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Softball Fall Ball 2019


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A Phillip Marshall article that says pretty much thee same as the above.

https://247sports.com/college/auburn/Article/Swindle-back-in-the-circle-for-Auburn-softball-136326871/

My wife and I attended and I will include some observations.

In spite of being so hot I thought the game was well attended for a fall game.  The area directly behind home plate was mostly filled in since it was in shade and more folks scattered throughout the stands.   Looked a tad strange with the bleachers gone.  I sat next to a gentleman and his wife from Pensacola who had experience as HS SB coach.  He had come up for the Football game and attended about 1 ½ hours of the SB game before having to start back.  A lot of fun talking to some of the other fans/families at the games.  Speaking of which, the family of Jadia Jones sat in front of us; talked with her dad a bit.  Very nice gentleman….more about Jadia to follow. 

I attempted to keep up with runs but eventually got lost but I did record a total of at least 16 runs for Auburn and I would say 2 – 4 for Gulf Coast (this is the 5th game this fall for Gulf Coast).  Scoreboard did not record scores or pitch speed; only outs/strikes/balls.

The Auburn starting lineup and first substitution as follows.

P   Swindle > Dempsey

C   Tissier >  Godwin

1st  Perry > Engelkes

2nd  Garcia > McCondichie

SS  Dowell > Kopeke

3rd  Snow > Florian

LF  Maresette > Jones

CF  King > Calvert

RF  Rivera > Majors

 

Starting Batting Order:  Rivera, King, Snow, Enelkes, Garcia, Maresettte, Perry, Tissier and Dowell.

First inning at bat for AU went like this: Rivera- line drive single to RF, King- good bunt single, Snow-triple off CF wall, Engelkes sac fly deep left, Garcia-walk and then stole 2nd, Maresette – ground out to SS, Perry- single through left side of infield, Tissier- double LF.  I believe Dowell made the last out of the inning. 

Overall I thought batters looked more comfortable at the plate and were more focused on hitting the ball rather than “killing” the ball.  The young players appeared overall comfortable in their positions and I don’t recall any infield errors by AU….Gulf Coast had several.   Overall good base running with exception of what appeared to have been a called double steal with runners on 1st and 2nd and I believe runner on 2nd did not get the sign???  Jadia Jones had a good bunt and has tremendous speed down the baseline. 

Pitching: Swindle as usual gave a number of batters fits with her change up.  When Dempsey came in she had a couple of “illegal pitches” called where the umpires just pointed it out to her.  She seemed to get somewhat preoccupied with making sure she was dragging her back foot so coud have been a distraction for her.  Toward game end Hannah Cavanaugh pitched a couple of innings and I felt she did fairly well.  Then she made a plate appearance and proceeded to knock a single through the left side of the infield. 

Should add the defensive line up for what I will call game 2 maybe around inning 7 or so….

P  Handley

C  Nillen

1st  Engelkes

2nd  Madi Perry and McCondichie

3rd  Florian

SS   Kopeke

LF  Jones

CF  Calvert

RF  Majors

I thought Florian made a couple of good throws from 3rd base side to 1st.  There was one particular play I thought was impressive where hitter bunted down 3rd base line and Florian fielded the ball and made the out on throw to 1st which was being covered by the 2nd baseman since Engelkes  had charged from 1st to cover the bunt.  I believe we will have some quality depth this year. 

Mingled with players when the came on the concourse shortly after the game.  Talked briefly with Coach Dean.  Mostly chatted about his combination Motorcycle/Recruiting trip this past summer.  He seemed relaxed and very approachable.  Said some of the new players were nervous but did well….I would agree.

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Thanks for the great notes.  The overall picture begins to gel a bit.  Sounds like no one is out due to injury, unless one counts Dismukes' "tired arm".  Liked what you reported about the swings.  If that maintains, Rivera might hit .400 this year.  Curious about a couple of pronunciations:  Engelkes and McCondichie.  Thanks to you and Mrs. Canyon for braving the heat.

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A few additional comments regarding games last Sunday.  Did not see Emily.  Coach Rojas was first base coach and would "high five" players frequently.  During about the last 3 innings when AU at bat coach Lenti coached from the 3rd base and was communicating with each batter.  There were some number changes different from what is shown on the current roster.  Tyler King is #6, Maddison Koepke is #7, Phoebe Florian # 23, Jadia Jones # 13.  McKenna Dowell, playing at SS, made a good play on a line drive and immediately threw to 1st and catching the base runner for a double play.  I believe AU hit into a double play later in the game on a near identical play.  

