Softball Fall Ball 2019

[ellitor 33,082]

From the PM article in the Rojas thread ...
 

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Two junior college transfers, outfielder Jadia Jones from Chipola and left-handed pitcher Bailee Dempsey from Wallace-Dothan have joined the Auburn team.

Jones, who played at Central High School in Phenix City, hit .452 and stole 16 bases in limited action for Chipola last season. Dempsey, from Ashland, Alabama, hit .398 for Wallace-Dothan last season and was 2-0 in the circle. She is expected to concentrate on pitching at Auburn.

 

 

[slot canyon 1,333]

In addition to the start of formal practice later this month, the beginning of September is when coaches can begin to contact high school juniors. A portion of article from Softball America from August 29:

With the 2019-2020 academic year off and running at most colleges and universities around the country, fall softball recruiting is just around the corner. Before the official end of summer after Labor Day and the start of fall ball, take some time to digest the dates that prospective student-athletes (PSAs) and Division I softball coaches should keep in mind this fall. September 1 This is the heralded date for Division I softball coaches and PSAs alike. For high school juniors, this is the date that recruiting communication is able to commence with Division I coaches. On Sept. 1, softball PSAs are able to speak over the phone and via email with college coaches about recruiting, begin taking official and unofficial visits to college campuses and have conversations about recruiting at college camps and clinics. Before Sept. 1, however, Division I softball coaches are only able to express their interest in PSAs by simply telling travel ball coaches or team liaisons that they are interested. Any additional communication before Sept. 1 between PSAs and Division I coaches is prohibited by the NCAA.

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Fall practice has begun.

[4WDE 89]

Good to see Handley throwing again. Great kid.

[around4ever 4,139]

On 9/13/2019 at 10:33 AM, OlderWhiskey said:

Fall practice has begun.

Hope those margaritas are tequila-less. 

[slot canyon 1,333]

Since this is part of what goes on in the fall:

AUBURN, Ala. - The Auburn University softball team will be holding walk-on tryouts for currently enrolled, full-time students on Wednesday, Sept. 25. The tryout will be held at 6 p.m. CT at Jane B. Moore Field.

[slot canyon 1,333]

Fall ball games begin Sunday, September 29th. Times 1:30 nd 4:00. Weather outlook = HOT....likely mid 90's during game time.  Frist game Gulf Coast State (Commodores), a junior college,  located in Panama City.  New coach Scot Thomas who was previous HC at Va. Tech for 23 years.  I suspect he and CMD are acquainted especially since he is also a "Harley man" from what I can tell. Second game vs Georgia Gwinnette Grizzlies a 4 year self described metropolitan  college with approximately 12,000 students.  They are located roughly 30 miles northeast of Atlanta.  Their record last year was 45-16 but I really did not recognize any of their opponents.  They are not in a conference. 

Another note: there are a number of informal videos and photos of the gals on the AU Softball Twitter page; some running stadium steps and others team bonding related.    

[AU64 10,122]

Hard for me to get into softball this time of year but thanks Slot for keeping us up to date on practice and recruiting.    Despite some doubters (like me) it seems that MD has rounded up a solid roster for the coming season and added some good coaching help too.

An attractive group of young ladies.....just hoping some of them can hit...

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Was Scot Thomas the coach at VT last year?  They did pretty well last year.  Of course, their stud pitcher Eberle has since transferred to OK St.

[slot canyon 1,333]

6 hours ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Was Scot Thomas the coach at VT last year?  They did pretty well last year.  Of course, their stud pitcher Eberle has since transferred to OK St.

Looks like Scot Thomas was fired in may 2018 and the new coach Pete D'Amour was hired at the end of that month and turned the program around in a major way.

[slot canyon 1,333]

8 hours ago, AU64 said:

Hard for me to get into softball this time of year but thanks Slot for keeping us up to date on practice and recruiting.    Despite some doubters (like me) it seems that MD has rounded up a solid roster for the coming season and added some good coaching help too.

An attractive group of young ladies.....just hoping some of them can hit...

Pretty much agree AU64 except I am fairly anxious  to see some of the new players and hope to travel down to see a couple of fall games.  A number of the players who have arrived have been advertised as having good skills and I believe there is potential to be better at the plate.  Our overall record last season was 39-21 and that was without our best pitcher from about mid-season on.  We lost 8 games by 1 run and had difficulty getting those "timely hits" so looking at improvement there.  Three of those 1 run losses were in conference games and one was a regional game.  Unfortunate Harris decided to transfer but hoping Dismukes is as good as advertised and that our two returning pitchers have continued to progress.  Surely coach sees potential in the others or would not have them on the team.  Also interested to see player response to revamped coaching staff.   If my wife is willing to brave the heat hope to go next Sunday.  Got to start getting familiar with all those new faces and numbers.

