General observations on Baseball and Softball

[rgamecock1]

Before I begin, I just want to say to everyone that I am not throwing any student athlete under the bus. Only my general observations without naming any names. First let me start with baseball. I watched the LSU 3 game series this weekend and needless to say I needed 3 bottles of Pepto Bismol. The energy from this team is really bad. From my observations this team has already quit. I guess from all the losing, pitching has gone from ok to bad. Not sure what has happened to the pitching. I mean how do you go from a 0-1 loss to Florida on a Friday night to 2 other losses is really bad. Secondly the hitting approach these players take is beyond bad. I mean I saw where players swung at pitches 3 feet outside the strike zone. Then the basic fundamentals of baseball have gone to extremely bad. I was always taught you make the basic every day plays on defense and then make several hustle plays. I saw none of this. The players on this team have already quit and thrown in the towel. Monte Lee and his staff can only do so much, and the players have to be accountable as well. Monte Lee was left with a train wreck and just guessing the administration will clean house and go in a totally different direction with a new head coach. Who that will be is a million-dollar question. But we need somebody who can relate to our tradition and culture. Not talking about someone who is in retirement and cannot relate to the players of this generation. Lastly, I will say this I hope and pray that Ray Tanner does not have any input on who the new coach will be. What a disaster as an athletic director.

Now to softball. Ashely Chastain Woodard to her credit when she took the head softball coaching job was left with only 7 players from a 24-player roster. 17 players either went in the transfer portal or transferred. To her credit she brought in several players with her from Charlotte and what she did with that team is beyond amazing. They won over 40 games and was one out from being in the WCWS. Tip of the hat to Ashley Chastain Woodard. Now going in this year, she lost the best pitcher from last year's team. She went in the transfer portal and got a pitcher from Kennesaw State in Emma Friedel. At the first part of the year, she struggled, but Ashley and her staff stayed with her and now she has turned into a really good D1 SEC softball pitcher. So, during the year Jori Heard basically carried this team as she is a senior and she put this team on her shoulders and carried this team. USC went to Knoxville, Tennessee and Jori Heard pitched a gem and USC won that game. She also did the same when they beat Clemson at Clemson, beat Texas A&M. Finally at the end of the year Emma Friedel really started to come on with her pitching and USC has lost 1 run games. Tip of the hat to her. USC with other players stepping up at times they still managed to finish 30-25 and a high RPI. They will probably get a NCAA softball tourney invite and will have to travel. After watching the team this year, the girls played hard and at times like the baseball team just could not have timely hitting and at time their defense was suspect. Ashley has a recruiting class coming in ranked number 9 in the country. Like baseball she has several pitchers coming in and they need more players who can really hit and play elite defense. Lastly Ashley brought in several pitchers from the transfer portal and to be quite honest they just have not worked out. They probably will be asked to get in the transfer portal because they are not right now SEC pitchers. Basically, I see a roster change with Rodi, Lillio being seniors and the several more players may have to move on. Just me observation.

 

[PrestonyteParrot]

No players resembling the likes of Bradley, Walker, Wingo, Mooney, Morales, Marzilli, Matthews, Beary, Brady, Williams, Roth, Price, Taylor, Belcher, etc. on the roster, so recruiting is the problem.

Wingo and Mooney as the middle infield were solid on defense and hitters like Walker, Bradley and Marzilli were true hitters and tough outs for any pitcher.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Pitching was never ok, this year or last year. We've been completely unable to recruit, sign, or portal the kind of pitching we need.

Getting guys that could throw 95 was a focus for PM, didn't work if they couldn't put the ball over the plate.

Hitting... well.. I don't know... just garbage.

Not having a deal ready for Schnall to take over immediately, with any and all assistants he wants, would be stupid.

And since stupid is our MO, I expect we won't do that, and instead we'll give Monte a fat check to maintain the suck.

