Looking ahead to next year's softball season

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LVJeff

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#1
Anybody have any opinions about next season?

-Who will start in center? Does Geathers move over from left and McClain take her spot or does McClain start in center? McClain is supposedly the fastest player on the team and CF is a position needing speed. I don't know how strong of an arm she has. Gaffin seems safe in right. Right is where you need a strong arm and Gaffin has the strongest of the outfielder's.

-Where does Overstreet play? Third, outfield, catcher, or first? She's very versatile and can play all positions. My sense is, Ralph wants McSwain's bat in the lineup so unless McSwain's fielding doesn't improve, McSwain will be at third. Aldrete is the starting catcher for sure so unless she's injured Overstreet will only occasionally catch. This leaves the OF but see above, the OF should be set. First base is a possibility if Koenig cannot get her bat going again. So where does she play?

-Who is the starting pitcher? Hard to answer this one without knowing the health of Gabriel's hip and not knowing how the freshman pitchers will perform. The pre-conference schedule will probably be more of the pitch-by-committee we had this season, while the coaches take a look at all the pitchers. If there isn't a clear-cut number one pitcher by the time conference season rolls around, next season will be a repeat of this one.

-Will the team surpass this season's home run total of 100? No.

-Will Aldrete and Koenig break out of their sophomore slumps? Yes and no, respectively.

-Where will the team finish in the SEC? The SEC will be more stacked next season than this. Wow, this is a really brutal conference. Tennessee could be a much better team next season and still finish no better than fifth in the conference. Florida loses Haeger so I am betting the Gators don't take the title, but they return top pitchers plus most of their line up. Auburn, LSU, and Alabama all have their top pitchers returning. I am betting Tennessee finishes no better than fourth.

-Will Shipman still be with the team as a coach? I hope so. :)

-Will the team make it back to OKC? Tennessee received very favorable treatment from the NCAA this season in terms of seeding and opponents. My bet is that won't happen next season even if the team finishes several games better than this season. If a dominant pitcher doesn't emerge, a trip back to OKC will be a 50-50 or maybe a 60-40 proposition in favor.
 
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#2
#2
Anybody have any opinions about next season?

-Who will start in center? Does Geathers move over from left and McClain take her spot or does McClain start in center? McClain is supposedly the fastest player on the team and CF is a position needing speed. I don't know how strong of an arm she has. Gaffin seems safe in right. Right is where you need a strong arm and Gaffin has the strongest of the outfielder's.

-Where does Overstreet play? Third, outfield, catcher, or first? She's very versatile and can play all positions. My sense is, Ralph wants McSwain's bat in the lineup so unless McSwain's fielding doesn't improve, McSwain will be at third. Aldrete is the starting catcher for sure so unless she's injured Overstreet will only occasionally catch. This leaves the OF but see above, the OF should be set. First base is a possibility if Koenig cannot get her bat going again. So where does she play?

Who is the starting pitcher? Hard to answer this one without knowing the health of Gabriel's hip and not knowing how the freshman pitchers will perform. The pre-conference schedule will probably be more of the pitch-by-committee we had this season, while the coaches take a look at all the pitchers. If there isn't a clear-cut number one pitcher by the time conference season rolls around, next season will be a repeat of this one.

-Will the team surpass this season's home run total of 100? No.

-Will Aldrete and Koenig break out of their sophomore slumps? Yes and no, respectively.

-Where will the team finish in the SEC? The SEC will be more stacked next season than this. Wow, this is a really brutal conference. Tennessee could be a much better team next season and still finish no better than fifth in the conference. Florida loses Haeger so I am betting the Gators don't take the title, but they return top pitchers plus most of their line up. Auburn, LSU, and Alabama all have their top pitchers returning. I am betting Tennessee finishes no better than fourth.

