the financial support to operate at the highest levels of D1 Softball? Was that financial support missing when Rocha elected to leave? If I’m not mistaken, if we get Run Ruled once more, we will tie our largest number of RR’s losses since 1999. It would obviously be even more dramatic if EH hadn’t elected to come back for one last season. I want to believe that we have just as much liberty to support our team as does OU. I think we need to see that support now and not in a couple of years if the problems aren’t rectified. The staff and these Gator Girls deserve this support. I hope the AD will concur. Go Gators! and beat those Noles.
     
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  18. ocalaman

    ocalaman GC Hall of Fame

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    He needs to find a younger female pitching coach. 3 old men running a major D1 softball program isn't a good look, IMO. Not meaning to be sexist, but there are plenty of women out there who would make excellent assistant coaches.
     
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  19. buckeyegator

    buckeyegator Premium Member

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    What are Alisha occasio,Lauren hanger Hannah Rodgers doing nowadays?