2021 Softball Recruiting Thread

[tigerman1186 537]

We need to find some 'big boppers'...right now, I don't think we have anyone in our lineup that puts any fear in the opposing pitcher or team...

[AU1947 157]

3 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

I only see us picking up a transfer if Lowe, Penta, or Dismukes leave. If not, they will all be a year older and a year better. Most pitchers at the college level take a huge step forward after freshman year, so we could see all three take a huge step forward. 

I cannot be certain, but I do not see Sam transferring. She has already transferred once, so she might have to sit out again depending on COVID rules. If she could be a solid contributor our staff just gets way better. 

Softball teams have transitioned to more of a “staff” in recent years, so they utilize two or three pitchers during the year. In reality,  most teams rely on one, maybe two pitchers, when post season hits. 

Why we are all speculating I think it is incorrect and unsportsmanlike to say that Yarborough had had a terrible year this season. She has only pitched 10 innings. Just like the hitters have digressed. Pitchers have also struggled... and the kid has only pitched 10 innings in which most were against an SEC team in South Carolina early in the season where she was supposedly coming back from a sprained ankle and when she was brought in at Missouri later in the season she threw 3 innings of ball like she performed last year. I would NOT count that kid out. And I would be more disappointed in our hitting, fundamentals, etc getting worse. It has been a steady decline since the Meyers left. Glad they are gone but we have returned to mediocre status.

Edited April 28, 2021 by AU1947

[Jad0003 405]

1 hour ago, AU1947 said:

Why we are all speculating I think it is incorrect and unsportsmanlike to say that Yarborough had had a terrible year this season. It is more like she was let down by the coaching. Just like the hitters have digressed. The kid has only pitched 10 innings in which most were against an SEC team in South Carolina early in the season where she was supposedly coming back from a sprained ankle and when she was brought in at Missouri later in the season she threw 3 innings of ball like she performed last year. I would NOT count that kid out. And I would be more disappointed in our hitting, fundamentals, etc getting worse. It has been a steady decline since the Meyers left. Glad they are gone but we have returned to mediocre status.

You might not agree, but I am going to trust Dean with our pitching. We have a 1.83 ERA for the season, which is 4th best in the SEC. We have produced these results while facing the #1, #2, #4, #5, #6, and #10 teams in terms of batting average in our conference with 3 TRUE FRESHMAN (KK threw 3 innings in 2020). We also face #3 this weekend so temper your expectations. I don’t know what happened to Sam this year, and I acknowledge she was great last year against Minnesota and Florida, but Dean mentioned she has struggled with confidence in the past. I am hopeful she can return to form next year, but I am riding the three freshman into the post season.

To provide a comparison, Myers recruited over Harper and Davis in 2016 with Carlson and Martin. Davis threw in Game 1 of the 2016 WCWS but hadn’t thrown a game in over 2 months prior. Maybe, just maybe, Lowe, Penta, and Dismukes are better at this point in time.

I have said many times we need a new hitting coach, and I hope we get one next year. Dean might be a good pitching coach, but I do not think he survives without a good hitting coach. It is clearly the difference between a regional / super regional team and a WCWS team, and I want us to be a WCWS contender every year more than anyone besides those players and coaches.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Jad0003

[AU1947 157]

41 minutes ago, Jad0003 said:

You might not agree, but I am going to trust Dean with our pitching. We have a 1.83 ERA for the season, which is 4th best in the SEC. We have produced these results while facing the #1, #2, #4, #5, #6, and #10 teams in terms of average in our conference. We have accomplished these results with basically 3 true freshman (KK threw 3 innings in 2020). I don’t know what happened to Sam this year, and I acknowledge she was great last year against Minnesota and Florida, but Dean mentioned she has struggled with confidence in the past. I am hopeful she can return to form next year, but I am riding the three freshman into the post season.

To provide a comparison, Myers recruited over Harper and Davis in 2016 with Carlson and Martin. Davis threw in Game 1 of the 2016 WCWS but hadn’t thrown a game in over 2 months prior.

