2019 softball recruiting thread

[slot canyon 1,332]

Quote

 

Auburn Softball Brings Versatility, Championship Experience in Latest Signing Class

11/15/2018 1:29:00 PM

AUBURN, Ala. – On the heels of just the eighth 40-win season in school history, Auburn head softball coach Mickey Dean and his staff reaped the benefit as the Tigers signed seven players to make up an offensively-loaded recruiting class for the 2020 season.

"The class overall is very versatile," Dean said. "There is a lot of championship experience with over half of the class having won a national championship. So, just having that experience and playing for championships and playing at a high level is important and makes for an exciting future."  

This year's Auburn softball signing class includes infielders Maia Engelkes, Carlee McCondichie and Maddison "Maddy" Koepke as well as Lindsey Garcia and Madison "Maddie" Majors, who can play infield and outfield positions. In addition, outfielder Jaylin Calvert and right-handed pitcher Kaylyn "KK" Dismukes round out Dean's second recruiting class on The Plains.

-       Engelkes, a Sioux Falls, S.D., native, is a true utility infielder that can play both middle and corner positions. She helped the South Dakota Renegades to a second-place finish at the 16U Premier Girls Fastpitch in 2017 and in the top 10 in 2018. Off the field, she's ranked in the top five of her high school senior class and wants to major in Biomedical Sciences.

Coach Dean on Engelkes … "You know, Maia comes from a strong softball background with her travel ball organization. She really jumped out to me a couple of years ago when her 16U team played for the national championship. I've just been watching her ever since. She has power with her bat and agility in the infield, so we are excited."  

-       McCondichie comes to Auburn from Birmingham, Ala., where she excelled as a hitter and athlete for Gardendale High School and the AL Thunderbolts 16U. She recorded a state-best 105 hits as a freshman then followed with 81 hits during her sophomore season. She struck out only four times as a freshman and has been named a three-time all-state player by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

Coach Dean on McCondichie … "Carlee has really good speed and handles the bat exceptionally well. She's a triple threat — swing away, bunt or slap. She plays second base very well."

-       During her time at Mill Creek in Dacula, Ga., Koepke was a two-time all-state selection as well as all-county and all-region honoree. Additionally, she was chosen as a Gwinnett County Super Six selection this year. She was named Scholar Athlete by Georgia Dugout Club three times. Her older sister played softball at Georgia State and her dad played collegiate baseball, too.  

Coach Dean on Koepke … "Maddie is a versatile infielder and has really swung the ball well through her high school career. She's made all-conference and all-state, so we are looking for her to make an immediate impact in the middle of our infield."

-       Garcia hails from Coral Springs, Fla., where she was a four-time Class 5A Florida High School state champion. She also was named the Broward County Small School Player of the Year. She was an all-state and all-region honoree after hitting .544 for Coral Springs Charter, which finished ranked as the No. 1 ranked team in Florida and No. 5 in the nation last season.

Coach Dean on Garcia … "She has great experience at championship play and really jumped out at us at camp. We got to watch her play over the summer and really liked what we saw."

-       Majors prepped at Spain Park High School in Birmingham, Ala., where she helped the Jaguars to a second-place finish in the AHSAA Class 7A state tournament in 2018. She earned ASWA All-State and Super All-State honors after hitting .487 with 53 runs scored, 16 doubles and nine home runs. She was also named to the Alabama Coaches Association North/South All-Star team over the summer. Her mom, Julie, is an Auburn Alumni.

Coach Dean on Majors … "What's interesting with Madison is she had been injured, so I didn't get to see her play, but then got to watch her play at the high school all-star game. She has a really nice swing, a good arm and is versatile. She plays corner infield and outfield. We are excited about her competing."

-       From New Palestine, Ind., Calvert set numerous records for the New Palestine Dragons and ranked among the top five around the county in various categories. Calvert and the Dragons won an Indiana State Championship this year. She also participated in track and field.  