-Will Shipman still be with the team as a coach? I hope so. :)

-Will the team make it back to OKC? Tennessee received very favorable treatment from the NCAA this season in terms of seeding and opponents. My bet is that won't happen next season even if the team finishes several games better than this season. If a dominant pitcher doesn't emerge, a trip back to OKC will be a 50-50 or maybe a 60-40 proposition in favor.

You can win with a dominant pitcher and an average offense. We need to find the next Monica Abbott !
 
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#3
#3
You can win with a dominant pitcher and an average offense. We need to find the next Monica Abbott !

Abbott was the softball equivalent of Peyton Manning. Once in a lifetime player.

Realistic hope is to find someone comparable to the Renfroes.
 
#5
#5
Geathers will never be in CF because she isn't good enough defensively in terms of speed or arm strength. Look for McClain or Geer to get the position out of the returning players, or Leach or Vines out of the freshmen. McClain has the best speed and the best arm out of all of them (although Vines and Leach are both very fast). The only question with McClain is her bat.

Overstreet IMO should be put at 3B. We have enough OF options (although she is probably a better outfielder than Geathers, and has a better arm), and she's much better at 3B than either Koenig or McSwain. Overstreet played 3B for her high school and catcher for her club team, I think. Or maybe the other way around. So it's not like 3B is a foreign position for her.

I think Gabriel will get more innings than anyone if healthy. I don't see Gaffin getting as many innings next season if Bush and Moss perform well. I honestly don't see Aucoin getting much pitching time in the circle next season at all.

They have the potential to pass this year's total next year as they only graduate four total HRs (3 for Lewis, 1 for Tarango). That being said I'm not sure they will. I remember in 2011 we had upwards of 70 HRs (at the time, a school record) and we brought back most of the same team the next year and didn't come close to matching that number. Also I think next year's team look will change somewhat with some of the incoming recruits. Vines and Leach in particular will get us more speed on the bases.

Not sure I would call Koenig's season a slump. She had a lower BA than her freshman year but had far more ABs and a much more productive season overall. As for Aldrete, I think she benefitted last year a lot from hitting behind Madison Shipman. But for a slump ... if .302 with 15 HR and 45 RBI is a slump ... she must be doing something right. I think both of them swing at too many pitches out of the zone while taking too many fatties. Annie in particular is aggressive early in the count, which is a double edged sword because it results in a lot of extra base hits (many of her homers come off the first pitch of the AB), but also many quick outs. Koenig's stance in the box is odd to me (as is Aucoin's), and I think that makes her vulnerable to certain pitches. They both foul off way too many bad pitches that would otherwise be called balls.

Most of the top teams in the SEC (Florida, LSU, Missouri, Bama, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia) pretty much return their core of players. Florida will still be the preseason favorite next season even while losing Haeger. They lose no other key players and they bring in the #3 class (behind Oklahoma and Tennessee), including the #1 pitcher in the country. They still will have arguably the best staff in the country with Barnhill, Ocasio and Gourley. Auburn will probably still be about where they were this year (2nd), as they return most of their team, but they do lose Estell and Melero. Most of Bama's seniors this year, quite frankly, aren't very good (Hayes, Spencer, Jury, Richard). Tennessee obviously isn't losing much. LSU is only losing Andrews. Georgia loses Wilson and Swafford which are pretty big shoes to fill given their bats (and they are 3B and SS ... albeit not very good defensive players, especially Swafford). Mizzou does lose some good players (Roth, Genovese, Randazzo), but they do still return their whole pitching staff and I believe have a good class coming in. Based on that, I would say preseason picks will probably look like how the end of the season SEC standings looked this year. And I would bet they will probably play out similar to this year, as well. Of course, scheduling plays a role in how teams finish. But the SEC next year will be as tough as it was this year, with the top 5-6 teams all having a legit shot at OKC.