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6 hours ago, slot canyon said:

There were some number changes different from what is shown on the current roster.  Tyler King is #6, Maddison Koepke is #7, Phoebe Florian # 23, Jadia Jones # 13.  

Yes, typically in the fall you wear whatever number that is already in the jersey inventory, until the new jerseys arrive for spring.

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IMO - #13 needs to be retired effective immediately.  Lest we forget - from her WikiPedia bio - Kasey Marie Cooper (born April 7, 1995) is an American softball player and third baseman, originally from Dothan, Alabama. Cooper played college ball at Auburn University, in which entering her senior season holds almost every offensive record for the Tigers. Cooper also plays for the United States women's national softball team, and won a gold medal with the team at the 2016 Women's Softball World Championship and a Silver Medal at the 2016 World Cup of Softball. (link to the rest - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasey_Cooper) and she was named the espnW player of the year.  It will be a very long time before AU sees another player of her caliber. 

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3 hours ago, wareagle1969 said:

How did Handley throw?

In terms of "wild Pitches", I thought much improved.  Don't recall anything getting past the catcher.  Believe she gave up a single to RF.  She did hit a batter on the hand/wrist.  Overall headed in the right direction.  

2 hours ago, warladytigers said:

IMO - #13 needs to be retired effective immediately.

Superstitious are we? 😀

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On 9/29/2019 at 6:36 PM, OlderWhiskey said:

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. 

That's a great article...................:poke:

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7 hours ago, slot canyon said:

In terms of "wild Pitches", I thought much improved.  Don't recall anything getting past the catcher.  Believe she gave up a single to RF.  She did hit a batter on the hand/wrist.  Overall headed in the right direction.  

Superstitious are we? 😀

I thought she was referring to the fact that Kasey Cooper wore #13.

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6 hours ago, OlderWhiskey said:

I thought she was referring to the fact that Kasey Cooper wore #13.

I wondered the same but thought I would joke anyway.

 

13 hours ago, augolf1716 said:

That's a great article...................:poke:

You know what they say...sometimes you have to "read between the lines".

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On 10/1/2019 at 4:47 PM, slot canyon said:

In terms of "wild Pitches", I thought much improved.  Don't recall anything getting past the catcher.  Believe she gave up a single to RF.  She did hit a batter on the hand/wrist.  Overall headed in the right direction.  

Superstitious are we? 😀

 

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Kasey Cooper’s number should unquestionably be retired. The number 13 should be pulled from use until this happens. 

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I don't know that I would agree.  Certainly a great player, with admiration and respect from me; but she was part of a spectacular group on the 2015-2016 teams.  If you retire her number, what about Carosone's?  What about Kaylee Carlson, the best pitcher in Auburn history?  I say let time provide some perspective before retiring jerseys.  JMO.

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On 10/1/2019 at 4:47 PM, slot canyon said:

In terms of "wild Pitches", I thought much improved.  Don't recall anything getting past the catcher.  Believe she gave up a single to RF.  She did hit a batter on the hand/wrist.  Overall headed in the right direction.  

Superstitious are we? 😀

Nope - Coop's number!

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OW,  while I greatly respect your opinions, I have to side with 1716 on this one.  Yes, Carlson is the best pitcher in Auburn's softball history.  But Coop is the all time RBI leader in the SEC.  I don't think it's a stretch to consider retiring her number.

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It isn't a stretch, and I respect the opinions of those who feel differently; you, 1716, and warlady to date.  Part of the basis for my opinion is recalling her senior year, after Carosone, Rhodes, and Howard graduated.  She struggled to hit .200 early, and wound up at .311, 5th on the team.  She did have 46 RBI, 2d on the team, and 10 homers, also 2d.  Her first 3 years she averaged over 70 RBI.  Still there's little question that she's probably the top candidate to have her jersey retired.  

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AU Athletics report of 10/5/19 doubleheader:

https://auburntigers.com/news/2019/10/5/softball-rivera-powers-tigers-to-doubleheader-sweep.aspx

The AU softball twitter page also included that Maia Engelkes had a 2 run homer at some point. 

This is a cartoon from her dad's twitter page.  Being from South Dakota, it may be close to the truth.