Coach Dean on Calvert … "Jaylin, over the last year, has shown great potential with her bat. She started out as a slapper but is now swinging for power. She's made some phenomenal plays in the outfield over the past year and we are excited about her getting on campus."

-       Dismukes, who also plays volleyball, is the lone pitching signee of the class. She became the first Holtville High softball player to earn all-state honors en route to being named a three-time ASWA All-State player. She was named Elmore County Player of the Year in 2018 after striking out 314 batters and hitting .500 at the plate. She was named a 2017 USA Elite Top 30 All-American and played in the Alabama High School Coaches Association North/South All-Star Game over the summer.

Coach Dean on Dismukes … "KK has really grown over the past year. She started coming to some of our camps and clinics and really started to develop her velocity and movement on her pitches. And so, we've been excited about our growth over the last year since I've been here and just watching her. We are looking forward to getting her here on campus and seeing what she can really do when she's working on pitching every single day and developing her body."

 

 

On 6/8/2019 at 6:57 AM, slot canyon said:

Initially, there were 7 players who signed in Nov. 2018 for this 2019 class. Phoebe Florian, from Andrey Kell HS in Charlotte, NC signed in February 2019 and is our 8th player. She primarily plays SS from what I can tell but is listed as MIF/CF. As someone mentioned on previous post she was injured her junior year. This year .453/8HR/18SB. Does not appear to be a lot of info about her out there in the vapors. She was all-conference in her SoMeck 7 area.

 

Looked at Extra Inning softball verbal database published April 17 , 2018 (free).   I focused on 2019 players who should sign this year.  Not totally up to date because they had Macy Simmons listed (a highly regarded catcher/hitter) who changed to ASU earlier this spring.  Other players include: Jaylin Calvert, outfielder, Beverly Bandits. Maddie Majors, OF, Thunderbolts, Carlee McCondichie, MIF/OF, Thunderbolts. Kelley Lynche, RHP, East Cobb Bullets (Georgia) .  Madison Koepke, MIF, also East Cobb Bullets.

Currently this list shows 5 players  and we would have 5 seniors, four of whom have played a lot and likely starters next year.  I am hoping Tissier and/or one of the gals in this years signed class can shore up the catcher position.  I will add that when I attended a couple of practices that Abby Tissier was very attentive at practice and seemed to "eat up" any instruction/comments that Courtney Shea provided.  Appeared very eager to learn.

The Extra Innings Softball site list goes through 2022 I believe.

[WarTiger 3,901]

split this off to give it its own topic and be a bit more current.

[Hspoprn 199]

No pitchers ?

[around4ever 4,139]

With Bilodeau leaving we are in desperate need of pitchers. 

[AUBwins 10,069]

Maybe he has some transfer pitchers in mind.  Without the transfer restrictions, a couple of those will be nice, especially if we get a girl who will be a sophomore next year. 

[OlderWhiskey 953]

16 hours ago, Hspoprn said:

No pitchers ?

Kelly Lynche is a pitcher, as noted.  Thanks to Slot for bringing this topic to light.

[AU64 10,122]

18 hours ago, around4ever said:

With Bilodeau leaving we are in desperate need of pitchers. 

Was she going to be a factor? .    Seems that once we got beyond the two aces, we were short of talent in that position anyway....hope there are some surprises out there waiting for us. 

[jimpecht 14]

Jenna Olszewski is transferring to UAB.  She is the 4th player to leave since Coach Dean took over.  I sure hope we're out doing some serious recruiting to fill needs.  When this new staff originally took over I was very optimistic.  After watching things unfold over the past 10 months I have huge concerns about the direction of the program.

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Very sorry to see Olszewski leave, as she was one of my favorite prospects.  Here is the link to the UAB announcement:  https://uabsports.com/news/2018/7/11/softball-uab-adds-jenna-olszewski-to-roster.aspx

I share jimpecht's concerns.  Was hoping to see some big bats transfer in; instead, one I had high hopes for goes the other way.

