2021 Softball Schedule & Season Discussion Thread

[LetsGo 31]

Interesting article from AL.com. They say Koepke has entered the transfer portal but from her Instagram account she states she is done with softball.

 

https://www.al.com/auburn/2021/05/auburn-softball-starter-enters-transfer-portal.html

[steeleagle 2,945]

1 hour ago, LetsGo said:

Interesting article from AL.com. They say Koepke has entered the transfer portal but from her Instagram account she states she is done with softball.

 

https://www.al.com/auburn/2021/05/auburn-softball-starter-enters-transfer-portal.html

where can i actually see the transfer portal regarding softball players?

It is strange that she talks about her scarred knee, and her comments that she is hanging it up. Did she change her mind? One way or the other?

 

[AUBwins 10,075]

If she's hitting the portal instead, that paints a different picture.

[Jad0003 405]

I’m going to default to her personal social media post rather than al.com on this one. The post makes it sound like there is a unique circumstance for her quitting softball rather than no longer loving the game or wanting to transfer from Auburn. 

Hopefully Garcia, Bryant, or an incoming player can step up at 3rd. 

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Just saw confirmation on College Softball forum that Koepke is in the transfer portal.  Entered within the past 2 days.

[steeleagle 2,945]

11 hours ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Just saw confirmation on College Softball forum that Koepke is in the transfer portal.  Entered within the past 2 days.

Very confusing when comparing it to her instagram post about getting out of softball....

[AUBwins 10,075]

6 hours ago, steeleagle said:

Very confusing when comparing it to her instagram post about getting out of softball....

Well you know, Taylon Snow said she didn't enjoy the game anymore at Auburn.  Refound the joy with Oklahoma.  Haven't heard anything to suggest the same with Koepke but could be plausible. 

[wmsau 63]

Seems to have gone silent on the rumor mill earlier in this thread about Dean or a certain pitcher staying at AU. Hopefully, the coach & player meetings have gone well for AU this week and some of that will go away. 

[Jad0003 405]

2 hours ago, AUBwins said:

Well you know, Taylon Snow said she didn't enjoy the game anymore at Auburn.  Refound the joy with Oklahoma.  Haven't heard anything to suggest the same with Koepke but could be plausible. 

Gasso needed a shortstop and found one.... in the portal. 

Edited May 29, 2021 by Jad0003

[AUBwins 10,075]

59 minutes ago, Jad0003 said:

Gasso needed a shortstop and found one.... in the portal. 

Obviously that was her motive lol. But Taylon actually said this in an article written when she transferred. 

[steeleagle 2,945]

14 hours ago, AUBwins said:

Obviously that was her motive lol. But Taylon actually said this in an article written when she transferred. 

YEah, but the difference is Snow never said she was hanging up softball after the season like Koepke posted. Snow simply entered the portal, and then the article mentioned later she was unhappy with softball at Auburn, but that had more to do with the culture and the drama Auburn was going through under Meyers, and ofc she came here bc of Meyers, who had to retire. 

Koepke was signed by Dean...It probably she was unhappy w her play, then thought about it more...and felt she needed a reboot somewhere else.

[AUBwins 10,075]

2 hours ago, steeleagle said:

YEah, but the difference is Snow never said she was hanging up softball after the season like Koepke posted. Snow simply entered the portal, and then the article mentioned later she was unhappy with softball at Auburn, but that had more to do with the culture and the drama Auburn was going through under Meyers, and ofc she came here bc of Meyers, who had to retire. 

Koepke was signed by Dean...It probably she was unhappy w her play, then thought about it more...and felt she needed a reboot somewhere else.

That could definitely be the case. 

[AUBwins 10,075]

Speaking of Snow, just turned on the OU vs Wash game with our girl leading off the inning.  I miss watching her play.  She is probably my favorite recruit Auburn ever signed. 

[wmsau 63]

19 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

Gasso needed a shortstop and found one.... in the portal. 

Actually, Gasso didn't need a shortstop as Snow has never played shortstop at OK. Snow has played outfield and first-base. Currently playing first-base. The shortstops at OK are much better shortstops than Taylon.

 

[wmsau 63]

3 hours ago, steeleagle said:

YEah, but the difference is Snow never said she was hanging up softball after the season like Koepke posted. Snow simply entered the portal, and then the article mentioned later she was unhappy with softball at Auburn, but that had more to do with the culture and the drama Auburn was going through under Meyers, and ofc she came here bc of Meyers, who had to retire. 

Koepke was signed by Dean...It probably she was unhappy w her play, then thought about it more...and felt she needed a reboot somewhere else.

Koepke committed to AU when Myers was the coach, however, she remained committed to AU and signed anyway after Dean arrived. 

[Jad0003 405]

4 minutes ago, wmsau said:

Actually, Gasso didn't need a shortstop as Snow has never played shortstop at OK. Snow has played outfield and first-base. Currently playing first-base. The shortstops at OK are much better shortstops than Taylon.

 

You are correct. I meant 2nd base, which she played last year in the shortened season. She was beat out by Jennings this year but her versatility allowed her to move positions. 

[wmsau 63]

1 hour ago, Jad0003 said:

You are correct. I meant 2nd base, which she played last year in the shortened season. She was beat out by Jennings this year but her versatility allowed her to move positions. 

Agree as Taylon is a great player with the versatility all coaches love in their players. You can also tell she is happy where she is. Of course, when you are surrounded by studs at every position and the bench, it makes it more fun.

 

[Jad0003 405]

In a recent article Phillip Marshall provided an update coming out of end of season player interviews with Dean.

