Fall softball

#26
#26
1CHATTVOL said:
Forgot my phone, so I couldn't post any scores. Nice crowd...750+ all trying to get in the shady seats.

Thought the freshmen looked terrific. Coleman looks to be new 1B. Strong bat, athletic.

Bearden only player to hit a HR, and she hit 2. Lot of power in all her cuts at the ball.

Shortstop Gregg's grandfather had been ill & passed away late Sat. Family decided he'd have wanted her to play. She had a couple of strong hits, but teams mostly pitched around her.

All 3 pitchers looked strong. Moss definitely the leader. Not many walks, but again it was not SEC competition.

Vines & Huffstetler have had offseason surgeries and DNP.

India Chiles (TNSB slapper legend) is the new Volunteer Assistant, taking over the position Shipman held.

TN won big in both games. They eventually turned off the scoreboard, but it was fun to see all the players play and in different combinations.

Fans were into it. Hot day and no concessions, but it didn't dampen the enthusiasm.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update! Was Bearden catching? She was a catcher in high school
 
#27
#27
I think you meant Morgan,not Coleman, looks to be the starter at first...agree the freshmen all looked very good...
 
#28
#28
The issue with Bearden is that she is not very athletic. She is big but athleticism is always a good thing. She got some hits for us last year but didn't show any power--nobody did but Gregg. You can't take much from these fall games as we are playing teams that are not as good as the travel clubs most of our kids played on. The Weeklys need to recruit a couple of good right-hand hitters. Not long ago having a heavy left-hand lineup would have been a very good thing as 90 percent of the pitchers were right-handed. Now, left-hand pitchers are becoming more common--a lot of good teams will have one--and that leaves you vulnerable if you can't counter with some good right-hand hitting. It surprises me that they didn't bring one in with this year's freshman class as the need is pretty obvious. The lineup is very unbalanced.
 
#29
#29
Nickid1975 said:
I think you meant Morgan,not Coleman, looks to be the starter at first...agree the freshmen all looked very good...
Click to expand...

I would've bet I typed "Morgan". Not sure who Coleman even is. Sometimes, correcting on the phone is just weird.

Thanks much.
 
#31
#31
I did see Beardon and freshman Amanda Ayala alternating at catcher in the second game....both are lefties,making it hard to distinguish.

I was told that Ralph asked Ayala if see would like to try catching, which is not her normal spot...
Seemed to indicate to me that they are not completely settled on a catcher..
 
#32
#32
Gotta tighten up the catching defense next year, that was our weakest defensive position last year, IMHO.
 
#33
#33
tnburban said:
Gotta tighten up the catching defense next year, that was our weakest defensive position last year, IMHO.
Click to expand...


a pretty good defensive catcher? Her problem has been hitting. She hit a weak .225 after being under .200 as a freshman. Not good.

Bearden, by the way, hit only .216 last year.

Weimer, also with catching experience, hit .289 last year. She was our best right-hand hitter in terms of average, I think. By all accounts, her catching is a bit suspect--but given how she has shown potential as a hitter, and hits right, I'd be working pretty aggressively to improve her defensive skills. I thinkn Weimer will be important to this team this year.

Ayala throws left. Do our coaches really want her to try catching? Has she caught some in the past? She is listed as OF/C--but don't know if that means she's played both positions in the past or that coaches envision her, possibly, in both roles. Seems a rather desperate and impractical idea to me. Better to work to on Weimer's and McSwain's weaknesses, I should think.
 
#34
#34
Weimer was the game one starter . Lockman caught the later innings..
Fall ball being a time for training and trial I would imagine the eventual starter will most likely be the one who has the best bat...
 
#35
#35
Nickid1975 said:
Weimer was the game one starter . Lockman caught the later innings..
Fall ball being a time for training and trial I would imagine the eventual starter will most likely be the one who has the best bat...
Click to expand...

From the catcher position and first base the best bat SHOULD be the starter.
 
#37
#37
armchair said:
a pretty good defensive catcher? Her problem has been hitting. She hit a weak .225 after being under .200 as a freshman. Not good.

Bearden, by the way, hit only .216 last year.

Weimer, also with catching experience, hit .289 last year. She was our best right-hand hitter in terms of average, I think. By all accounts, her catching is a bit suspect--but given how she has shown potential as a hitter, and hits right, I'd be working pretty aggressively to improve her defensive skills. I thinkn Weimer will be important to this team this year.

Ayala throws left. Do our coaches really want her to try catching? Has she caught some in the past? She is listed as OF/C--but don't know if that means she's played both positions in the past or that coaches envision her, possibly, in both roles. Seems a rather desperate and impractical idea to me. Better to work to on Weimer's and McSwain's weaknesses, I should think.
Click to expand...

Being a left handed catcher is not an issue in softball. Michigan had a lefty catching recently, made it to the final game of the WCWS. Georgia all has had a lefty catcher as well. If Ayala can play, then put her behind the plate.
 