Tennessee got favorable seeding because of their RPI. Their RPI was aided by that SECT run and beating several top teams late. Even just playing top teams helps your RPI, which is one good thing about playing in the SEC. If we have a good OOC schedule next year, coupled with the usual SEC schedule, we will continue to get favorable treatment. (Our OOC schedule was, in all honesty, pretty weak this year. If our OOC schedule had been better our RPI would've been even better.) Yes, I do think we will be back. We have only not gotten back when expected when our RPI is low because of weak scheduling (see 2011).
 
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#6
#6
Abbott was the softball equivalent of Peyton Manning. Once in a lifetime player.

Realistic hope is to find someone comparable to the Renfroes.

It's a shame we didn't win a NC with Monica..watching Clint Myers coach up this Auburn team makes me think we are sometimes at a disadvantage in coaching..too many fundamental errors that good coached teams don't make....still remember Ralph sitting in the dugout rubbing a rabbit's foot or reading Tarot cards while our teams struggled on the field
 
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#7
#7
--McClain played very little this year. Why do some assume she'll be playing next year? Having speed and a good arm is nice--but how will she hit?

--We have at least three or four top recruits coming in, not counting pitchers. A couple of them will play, I assume, but I couldn't tell you where.

--Koenig most definitely slumped--are you kidding? She was benched in some tournament games for a reason, that being that her hitting went completely in the toilet the last half of the season. She's got great power but power doesn't do much good if you are not putting the bat on the ball. She will have to regain her mojo or she could easily lose her spot in the lineup next year. Aldrete slumped too--pretty badly before getting a couple of hits yesterday.

Vols definitely need Gabriel to be strong and healthy next year and for one of the freshman pitchers to be good. And I trust Aucoin will be coached up to improve her control, which was so bad she got dropped from the rotation this year.

We should have a good team next year.
 
#8
#8
It's a shame we didn't win a NC with Monica..watching Clint Myers coach up this Auburn team makes me think we are sometimes at a disadvantage in coaching..too many fundamental errors that good coached teams don't make....still remember Ralph sitting in the dugout rubbing a rabbit's foot or reading Tarot cards while our teams struggled on the field


about the rabbit's foot, I presume?

We blew when Abbott was a senior, there's no question about that. And did the same against oklahoma in that first game. We could have won a title with Shipman and Chevanne, who were simply GREAT players.
 
#10
#10
Geathers will never be in CF because she isn't good enough defensively in terms of speed or arm strength. Look for McClain or Geer to get the position out of the returning players, or Leach or Vines out of the freshmen. McClain has the best speed and the best arm out of all of them (although Vines and Leach are both very fast). The only question with McClain is her bat.

Overstreet IMO should be put at 3B. We have enough OF options (although she is probably a better outfielder than Geathers, and has a better arm), and she's much better at 3B than either Koenig or McSwain. Overstreet played 3B for her high school and catcher for her club team, I think. Or maybe the other way around. So it's not like 3B is a foreign position for her.

I think Gabriel will get more innings than anyone if healthy. I don't see Gaffin getting as many innings next season if Bush and Moss perform well. I honestly don't see Aucoin getting much pitching time in the circle next season at all.

They have the potential to pass this year's total next year as they only graduate four total HRs (3 for Lewis, 1 for Tarango). That being said I'm not sure they will. I remember in 2011 we had upwards of 70 HRs (at the time, a school record) and we brought back most of the same team the next year and didn't come close to matching that number. Also I think next year's team look will change somewhat with some of the incoming recruits. Vines and Leach in particular will get us more speed on the bases.

Not sure I would call Koenig's season a slump. She had a lower BA than her freshman year but had far more ABs and a much more productive season overall. As for Aldrete, I think she benefitted last year a lot from hitting behind Madison Shipman. But for a slump ... if .302 with 15 HR and 45 RBI is a slump ... she must be doing something right. I think both of them swing at too many pitches out of the zone while taking too many fatties. Annie in particular is aggressive early in the count, which is a double edged sword because it results in a lot of extra base hits (many of her homers come off the first pitch of the AB), but also many quick outs. Koenig's stance in the box is odd to me (as is Aucoin's), and I think that makes her vulnerable to certain pitches. They both foul off way too many bad pitches that would otherwise be called balls.

