2018 Softball Season thread

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:36 am

UAEebs86 wrote:Ladies up 2-1 bottom of the 4th on UCLA. Dejah on 3rd no outs.

Game on ESPNU.

If you can't score when a girl hits a lead off triple you deserve to lose.

Newportcat · Post by **Newportcat** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:43 pm

I might get killed for saying this but is it time for Candrea to walk away?

prh · Post by **prh** » Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:21 pm

Newportcat wrote:I might get killed for saying this but is it time for Candrea to walk away?

Ehh you'd be surprised what you missed while you were away...

Newportcat · Post by **Newportcat** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 8:29 am

prh wrote:
Newportcat wrote:I might get killed for saying this but is it time for Candrea to walk away?
Ehh you'd be surprised what you missed while you were away...

Zero trips to the College World Series since 2010 is not a good look. We can never fire Candrea for all he has done but still the guy is also the luckiest coach in the history of our school with USC not fielding a Softball team. It gives us such an advantage compared to every other sport outside of maybe Basketball where USC is strong and is able to take top level SoCal talent.

I think his time has come to step down and retire. Feel the same about Rubio too in Volleyball. Especially watching last year, feels like Candrea is just no longer a great coach.

There is no reason Arizona should not be in the College World Series every single year especially with the forthcoming improvements to our stadium. We have every advantage including unrivaled Fan Support, great weather, and outstanding tradition.

I love Candrea for all he has done but thought it was dumb for Heeke to extend him last year.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 6:06 pm

Cats down 6-3 after three. They had the bases loaded and no outs and they could not score. This has been a big problem not getting the runners in. Washington, Oregon, UCLA and asu are clearly the top teams this year. It will be very interesting where they will be placed in the postseason. They way things are headed, all their games will be on the road.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 6:14 pm

Irish27 wrote:Cats down 6-3 after three. They had the bases loaded and no outs and they could not score. This has been a big problem not getting the runners in. Washington, Oregon, UCLA and asu are clearly the top teams this year. It will be very interesting where they will be placed in the postseason. They way things are headed, all their games will be on the road.

Team is God damn broken right now.

MrMeow · Post by **MrMeow** » Sun Apr 15, 2018 6:32 pm

ChooChooCat wrote:
Irish27 wrote:Cats down 6-3 after three. They had the bases loaded and no outs and they could not score. This has been a big problem not getting the runners in. Washington, Oregon, UCLA and asu are clearly the top teams this year. It will be very interesting where they will be placed in the postseason. They way things are headed, all their games will be on the road.
Team is God damn broken right now.

Couldn't bring myself to watch today's game. Sorry.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:02 am

MrMeow wrote: I know the story, and all I will say is she was not forced out. The reason was/is clear cut, not controversial in the least. The administration had no choice. Her own damned fault and it is obviously a big loss.

This is correct.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 12:07 am

Newportcat wrote:I might get killed for saying this but is it time for Candrea to walk away?

Coach had the same problem a lot of older, successful coaches have had (in any sport).

Newportcat · Post by **Newportcat** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 7:01 am

PieceOfMeat wrote:
Newportcat wrote:I might get killed for saying this but is it time for Candrea to walk away?
Coach had the same problem a lot of older, successful coaches have had (in any sport).

Indeed. Lute had it too. It becomes Time but they want to walk away on their terms. They want one more big run. Know Candrea wants one more title more then anything but to me is holding on too tight. Felt that way about his coaching last year in the super regional.

You can never fire him but Arizona is the type of place and program who should be making college World Series regularly. He built that for sure and will be a legend here forever with a statue one day.

It’s just kind of sad

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 7:55 am

The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.

Ultimately where Candrea's failures have been is that every one else has caught up. Hell the sport in general has caught up. If you have one elite pitcher you can win it all and Candrea hasn't had that since Kenzie Fowler (pre-injury). O'Toole was a very very good pitcher, but I'd fall short of calling her elite. McQuillin had an excellent reputation coming out of HS, but while she's been good, she's fallen short of expectations. If you don't have that elite pitcher you can't win big on this stage any more. The competition is just so much tougher than when it was when Candrea was winning title after title after title. Fwiw he's still recruiting well albeit falling short at the pitching spot, but it's not as if the game has fully passed him by. The man isn't going anywhere any time soon and he's certainly not in Lute Olson la la land yet. He's still a capable coach, he's just gotta find an elite pitcher, lord knows he's trying. He's got a pitcher coming in next year named Marissa Schuld who was the Arizona POY last year, girl was 22-1 with a 0.80 ERA last year, but her HS team has barely had her pitch this year (her bat is dominant). Fwiw she is 6-0 with a 0.19 ERA and 72Ks, but she's not a permanent starter on the hill like she was last year, so who knows what we're going to get with her on the bump next season.

