Softball team leaves for Texas tomorrow

#1

rabidvolfan

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#1
The team has another weekend tournament. Austin is the site this time and despite the competition not being what it was last weekend, we will have another tough matchup with the tourneys home team in Texas. The #13 ranked Longhorns have a record of 5-0 and have won their 5 games by a combined score of 60-0. Our match with the Horns will be Friday at 6:00 eastern time. The game will be televised on the Longhorn Network. Unlike the last tournament this one will have bracket play beginning Saturday and going into Sunday. Here is the schedule

02/17/ vs. Illinois Austin, Texas 11:30 a.m. CT
at Texas Austin, Texas 5:00 p.m. CT
02/18/ vs. Pittsburgh Austin, Texas 9:30 a.m. CT
Bracket Play Austin, Texas TBA
02/19/ Bracket Play Austin, Texas TBA


Things to look for:


Ellen Renfroe- Last weekend she looked like a pitcher who was capable of leading a team to the national championship. Will she continue to ride that wave?

Chayanne Tarango- If Ivy continues to struggle, can she become the #2 girl? I seen her pitch a couple innings against Cal, and though the numbers won’t back it up, I thought she looked like a good pitcher. She takes a long time to deliver the ball and then when she does, boom it’s out of there. She’s a big girl anyway, and she creates an intimidating presence. It seemed to me that her balls traveled faster than both Renfroe girls, and then she had this really sleepy change up but she never could get it across the plate. I really loved her potential.

Seniors- The senior leadership really had a strong presence last week, even some you didn’t expect big things from. Melissa Brown IMO was our 2nd MVP next to Ellen. Ashley Andrews is just a gamer and a scrapper. I’ll really miss her when she’s gone. She came up big last weekend after going from possible bench player to batting 2nd in the lineup. Holly Baker also has played a bigger role. She made perhaps our best defensive play of the tournament, when she went into the wall to catch a long fly, that I thought was a homer when it went off the bat. Cat Hosfield, who moved from pitcher to first base, and DP, is getting a few at bats as well. Now for the two names we expected to hear a lot from, Burchelle, maybe in the biggest slump on the team, but we all know she can play and no doubt her bat will be back, hopefully this weekend. Raven Chavanne- Will she be back in the lineup and if so how effective will she be?

Melissa Davin- I like the way this kid can swing the bat. She walks so many times, it don’t seem you get to see her hit it often, but she can really crush the ball. When you have a girl like this in the bottom part of the lineup, that shows how talented this team is. She would be a clean up hitter at 90% of the schools in the nation. Not only did she have the 2- 3 run homers in Sundays game, but also had our only hard hit of the great Cal pitcher, on a ball I thought was a home run, but went off the wall.

Catching position: Heralded freshmen Hannah Akamine started the year at this position but was benched by an Angry Ralph Weekly after a strikeout past ball and then on the next play, a bunt that she threw away. This led to Ellen’s only bad inning she’s had this year. You know Ashley can play there and be dependable. I think we were hoping to have more than dependability at that spot, we wanted a super star and hoped Hannah could immediately become that. A lot to ask from a freshman coming into the year, who plays the toughest position on the team. She did have her struggles. Her bat wasn’t very effective and she seemed to have a tough time catching the ball cleanly. I noticed during the ASU game, that the ball was coming out of her glove nearly every time during one stretch, not passed balls but just dropping it and picking it back up. To her credit she did make a beautiful bouncing bullet throw to gun down ASU’s only attempted steal of the game. I think that’s the only time a team has attempted to steal on her this year.


I think the heart and soul of this team is, and will continue to be the trio of Ellen Renfroe, Madison Shipman, and Lauren Gibson.

Feel free to add to this or disagree with me. Just trying to get a little softball talk going. I think it's such a fun sport and our kids are really fun people to root for.
 
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#2
#2
I wish they showed more games on tv along with college baseball. I know you can catch alot of games on minor sports tv but I wish espn would do with sec softball as they have done with sec baseball in the Thursday night sec baseball showcase
 
#4
#4
Just got on twitter and read some great news from Raven Chavanne. Her cast has just been removed and she has been cleared to play this weekend. It's nice to have the best lead off hitter in the country back in the lineup. With the numbers she puts up, I'd give her a shot at national player of the year, if this injury doesn't effect her play.
 
#5
#5
Softball up 8-6 in the top of the 7th.. Lauren Gibson with a grand slam and Maddison Shipman with a solo shot to lead the Lady Vols.

Ellen started and gave up 4 runs in the 3rd and Ivy pitched well until the 6th and gave up 2 runs. Ellen re entered to close the door.

Lady Vols have bases loaded in top of 7th with no out... we been stranding lots of base runners early so far this season.
 
#6
#6
Lady Vols score 2 in the top of the 7th but leave the bases loaded again... then Illinois scores a lead off home run in bottom of 7th but the Lady Vols hang on for the 10-7 victory!
 
#7
#7
Just saw that, thanks.

AUSTIN, Texas - Junior second baseman Lauren Gibson was 3-for-3 with a grand slam and five RBIs and joined sophomore shortstop Madison Shipman in fourth-inning, back-to-back HR's as #7 Tennessee topped Illinois in a slugfest, 10-7.

UT registered season-highs for hits (12) and runs scored (10) in the triumph while moving to 6-1 overall.

6936158.jpeg
 
#10
#10
I think part of the reason we are leaving so many on, is we get so many walks. I've never seen a team walk as much as this one.
 
#11
#11
Yogi Berra once said.... You can't think and hit at the same time!

Lots of walks accounts why we are getting runners on base but not necessarily why we aren't driving them in and stranding them on base.

A walk with the bases loaded is a RBI, we just aren't getting that key hit when we need it most... with the bases juiced.

Noted... Lauren had a wonderful bases loaded hit yesterday... Grand Slam... It will come, the girls are getting their timing and other issues worked out. I believe the hitting will be fine... just need to break through and HIT like they are capable:lolabove:
 
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#12
#12
CLV, here's an archive of an interview with Weekly following last weeks tournament if you haven't heard it.click on link below, then click 'download show' Too bad today got rained out. Texas, tomorrow morning, is our only game now.

WNML-AM
 
#13
#13
unable to down load.. said i had an error with quick time? Unable to load and listen unfortunately... was able to go to the website and listen to live programing though.:unsure:
 
#16
#16
Well anyway, he talks some about MD for a minute. Talks about how great a person she is, has a bright future,that she can hit a ball as far as anyone he's seen. Then kind of starts laughing and talks about her being a free swinger right now, either misses or hits a home run.
 

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