Maybe, just maybe, Lowe, Penta, and Dismukes are better at this point in time. 

Have you attended 1 game this year and seen the team for yourself in person? Pregame Bullpens, live hitting, player reactions, full game? I have and have watched both in person and on TV. I wouldn't trust anything I have not personally witnessed. We cannot hit, we make stupid errors on the bases and fundamentally we are the worst. And when we lose up until a week ago it was they, they, they.... now recently that terminology has changed to we. I urge you to attend a game if you have not and see for yourself. McConditchie is a better 2nd baseman that is more athletic and hit .400 plus last season.. Has not got a valid opportunity this season... This program is spiraling. Assistant coaches don't make decisions.. Senior hitters are worse than they were when the new regime took over. It is like a 1 man show from the 3 home tournament games and 2 home series I was able to watch in person and the TV games I have watched.... it is good to have your own opinion as that is what makes America great. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by AU1947

[Jad0003 405]

46 minutes ago, AU1947 said:

Have you attended 1 game this year and seen the team for yourself in person? Bullpens, live hitting, player reactions, full game? I have and have watched both in person and TV. I wouldn't trust anything I have not personally witnessed. We cannot hit, we make stupid errors on the bases and fundamentally we are the worst. And when we lose up until a week ago it was they, they, they.... now recently that terminology has changed to we. I urge you to attend a game if you have not and see for yourself. This program is spiraling. Assistant coaches don't make decisions.. Senior hitters are worse than they were when the new regime took over. It is like a 1 man show from the 3 home tournament games and 2 home series I was able to watch in person and the TV games I have watched.... it is good to have your own opinion as that is what makes America great. 

It’s funny to me you switch your argument when I presented the facts against on you pitching.

But I’ll bite, I have attended games this season and  have watched every game I have not been able to attend on television. So please spare me of your assumptions of how closely I follow the program. I don’t know dynamics between the head coach and assistant coaches, and I doubt anyone on this message board does either. If you would like to share details, I’ll happily be educated on the subject. Please make sure to provide sources.

We are 4th in terms of ERA and 8th in terms of fielding in the SEC (the gap between 4th and 10th is less than 10 percentage points). We do well enough in these areas to win games. We also do this 3 true freshman pitchers and a few freshman infielders / outfielders. 

Again, I want a new hitting coach. I am the first person to admit our hitting is not up to par. I do not pretend to be a hitting coach, so I don’t know how to fix. I do know Rivera nor Perry are nearly as protected as in years past, especially from a power perspective. I also know Dowell and King have improved drastically from years prior. 

Again, I don’t think Dean survives without a new hitting coach next year. I want better for the players in the program.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Jad0003

[AU1947 157]

Look at the runs scored as well. We are dead last in every offensive category or next to last. We have 2 freshman, 1 sophomore, & 2 junior pitchers. Hitting has progressively gotten worse. Pitching with Swindle, Handley, and Yarborough has all been worse over time spent here. What will Lowe, Penta, & Dismukes look like next year providing they hang around...Dean had a phenom pitcher in a mid tier conference at JMU. And I am not arguing anything but our program is tanking. Maybe CMD needs to be a pitching coach only. I saw him call Packer to 3rd and stand there with his so called stop hand up... I also heard him hollering get here..yet he blamed her for getting hosed.... that was Cleary practuced a lot.... yes teams practice that and our hand was out played.  It is not about dynamics but each coach has a role.. If you watch closely you will see that is not the case currently at Auburn... It is a one man show and is evident from the stands

 

[Jad0003 405]

35 minutes ago, AU1947 said:

Look at the runs scored as well. We are dead last in every offensive category or next to last. We have 2 freshman, 1 sophomore, & 2 junior pitchers. Hitting has progressively gotten worse. Pitching with Swindle, Handley, and Yarborough has all been worse over time spent here. What will Lowe, Penta, & Dismukes look like next year providing they hang around...Dean had a phenom pitcher in a mid tier conference at JMU. And I am not arguing anything but our program is tanking. Maybe CMD needs to be a pitching coach only. I saw him call Packer to 3rd and stand there with his so called stop hand up... I also heard him hollering get here..yet he blamed her for getting hosed.... that was Cleary practuced a lot.... yes teams practice that and our hand was out played.  It is not about dynamics but each coach has a role.. If you watch closely you will see that is not the case currently at Auburn... It is a one man show and is evident from the stands

 

For the 3rd time, I think we need a new hitting coach and new offensive philosophy. I don’t think anyone who follows Auburn softball would disagree with you. Our hitting is very subpar, and I would hope Dean recognizes the struggles.