Newportcat · Post by **Newportcat** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:25 am

ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.

Ultimately where Candrea's failures have been is that every one else has caught up. Hell the sport in general has caught up. If you have one elite pitcher you can win it all and Candrea hasn't had that since Kenzie Fowler (pre-injury). O'Toole was a very very good pitcher, but I'd fall short of calling her elite. McQuillin had an excellent reputation coming out of HS, but while she's been good, she's fallen short of expectations. If you don't have that elite pitcher you can't win big on this stage any more. The competition is just so much tougher than when it was when Candrea was winning title after title after title. Fwiw he's still recruiting well albeit falling short at the pitching spot, but it's not as if the game has fully passed him by. The man isn't going anywhere any time soon and he's certainly not in Lute Olson la la land yet. He's still a capable coach, he's just gotta find an elite pitcher, lord knows he's trying. He's got a pitcher coming in next year named Marissa Schuld who was the Arizona POY last year, girl was 22-1 with a 0.80 ERA last year, but her HS team has barely had her pitch this year (her bat is dominant). Fwiw she is 6-0 with a 0.19 ERA and 72Ks, but she's not a permanent starter on the hill like she was last year, so who knows what we're going to get with her on the bump next season.

Agree no clear cut, but Arizona (Especially after new model to the stadium this year) is at least a Top 5 job. Not sure on salary compared to SEC but its a big time job with what will be all the bells and whistles to attract talent.

You are right on the Pitcher, we haven't been able to find that dominant pitcher we seemed to have forever here. I agree he is not in Lute La La land yet but was really disappointed in some of his decisions last year in the super regional. From an outsider looks like he is holding on pretty tight.

Hopefully this new pitcher is elite but you are 100% right. It all starts with a dominant pitcher.

MrMeow · Post by **MrMeow** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:32 am

Six of Candrea's titles are in the John Wooden category. He got them before the rest of the world caught on. The other two are more recent, and are largely due to that elusive dominant pitcher; in this case,Taryne. He is still an excellent coach in every regard. He's just looking for a Rachel Garcia for Arizona. As Choo says, perhaps he's found one for next season.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 8:36 am

Newportcat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.

Ultimately where Candrea's failures have been is that every one else has caught up. Hell the sport in general has caught up. If you have one elite pitcher you can win it all and Candrea hasn't had that since Kenzie Fowler (pre-injury). O'Toole was a very very good pitcher, but I'd fall short of calling her elite. McQuillin had an excellent reputation coming out of HS, but while she's been good, she's fallen short of expectations. If you don't have that elite pitcher you can't win big on this stage any more. The competition is just so much tougher than when it was when Candrea was winning title after title after title. Fwiw he's still recruiting well albeit falling short at the pitching spot, but it's not as if the game has fully passed him by. The man isn't going anywhere any time soon and he's certainly not in Lute Olson la la land yet. He's still a capable coach, he's just gotta find an elite pitcher, lord knows he's trying. He's got a pitcher coming in next year named Marissa Schuld who was the Arizona POY last year, girl was 22-1 with a 0.80 ERA last year, but her HS team has barely had her pitch this year (her bat is dominant). Fwiw she is 6-0 with a 0.19 ERA and 72Ks, but she's not a permanent starter on the hill like she was last year, so who knows what we're going to get with her on the bump next season.
Agree no clear cut, but Arizona (Especially after new model to the stadium this year) is at least a Top 5 job. Not sure on salary compared to SEC but its a big time job with what will be all the bells and whistles to attract talent.

You are right on the Pitcher, we haven't been able to find that dominant pitcher we seemed to have forever here. I agree he is not in Lute La La land yet but was really disappointed in some of his decisions last year in the super regional. From an outsider looks like he is holding on pretty tight.

Hopefully this new pitcher is elite but you are 100% right. It all starts with a dominant pitcher.

