Lady Vols Softball

She is 5’9”, lol.

We have two incoming players that play for the same HS team and are around 6’, though. They are called the Twin Towers by many around their program.

texted back and forth with a coach in the So Cal area who has worked with her and Tiare Jennings and said she is legit/ in his words best defensive 3B he has seen. I asked him if she was better than the two mentioned above, "way better"

Good problem to have.
 
texted back and forth with a coach in the So Cal area who has worked with her and Tiare Jennings and said she is legit/ in his words best defensive 3B he has seen. I asked him if she was better than the two mentioned above, "way better"

Good problem to have.

Yeah I figure she will be the early favorite to be the starting 3B.

Honestly even with all the talent OU has, I was surprised she didn't get more time this season.
 
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a guess --- more playing time with LVs ( I assume she goes to 3rd base, but maybe it's 2nd) -- if she delivers like Ivy Davis, we will be very happy --- right?

UPDATE - I see the only fielding chance she had at OU last year was at 3rd base (so, behind Jana Johns if Johns comes back for her Covid year)

Honestly, Johns had a decent year for OU but I'm surprised that Zaida didn't get more time there, especially given that OU's schedule was incredibly weak. Gasso may have not wanted to split time at 3B to let one player get in a groove there defensively, but Zaida also could've split time with Snow at 1B. Snow and Johns were their worst two hitters this season (albeit still good). Zaida is simply too good of a player to waste her first year basically just being a pinch hitter when Johns and Snow were on the field. Gasso made no effort to get her any substantial playing time so it's not surprising to see her leave.
 
Yeah I figure she will be the early favorite to be the starting 3B.

Honestly even with all the talent OU has, I was surprised she didn't get more time this season.


Go where you can play, even if that means leaving Oklahoma. She’s a take and it’ll drive competition but also hopefully speed up the recovery of the hitting issues.
 
I am excited about Zaida - I think she is a great pickup. Any thoughts/guesses on whether or not we will be adding any more from the portal?

Also, have Ayala and Morgan officially announced they are returning? I know it has been assumed, but didn't know if that announcement has been made.
 
Kalie and my daughter played HS ball for 3 year on Blackman. I had many conversations with her mom during her recruiting process. My kid was getting recruited too and we would tell each other stories. Caitlyn McCrary was also in our district (same year as my daughter) and had verballed to UT during her 8th grade year, which was Kalie's 7th grade year. Kalie camped at UT I believe during her 6th or 7th grade year. Even during this time, she was as good or better than McCrary - she was a bigger and better athlete even back then. I know that UT never made an offer to her, because Kalie stopped contacting them after the camp. She continued to camp at Bama and FSU through her junior year when FSU made the offer to her. It is a full scholarship. My kid played for Frost Falcons for many years, and we played at all of the same tourney's that both did. McCrary with the Bolts and later with the Sparks. It was obvious watching her in TB that she could not hit the faster pitchers. She's a sweet kid, but she punched above her weight class as a hitter for a long time. She rarely had a good night against our HS pitcher, and we faced Siegel 3-4 times per year. Kalie was the opposite, she was a monster against power pitchers but sometimes struggled against off-speed stuff.

Almost identical with Cheyenne Lindsey, except she verballed to Walton early in her 9th grade year. UT never reached out to her and she moved quickly to go with Florida. She tore her ACL on the next to last game during her last summer of TB, it was very heartbreaking. She went to FL and rehabbed and got in as a freshman. Just watching these 2 kids when they were obviously the "tip of the sword" athletes even as young kids, why on earth UT did not go full court press and make them top priority in their respective classes is mind boggling.

Also, any casual observer at TB tourney's could tell that Anna Hazelwood was a decent pitcher but not even close to the same level as Rogers or Arnold. My kid hit a dinger off her at Summit that went way over the #7 field with Marty watching. I think we beat them 12-2 that night.

Just my opinion, but these head scratching offers that they make (or don't make) is why there is a lot of hard core lady vol fans who wish for a change at the top. And yes, this includes me.
Any word on kk mccrary as to where she might land? The longer it goes, the less likely she is at P5 and more like a ETSU, MTSU, TN Tech.
 
I am excited about Zaida - I think she is a great pickup. Any thoughts/guesses on whether or not we will be adding any more from the portal?

Also, have Ayala and Morgan officially announced they are returning? I know it has been assumed, but didn't know if that announcement has been made.

One more for sure, though it may be a bit before it's announced. They're waiting on another, who should be announcing a decision in the next few days.

Ayala and Morgan are definitely back, but I don't expect to see a formal announcement.
 
She is 5’9”, lol.

We have two incoming players that play for the same HS team and are around 6’, though. They are called the Twin Towers by many around their program.
Keene will have to work hard to get back into shape/game and physical. She was out due a shoulder surgery.
 
Any word on kk mccrary as to where she might land? The longer it goes, the less likely she is at P5 and more like a ETSU, MTSU, TN Tech.

I worry that she held out too long for a P5 offer and may not have the same landing spot that she would have otherwise. I know there was mutual interest with a couple of SEC west schools, but it seems they got commits from transfers that were higher on their boards. Hope something good works out for her, would have liked to have seen her season without the arm injury.
 
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I worry that she held out too long for a P5 offer and may not have the same landing spot that she would have otherwise. I know there was mutual interest with a couple of SEC west schools, but it seems they got commits from transfers that were higher on their boards. Hope something good works out for her, would have liked to have seen her season without the arm injury.
That's my thoughts too the longer it goes.
 
Like I mentioned months ago, she’ll need time. And Megan was bridging gaps on programs that produce but had little contact. I’m sure the new duo brought on will bring in new areas, seems they like Texas.
I think it’s interesting about the “little contact” component. The contact was there. It was the follow through that lacked. And that programs didn’t want to send their kids to Tennessee. Maybe she can fix that part.
 
I think it’s interesting about the “little contact” component. The contact was there. It was the follow through that lacked. And that programs didn’t want to send their kids to Tennessee. Maybe she can fix that part.

To a point yes in regards to contact and follow up. I've stated a few times here Tennessee didn't fight for spots at the table when other programs emerged and started hanging out in your yard. Karen had a conversation with a Coach just a few months ago that should be on every P5 coaches speed dial that he was disappointed in how little interaction if any TN has had over the years with his team when better programs are receiving his kids signatures yearly, this coach does not mince words. Another national coach stated Karen cut them off after one of his kids committed inside the SEC. Without going into too much detail, one coach is from the West Coast and the other is from the East Coast. I do believe you'll see this staff more visual at the bigger tournaments and not send Marty and his bucket hat as the visual scout. It is also a good sign that Karen was seen in CO, Atlanta and I'm sure she'll be in CA next week.
 
Finalist were all 3 from East TN/Chattanooga. All 3 are pitchers. LSU, Ole Miss and TN Tech
This is a tad misleading.
LSU - word is moved into Chatt. from Upper East Coast (not much state of TN connection)
Ole Miss - sounds like wanted to get out of East TN and see something different
TN Tech - nothing wrong w/Tech and congrats to that young lady but not SEC level

I agree that TN in general, in all sports, needs to make the state a priority. Especially with all the families moving in from all over the country to the Mid-State and Knoxville. It looks like Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Softball are doing just that lately.
 
One more for sure, though it may be a bit before it's announced. They're waiting on another, who should be announcing a decision in the next few days.

Ayala and Morgan are definitely back, but I don't expect to see a formal announcement.
It's on the team roster for next season that they are graduate students
 

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