KK Crocker leaving softball team

[SCTiger2011 1,277]

https://www.theplainsman.com/article/2019/01/xw7cgrxdyni9vvq

 

Rising junior KK Crocker has left the Auburn softball team and will seek a transfer at the end of this semester, Softball America's Maren Angus reported Thursday morning.

A Tuscaloosa native, the versatile Crocker appeared in 39 games last year for the Tigers, starting 22. Her .338 batting average was tops on the team among non-everyday starters.

Last season, Crocker recorded 26 hits, three doubles and a triple to go with a .440 on-base percentage. She scored 20 runs and 16 RBI.

With her efficient history at the plate, Crocker looked to be a fixture in the Tigers' 2019 batting order. She was also expected to compete primarily at second base, where she's logged the most starts, or somewhere in the outfield given her speed.

 

 

[tgr4lfe 220]

Wow, that is an interesting move this close to the season starting.  

[steeleagle 2,945]

What is Dean doing to this team, that a guaranteed key player decides to leave RIGHT  BEFORE the season starts?

Unless it is strictly a personal issue, then I am getting worried about the ability of MD to correct this mess he was left with.

[saminbama 740]

Ouch!!  This hurts.  The timing is definitely questionable.

[slot canyon 1,332]

I have been a KK fan from the start but would not want to jump to any conclusions at this point. Don't know if I would put her in the category of "guaranteed key player" as referenced above but more of a good back up option. She plays good at 2nd but behind McCrackin and probably Dowell. She has had some time in left field. Could it be possible that Greenwood has come back strong. Maresette and Fornis are back. Her departure could be due to any number of factors and it may be that we will not have explanation as to why she is no longer on the team.

[AU64 10,122]

JMO but I think that the ladies all of a sudden realized they have options if they are not getting the playing time they think they deserve..   A year or two ago we discussed the fact that softball players rarely transferred and just stuck it out even if they did not get much playing time.  

Maybe the sport is getting like the other big sports, coaches making more money, and now have more pressure to win and perhaps applying that pressure to the players.   

[wildling 35]

35 minutes ago, AU64 said:

JMO but I think that the ladies all of a sudden realized they have options if they are not getting the playing time they think they deserve..   A year or two ago we discussed the fact that softball players rarely transferred and just stuck it out even if they did not get much playing time.  

Maybe the sport is getting like the other big sports, coaches making more money, and now have more pressure to win and perhaps applying that pressure to the players.   

KK was probably going to get a fair bit of playing time though, she'll have to go to a much lower level school to get more.

[The Freak 2,526]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!  She was one of my faves!

[4WDE 89]

2 hours ago, steeleagle said:

What is Dean doing to this team, that a guaranteed key player decides to leave RIGHT  BEFORE the season starts?

Unless it is strictly a personal issue, then I am getting worried about the ability of MD to correct this mess he was left with.

Given she was slotted to start in LF a few weeks ago, playing time should not have been an issue. Dakota Morrow has also left the team. It appears the portal has opened in AU, but anymore? Guess we will see.

[AU64 10,122]

43 minutes ago, 4WDE said:

Given she was slotted to start in LF a few weeks ago, playing time should not have been an issue. Dakota Morrow has also left the team. It appears the portal has opened in AU, but anymore? Guess we will see.

So is there a trend as to where these players are moving to (not just the AU players)  ?  which teams? , which conferences ?   any particular schools seeming the get the biggest benefit......or just some players looking for a change of scenery. ?

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Texas certainly benefited from the Oregon debacle - got about three excellent players from the Ducks. Louisiana (formerly ULL) is another team that has picked up several. Hudek and Milligan from aTm transferred to Louisiana, plus Megan Kleist will be there next year. She has opted to sit out the 2019 season and play for Glasco in 2020. These seem to be cases of players joining former coaches that they liked. Kleist's longtime pitching coach is now with the Cajuns. Did not know Morrow had left the team; but with her and Crocker, this timing sounds like they perceived that they weren't going to get as much PT as they wanted, so they opted out. Save the year of eligibility, if they still want to play somewhere. If not, more time for studying and partying, rather than giving your life to softball. I say thanks to both girls for their contributions to the program. Either UAB or Jax State (or Oregon?) would be possible destinations for Crocker. I'm hoping Crocker's departure means that Greenwood or Maresette or Moseley is ripping the cover off the ball and can't be kept off the field. But there I go dreaming again.