I most certainly agree that Candrea has been playing it pretty tight with some of his game decisions. I think the pressure to get back to the damn World Series at minimum is most definitely prevalent and on his mind. The pitching changes he made in the Baylor series at least utilized some logic, especially in game 2. You would hope your ace would be able to hold on to a big lead, but c'est la vie. I have more issues with him taking out O'Toole for McQuillin in the final and deciding game. Stick with your god damn ace.

Newportcat · Post by **Newportcat** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 9:28 am

ChooChooCat wrote:
Newportcat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.

Ultimately where Candrea's failures have been is that every one else has caught up. Hell the sport in general has caught up. If you have one elite pitcher you can win it all and Candrea hasn't had that since Kenzie Fowler (pre-injury). O'Toole was a very very good pitcher, but I'd fall short of calling her elite. McQuillin had an excellent reputation coming out of HS, but while she's been good, she's fallen short of expectations. If you don't have that elite pitcher you can't win big on this stage any more. The competition is just so much tougher than when it was when Candrea was winning title after title after title. Fwiw he's still recruiting well albeit falling short at the pitching spot, but it's not as if the game has fully passed him by. The man isn't going anywhere any time soon and he's certainly not in Lute Olson la la land yet. He's still a capable coach, he's just gotta find an elite pitcher, lord knows he's trying. He's got a pitcher coming in next year named Marissa Schuld who was the Arizona POY last year, girl was 22-1 with a 0.80 ERA last year, but her HS team has barely had her pitch this year (her bat is dominant). Fwiw she is 6-0 with a 0.19 ERA and 72Ks, but she's not a permanent starter on the hill like she was last year, so who knows what we're going to get with her on the bump next season.
Agree no clear cut, but Arizona (Especially after new model to the stadium this year) is at least a Top 5 job. Not sure on salary compared to SEC but its a big time job with what will be all the bells and whistles to attract talent.

You are right on the Pitcher, we haven't been able to find that dominant pitcher we seemed to have forever here. I agree he is not in Lute La La land yet but was really disappointed in some of his decisions last year in the super regional. From an outsider looks like he is holding on pretty tight.

Hopefully this new pitcher is elite but you are 100% right. It all starts with a dominant pitcher.
I most certainly agree that Candrea has been playing it pretty tight with some of his game decisions. I think the pressure to get back to the damn World Series at minimum is most definitely prevalent and on his mind. The pitching changes he made in the Baylor series at least utilized some logic, especially in game 2. You would hope your ace would be able to hold on to a big lead, but c'est la vie. I have more issues with him taking out O'Toole for McQuillin in the final and deciding game. Stick with your god damn ace.

Yep, I will never understand that one in Game 3. Just no logic, ride your ace until its over

prh · Post by **prh** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 10:01 am

ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.

Ultimately where Candrea's failures have been is that every one else has caught up. Hell the sport in general has caught up. If you have one elite pitcher you can win it all and Candrea hasn't had that since Kenzie Fowler (pre-injury). O'Toole was a very very good pitcher, but I'd fall short of calling her elite. McQuillin had an excellent reputation coming out of HS, but while she's been good, she's fallen short of expectations. If you don't have that elite pitcher you can't win big on this stage any more. The competition is just so much tougher than when it was when Candrea was winning title after title after title. Fwiw he's still recruiting well albeit falling short at the pitching spot, but it's not as if the game has fully passed him by. The man isn't going anywhere any time soon and he's certainly not in Lute Olson la la land yet. He's still a capable coach, he's just gotta find an elite pitcher, lord knows he's trying. He's got a pitcher coming in next year named Marissa Schuld who was the Arizona POY last year, girl was 22-1 with a 0.80 ERA last year, but her HS team has barely had her pitch this year (her bat is dominant). Fwiw she is 6-0 with a 0.19 ERA and 72Ks, but she's not a permanent starter on the hill like she was last year, so who knows what we're going to get with her on the bump next season.

As an outsider, it seems like Candrea should be able to say "keep her pitching or we're never taking another one of your kids..."

Is that reasonable? I really don't know the ins and outs of the college-hs coach relationships

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 10:22 am

prh wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.