I’m not here to argue if Dean is a better head coach vs. head coach. I also know I wouldn’t take a $100k demotion if a university was willing to pay me to figure it out.

Dean is a great pitching coach though - both Carlson and Martin maintained or improved under Dean in terms of ERA with more innings pitched. Harris did well under Dean, but she has not been able to have the same success at Louisville. Swindle pitched sparingly her freshman and sophomore years, so I’d expect her ERA to normalize when she is pitching more innings. She also seemed to embrace Dean and improve under his guidance, but whether she would agree, I don't know. Handley has struggled with consistency since arriving at Auburn. We have seen flashes of brilliance like versus Arizona in regionals in 20I9, but she hasn’t seemed to put it all together. I would expect Lowe, Penta, and Dismukes to improve under Dean if they stick around.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Jad0003

[AU1947 157]

5 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

For the 3rd time, I think we need a new hitting coach and new offensive philosophy. I don’t think anyone who follows Auburn softball would disagree with you. Our hitting is very subpar, and I would hope Dean recognizes the struggles.

I’m not here to argue if Dean is a better head coach vs. head coach. I also know I wouldn’t take a $100k demotion if a university was willing to pay me to figure it out.

Dean is a great pitching coach though - both Carlson and Martin maintained or improved under Dean in terms of ERA with more innings pitched. Harris did well under Dean, but she has not been able to have the same success at Louisville. Swindle pitched sparingly her freshman and sophomore years, so I’d expect her ERA to normalize when she is pitching more innings. She also seemed to embrace Dean and improve under his guidance, but whether she would agree, I don't know. Handley has struggled with consistency since arriving at Auburn. We have seen flashes of brilliance like versus Arizona in regionals in 20I9, but she hasn’t seemed to put it all together. I would expect Lowe, Penta, and Dismukes to improve under Dean if they stick around.

Agreed we need a new hitting coach and probably more IMO ...as I believe our team's issues are deeper than that...  🤔 But has the assistant coaching slots not been a revolving door?  Why? We cannot keep good assistants around to work with hitters and fielders.... Why?... No consistency when you are constantly learning a NEW style or way..... Kettlehut, Smith, Glassco, Rojas, etc and I believe he is completing year 4 of a 5 year contract. Should we not be winning more now and not less?  The UT Chattanooga pitcher had a 5+ ERA. They beat us last week 1-0 and we had 2 hits. That was supposed to be the 600th win... But if you cannot hit, field, and score the ERA is irrelevant...

[Jad0003 405]

4 hours ago, AU1947 said:

Agreed we need a new hitting coach and probably more IMO ...as I believe our team's issues are deeper than that...  🤔 But has the assistant coaching slots not been a revolving door?  Why? We cannot keep good assistants around to work with hitters and fielders.... Why?... No consistency when you are constantly learning a NEW style or way..... Kettlehut, Smith, Glassco, Rojas, etc and I believe he is completing year 4 of a 5 year contract. Should we not be winning more now and not less?  The UT Chattanooga pitcher had a 5+ ERA. They beat us last week 1-0 and we had 2 hits. That was supposed to be the 600th win... But if you cannot hit, field, and score the ERA is irrelevant...

Your arguments changes again once presented facts. Again, I’ll bite.

I don’t know the dynamics between Dean and his assistant coaches nor am I going to pretend to know. I don’t know who makes all the decisions or if it is truly a one man show. 