Most of the top teams in the SEC (Florida, LSU, Missouri, Bama, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia) pretty much return their core of players. Florida will still be the preseason favorite next season even while losing Haeger. They lose no other key players and they bring in the #3 class (behind Oklahoma and Tennessee), including the #1 pitcher in the country. They still will have arguably the best staff in the country with Barnhill, Ocasio and Gourley. Auburn will probably still be about where they were this year (2nd), as they return most of their team, but they do lose Estell and Melero. Most of Bama's seniors this year, quite frankly, aren't very good (Hayes, Spencer, Jury, Richard). Tennessee obviously isn't losing much. LSU is only losing Andrews. Georgia loses Wilson and Swafford which are pretty big shoes to fill given their bats (and they are 3B and SS ... albeit not very good defensive players, especially Swafford). Mizzou does lose some good players (Roth, Genovese, Randazzo), but they do still return their whole pitching staff and I believe have a good class coming in. Based on that, I would say preseason picks will probably look like how the end of the season SEC standings looked this year. And I would bet they will probably play out similar to this year, as well. Of course, scheduling plays a role in how teams finish. But the SEC next year will be as tough as it was this year, with the top 5-6 teams all having a legit shot at OKC.

Tennessee got favorable seeding because of their RPI. Their RPI was aided by that SECT run and beating several top teams late. Even just playing top teams helps your RPI, which is one good thing about playing in the SEC. If we have a good OOC schedule next year, coupled with the usual SEC schedule, we will continue to get favorable treatment. (Our OOC schedule was, in all honesty, pretty weak this year. If our OOC schedule had been better our RPI would've been even better.) Yes, I do think we will be back. We have only not gotten back when expected when our RPI is low because of weak scheduling (see 2011).

Solid analysis . :good!:
 
#11
#11
Few thoughts on next season...

I think this team is more than capable of returning to the WCWS and potentially doing much more damage while there and it all comes down to pitching.

Quite frankly I look for the freshman pitchers to come in and push Gabrielle. Absent some significant offseason development from her, I will disappointed if she comes in as the primary thrower next year. Thats not meant to be a slap towards her--I know the Weekly's have said she works extremely hard and we know she's struggled mightily with injuries. Unfortunately up to this point we just haven't seen her string together championship pitching performances--which is the last remaining element this team is missing. Hopefully she has an incredible offseason and makes me look foolish. We might end up with a combo of Gabrielle, Bush, Morrison, and Rainey similar to what LSU has done this year and one or two pitchers asserting themselves late in the year.

I think you will see many of the same players on the field defensively but I do think Lockman and Vines will challenge many for playing time.

The roles of Keonig and Aucoin going forward are the most interesting to me due to their defensive limitations.
 
#12
#12
Let's give the Ladies a few months to enjoy the season they had. They'll start their workouts and practice games in the fall then we can start speculating about the upcoming season once we hear some reports about the freshmen and who might be on the team.
 
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#13
#13
about the rabbit's foot, I presume?

We blew when Abbott was a senior, there's no question about that. And did the same against oklahoma in that first game. We could have won a title with Shipman and Chevanne, who were simply GREAT players.

yeah...I don't mean to put down the Weeklys..I have enjoyed the last decade of LV softball, but that image of Ralph covering his eyes and hiding in the dugout in 2007 isn't the image I want to see from a great coach..during the last two days Myers was up on the dugout steps coaching every pitch it seemed
 
#14
#14
TBH, I hope Lockman gets some time at catcher if she can hit as a freshman with Annie at DP. I want to see Lockman's defense. Annie's defense has never impressed me. Lots of passed balls and lots of 'wild pitches' that IMO either should have been or could easily have been passed balls and should've been caught/blocked. She only threw out 4 of 20 base stealers this season. Overstreet only threw out 1 of 13. Maybe I'm just a little spoiled given past catchers. Ashley Andrews and Hannah Akamine were fantastic defensive catchers. OTOH they were both bad hitters.