Ultimately where Candrea's failures have been is that every one else has caught up. Hell the sport in general has caught up. If you have one elite pitcher you can win it all and Candrea hasn't had that since Kenzie Fowler (pre-injury). O'Toole was a very very good pitcher, but I'd fall short of calling her elite. McQuillin had an excellent reputation coming out of HS, but while she's been good, she's fallen short of expectations. If you don't have that elite pitcher you can't win big on this stage any more. The competition is just so much tougher than when it was when Candrea was winning title after title after title. Fwiw he's still recruiting well albeit falling short at the pitching spot, but it's not as if the game has fully passed him by. The man isn't going anywhere any time soon and he's certainly not in Lute Olson la la land yet. He's still a capable coach, he's just gotta find an elite pitcher, lord knows he's trying. He's got a pitcher coming in next year named Marissa Schuld who was the Arizona POY last year, girl was 22-1 with a 0.80 ERA last year, but her HS team has barely had her pitch this year (her bat is dominant). Fwiw she is 6-0 with a 0.19 ERA and 72Ks, but she's not a permanent starter on the hill like she was last year, so who knows what we're going to get with her on the bump next season.
As an outsider, it seems like Candrea should be able to say "keep her pitching or we're never taking another one of your kids..."

Is that reasonable? I really don't know the ins and outs of the college-hs coach relationships

Neither do I. I doubt Candrea can force a HS coach to play a player at a particular position. I'm not sure the logic behind it obviously as the girl was dominant last year on the hill and she was one of if not the top pitcher on her team the 3 years prior.

Here are her stats batting and pitching:

http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/marissa ... -stats.htm" target="_blank

prh · Post by **prh** » Wed Apr 18, 2018 10:58 am

ChooChooCat wrote:
prh wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.

Ultimately where Candrea's failures have been is that every one else has caught up. Hell the sport in general has caught up. If you have one elite pitcher you can win it all and Candrea hasn't had that since Kenzie Fowler (pre-injury). O'Toole was a very very good pitcher, but I'd fall short of calling her elite. McQuillin had an excellent reputation coming out of HS, but while she's been good, she's fallen short of expectations. If you don't have that elite pitcher you can't win big on this stage any more. The competition is just so much tougher than when it was when Candrea was winning title after title after title. Fwiw he's still recruiting well albeit falling short at the pitching spot, but it's not as if the game has fully passed him by. The man isn't going anywhere any time soon and he's certainly not in Lute Olson la la land yet. He's still a capable coach, he's just gotta find an elite pitcher, lord knows he's trying. He's got a pitcher coming in next year named Marissa Schuld who was the Arizona POY last year, girl was 22-1 with a 0.80 ERA last year, but her HS team has barely had her pitch this year (her bat is dominant). Fwiw she is 6-0 with a 0.19 ERA and 72Ks, but she's not a permanent starter on the hill like she was last year, so who knows what we're going to get with her on the bump next season.
As an outsider, it seems like Candrea should be able to say "keep her pitching or we're never taking another one of your kids..."

Is that reasonable? I really don't know the ins and outs of the college-hs coach relationships
Neither do I. I doubt Candrea can force a HS coach to play a player at a particular position. I'm not sure the logic behind it obviously as the girl was dominant last year on the hill and she was one of if not the top pitcher on her team the 3 years prior.

Here are her stats batting and pitching:

http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/marissa ... -stats.htm" target="_blank

Some of those numbers are mind blowing. And only the 4th ranked recruit in Arizona lol

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Thu Apr 19, 2018 1:03 pm

ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.

I'll disagree with this.

Assuming nobody bolts for a job elsewhere, I think the next coach is already on staff.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Thu Apr 19, 2018 1:35 pm

PieceOfMeat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.
I'll disagree with this.

Assuming nobody bolts for a job elsewhere, I think the next coach is already on staff.

You may be right and I would argue against making such a decision vehemently.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Thu Apr 19, 2018 7:36 pm

ChooChooCat wrote:
PieceOfMeat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.
I'll disagree with this.

Assuming nobody bolts for a job elsewhere, I think the next coach is already on staff.
You may be right and I would argue against making such a decision vehemently.

I think we're thinking of different people then.

Besides, rarely does the coach after the legend work out, so it probably doesn't matter in the long run.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Fri Apr 20, 2018 2:35 pm

PieceOfMeat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:
PieceOfMeat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.
I'll disagree with this.

Assuming nobody bolts for a job elsewhere, I think the next coach is already on staff.
You may be right and I would argue against making such a decision vehemently.
I think we're thinking of different people then.

Besides, rarely does the coach after the legend work out, so it probably doesn't matter in the long run.