The best hire Dean made was Glasco, but he left to become a head coach at Lafayette after 3 months. No one in the softball world would criticize him for taking that job. Rojas wanted to return to California to be closer to family, so I don’t blame her either. I speculate she was hired to a 1 year contract to fill Carasone’s spot while she trained for the Olympics in 2020.

Do you want consistency or results? Kettelhut seemed like a decent hire at the time, but he was harshly criticized for the hitting results in 2018 and 2019. Are you suggesting we should have kept him? If that’s the case, we should keep Lenti around another year to make sure there is consistency. Smith took a demotion at Arkansas, and Carasone took over her role on our staff. 

The struggles Dean has faced from the Myers saga, players inherited vs. the players Myers inherited, and the fallout in recruiting are well documented on this and many other boards. Feel free to read at your leisure.

I wish I knew why we couldn’t hit the ball against Chattanooga. I’ve also said our hitting should be better and Lenti should not be retained. I’ve said if we don’t see improvement next year, I wouldn’t renew Dean’s contract. Hell, I’ll be the first to provide a list of coaches we should target. We all want the program to be a contender. Hell, we all seem to agree on what should happen this year and next if the team doesn’t improve. Time will provide us answers. But your arguments are flawed and, ironically, lack consistency. 

Edited April 28, 2021 by Jad0003

[steeleagle 2,945]

47 minutes ago, Jad0003 said:

Your arguments changes again once presented facts. Again, I’ll bite.

I don’t know the dynamics between Dean and his assistant coaches nor am I going to pretend to know. I don’t know who makes all the decisions or if it is truly a one man show. 

The best hire Dean made was Glasco, but he left to become a head coach at Lafayette after 3 months. No one in the softball world would criticize him for taking that job. Rojas wanted to return to California to be closer to family, so I don’t blame her either. I speculate she was hired to a 1 year contract to fill Carasone’s spot while she trained for the Olympics in 2020.

Do you want consistency or results? Kettelhut seemed like a decent hire at the time, but he was harshly criticized for the hitting results in 2018 and 2019. Are you suggesting we should have kept him? If that’s the case, we should keep Lenti around another year to make sure there is consistency. Smith took a demotion at Arkansas, and Carasone took over her role on our staff. 

The struggles Dean has faced from the Myers saga, players inherited vs. the players Myers inherited, and the fallout in recruiting are well documented on this and many other boards. Feel free to read at your leisure.

I wish I knew why we couldn’t hit the ball against Chattanooga. I’ve also said our hitting should be better and Lenti should not be retained. I’ve said if we don’t see improvement next year, I wouldn’t renew Dean’s contract. Hell, I’ll be the first to provide a list of coaches we should target. We all want the program to be a contender. Hell, we all seem to agree on what should happen this year and next if the team doesn’t improve. Time will provide us answers. But your arguments are flawed and, ironically, lack consistency. 

I Agree with your points mostly, and I also see too much inconsistency from AU1947. 

I think we all agree our hitting is no where productive, and our lack of power is a head scratcher, as our vet power hitters got worse, while no one has improved from the young hitters. That has to change, as both of you will agree with a new hitting coach w better success, hopefully at a P5 school.

As to pitching, Dean has brought in great pitchers, and I won't argue his using the 2 freshmen ladies over Yarborough and Lexie, as they are just bette pitchers and will get better under Dean I feel. It happens when better athletes are recruited, and existing players lose their position. That's competition. I don't any of us can argue our pitching staff results. Yes, Penta has struggled more in the SEC, mainly bc she just needs to develop a little better off speed pitch and location. An off season will do her well.

As to overall coaching, while I will admit, that I have not seen the team in person, I follow the team very well over the years, and understand softball and strategy. Dean, bc of the lack of hitting and production seems to be overtrying to manufacture runs and rallies by some of his ingame decisions. Most have not worked. If this is how he manages situationally, then he will not be here after next year, as even if you get better in hitting, a coach can still cost you games making situational baserunning and hitting.