It will be interesting to see how players like Aucoin and McSwain fit in. Both showed glimpses but struck out a ton and gave very little toward the end of the season. Aucoin really struggled with her control all season long (and couldn't hit an outside pitch to save her life), and of course McSwain struggled defensively all year long at 3B. And then there is Geer who simply isn't very good at 2B. She's supposedly a natural outfielder but I don't think she's a better option in the outfield over some other players. But some of that's based on how I think freshmen will do. And I don't see another 2B on the team unless it's a freshman who takes the spot. Of course, they could try all-everything defender Overstreet there.
 
#15
#15
Really rehash of what everyone already said…

Our pitching should be bolstered by addition of Bush, Moss and Morrison next yr. All sound like legit to me. I have read some great things about Bush and Moss and really look forward to their immediate contribution next year. Bush sounds like a crafty (team-first unselfish) pitcher and Moss more of a traditional power pitcher. The contrast can only help. Morrison should be a good one as well; I think she's got the size and right stuff to be effective for us down the road. How will Gabriel come back next year? Who knows but I'm hoping that she's saved the best for last and pray that she can go out on a bang in her senior year. Otherwise what a disappointment she'd be coming out of HS as a #1 recruit. But she's a winner no less in other aspect...Aucoin is an interesting dilemma for us. She's got the stuff to be effective at this level. However, if Gabriel comes back strong and one or two of freshman pitchers can really develop, then as someone mentioned, I think Aucoin's role will be greatly reduced on the pitching staff. She'll never get to pitch on the weekends. We'll have Gaffin to come in as a shutdown closer and Gaffin should be reliable as a closer for us. Pitch by committee like this yr, but we'll just have true pitchers who've bred to pitch for us instead of utility players trying to become one..

Hitting and base-running should be improved IMO. We only lose Lewis. Tarango shouldn't be a big loss at all. Leach sounds like a true lead-off hitter which we lacked this yr, and she should challenge the returning players for a starting spot. Vines sounds like an elite talent as well. These two will add some speed to our line-up, and help our small ball game. Lockman should back up Aldrete nicely, and should be able to find some playing time.

Our fielding & defense can't get any worse…Hope it gets better next yr...

With so many incoming players, I guess inevitably there'll be some turnover expected to happen during off-season. Interested in what happens over the next few months...

With many returning players with college world series experience and a top recruiting class coming in, I will be disappointed and surprised if team #21 doesn't make it back to WCWS for program's 8th time. Only bad coaching can screw it up...

Go Volunteers!! :)
 
#16
#16
I called it a sophomore slump but it wasn't intended to disparage either Koenig or Aldrete. Both players were and will continue to be important to the success of the team.

Taylor's batting stats to date:
Season GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB-Att OBP SLG OPS Avg
2014 54-49 141 20 43 8 1 2 29 10 31 0-1 0.388 0.418 0.806 0.305
2015 61-55 140 38 38 3 0 17 49 27 42 1-1 0.434 0.657 1.091 0.271

Some of Taylor's indicators were better - notably runs scored, home runs, RBI's, on base %, and slugging %, but some were not - total hits, doubles, triples, batting average, and strike outs (more). And her production in the second half of the season dropped noticeably, to the point she was briefly removed from the line up.

Aldrete's batting stats to date:
Season GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB-Att OBP SLG OPS Avg
2014 58-55 166 37 60 14 2 19 65 29 37 1/1/2015 0.47 0.813 1.283 0.361
2015 58-57 165 41 49 6 1 15 45 33 36 0-0 0.416 0.618 1.034 0.297

Annie's total hits, home runs, doubles, triples, RBI's, batting average, slugging %, on base %, all down from her freshman season.
 