CXRT0DPUwAAXMJh.jpg

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Sunday Oct 6 games link from AU Athletics games vs Chipola and Wallace State.

https://auburntigers.com/news/2019/10/6/softball-tigers-cap-four-game-weekend-with-second-consecutive-sweep.aspx?path=softball

Additionally, Chipola  has a live stream of their games at  https://team1sports.com/chipolaathletics/  which is good.  Would like to see AU do the same for games not on TV.

I am guessing that Chipola is probably not as good as they have been in recent years but still a good team.  I thought both Chipola and Wallace state had very respectable pitching.  I was surprised CMD was letting Swindle pitch the entire game since there had been a lot of rotation during prior games.  She clearly had a good day on the mound vs Chipola.  By my count, the game ended AU 4 Chipola 0.  The HR by Snow (3rd inning I believe) hit the top half of the score board.  Also, in the first inning AU at bat she hit a deep fly to left field that looked like it would go through but great play by Chipola to catch it and make a throw back to 2nd and catch Maresette  having to come back from trying to advance to 3rd.  Maresette had reached 2nd on what appeared to be a routine pop up to 3rd but dropped in front of defensive player due to sun.  To her credit, Maresette had rounded 1st and sprinted to second on the play.  By my count second game with Wallace State ended 6-3 in favor of AU.

Did not see Tyler King.  Saw Dismukes but of course she is not in the pitching rotation.   

From my notes I will attempt to list Positions/Players (possible I missed some since there was a lot of substitutions)

Pithcer: Swindle, Handley, Cavanaugh, Yarbrough

Catcher: Tissier, Godwin

1st: J. Perry, Engelekes, Snow (1 inning)

2nd: Garcia, McCondichie, M. Perry

SS: Dowell, Koepke

3rd: Snow, Florian

LF: Calvert, Jones

CF: Rivera, Calvert

RF: Maresette, Majors, M. Perry

Talked with parents of one of the transfer players and they offered that their daughter really liked the coaches which I liked to hear since the info was not solicited on my part.  Also talked with parents of Maia Engelkes.  She is from South Dakota.  Told me they (3)  had direct flight from SD to Atlanta and drove over from there.  I decided not to complain about my 2 hour and 20 min drive back to Birmingham.  

Veach and McCrackin were at the game.  Between games they interacted with a group of their teammates at the netting behind home plate.  

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The play where AU scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th was a wild sequence. I think it went like this. First, McCondichie hit a single to left field but got thrown out trying to steal 2nd. Tissier hit a single and Jones went in to run and I think stole 2nd on the next pitch. I believe Dempsey then hit a single putting runners on 1st and 3rd. Maddie Perry to run for Dempsey. Calvert slow rolled a bunt to pitcher and Jones scored from second and Perry got to 3rd. At this point no coverage at 2nd and Calvert took off. When someone moved over to cover the base the pitcher made errant throw that rolled into center field and cleared the bases. Calvert basically got an inside the park home run off of a bunt

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I took the time to watch the replay from the Chipola website and will add a few observations about that game.

- Swindle had a no-no going until the 6th, but Dowell and Calvert both had nice plays that saved possible hits. Dowell fielded a ball near the bag and just got the runner with a good throw in top 2; in T4, Calvert had a nice running catch in LC.

- Auburn running a lot.  Jones, Garcia, and McCondichie all had SBs.  Tissier threw out two Chipola runners, but misfired on the third.

- AU scored all 4 runs in Bot 3.  Garcia had a sharply hit single up the middle, and stole second. Calvert beat out her bunt, then Rivera had an RBI groundout.  Maresette singled to drive in Calvert, then Snow hit the first pitch way up on the scoreboard.

- Auburn had two on with no outs in Bot 4, but didn't score.  Garcia and Calvert walked, but Rivera K'd, and Maresette flied out to left.  With Snow up, Calvert bluffed a steal from first.  The Chipola catcher threw down, and Garcia, who was way off 2d (by design, I think), took off for 3d, making it.  Calvert started to try for second, but got caught off first.

- Garcia hit one to the track in bot 6, but the cf got under it.

- Florian had a nice play on a slow roller in top 7.  Good arm.

The video quality was very good, although it;s still hard to get faces from that camera location.  I was easily able to identify Veach and McCrackin coming down the concourse.  Noticed the umpires changed from time to time, guess they use these exhibitions for training or practice.  I think there were 3 home plate umpires.