#38
#38
tnburban said:
Being a left handed catcher is not an issue in softball. Michigan had a lefty catching recently, made it to the final game of the WCWS. Georgia all has had a lefty catcher as well. If Ayala can play, then put her behind the plate.
Click to expand...

Florida also had a left hand catcher.
 
#40
#40
Wow, I've never seen left-handed catcher...I will say this: The Weeklys should make every effort to develop our right-hand hitters and get a couple of them in the lineup and going well this year. We will need them. You can't have a lineup with 9 lefty hitters. I mean, if you have zero good right-hand hitters, then, yea, maybe you do--as a decent lefty hitter is better than a weak righty--but you're just setting yourself up to get beat by a good lefty pitcher in the tournament(s). You need some lineup balance. We aren't going to have much, but we need some. Didn't we get beat in the regionals by a good Arizona lefty two years ago?
 
#41
#41
Watched the Fla/Fsu game last year when they were ranked no.1 & no.2
Both had left handed starting catchers.
 
#47
#47
Haven't been able to find one score or one article on what has happened during the fall schedule. Anyone that went to the game Sunday hopefully will help us find out about the teams play.
 
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#48
#48
Update on Lee, Lipscomb, Chipola and Chattanooga State.

We won all 5 games easily with Chipola putting up a fight in the first five innings of game 1 of a double header. We played Chipola a double header due to weather cancelling the Sunday game. Chipola really the only game worth a little more detail. They had good pitching, defense and were loaded with fast slappers who when they got on were stealing and very aggressive base runners. Chipola is a JUCO and always a national contender who beat Miss State this fall. Their pitcher has apparently signed with Alabama and kept our big hitters off balance. We were down 2-4 in the bottom of the fifth when Ralph countered with 7 slappers in a row and scored 6 runs. From then on we pulled away with a win at 12-4. Game 2 went better for us after taking the fight out of them in game 1.

All the other games wound up a blowout or we turned off the scoreboard.

One thing to note, in the fall pitchers along with other positions are working on new techniques. What you see on the field is really not what you would see in the regular season. The piching we are facing can make some batters look better than they really are and make good batters look bad.

Pitching:

Matty: Continues to dominate with exceptional speed and placement.
Caylan: Speed increasing and does a great job keeping batters off balance. Did tweak her back a little but is OK.
Gabby: Improving, Freshmen jitters going away and working on new techniques.

Overall Gabby will see as much as she can handle early in the spring to have a 1 2 3 rotation and keep them all rested and healthy. If not a 1 2 3 rotation then at least she will make a good reliever till she improves.

Catchers:

Abby, Katie, Haley and Amanda all rotating in and out with each one having a different drawback. None of them are the "total package". Look for the best hitter to see most of the catching time.

Infield:

First base up for grabs with Freshmen Ashley Morgan seeing the most time. Have also seen Abby, Katie, Amanda and Haley over there. I would say it is Ashley's to lose but I suspect a lot of rotation. But then Brooke is hurt.

Outfield:

CJ's arm has center sewed up and has looked good in the number 2 spot of the lineup several times. Left and right still open with Jena in left and Amanda in right getting the most playing time but Brooke is hurt. I suspect you wil see a lot of rotation in left and right all year.

DH:

Abby, Scarlet, Amanda and Katie have seen a lot of time but Brooke is hurt.

Overall:

The team is loaded with talent and speed everywhere, all could start at the top level at any top 25 D1 school. With Brooke coming back in the spring there will be some hard decisions at DH, first base and right field. Scarlet has seen some time in left and DH and has hit well. Hayley (2), Meghan (3), and Chelsea (GS) are hitting homers and putting the ball deep consistently. Slappers, starters and bench players looking exceptional top to bottom with the addition of India helping them. They have produced the most hits and runs. From what I have seen Amanda is going to play somewhere every game unless something changes drastically. Team has the potential to put a different lineup in at any time to confuse or matchup with other teams. Will see.

Injuries:

Brooke Vines - Labrium
Savannah Huffstetler - ACL
 
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#49
#49
volsoftballdad said:
Update on Lee, Lipscomb, Chipola and Chattanooga State.

We won all 5 games easily with Chipola putting up a fight in the first five innings of game 1 of a double header. We played Chipola a double header due to weather cancelling the Sunday game. Chipola really the only game worth a little more detail. They had good pitching, defense and were loaded with fast slappers who when they got on were stealing and very aggressive base runners. Chipola is a JUCO and always a national contender who beat Miss State this fall. Their pitcher has apparently signed with Alabama and kept our big hitters off balance. We were down 2-4 in the bottom of the fifth when Ralph countered with 7 slappers in a row and scored 6 runs. From then on we pulled away with a win at 12-4. Game 2 went better for us after taking the fight out of them in game 1.

All the other games wound up a blowout or we turned off the scoreboard.

One thing to note, in the fall pitchers along with other positions are working on new techniques. What you see on the field is really not what you would see in the regular season. The piching we are facing can make some batters look better than they really are and make good batters look bad.