#17
#17
Good analysis guys....I was impressed.

By the way what happened to Jessica Adell and Shianne Ybarra.
 
#18
#18
Good analysis guys....I was impressed.

By the way what happened to Jessica Adell and Shianne Ybarra.

Ybarra was with the team all season as far as I know. She was with the team at the regionals. I didn't see any of the OKC games so don't know about out there. Adell is still on the roster but disappeared. I have no idea what happened to her.
 
#19
#19
Adell probably realized there is basically nowhere on the team for her. I hadn't seen her since like March. Ybarra has been with the team all season long.

Honestly I expect to see quite a bit of turnover the next few years. Seems like we are over-recruiting.
 
#20
#20
Ybarra was with the team all season as far as I know. She was with the team at the regionals. I didn't see any of the OKC games so don't know about out there. Adell is still on the roster but disappeared. I have no idea what happened to her.

Adell was removed from the team in March, but is still listed on the roster. She will not be back.

Ybarra is not an SEC-level player. Was highly-touted early in her high school/travel ball career, tailed off later on. UT honored her scholarship offer anyway, but I'll be very surprised if she returns.
 
#21
#21
I'm gonna be lazy and won't use any stats to back it up/elaborate, but here's my projected starting line up for next year just 'cause that's the way i like it..

I. Pitching

Bria Bush, an incoming freshman will emerge as our ace of staff IMO; she's a product of Buford High-- the same famed Atlanta area high school (program) which produced our own Lexi Overstreet (and Andraya Carter of WBB) and other major D-I softball talents. I have a faith in Bria that she'll come in and have an immediate impact on our program in mold of Ellen Renfroe in her first year. She seems well-prepared, seasoned enough, and looks to have the necessary tools to succeed at the next level, in the most competitive softball conference in the nation to say the least. Moss and Gabriel will be two-headed monsters backing her up nicely as co-#2 pitchers on the staff with Gaffin taking on a full-time closer role. Morrison will come along nicely too but I think her best years are still ahead of her, and she needs to mature a little bit more physically before she can have a major impact.

II. Hitting & Fielding

1. Aubrey Leach: I just like her. First of all, she's got great family genes and IMO she's the perfect leadoff hitter for us. She just finds the way to get on the base no matter what. Elite talent with great speed. She should play 2B.
2. Lexi Overstreet: Lexi is just a helluva ball player, and you gotta have her in line-up and find a spot for her no matter what. She's proven to be a clutch player in important moments. Defensively, she can do so many things but I want her to primarily play 1B for us.

3. Meghan Gregg: She was in all essence our best hitter this year, if not the most clutch hitter as well. Look for her to really break out and produce a major offensive output next year. She should be All-SEC caliber next year. Watching Gregg play SS, however, makes you really appreciate what Madison Shipman had done for us in the previous 4 yrs. But Gregg is improving defensively..

4. Megan Geer: Good power hitter who also hits for average. She can also be clutch at times. She rarely has bad at bats, and seems to put good chunk of barrel on the ball almost every time at the plate. With Leach taking over at 2B, Geer should be able to move to the outfield and play her natural position at left field. Her defense at 2B this year was uhm…..let me just say not very good…not atrocious level but very suspect...

5. Annie Aldrete: She slumped towards the end of yr, but there aren't too many catchers who can still match her offensive prowess. Simply based on her offensive credentials alone, I would put Annie in the starting lineup almost every day. We need her bats. Unfortunately, however, I think her freshman year will be her best yr as far as offensive output is concerned. Yes, she's still All-SEC caliber player, but she'll never be an All-American elite player again. She's like a one hit wonder. Hope I'm wrong..