[auburnphan 6,050]

29 minutes ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Very sorry to see Olszewski leave, as she was one of my favorite prospects.  Here is the link to the UAB announcement:  https://uabsports.com/news/2018/7/11/softball-uab-adds-jenna-olszewski-to-roster.aspx

I share jimpecht's concerns.  Was hoping to see some big bats transfer in; instead, one I had high hopes for goes the other way.

The fact that she is transferring to UAB and not to a SEC power says something.  I was really expecting to see some transfers in already too,  but I also expected to see some  attrition.

Greenwood will be back this year and I think one of KK or Casey moves to the outfield to see some starts.

 

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Transferring within the conference is one of those things that isn't done.  I guess you could do it by sitting out a year, but I don't know of anyone that has. Correction:  Just remembered that Amanda Sanchez transferred from Missouri to LSU.  I think only graduate transfers can do this. Greenwood showed some promise with the bat in 2017, so maybe she will be a pleasant surprise.  I see McCrackin entrenched at second.  Assuming Podany moves to center, left would be between Greenwood and Crocker, with Moseley an unknown in the mix.    

[4WDE 89]

5 hours ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Greenwood showed some promise with the bat in 2017, so maybe she will be a pleasant surprise.  I see McCrackin entrenched at second.  Assuming Podany moves to center, left would be between Greenwood and Crocker, with Moseley an unknown in the mix.    

With Moseley coming off surgery, let's hope Greenwood or Crocker is ready for fall.

[slot canyon 1,332]

9 hours ago, 4WDE said:

With Moseley coming off surgery, let's hope Greenwood or Crocker is ready for fall.

Good point 4WDE.  Also let's hope Greenwood comes off her shoulder surgery in good form, having to sit last year during recovery.  I feel it will be important to keep Crocker "infield ready" as we seem to only have 4 middle infielders.  

Taylon Snow - SS

Dowell - 2nd, SS & 3rd

KK Crocker - 2nd, LF

McCrackin - 2nd, SS (I believe she has played 3rd sparingly)

At this point, if McCrackin got injured then Crocker might replace her leaving Snow and Dowell in place.  If Crocker in outfield things might get interesting.  

Now if Tannon Snow were able to increase her participation and play one of the corner infield positions that would free up Dowell (who has played well in my opinion)

Another moving part would be wheat happens at the catcher position.  Will Veach take over, Tissier, a freshman???Will Perry settle in at 1st and free up Veach for 3rd or catcher.  Looking forward to some fall ball to get a hint about where some of these players stand position wise.  

Maybe we will have some players transfer in who might help with some of the depth rotation issues.  Also, should not overlook Maresette and Fornis, since both could compete for playing time in the outfield.

[AUSRB 25]

14 hours ago, 4WDE said:

With Moseley coming off surgery, let's hope Greenwood or Crocker is ready for fall.

I was not aware of Moseley’s surgery but Aspyn Godwin a catcher,  is recovering from ACL surgery and will have a chance to play if she has recovered by fall.  

[OlderWhiskey 953]

The newly styled roster indicates we are down to 18 players now, plus the three coming in this fall.  This is closer to where most teams operate, I think, but I recall Myers having up to 30,and always at least 25.  The coaching staff page now only lists Dean, Smith, Ketelhut, and Megan Reynolds (DOO).  I think the volunteer position Carosone had only lasts for a year.  ??  She is playing with the Bandits this summer.  Also, I don't seem to be able to access Twitter. 

[slot canyon 1,332]

Whiskey, the 5/17/18 news article on the AU Athletic site indicated that Emily would be there for 2 years to include 2019 as volunteer assistant.  I had forgotten what a good article that was about her coaching aspirations and her love of softball.  She says she considers herself a player with average skills.  If that is true I would like to have a team full of players with her level of "average skills" not to mention her infectious smile.

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Thanks for the reference to that article, it was worth reading again.  Also made me feel better about Dean.  I guess the PTB just decided to limit the number of staff members listed on the "Coaches" page. 