[tigerman1186 537]

Look forward to a report about the games next weekend...

[augolf1716 21,103]

13 hours ago, slot canyon said:

Fall ball games begin Sunday, September 29th. Times 1:30 nd 4:00. Weather outlook = HOT....likely mid 90's during game time.  Frist game Gulf Coast State (Commodores), a junior college,  located in Panama City.  New coach Scot Thomas who was previous HC at Va. Tech for 23 years.  I suspect he and CMD are acquainted especially since he is also a "Harley man" from what I can tell. Second game vs Georgia Gwinnette Grizzlies a 4 year self described metropolitan  college with approximately 12,000 students.  They are located roughly 30 miles northeast of Atlanta.  Their record last year was 45-16 but I really did not recognize any of their opponents.  They are not in a conference. 

Another note: there are a number of informal videos and photos of the gals on the AU Softball Twitter page; some running stadium steps and others team bonding related.    

My oldest niece goes there didn't even know they had a softball team

[OlderWhiskey 953]

As usual, will look forward to reading your observations if/when you are able to go.  Lots of questions to answer this fall.  I have to think both Godwin and Maresette will be in the batting order.  Who plays in the field, and where?  Will Calvert play center?  She has a great rep as a fielder.  What about second?  Koepke, Florian, Perry, and Garcia are all infielders.

[wareagle1969 5]

On 9/16/2019 at 3:32 PM, 4WDE said:

Good to see Handley throwing again. Great kid.

When was Handley not throwing?

[steeleagle 2,945]

2 hours ago, wareagle1969 said:

When was Handley not throwing?

Yeah. I didn't understand that statement either.

I really think Lexie is the key. She has the best pitching weapons to keep the good teams at bay. While I love Swindle's heart and control, she is going to keep us in the game but will give up too many runs if she is matched up against the other team's ace. 

[4WDE 89]

3 hours ago, wareagle1969 said:

When was Handley not throwing?

She was shut down after the last game of the year to try to help resolve ongoing back issues that bothered most of the season.

[slot canyon 1,333]

Softball 9/26/2019 2:09:00 PM

 

https://auburntigers.com/news/2019/9/26/softball-tigers-begin-fall-schedule-with-sunday-doubleheader.aspx

 

Tigers begin Fall Schedule with Sunday Doubleheader

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AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn softball team will open its 2019 fall exhibition schedule with a doubleheader against Gulf Coast State College on Sunday. The two teams will start the afternoon with a 1:30 p.m. first pitch, before playing a second game after a 30-minute intermission.

Dean and his staff will begin their fall slate of games with 14 new faces, including nine freshmen, four transfers and one sophomore addition.

"This weekend is really an opportunity for our players to show what they can do against someone besides a teammate," head coach Mickey Dean said. "It gives us an opportunity to look at some combinations of things that we want to see."

Six seniors will be the cornerstone for this season's squad with Tannon Snow and Justus Perry anchoring the corner infield positions with Alyssa Rivera roaming the outfield. Ashlee Swindle returns to the pitching circle whereas Brittany Maresette and Rachel Cook will add productivity on the bases.

Snow and Perry are coming off 60-game junior seasons, while Swindle, who led the team with 132.1 innings pitched a season ago, was 11-8 with a 2.96 ERA in the pitching circle.

"I think where our seniors can really help is the communication part," Dean said. "And making sure players don't feel like they're on an island and helping them with off-the-field stuff and those types of things."

Admission to all home fall games is free to the public. Concessions will also be available. There will be an autograph session for fans following the conclusion of Sunday's second game.

Before facing GCSC on Sunday, Auburn will host an intersquad scrimmage Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

 

[gulftiger66 166]

Can anyone put names with faces?  I can get the easy ones:. Tannon, Justus, Brittany, Alyssa, Makenna, and maybe a couple that I could guess at (new hair styles tend to throw me off).   I'll say this, "Auburn certainly has a beautiful group of girls on the softball team".   

