LV Softball 4/20 Va Tech; 4/23-24 Lady Vol Challenge

[kregman]

Webber is the only other option there, and she’s hitting 100 points lower than Morgan is and is nowhere near the same level defender. Keane was out injured for a month and has virtually zero mobility at first.

Like I said it is a hard call she is great at d so you giving some there. Just hope some one would hit. Or drop her all way down it worked for Ivy. I just don’t know why she isn’t hitting. Love Ashley.

 

[Memvol44]

Like I said it is a hard call she is great at d so you giving some there. Just hope some one would hit. Or drop her all way down it worked for Ivy. I just don’t know why she isn’t hitting. Love Ashley.

This team can't hit a lick. Who is the new batting coach,and what's he doing about it. Tech rolled in earlier today and kick our butts and rolled out. Embarrassing .

 

[volfan__18]

This team can't hit a lick. Who is the new batting coach,and what's he doing about it. Tech rolled in earlier today and kick our butts and rolled out. Embarrassing .

lol at this. Our offense is the best it’s been in years. i also wouldn’t say 3 runs is kicking someone’s butt. I only usually see you post when the team is losing.

 

[volforlife10]

This team can't hit a lick. Who is the new batting coach,and what's he doing about it. Tech rolled in earlier today and kick our butts and rolled out. Embarrassing .

“this team can’t hit a lick” what team have u watched this season? this is the best all around hitting team we’ve had in a while. we faced 2 very good pitchers, one being an all american and one of the best in softball.

 

[IBlvNTmWrk]

From what I've watched there are too many batters with a mostly "upward" swing plane, which leads to strikeouts and pop ups (which we saw a lot of tonight). I've never liked this in fast pitch softball and not a big fan of it in baseball either, but you can make it work in baseball because the ball is thrown from high-to-low. In softball (especially pitchers with a good rise ball) the ball moves from low-to-high which significantly limits the contact opportunity of bat to ball when you have a big upward swing plane.

 

[anecwnrjcns12]

From what I've watched there are too many batters with a mostly "upward" swing plane, which leads to strikeouts and pop ups (which we saw a lot of tonight). I've never liked this in fast pitch softball and not a big fan of it in baseball either, but you can make it work in baseball because the ball is thrown from high-to-low. In softball (especially pitchers with a good rise ball) the ball moves from low-to-high which significantly limits the contact opportunity of bat to ball when you have a big upward swing plane.

When the mlb World Series was happening malveaux tweeted that hitting ground balls is how you lose so from then I figured that is gonna be our philosophy.

 

[IBlvNTmWrk]

When the mlb World Series was happening malveaux tweeted that hitting ground balls is how you lose so from then I figured that is gonna be our philosophy.

I don't have the stats, but I would think our ratio of pop ups to ground balls was at least 5 to 1 tonight.

When I coached I would tell my players there's only two things that prevent a runner from having the opportunity to advance... a strikeout and a pop up (and that's true with the exception of the Va Tech 3rd baseman trying to one-hand a heavily spinning pop up tonight).

I would also explain to them that "hitting up" on the ball won't necessarily lead to more homeruns, but that hitting a ball slightly below center (creating backspin) will make a ball carry much further while hitting up (usually creating topspin) will make a ball drop quicker. I would then show them the swing planes of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, and Hank Aaron who all had a relatively level swing plane through the contact zone. It wasn't until the juiced years of McGwire and Sosa that a lot of younger players started taking on big upward cuts... and what's even worse is you can watch them do it with their practice swings.

 

[Memvol44]

“this team can’t hit a lick” what team have u watched this season? this is the best all around hitting team we’ve had in a while. we faced 2 very good pitchers, one being an all american and one of the best in softball.

Look at the Ms. State series...if they weren't hitting our batters we would have lost that series as well. Tech was easily the better hitting team. You can rah rah all you want but this team will be a 16-17 lose team.Not Lady Vols standards!!

 

[Memvol44]

lol at this. Our offense is the best it’s been in years. i also wouldn’t say 3 runs is kicking someone’s butt. I only usually see you post when the team is losing.

Your not on here enough to see anyone post!

 

[volman128]

“this team can’t hit a lick” what team have u watched this season? this is the best all around hitting team we’ve had in a while. we faced 2 very good pitchers, one being an all american and one of the best in softball.

Eh, they’re still inconsistent on offense, and we can’t rely on the offense to win us games on a consistent basis, which we need given our pitching has been downright putrid in several games this season. Power numbers are improved from last season but BA is down by 20 points.

 

[Majors]

From what I've watched there are too many batters with a mostly "upward" swing plane, which leads to strikeouts and pop ups (which we saw a lot of tonight). I've never liked this in fast pitch softball and not a big fan of it in baseball either, but you can make it work in baseball because the ball is thrown from high-to-low. In softball (especially pitchers with a good rise ball) the ball moves from low-to-high which significantly limits the contact opportunity of bat to ball when you have a big upward swing plane.

Have to elevate to celebrate was the tagline a few years ago.