[AUBwins 10,069]

Will Carosone still be able to be a volunteer coach? I thought those were done away with recent rule changes, but now have another paid coach at their disposal. Maybe she can be paid now. 

On a side note, USA softball on ESPNU.  Cooper starting at 3rd, former Lsu catcher Parrish behind the plate. Rickets is pitching. Evidently this is a replay as they moved ahead a batter due to time constraints. 

[WarTiger 3,901]

51 minutes ago, AUBwins said:

Will Carosone still be able to be a volunteer coach? I thought those were done away with recent rule changes, but now have another paid coach at their disposal. Maybe she can be paid now. 

On a side note, USA softball on ESPNU.  Cooper starting at 3rd, former Lsu catcher Parrish behind the plate. Rickets is pitching. Evidently this is a replay as they moved ahead a batter due to time constraints. 

It is a replay.  They played the game yesterday.

[OlderWhiskey 953]

USA Red and Japan play for the championship today. 

[warladytigers 172]

USA Red won the tournament - Coop was DP - appears to be having hitting problems again.    Carosone may be able to get picked up as an assistant now.  I believe AUBwins is correct - volunteer coaches are no longer an option.

[OlderWhiskey 953]

This really bears on 2020, I think.  The Birmingham Thunderbolts just won the 16U natty, led by a pitcher named Shelby Lowe.  The article linked below calls her an Alabama commit, but an article on the same page yesterday called her an Auburn commit, and posters on Ultimate College Softball all confirm she's an Auburn commit. There is also another Auburn commit on the team. https://www.flosoftball.com/articles/6237189-birmingham-thunderbolts-dorsett-win-pgf-16u-premier-championship

[auburnphan 6,050]

3 hours ago, OlderWhiskey said:

This really bears on 2020, I think.  The Birmingham Thunderbolts just won the 16U natty, led by a pitcher named Shelby Lowe.  The article linked below calls her an Alabama commit, but an article on the same page yesterday called her an Auburn commit, and posters on Ultimate College Softball all confirm she's an Auburn commit. There is also another Auburn commit on the team. https://www.flosoftball.com/articles/6237189-birmingham-thunderbolts-dorsett-win-pgf-16u-premier-championship

According to fastpitchnews.com  link on game too:  https://fastpitchnews.com/blog/2018/08/05/top-five-players-and-recap-saturday-2018-16u-premier-pgf-national-championship/?utm_content=buffer6ef41&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

Carlee McCondichie (2019)
Birmingham Thunderbolts 01 Dorsett (Auburn)

Carlee McDondichie holds the leadoff spot well as she had two lead-off hits for the Thunderbolts in the championship game. In the first inning, she lead-off with a double and later scored and put her team in the lead. Then again in the sixth, she ripped a hit up the middle for a single.

Shelby Lowe (2020)
Birmingham Thunderbolts 01 Dorsett (Auburn)

Pitching her team to a 2018 PGF National Championship was Shelby Lowe. Throwing a two-hitter in the Championship game, Lowe also racked up seven strikeouts in her appearance in the circle. She lasted all seven innings for the Thunderbolts to come out with a 4-1 win.

[augolf1716 21,101]

On 8/5/2018 at 3:51 PM, OlderWhiskey said:

This really bears on 2020, I think.  The Birmingham Thunderbolts just won the 16U natty, led by a pitcher named Shelby Lowe.  The article linked below calls her an Alabama commit, but an article on the same page yesterday called her an Auburn commit, and posters on Ultimate College Softball all confirm she's an Auburn commit. There is also another Auburn commit on the team. https://www.flosoftball.com/articles/6237189-birmingham-thunderbolts-dorsett-win-pgf-16u-premier-championship

So which is it turds or us? I have zero connections with softball recruiting

[OlderWhiskey 953]

All info indicates she is an Auburn commit.  Her Dad went to vet school at Auburn.  I think that one article was just a slipup.