 

[JohnnySolo]

Hitting approach is key. Kids need to have a certain approach to pitchers and sometimes different pitchers based on their style. As a bare minimum they should be sitting fast ball and attack when given. Through out the season you need to be able to pick up off speed or breaking ball spin or location of ball in the pitchers hand. Some kids just have it and most do not. So those kids need to just sit fast ball and hope they get one in their hitting zone. Hitting a baseball is hard. You need a plan. I saw some swings this weekend that look like they are guessing. No reason to ever let a fastball in the zone go by without a swing.

 

[atl-cock]

Before I begin, I just want to say to everyone that I am not throwing any student athlete under the bus. Only my general observations without naming any names. First let me start with baseball. I watched the LSU 3 game series this weekend and needless to say I needed 3 bottles of Pepto Bismol. The energy from this team is really bad. From my observations this team has already quit. I guess from all the losing, pitching has gone from ok to bad. Not sure what has happened to the pitching. I mean how do you go from a 0-1 loss to Florida on a Friday night to 2 other losses is really bad. Secondly the hitting approach these players take is beyond bad. I mean I saw where players swung at pitches 3 feet outside the strike zone. Then the basic fundamentals of baseball have gone to extremely bad. I was always taught you make the basic every day plays on defense and then make several hustle plays. I saw none of this. The players on this team have already quit and thrown in the towel. Monte Lee and his staff can only do so much, and the players have to be accountable as well. Monte Lee was left with a train wreck and just guessing the administration will clean house and go in a totally different direction with a new head coach. Who that will be is a million-dollar question. But we need somebody who can relate to our tradition and culture. Not talking about someone who is in retirement and cannot relate to the players of this generation. Lastly, I will say this I hope and pray that Ray Tanner does not have any input on who the new coach will be. What a disaster as an athletic director.

Now to softball. Ashely Chastain Woodard to her credit when she took the head softball coaching job was left with only 7 players from a 24-player roster. 17 players either went in the transfer portal or transferred. To her credit she brought in several players with her from Charlotte and what she did with that team is beyond amazing. They won over 40 games and was one out from being in the WCWS. Tip of the hat to Ashley Chastain Woodard. Now going in this year, she lost the best pitcher from last year's team. She went in the transfer portal and got a pitcher from Kennesaw State in Emma Friedel. At the first part of the year, she struggled, but Ashley and her staff stayed with her and now she has turned into a really good D1 SEC softball pitcher. So, during the year Jori Heard basically carried this team as she is a senior and she put this team on her shoulders and carried this team. USC went to Knoxville, Tennessee and Jori Heard pitched a gem and USC won that game. She also did the same when they beat Clemson at Clemson, beat Texas A&M. Finally at the end of the year Emma Friedel really started to come on with her pitching and USC has lost 1 run games. Tip of the hat to her. USC with other players stepping up at times they still managed to finish 30-25 and a high RPI. They will probably get a NCAA softball tourney invite and will have to travel. After watching the team this year, the girls played hard and at times like the baseball team just could not have timely hitting and at time their defense was suspect. Ashley has a recruiting class coming in ranked number 9 in the country. Like baseball she has several pitchers coming in and they need more players who can really hit and play elite defense. Lastly Ashley brought in several pitchers from the transfer portal and to be quite honest they just have not worked out. They probably will be asked to get in the transfer portal because they are not right now SEC pitchers. Basically, I see a roster change with Rodi, Lillio being seniors and the several more players may have to move on. Just me observation.

Tanner was a disaster at hiring/firing coaches. I heard nothing positive or negative regarding his other AD duties.

 

[PrestonyteParrot]

Hitting approach is key. Kids need to have a certain approach to pitchers and sometimes different pitchers based on their style. As a bare minimum they should be sitting fast ball and attack when given. Through out the season you need to be able to pick up off speed or breaking ball spin or location of ball in the pitchers hand. Some kids just have it and most do not. So those kids need to just sit fast ball and hope they get one in their hitting zone. Hitting a baseball is hard. You need a plan. I saw some swings this weekend that look like they are guessing. No reason to ever let a fastball in the zone go by without a swing.

Agree, with less than 2 strikes you should be sitting on the fast ball in the zone and ready to attack. Our hitters seem to be caught off guard by pitches down the middle as if they have no plan when they step in the box. You have to make pitchers pay if their fast balls are not on the edges of the plate.