Small window to hit on a ball that moves south to north in a hurry. I didn't think Lair looked comfortable in her first at bat as she was way behind, would have like to seen her shoot out of the box with a hard slap or lay off it and get the walk.

 

[Majors]

Like I said it is a hard call she is great at d so you giving some there. Just hope some one would hit. Or drop her all way down it worked for Ivy. I just don’t know why she isn’t hitting. Love Ashley.

Gibson at 1B, go back to Lair at 2B would be a move to consider.

 

[VOL_Lyfe]

Yes the freshman for VT is a leaper but few umps will call it.

It was funny listening to the TV heads talk about it when they let Barnhill do it for years

 

[kregman]

Maleveaux is definitely a launch angle guy. VT didn't beat us by hitting ground balls last night. Talking about Morgan I think for whatever reason she has had the most trouble adjusting. She should benefit the most because with her lack of speed anything hit on the ground is almost an automatic out. She is most effective when she is driving the ball over shortstop. She seems maybe for power to be trying to pull too much. I for one would rather see us try to drive the ball and just miss (popups) than the endless weak rollovers to second and first we have seen for years. Not to mention chopping down on the ball. VT looked silly against Ashley til they didn't one time. The only way to beat great pitching is to pop one out every now and then. You are just not going to string a bunch of hits together.

 

[kregman]

We didn't play bad last night just not good enough. A hit here or there and it is a different game even with their very good pitching. Leadoff walks and hbp are killers in these type games. It would be nice to have a really good freshman pitcher, maybe next year.

 

[kamoshika]

this is the best all around hitting team we’ve had in a while

FWIW, we're on track to end up with the lowest team batting average (currently .282, last in the SEC) since 2002 (.264). In conference play, our .273 average ranks 7th but that's our highest since 2016 (.301). We're 99th in batting average nationally but 19th in slugging % (.529).

 

[kregman]

I have come to believe we are what we are. A very good team around top ten team but not an elite team (top eight). A fully healthy Ashley would change that but is not likely this year. Not to say we could not beat a great team in a given game. This team plays hard and has a ton of grit which one has to love, and which can take you places you really shouldn't be on paper.

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

I have come to believe we are what we are. A very good team around top ten team but not an elite team (top eight). A fully healthy Ashley would change that but is not likely this year. Not to say we could not beat a great team in a given game. This team plays hard and has a ton of grit which one has to love, and which can take you places you really shouldn't be on paper.

Agree, all the pieces are there except that elite Fouts type pitcher to elevate to next level. I keep hoping every new season some new Renfroe sisters will show up. And it appears with Rogers issues LV's are in the same boat as last season with only one consistently good pitcher.

 

[IBlvNTmWrk]

Have to elevate to celebrate was the tagline a few years ago.

Small window to hit on a ball that moves south to north in a hurry. I didn't think Lair looked comfortable in her first at bat as she was way behind, would have like to seen her shoot out of the box with a hard slap or lay off it and get the walk.

jmo... but sounds like something Butch Jones would say.

 

[IBlvNTmWrk]

Maleveaux is definitely a launch angle guy. VT didn't beat us by hitting ground balls last night. Talking about Morgan I think for whatever reason she has had the most trouble adjusting. She should benefit the most because with her lack of speed anything hit on the ground is almost an automatic out. She is most effective when she is driving the ball over shortstop. She seems maybe for power to be trying to pull too much. I for one would rather see us try to drive the ball and just miss (popups) than the endless weak rollovers to second and first we have seen for years. Not to mention chopping down on the ball. VT looked silly against Ashley til they didn't one time. The only way to beat great pitching is to pop one out every now and then. You are just not going to string a bunch of hits together.

True... but they didn't get beat by hitting pop ups all night either. That homerun off of Rogers was a rope, and that's the type of hits (and homeruns) you get with a less elevated swing plane.

 

[volman128]

And it appears with Rogers issues LV's are in the same boat as last season with only one consistently good pitcher.

Unfortunately EE isn't as good as Rogers last year.

It could've been offset some, however, if White had panned out this season.

 

[Rickster]

This team can't hit a lick. Who is the new batting coach,and what's he doing about it. Tech rolled in earlier today and kick our butts and rolled out. Embarrassing .

Whose embarrassed? Nothing to be embarrassed about. If losing to the #3 team in the nation by 3 runs embarrasses you, maybe you should take a step back and reprioritize things in your life. I think some throw around the term "embarrassed" without ever really understanding the meaning. A fan should never be embarrassed unless it's their own doing.

 

[Memvol44]

Whose embarrassed? Nothing to be embarrassed about. If losing to the #3 team in the nation by 3 runs embarrasses you, maybe you should take a step back and reprioritize things in your life. I think some throw around the term "embarrassed" without ever really understanding the meaning. A fan should never be embarrassed unless it's their own doing.

If you weren't embarrassed by that effort,that's on you.

 

[Rickster]

If you weren't embarrassed by that effort,that's on you.

Go ahead and double down. Thats fine. Says a lot about you.

 

[kregman]

That game was second highest watched softball game of the year so far. Oklahoma game would have had big numbers if it was on a national channel. Whatever we are softball people like to watch us.