[saminbama 740]

9 minutes ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Did not know Morrow had left the team; but with her and Crocker, this timing sounds like they perceived that they weren't going to get as much PT as they wanted, so they opted out. Save the year of eligibility, if they still want to play somewhere. If not, more time for studying and partying, rather than giving your life to softball. I say thanks to both girls for their contributions to the program.

Agree with all these points.  KK is a good kid and I wish her well.  UAB seems like a good possiblity since it's close to home, but who knows.  Do we have any slappers left?

[all4AU 379]

Let me preface this by saying  I don’t think this has anything to do with why they are leaving Auburn, but I find it interesting that KK and Dakota are both from Tuscaloosa.

[around4ever 4,139]

I hate to see KK leave.  She may not have been a starter but she would have given us some key innings either in the outfield or infield.  She was pretty consistent at the plate also being able to slap and hit with power.  

Good luck to her. 

[around4ever 4,139]

It's odd that she announces this with no idea where she is going.

[4WDE 89]

Either the situation with CMD was that bad or plan B was already plausible.

[OlderWhiskey 953]

The way I read that message, softball may not be in her future.

[slot canyon 1,332]

Several years ago my wife and I attended a practice just prior to the start of the season. We happened to have some conversation with a mother of one of the players (now a senior starter). She said that the coaches would soon be establishing who would be on the travel squad and at that time reality would set in for some of the players who did not make the travel squad. I don't know if something like this has anything to do with the two players leaving but I could see how it could; especially if you were not a freshman and had prior game experience.

[4WDE 89]

Crocker is in the transfer portal, so she will resurface. Would not be surprised to see her playing again with Olszewski. Don’t forget that before CJK went to Oregon, he recruited a lot of these kids, so he is familiar.

Travel squad would not be an issue, because with them they only had 20 healthy (or semi-healthy) bodies.  With CCM, he liked to keep 26–28 available bodies to be able to run practice and have competition.  That always put a priority on making the travel squad. CMD prefers less numbers. Those lower numbers become more critical now, especially with three players coming off surgeries and not playing in the fall.   Another loss to an INF and it could be really sticky. 

[Mikey 16,566]

It could be telling that while thanking teammates and fans she made no mention of her coach. That seemed odd to me.

[OlderWhiskey 953]

And we are now down to exactly 20, including Tissier.  I think 20 is the travel number for conference games and postseason, don't know about the early season tournaments.

Double down on the two previous comments.

[AU64 10,122]

16 minutes ago, Mikey said:

It could be telling that while thanking teammates and fans she made no mention of her coach. That seemed odd to me.

nothing says that every player and coach must get along. ….surprised it does not happen more often....and maybe there is a trend in that direction.  

From my experience and observations, girls are more likely than boys to allow personal feelings (likes/dislikes) to affect their working relationships with others.  Hope she finds a place and coach that she likes.  

[steeleagle 2,945]

2 hours ago, Mikey said:

It could be telling that while thanking teammates and fans she made no mention of her coach. That seemed odd to me.

Not really. The fact that he didn't recruit her, or build that early relationship with her, as well as he only coached her at AU for 1 year, tells me her relationships she built over time were with her teammates.

My thinking is that with her being a JR now, and it looks like she was not going to be a starter pretty much led her to her decision. 

[Mikey 16,566]

20 hours ago, steeleagle said:

My thinking is that with her being a JR now, and it looks like she was not going to be a starter pretty much led her to her decision. 

I would have guessed that she would be a shoo-in as a starter at some position. Maybe she saw others passing her in Fall practice?

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Crocker only hit .143 in SEC play, compared to .338 overall.  Reading on another site that Godwyn is the freshman who's hitting well, and will probably find her way into the lineup.

Anyone go to the scrimmage yesterday?