There's nobody currently on staff I'd feel comfortable handing the reigns to. I don't think they're bad coaches by any stretch, I just think Arizona Softball needs and deserves a proven commodity.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Fri Apr 20, 2018 6:43 pm

We may never beat a winning team again.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Fri Apr 20, 2018 8:33 pm

ChooChooCat wrote:We may never beat a winning team again.

That is a little overboard. asu is one of the top teams in the country and they only had 2 hits tonight. I still believe this team is good enough enough to make a run, they just have to gel. Btw, Craighton has been a disappointment. I think stepping up in talent has been harder than she thought. Hopefully she can get it going and be a sparkplug for the team.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Fri Apr 20, 2018 9:12 pm

Irish27 wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:We may never beat a winning team again.
That is a little overboard. asu is one of the top teams in the country and they only had 2 hits tonight. I still believe this team is good enough enough to make a run, they just have to gel. Btw, Craighton has been a disappointment. I think stepping up in talent has been harder than she thought. Hopefully she can get it going and be a sparkplug for the team.

I was being facetious, but this drought is just ridiculous. Too much talent for this.

azgreg · Post by **azgreg** » Sat Apr 21, 2018 4:36 pm

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 7:10 pm

We take the series with a 4-2 victory in 8 innings @ ASsU

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 7:44 pm

This series win over a really good asu team should give them a shot of confidence. Hoping this is the turning point in the season.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Sun Apr 22, 2018 7:48 pm

Girls have a game against New Mexico, series against Oregon State and GCU, and one series at Stanford. They could honestly finish the year without a loss from this point on.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:08 pm

Cats are ranked #10 in this week's poll.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:14 pm

PieceOfMeat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.
I'll disagree with this.

Assuming nobody bolts for a job elsewhere, I think the next coach is already on staff.

I think Kristie Fox will get a long look when Candrea steps down.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:13 pm

Ashleigh Hughes, senior lead off hitter and starting CF, has a broken hand and is probably done for the season. This team was already kind of a working progress for next season and this injury further cements it.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Tue Apr 24, 2018 9:57 pm

ChooChooCat wrote:Ashleigh Hughes, senior lead off hitter and starting CF, has a broken hand and is probably done for the season. This team was already kind of a working progress for next season and this injury further cements it.

Looks like Kean will probably replace her. I wonder if Ashleigh could be used as a pinch runner?

catinfl · Post by **catinfl** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 11:20 am

Irish27 wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:Ashleigh Hughes, senior lead off hitter and starting CF, has a broken hand and is probably done for the season. This team was already kind of a working progress for next season and this injury further cements it.
Looks like Kean will probably replace her. I wonder if Ashleigh could be used as a pinch runner?

Candrea hinted that she would play in some capacity so pinch runner is probably it.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 12:39 pm

Irish27 wrote:
PieceOfMeat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:The issue is there's no clear cut replacement for Candrea, at least not from his lineage. From the looks of it it'll have to be an outside hire, not that we should have any trouble attracting a top coach.
I'll disagree with this.

Assuming nobody bolts for a job elsewhere, I think the next coach is already on staff.
I think Kristie Fox will get a long look when Candrea steps down.

Assuming she hasn't moved on from her current job by then, and is interested, then yeah I imagine she'd definitely get a deserved look.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 12:41 pm

ChooChooCat wrote:This team was already kind of a working progress for next season and this injury further cements it.

I wonder if Softball might be the only sport where a team can be #10 in the nation in the latest AP poll and still be called "a working progress for next season" by one of its fans?

UALoco · Post by **UALoco** » Wed Apr 25, 2018 3:12 pm

Didn't we just get swept in back to back conference series...yeah..there is work to be done....this is Arizona Softball we are talking about.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Thu Apr 26, 2018 1:18 pm

UALoco wrote:Didn't we just get swept in back to back conference series...yeah..there is work to be done....this is Arizona Softball we are talking about.

who said there isn't work to be done?

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 5:02 am

PieceOfMeat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:This team was already kind of a working progress for next season and this injury further cements it.
I wonder if Softball might be the only sport where a team can be #10 in the nation in the latest AP poll and still be called "a working progress for next season" by one of its fans?

I don't think this year's team in any way shape or form is destined for the WCWS. The entire core from this team (primarily sophomores) all return and will be more experienced, not to mention all pitching returns and gets a complete offseason with Mowatt. This team is built for next year not this year regardless of rankings. Getting swept by UW, Oregon, and UCLA (at home) is proof of that.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Fri Apr 27, 2018 7:26 pm

Cats win game one vs OSU 9-0 as Taylor throws a one-hitter and is tied with the most shutouts in the country, with 10. Craighton is starting to come around after a good weekend up at asu, she hit a homer tonight.