[OlderWhiskey 953]

OK, here's my take.  Jadia Jones is the tiny girl front right.  Behind her are Tyler King in pink and Aspyn Godwin in yellow.  Yarbrough is the blonde front and center.  Dempsey has the white shirt and bare feet.  Swindle and Maresette are mobbed up on the left, with Handley behind them.  Perry and Dowell are over there also.  Rachel Cook in the blue T-shirt in the back, with Majors and McCondichie in front of her.  McCondichie has her hand up.  Cavanaugh the tall girl in back center.  To her left are Engelkes and Rivera.  The 3-girl group in front of Rivera consists of Snow, Garcia and Dismukes with the honey blonde hair.  The two behind the table whose faces flank Dempsey's are Calvert on the left and Koepke on the right.    

Not shown:  Tissier, Nillen, Florian, and Madi Perry.

As always when I'm involved, errors are possible: but I'm pretty confident of these IDs.  I guess I should have said, I'm using the margarita picture.

[slot canyon 1,333]

Auburn's Dean: Softball focus is on winning

ByPHILLIP MARSHALL 3 hours ago

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Senior Alyssa Rivera hit .333 with 10 home runs last season. (Photo: Auburn University)

AUBURN, Alabama – For Auburn softball, much has changed since the end of last season. Two pitchers and five starting position players are gone. Mickey Dean is headed toward his third season as head coach, but he has a new coaching staff and new operations director.

It’s time, Dean said on a late September afternoon, to win.

There is a new comfort level for Dean, who hired Hall of Fame coach Eugene Lenti to coach Auburn hitters. He later hired highly successful junior college Ruby Rojas. He worked with Lenti in the pro softball league and coached Rojas when she was on the Venezuelan national team. Leisa Lee moved from Tigers Unlimited to run softball operations. Former Auburn All-American Emily Carosone returns for her third season as the volunteer coach.

“Very much so,” Dean said. “I feel good about our direction. We didn’t come here looking for immediate gratification. We’re building something. There had to be a foundation. The foundation, I couldn’t make about wins and losses. Now we are starting to move in that direction.”

The Tigers, who open fall exhibition play with a doubleheader against Gulf Coast Community College on Sunday at 1:30 p.m., welcome a recruiting class ranked by some in the nation’s top 10. Dean expects those rankings to rise in 2020 and 2021.

Right fielder Alyssa Rivera, third baseman Tannon Snow and first baseman Justus Perry, all seniors, are likely starters. Rivera hit .333 with 10 home runs last season and is Auburn’s leading returning hitter. Snow hit .320 with 15 home runs and shared the team lead in RBIs with 48. Perry struggled but finished strong. Every other position, Dean says, is up for grabs.

In the pitching circle, Lexie Handley and Ashlee Swindle return from last season. KK Dismukes is a highly decorated signee. Samantha Yarborough is a transfer from South Alabama.

“We are putting people in different positions, rotating people through,” Dean said. “We want to give people an opportunity to go out there and win a spot. If you are going to win, you have to have pitching and hitting. That’s really been our big focus.”

Last season’s team had a big postseason, reaching the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and going to the championship round in the Arizona regional. It was, Dean believes, a turning point in his program. That turning point seemed far away after the Tigers were swept at Arkansas in the final series of the regular season.

“Just to see what they did in the postseason, especially coming off the sweep at Arkansas was amazing,” Dean said. “They had a different swagger. After Arkansas, we probably the best talk we had in two years. That team played really hard.”

The Tigers of last spring lost All-America pitcher Makayla Martin in the first series of the SEC season. Ashlee Swindle took a vicious line drive off her face in Arizona. Others fought injuries. Still, they pushed on.

“When you look at the SEC Tournament and the regional, Justus was hurt, Taylon (Snow) was out, (Kendall) Veach was hurt, Bree (Fornis) was hurt, Alyssa was hurt,” Dean said. “You were short a pitcher and you are asking in postseason after these young ladies had already pitched more innings than ever expected.”

Auburn has yet to release the 2020 schedule, but Dean said it will be one of the more difficult in school history. Before the start of SEC play, the Tigers will go west to play defending national champion UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State and California. They will also play Northwestern, one of the favorites to win the Big Ten.

“You can’t go into the SEC having never faced that kind of competition,” Dean said.

FACILITIES UPDATE

The bleachers that were removed at the end of last season will be replaced with chairback seats. Those are expected to go up in December or January. Construction on a new player development facility, Dean said, is expected to start in November.

PITCHERS

Handley and Swindle are the only two pitchers with SEC experience, but look for Dismukes to push hard. Yarborough also could be in the mix.