Finally, Dean is bringing in, on paper, a very strong hitting group with statistically better power hitters. We will see if they make the starting lineup and if a new hitting coach gets them ready to hit, especially in the tough SEC. It will be tough to evaluate their progress as freshmen, but I will be looking to see how the existing hitters that are starters next year progress.

But in the end, bc of the lack of hitting and scoring, it's hard to pin everything on just the HC, as he does great w pitchers and is bringing in highly ranked classes recently...

[Jad0003 405]

@steeleagle Your summary around Dean’s offensive strategy is important to note. It has cost us a number of runs this year rather than manufacturing them. I would like to believe he is aggressive because he knows his team capabilities rather than the standard. I hope we see progress from our current players and get some production from this incoming class. 

Next year will tell us more about the future of the program than this year will.

Edited April 28, 2021 by Jad0003

[AUBwins 10,068]

I just hope our younger girls will believe in the process and not transfer out. 
 

also I think we need to toughen up our non conference schedule. SEC is probably the most competitive conference as a whole from an upper echelon category. Need to play perennial WCWS contenders in early season to gauge what will work better. I suppose this year shouldn’t be faulted with Covid scheduling and the youth of our team. Actually we added a better team in FSU and took a game from them. 

[OlderWhiskey 953]

I believe elsewhere on this website it states that we have the 6th toughest schedule in the nation.

[saminbama 740]

After reading where the team showered him with Silly String after his 600th win Sunday, I have to wonder just how bad the team morale is and the supposed mass transfer that's "about to happen".  Doesn't add up.

[WarTiger 3,901]

On 4/27/2021 at 4:24 PM, Kasey Dunaway2021 said:

Well.... Samantha has had a terrible year which I didn’t expect I expected her to be the starter and dominate we should go after another pitcher in the transfer portal because Lexi is leaving and + Samantha probably will transfer since she isn’t playing anymore so we will need two transfers.

Holy run on sentence.  Do you ever use punctuation?  Geez. This  is the 2nd time you have said Lexi is leaving yet you never provide anything to support it.  We are waiting.  Samantha has pitched TEN total innings all year. It's not a terrible year when other players are just better and are ahead of her in the rotation.   If Penta, Dismukes and Lowe all return next year, we won't need any pitching transfers.  We also have another pitcher coming on board in the next class. 

[blakem 296]

This UT series was terrible. 4 runs in 3 games will NEVER win in the SEC. Time for AG to make a change.

[Kasey Dunaway2021 11]

5 hours ago, WarTiger said:

Holy run on sentence.  Do you ever use punctuation?  Geez. This  is the 2nd time you have said Lexi is leaving yet you never provide anything to support it.  We are waiting.  Samantha has pitched TEN total innings all year. It's not a terrible year when other players are just better and are ahead of her in the rotation.   If Penta, Dismukes and Lowe all return next year, we won't need any pitching transfers.  We also have another pitcher coming on board in the next class. 

Yes we do what happens if someone gets hurt?

[Kasey Dunaway2021 11]

1 hour ago, blakem said:

This UT series was terrible. 4 runs in 3 games will NEVER win in the SEC. Time for AG to make a change.

I just want to make the NCAA tournament 

[Kasey Dunaway2021 11]

On 4/28/2021 at 10:27 AM, steeleagle said:

I Agree with your points mostly, and I also see too much inconsistency from AU1947. 

I think we all agree our hitting is no where productive, and our lack of power is a head scratcher, as our vet power hitters got worse, while no one has improved from the young hitters. That has to change, as both of you will agree with a new hitting coach w better success, hopefully at a P5 school.

As to pitching, Dean has brought in great pitchers, and I won't argue his using the 2 freshmen ladies over Yarborough and Lexie, as they are just bette pitchers and will get better under Dean I feel. It happens when better athletes are recruited, and existing players lose their position. That's competition. I don't any of us can argue our pitching staff results. Yes, Penta has struggled more in the SEC, mainly bc she just needs to develop a little better off speed pitch and location. An off season will do her well.