As of now, Dowell, Handley, and Koepke are the only current players with eligibility remaining who will not be on Auburn’s roster next year. I say “as of now” because there is always a possibility a player changes her mind over the summer. He mentions Koepke will not continue her softball career, so I’m still confused over the whole situation.

He also mentions Bryant will have off-season shoulder surgery, and all of the 2021 recruits are expected to enroll this summer. 

The only other note of substance related to hitting. He says Carosone will be significantly more involved with hitting next year. He doesn’t mention if she will be hitting coach or if Lenti will be on staff, but I thought it was worth passing on. 

Edited May 31, 2021 by Jad0003

[AUBwins 10,075]

2 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

In a recent article Phillip Marshall provided an update coming out of end of season player interviews with Dean.

As of now, Dowell, Handley, and Koepke are the only current players with eligibility remaining who will not be on Auburn’s roster next year. I say “as of now” because there is always a possibility a player changes her mind over the summer. He mentions Koepke will not continue her softball career, so I’m still confused over the whole situation.

He also mentions Bryant will have off-season shoulder surgery, and all of the 2021 recruits are expected to enroll this summer. 

The only other note of substance related to hitting. He says Carosone will be significantly more involved with hitting next year. He doesn’t mention if she will be hitting coach or if Lenti will be on staff, but I thought it was worth passing on. 

Interesting about Emily.  Sounds like she didn't have much input on philosophy.  

[blakem 296]

3 hours ago, AUBwins said:

Interesting about Emily.  Sounds like she didn't have much input on philosophy.  

I could’ve guessed that much.

[steeleagle 2,945]

13 hours ago, AUBwins said:

Interesting about Emily.  Sounds like she didn't have much input on philosophy.  

Well, to be bluntly honest, even if Carosone does have more input on  the hitting or actually takes over that role, we have no idea what kind of hitting coach she will be, and if it will be successful. She has no track record other than her playing days. And as we know in any sport, a good hitting player doesn't necessarily translate into a great hitting coach.

I can see over the last year, that Lenti, being a veteran coach would be the person dictating offensive philosophy, bc of his history and bc he is being paid the bigger bucks to work and develop the hitters.

For whatever the reasons, the last few years have been steadily getting worse for our offense.

[blakem 296]

18 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

In a recent article Phillip Marshall provided an update coming out of end of season player interviews with Dean.

As of now, Dowell, Handley, and Koepke are the only current players with eligibility remaining who will not be on Auburn’s roster next year. I say “as of now” because there is always a possibility a player changes her mind over the summer. He mentions Koepke will not continue her softball career, so I’m still confused over the whole situation.

He also mentions Bryant will have off-season shoulder surgery, and all of the 2021 recruits are expected to enroll this summer. 

The only other note of substance related to hitting. He says Carosone will be significantly more involved with hitting next year. He doesn’t mention if she will be hitting coach or if Lenti will be on staff, but I thought it was worth passing on. 

Can you link the article? I’ve had no luck finding it.

[Jad0003 405]

https://247sports.com/college/auburn/board/42/Contents/phillips-unhinged-thoughts-college-football-changes-and-more-165953336/

He does a section at the bottom dedicated to softball.

In regards to Carosone, I listened to an interview with her from summer 2020 where she talks about her Auburn career, the Olympics, Coach Dean, and the transition to coaching. She is pretty quick to point out she is not the hitting coach, but she says nice words on Lenti.

Like @steeleagle mentioned, we aren’t sure how she will do as a hitting coach or if she will even be full time hitting coach. I’m interested to see if the staff changes and how the roles of the staff change next year. 

[slot canyon 1,333]

1 hour ago, blakem said:

Can you link the article? I’ve had no luck finding it.

This is the part that applies to AU Softball:

NO SURPRISES ON AUBURN SOFTBALL ROSTER

Auburn’s softball exit interviews are over, and I am told there were no surprises. Third baseman Maddison Koepke doesn’t plan to continue here college softball career. As announced previously, shortstop Makenna Dowell and pitcher Lexie Handley have earned their degrees and will look to be graduate transfers. Other than those three, no Auburn players with eligibility remaining have indicated that they are considering transferring.

--Freshman third baseman Denver Bryant played sparingly the second half of the SEC season because of a shoulder injury. She will have surgery to repair it.

--Auburn’s second consecutive highly decorated freshman class remains intact. All are expected to enroll this summer.

--One thing is obvious: Most of the softball teams still playing are loaded with super seniors, players who would h have finished their careers last season had it not been for the season being cut short by COVID-19. Auburn had four super seniors, but it didn’t get that kind of production from them. Tannon Snow, who would have likely been the team’s top hitter, suffered a torn ACL in October. Her Auburn career is over.

--Auburn should be improved next season. While many teams will have a number of key players to replace, Auburn returns lots of talented young players, including first-team Freshman All-SEC pitchers Shelby Lowe and Maddie Penta. If those players improve – and they should – Auburn’s team should improve, too, in Dean’s fourth full season.

--Look for former All-American Emily Carosone to be significantly more involved in coaching Auburn hitters.

Based on that last sentence, my interpretation would be that who ever was most responsible for hitting did not get the job done ....duh.  I would be in favor of a new established hitting coach but no one with credentials would likely want to come to a program where the HC's job may be in question.  Also, the next to last "bullet" implies improved pitching should equal improved team.  However, I don't think pitching this year was an issue.  Most of the time we just could not get run support and lost many 1 and 2 run games.  Are our pitchers going to be expected to pitch mostly no hitters in most of the games?  Sorry to state the obvious but that's the way I see it. 

[Jad0003 405]

Based on website updates, both Lenti and Carosone will be on staff next year. Kendall Potts is no longer listed though. I assume she helped with pitching based on her pitching career at A&M.