Pitching:

Matty: Continues to dominate with exceptional speed and placement.
Caylan: Speed increasing and does a great job keeping batters off balance. Did tweak her back a little but is OK.
Gabby: Improving, Freshmen jitters going away and working on new techniques.

Overall Gabby will see as much as she can handle early in the spring to have a 1 2 3 rotation and keep them all rested and healthy. If not a 1 2 3 rotation then at least she will make a good reliever till she improves.

Catchers:

Abby, Katie, Haley and Amanda all rotating in and out with each one having a different drawback. None of them are the "total package". Look for the best hitter to see most of the catching time.

Infield:

First base up for grabs with Freshmen Ashley Morgan seeing the most time. Have also seen Abby, Katie, Amanda and Haley over there. I would say it is Ashley's to lose but I suspect a lot of rotation. But then Brooke is hurt.

Outfield:

CJ's arm has center sewed up and has looked good in the number 2 spot of the lineup several times. Left and right still open with Jena in left and Amanda in right getting the most playing time but Brooke is hurt. I suspect you wil see a lot of rotation in left and right all year.

DH:

Abby, Scarlet, Amanda and Katie have seen a lot of time but Brooke is hurt.

Overall:

The team is loaded with talent and speed everywhere, all could start at the top level at any top 25 D1 school. With Brooke coming back in the spring there will be some hard decisions at DH, first base and right field. Scarlet has seen some time in left and DH and has hit well. Hayley (2), Meghan (3), and Chelsea (GS) are hitting homers and putting the ball deep consistently. Slappers, starters and bench players looking exceptional top to bottom with the addition of India helping them. They have produced the most hits and runs. From what I have seen Amanda is going to play somewhere every game unless something changes drastically. Team has the potential to put a different lineup in at any time to confuse or matchup with other teams. Will see.

Injuries:

Brooke Vines - Labrium
Savannah Huffstetler - ACL
Click to expand...

Thanks and great to have you aboard!
 
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#50
#50
volsoftballdad said:
Update on Lee, Lipscomb, Chipola and Chattanooga State.

We won all 5 games easily with Chipola putting up a fight in the first five innings of game 1 of a double header. We played Chipola a double header due to weather cancelling the Sunday game. Chipola really the only game worth a little more detail. They had good pitching, defense and were loaded with fast slappers who when they got on were stealing and very aggressive base runners. Chipola is a JUCO and always a national contender who beat Miss State this fall. Their pitcher has apparently signed with Alabama and kept our big hitters off balance. We were down 2-4 in the bottom of the fifth when Ralph countered with 7 slappers in a row and scored 6 runs. From then on we pulled away with a win at 12-4. Game 2 went better for us after taking the fight out of them in game 1.

All the other games wound up a blowout or we turned off the scoreboard.

One thing to note, in the fall pitchers along with other positions are working on new techniques. What you see on the field is really not what you would see in the regular season. The piching we are facing can make some batters look better than they really are and make good batters look bad.

Pitching:

Matty: Continues to dominate with exceptional speed and placement.
Caylan: Speed increasing and does a great job keeping batters off balance. Did tweak her back a little but is OK.
Gabby: Improving, Freshmen jitters going away and working on new techniques.

Overall Gabby will see as much as she can handle early in the spring to have a 1 2 3 rotation and keep them all rested and healthy. If not a 1 2 3 rotation then at least she will make a good reliever till she improves.

Catchers:

Abby, Katie, Haley and Amanda all rotating in and out with each one having a different drawback. None of them are the "total package". Look for the best hitter to see most of the catching time.

Infield:

First base up for grabs with Freshmen Ashley Morgan seeing the most time. Have also seen Abby, Katie, Amanda and Haley over there. I would say it is Ashley's to lose but I suspect a lot of rotation. But then Brooke is hurt.

Outfield:

CJ's arm has center sewed up and has looked good in the number 2 spot of the lineup several times. Left and right still open with Jena in left and Amanda in right getting the most playing time but Brooke is hurt. I suspect you wil see a lot of rotation in left and right all year.

DH:

Abby, Scarlet, Amanda and Katie have seen a lot of time but Brooke is hurt.

Overall:

The team is loaded with talent and speed everywhere, all could start at the top level at any top 25 D1 school. With Brooke coming back in the spring there will be some hard decisions at DH, first base and right field. Scarlet has seen some time in left and DH and has hit well. Hayley (2), Meghan (3), and Chelsea (GS) are hitting homers and putting the ball deep consistently. Slappers, starters and bench players looking exceptional top to bottom with the addition of India helping them. They have produced the most hits and runs. From what I have seen Amanda is going to play somewhere every game unless something changes drastically. Team has the potential to put a different lineup in at any time to confuse or matchup with other teams. Will see.

Injuries:

Brooke Vines - Labrium
Savannah Huffstetler - ACL
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum and thanks for a great summary. Looking forward to reading more posts from you.
 
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