6. Koenig/Aucoin: I will insert either one of these two in starting line-up as a DH unless a freshman comes in and takes the spot from them. Platoon here. After substantial success early on both mightily struggled the rest of season. But they possess all important power at the plate and can hit the ball out of park at any moment, particularly Koenig. They still can help us offensively when turned on.

7. Scarlet McSwain: She was very good at times, and showed a flash of brilliance. Then, she also reminded of her freshman status. I would make her play 3B, partially due to the lack of better option, and she should play better defensively at that position moving forward with more reps/experience. At the plate she needs to have better discipline and her pitch selection is a key for her success next year. But I think she'll be okay.

8. Rainey Gaffin: She hits for average and fields well. A jack of all trade, she's also one of our best pure athletes. I would let her play right field when not pitching in the circle.

9. Brooke Vines over CJ McClain: It'll be a battle but I believe in the end Vines will win out a starting job over McClain and should inherit the center field position vacated by departed Tory Lewis. Vines just looks way more mature mentally. Based on what I can tell, Vines can also hit in the leadoff spot perfectly, but I like her at the bottom of line up as a freshman. Great speed, good bats, good head on her shoulders, she seems to be a complete package for us.

S. Geathers should see major PT depending on the games/situations as a part-time starter.

We have several other talented freshman coming in: Brittany Edmonson should be able to contribute right away as a pinch runner/hitter/part-time starter. Taylor Rowland, Abby Lockman all can contribute both offensively and defensively befitting their role on the team. Other freshman not mentioned, I'm afraid, should resort to being great cheerleaders on the team, and pull hard for the team #21 all the way to OKC.
 
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#23
#23
Adell probably realized there is basically nowhere on the team for her. I hadn't seen her since like March. Ybarra has been with the team all season long.

Honestly I expect to see quite a bit of turnover the next few years. Seems like we are over-recruiting.

I am amazed at the size of next year's freshman class, given how young this team is and the fact that we are losing only 1 regular this year and only 2 next year, I think. I wonder what the Weeklys were thinking.

They could platoon at a couple of positions next year--probably would be wise to do so. Play 2 at a position, if and see who's going well at the end of the year. Still, there will be good players with nowhere to play for at least two years.

Some have speculated that Aldrete had an injury late in the year--or maybe it was just fatigue. She had a very good first half and then fell off badly the last third of the season, perhaps from weariness. Catching 50+ games a year is tough. Maybe Overstreet should catch a few more games. Aldrete has a beautiful stroke, with power--and the Vols need her hitting well at the end of the season. There is no doubt about that.
 
#24
#24
I can't really fault Weeklys for "over-recruiting"; that's not entirely their fault. Some of these girls are obviously better-suited for going to lesser places befitting their talent level where they can get major playing time. But they want to be a part of Tennessee program where they know whenever they get to play (how rare an occasion that might be) they play in front of a big sell-out crowd, be seen on national TV, have an access to top-notch facilities, great coaching, compete for WCWS appearances practically every single year, and enjoy better overall college experience. Who can't really blame them for having a dream and shooting for the stars? Look at Kourtney Dunbar and Niya Moore of WBB; these two should have gone to lesser programs if they wanted more PT, but they came to Tennessee b/c they wanted to challenge themselves and wanted to be a part of something much bigger. I just wish the best to the likes of Lauren Irwin, Haleigh Norris, Savannah Huffsteler, Haley Beardens of the world for choosing to come to Tennessee and be a part of a very special softball program. You know they do have a role on the team. If not great glue/chemistry kids on the team, improving team GPA along the way, they also contribute in practice and enhance the overall game experiences for the spectators. Good for them!
 
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#25
#25
One thing about the team is that at times we have to many left handed hitters in the lineup versus a lefty pitcher. We need to be able to platoon some right handed hitters when that happens. I think it has stalled the offense against left handed pitchers several times this season.
We also need a lead off hitter with speed and patience at the plate. We tried a lot of people there none with the blazing speed you would like to have in that position.
 

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