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Playing Georgia Tech today away.  They are 4 -0 in fall ball having beat Chipola 15-1 and 5-4.  Played a couple of 10 inning contest; one vs Shorter and won by 12 runs and another, vs Jacksonville State and winning by 9.  Last season had overall record of 31-27.  Roster shows 7 Jr, 8 Soph, 8 Fresh.  Should be good experience for AU to go on the road.

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Played Colunbus State on the road

 

 

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Auburn squared off with Columbus State in its first exhibition game of the fall and defeated the Cougars, 9-3, Wednesday night at Ragsdale Field.

"I just want to say thank you to Columbus State and Coach Appleton," head coach Butch Thompson said. "We come to play a program on the road in the fall, which is a neat experience. We get so used to the friendly confines of Plainsman Park. To come on the road, first time on somebody else's field, that's exactly why we made this trip."

The Auburn offense came to life in the late stages of the game, starting with a three-run, go-ahead home run from Garrett Farquhar to break a 2-2 tie in the sixth. The Shelton State transfer finished the game 2-for-2 with four RBI after also driving in the first run of the game on a sacrifice fly in the second.

"It was a great experience today," Farquhar said. "Lots of learning points to go off of. I had a great time, though. A bunch of the older guys helped me have more confidence in myself and helped us play as one today."

After Columbus State cut the lead to 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers got the run back and then some thanks to a solo home run from Kason Howell, RBI double from Brayton Brown and sacrifice fly from Travis Odom in the next frame.

Trace Bright picked up the win after pitching 2.0 scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. Bright retired six of the seven batters he faced with the lone baserunner reaching on an error.

"It means a lot growing up an Auburn fan and finally getting out there and putting that uniform on," Bright said. "It was nice to get ahead early. That opens up a lot of pitches for me. It felt good."

Richard Fitts drew the start on the mound and pitched 2.0 innings with a game-high three strikeouts. Junior college transfers Drew Baker and Jackson Reynolds turned in a scoreless inning of relief, apiece, and freshman Seb Thomas recorded the final three outs in scoreless fashion.

"All in all, the young pitchers were a positive, Scheffler behind the plate, right up the middle we played well the entire evening," Thompson added.

The Tigers totaled 14 hits in the contest with two hits apiece coming from Farquhar, Howell, Ryan Bliss, Conor Davis and Matt Scheffler. Brody Moore and Scheffler also drove in a run.

Thirteen newcomers, including eight position players and five pitchers, saw their first action against an opposing team.

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Auburn outscored Georgia Tech 6-5 tonight in a game that was set up as "play for 3 hours", according to the softball news page.  Auburn fell behind 3-0 initially, but had 15 hits in the 9-inning game, plus 11 Ks.  No word on who had either.  The article may appear below:

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Auburn softball program continued its impressive fall exhibition productivity as the Tigers traveled to Atlanta and beat Georgia Tech.

Rather than playing a tradition seven-inning softball game, the two teams agreed to play as many innings as possible in a three-hour window on Thursday night. Play was ultimately stopped after nine innings with the Tigers ahead.

"I thought it was a very slow start with low energy. We were kind of just playing, but not playing to win," head coach Mickey Dean said. "But once we got down, then all the sudden, we had a little fire in us and started playing and executing much better."

Auburn fell behind in the bottom of the first, before that deficit was extended in the third and sixth innings, respectively. The Tigers finally got on the scoreboard with a two-run top of the seventh, before tying the game an inning later.

Georgia Tech re-took the lead with a one-run bottom of the eighth. However, Auburn responded with a three-run top of the ninth, while the Yellow Jackets only managed to plate one in their half of the inning before the game was called.

"Our pitching wasn't great, but it wasn't bad," Dean said. "It was really just inconsistent, but when we were on, we had really good innings."

On the night, the Auburn pitching staff recorded 11 strikeouts, including striking out the side in the bottom of the second and recording the game's final three outs via strikeout. The Tigers were also credited with 15 hits throughout the game. 

"We had a lot of hits, but just didn't capitalize on scoring runs," Dean said. "I thought, after about the fourth inning, we started playing with a little bit more energy and I thought our young players did a good job of putting themselves in position to score runs. Our defense really kept us in the game."

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