PieceOfMeat · Post by **PieceOfMeat** » Sat Apr 28, 2018 12:01 am

ChooChooCat wrote:
PieceOfMeat wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:This team was already kind of a working progress for next season and this injury further cements it.
I wonder if Softball might be the only sport where a team can be #10 in the nation in the latest AP poll and still be called "a working progress for next season" by one of its fans?
I don't think this year's team in any way shape or form is destined for the WCWS. The entire core from this team (primarily sophomores) all return and will be more experienced, not to mention all pitching returns and gets a complete offseason with Mowatt. This team is built for next year not this year regardless of rankings. Getting swept by UW, Oregon, and UCLA (at home) is proof of that.

my question still stands

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:01 pm

Cats win game two 6-2 as Craighton and Harper homered. With the emergence of Craighton, it will only help the hitters batting ahead of her. This is a great time to get hot.

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Sun Apr 29, 2018 1:59 pm

Cats get the sweep over OSU as they win 9-1. Harper hit her 15th homer and Ivy Davis ends the game with a grand slam. Also, Kean has been doing a very good job of getting on base. They definitely need that from the lead-off hitter.

prh · Post by **prh** » Sun Apr 29, 2018 8:53 pm

Question for you guys who watch the team more than I do: are they starting to peak at the right time or just taking advantage of the recent decrease in competition level?

Irish27 · Post by **Irish27** » Sun Apr 29, 2018 9:09 pm

prh wrote:Question for you guys who watch the team more than I do: are they starting to peak at the right time or just taking advantage of the recent decrease in competition level?

It could be a combination. Taking the series against a really good asu team probably got their confidence going. Also, when Taylor is on, she is very hard to hit off of. It also helps that Davis and Craighton are hitting well. I also think since Craighton moved back to center after Hughes got hurt, she is playing in her natural position, which could be helping her offense too.

If they can continue winning the next couple of weeks, they should host a regional.

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Tue May 01, 2018 5:11 pm

This team should get to the Super regionals. I still stand by my opinion that next year is the year for the girls to get back to the world series. #1 and #2 pitchers are back and entire lineup sans Craighton returns. Next year is the year.

MrMeow · Post by **MrMeow** » Tue May 01, 2018 5:36 pm

ChooChooCat wrote:This team should get to the Super regionals. I still stand by my opinion that next year is the year for the girls to get back to the world series. #1 and #2 pitchers are back and entire lineup sans Craighton returns. Next year is the year.

... and Hughes. I know, you're counting Kean as the third outfielder. Question: who will be the third outfielder next year?

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Wed May 02, 2018 5:01 am

MrMeow wrote:
ChooChooCat wrote:This team should get to the Super regionals. I still stand by my opinion that next year is the year for the girls to get back to the world series. #1 and #2 pitchers are back and entire lineup sans Craighton returns. Next year is the year.
... and Hughes. I know, you're counting Kean as the third outfielder. Question: who will be the third outfielder next year?

That's the only hole next year. For my money I utilize Marissa Schuld the same way UCLA utilizes Rachel Garcia and put her in that last outfield spot when she's not pitching. If it's not her then you could easily put Ivy Davis in the OF or maybe Riley Kuderca who's a top 75 recruit as well. Either way Arizona has to utilize Schuld's bat if she's not pitching.

MrMeow · Post by **MrMeow** » Wed May 02, 2018 8:04 am

Two pitchers coming in for next season. Is there any hope for Hanah Bowen, or is she in the category of the girl from Colorado a couple of years ago?

ChooChooCat · Post by **ChooChooCat** » Wed May 02, 2018 8:09 am

MrMeow wrote:Two pitchers coming in for next season. Is there any hope for Hanah Bowen, or is she in the category of the girl from Colorado a couple of years ago?

I don't see why there isn't hope for her as she was a top 100 prospect herself. I doubt she'd be the ace for this team, but she can certainly be a rotational pitcher for us, and could even contribute with her bat. Schuld is the main prize in regards to the two incoming pitchers. The other pitcher, Vanessa Foreman, will probably be a rotational one for us as well. Denham and Schuld seem like the future 1 & 2 to me.

Login • Register