As to overall coaching, while I will admit, that I have not seen the team in person, I follow the team very well over the years, and understand softball and strategy. Dean, bc of the lack of hitting and production seems to be overtrying to manufacture runs and rallies by some of his ingame decisions. Most have not worked. If this is how he manages situationally, then he will not be here after next year, as even if you get better in hitting, a coach can still cost you games making situational baserunning and hitting.

Finally, Dean is bringing in, on paper, a very strong hitting group with statistically better power hitters. We will see if they make the starting lineup and if a new hitting coach gets them ready to hit, especially in the tough SEC. It will be tough to evaluate their progress as freshmen, but I will be looking to see how the existing hitters that are starters next year progress.

But in the end, bc of the lack of hitting and scoring, it's hard to pin everything on just the HC, as he does great w pitchers and is bringing in highly ranked classes recently...

If we are not top 5 or top 10 all next year in the rankings next season I’m going to be frustrated we want to compete for National World Series Championships.

[Kasey Dunaway2021 11]

On 4/28/2021 at 9:29 AM, Jad0003 said:

Your arguments changes again once presented facts. Again, I’ll bite.

I don’t know the dynamics between Dean and his assistant coaches nor am I going to pretend to know. I don’t know who makes all the decisions or if it is truly a one man show. 

The best hire Dean made was Glasco, but he left to become a head coach at Lafayette after 3 months. No one in the softball world would criticize him for taking that job. Rojas wanted to return to California to be closer to family, so I don’t blame her either. I speculate she was hired to a 1 year contract to fill Carasone’s spot while she trained for the Olympics in 2020.

Do you want consistency or results? Kettelhut seemed like a decent hire at the time, but he was harshly criticized for the hitting results in 2018 and 2019. Are you suggesting we should have kept him? If that’s the case, we should keep Lenti around another year to make sure there is consistency. Smith took a demotion at Arkansas, and Carasone took over her role on our staff. 

The struggles Dean has faced from the Myers saga, players inherited vs. the players Myers inherited, and the fallout in recruiting are well documented on this and many other boards. Feel free to read at your leisure.

I wish I knew why we couldn’t hit the ball against Chattanooga. I’ve also said our hitting should be better and Lenti should not be retained. I’ve said if we don’t see improvement next year, I wouldn’t renew Dean’s contract. Hell, I’ll be the first to provide a list of coaches we should target. We all want the program to be a contender. Hell, we all seem to agree on what should happen this year and next if the team doesn’t improve. Time will provide us answers. But your arguments are flawed and, ironically, lack consistency. 

What happened to lenti what he did at DePaul was incredible but I guess you just get old and it’s time to retire 

[steeleagle 2,945]

1 hour ago, Kasey Dunaway2021 said:

What happened to lenti what he did at DePaul was incredible but I guess you just get old and it’s time to retire 

Who knows if Lenti’s hitting approach fit against  these top SEC pitchers. 
Age had nothing to do with it.  
 

If he is retained after this year I will be surprised. Our hitters even the vets that were counted on have regressed. Very very little power. 

[Jad0003 405]

2021 signee Nelia Peralta was selected for the PGF All American game as a representative for the East region.

She is the only Auburn player on the roster. Tennessee and Alabama have the most players on the two rosters with three. Oklahoma, Oregon, and Kentucky each have two players.

Edited June 9, 2021 by Jad0003

[OlderWhiskey 953]

K B Sides from Alabama has entered the transfer portal.

[steeleagle 2,945]

3 hours ago, OlderWhiskey said:

K B Sides from Alabama has entered the transfer portal.

Wonder what's going on there. SHe played a lot, and was one of the top BAs on the team. She didn't hit well at all in the WCWS, but in conference play she had a very high avg. No power at all but good OPS...

[Jad0003 405]

27 minutes ago, steeleagle said:

Wonder what's going on there. SHe played a lot, and was one of the top BAs on the team. She didn't hit well at all in the WCWS, but in conference play she had a very high avg. No power at all but good OPS...

Passing along info from Robocoach: she wants to pursue a graduate degree in a field Bama doesn’t have a program. She always had the plan to go after this degree, but she will get it paid for now.