“If our staff is healthy, we could be as good as any staff,” Dean said. It’s about getting pitchers healthy. Lexi had the bad back. We are maintaining now, which we weren’t able to do last year. We didn’t know from week to week. Knock on wood, we are getting to where we can maintain that.

“Ashlee is coming off her injury but seems to be reacting very well to that. She’s wearing a mask, so that alleviates that thought. I leave that up to them. I don’t dictate that. She’s throwing well. Lexie is really throwing well.”

Dismukes arrived with a tired arm after a busy senior season and travel season. She might not pitch at all this fall.

“She’s gone to national tournaments and just put up astounding numbers,” Dean said. “We are expecting good things out of her. It’s not an injury. It’s just overuse and we are giving it a break. That’s where we are.

“Samantha is starting to show some really good signs. We’ve been able to show her a new pitch or two. She’s a hard worker. I think we can get some good innings out of her.”

Two walk-ons – Bailee Dempsey from Wallace Community College in Dothan and Hannah Cavanaugh from  We have two walk-ons – Bailee Dempsey and Hannah Cavanaugh from Winter Park, Fla., will get close looks this fall.

Handley, who transferred from Akron last year, is the potential ace of the staff. She retired 11 straight Florida hitters in the SEC Tournament and was one pitch away from a shutout against hard-hitting Arizona in the regional.

“It’s about being consistent,” Dean said. “If she does that, she’ll be as good as anybody you’ve seen. No ifs, ands or buts about it. You are talking about a kid who had been throwing 63 or 64 who was throwing 72. These aren’t excuses. It’s just what happened.”

HITTERS

Lenti’s presence as hitting coach is already making a difference, Dean says.

“He has a great offensive mind,” Dean said. “With him, it’s more about approach. He’s had great teams and great players, so he has a proven track record. I had the opportunity to coach with him in the pro league and learned a great deal from him when it came to offensive side of it. To have an opportunity to bring him on staff, I feel fortunate and I’m really looking forward to the future of our offense.”

Players old and new have stood out at the plate in the early days of fall.

“Justus Perry has worked really hard,” Dean said “Maia Engelkes is crushing the ball. Tannon is crushing the ball. Alyssa has been crushing the ball. Tyler King has been getting hits left and right. Lindsey Garcia has been hitting the ball really well. We have some kids that can swing it. Can they swing it in the SEC? That is the question.”

INFIELDERS

With Snow and Perry likely locked in on the corners, the big question is who will be the starters in the middle infield. Junior Makenna Dowell, the top backup at three infield positions last season, is a leading candidate.

Others are freshman Maddison Koepke, freshman Carlee McCondichie, freshman Phoebe Florian, Garcia and freshman Madi Perry. Freshman Maddie Majors could get some work on the corners.

CATCHERS

Sophomore Abby Tissier, who sat out last season with a knee injury, will compete with sophomore Aspen Godwin and sophomore Haley Nillen to be the starting catcher.

“I think it’s going to be a great battle,” Dean said. “I look forward to it.”

OUTFIELDERS

5COMMENTS

Rivera, a three-year starter in right field,will get a look in centerfield, though it will be difficult to keep King out of that spot. Maresette, the starting designated player for much of last season, will likely get the first look in left field.

Other candidates are freshman Jaylin Calvert, Florian, junior Jadia Jones, Majors and McCondichie.

Comments (5)

">247Sports

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Already reading some unexpected things.  Lots of positive stuff here.  Love CMD's attitude.

[slot canyon 1,333]

I appreciate the fact that Phillip Marshall at least keeping in touch with the softball program and writes articles like the one above.  I realize it is only "fall ball" but I try to check several sources for any AU softball related stories (Plainsman, Opelika-Auburn News and Montgomery Advertiser) and often Phillip is the only one actually providing some insight as to what is going on.  

[OlderWhiskey 953]

The softball News page reports that we "won" today's game, even though no official score was kept, nor given in the article.  Sounds like we definitely won, though, as Auburn recorded 28 hits in the 12-inning game, compared to single digit hits for Gulf Coast.  The originally scheduled DH was changed to a single 15-inning game, and that was foreshortened, presumably due to time.  Five pitchers threw for Auburn (all except Dismukes).  Tyler King and Rivera had 3 hits each, with 8 players having multiple hits.

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Well, that didn't work, so here's a link to the article.

https://auburntigers.com/news/2019/9/29/softball-tigers-take-fall-opener-behind-balanced-attack.aspx?path=softball