Softball SEC Team

[Jad0003 405]

1 hour ago, 99TGR said:

Agree with you, except on one small point. I thought Penta was close to hitting her spots but the catching was subpar. Our catcher didn't help establish the strike zone for the pitcher/umpire and that cost us a couple of strikeouts.

Your explanation makes sense to me because I did not think Penta’s location were too bad from a pure location standpoint. 

Hopefully the two highly rated catchers coming in next year can do a better job. 

Edited May 12, 2021 by Jad0003

[steeleagle 2,945]

4 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

@steeleagle I do not think our spot in a regional is in jeopardy with the loss to SC. We have a top 10 SOS and will still be in top 25 for the RPI. We also have good wins over FSU, Kentucky(x2), Texas A&M(x2), LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Troy(x2), and SE Missouri State(x3) who are all in Top 100 of the RPI. 

Also agree on your 4 points about the game. It’s hard to criticize Dean for starting Penta. I understand people questioning it, but Lowe needed a rest after the grind of the SEC. She will now get a week and half to do so. Penta had strong outings over the past few weeks, but this umpire squeezed her, specifically on her rise and curve ball. Kudos to KK and the off speed curveball though. She kept those batters off balance even when they knew it was coming.

We will not travel to any SEC schools for regionals, so the best possible outcome is we go somewhere like FSU or Clemson, which seems likely at this point with the NCAA trying to limit travel for teams. They are both good teams, but neither are elite. If we can get Penta, Dismukes, and / or Handley to take care of the first round game, I think we have a chance with Lowe in the circle for the #1 seed in our bracket. It’s not a big chance, but it’s a chance. 

So you think if we still get in, that Dean uses Penta/KK etc in that first game? If he does there will be more gnashing of the teeth of those that think you start your best, then hope for the best after that...

It will probably come down to who we play and who their pitcher will be...matchups are always in play in playoffs...

[Jad0003 405]

45 minutes ago, steeleagle said:

So you think if we still get in, that Dean uses Penta/KK etc in that first game? If he does there will be more gnashing of the teeth of those that think you start your best, then hope for the best after that...

It will probably come down to who we play and who their pitcher will be...matchups are always in play in playoffs...

I’m rethinking my comment since you questioned it. I actually think you start Lowe whether the opponent has good hitting / bad pitching or bad hitting / good pitching. You hope and pray the offense pulls off what they did at LSU in Game 2 and pull Lowe for Penta or Dismukes to keep Lowe’s pitch count low for round 2. I’m not sure Lowe can throw every pitch of a regional though, which is why I said my original comment. 

[steeleagle 2,945]

16 minutes ago, Jad0003 said:

I’m rethinking my comment since you questioned it. I actually think you start Lowe whether the opponent has good hitting / bad pitching or bad hitting / good pitching. You hope and pray the offense pulls off what they did at LSU in Game 2 and pull Lowe for Penta or Dismukes to keep Lowe’s pitch count low for round 2. I’m not sure Lowe can throw every pitch of a regional though, which is why I said my original comment. 

I think since Dean's choice of starting Penta almost backfired, bc SC could have blown the game away in the first 2 innings if KK hadn't shut them down, with all the runners on in both innings Penta pitched.

Dean I think will have to start Lowe, to guarantee a cleaner game from his pitcher, who could almost shut out a team or only give up 1 run and pitch 7 innings if needed, to secure a win in the opening round. 

He needs a win badly. 

[Jad0003 405]

I will say, the more I watch these games the more I think Auburn was the most negatively impacted team in the SEC by COVID. Almost every single impact player in these first few games has been a super senior or senior who would normally be graduating at the end of this year. 

I think losing Snow to injury was a bigger impact than we know. She provided power and protected Rivera. Dowell and King have done well, but they don’t have the power to drive runs in. Perry is a great leader and  first basemen, but she has only hit above .250 once. 

When you look at other teams across the SEC their seniors / super seniors have stepped up in big ways. McGuire and Bossel were huge for SC last night. Alabama has started 10 seniors / super seniors, but Hemphill has been huge for them this year. Adams and Lendamyn for Florida. Wilmes, Moore and Wert for Missouri. Burnside and Storms for Arkansas. LSU is a really young team in the field, but Andrews is their most important player at the moment. The list goes on and on. The only team who had no seniors come back was Kentucky. 

Again, I’m not sure why ours haven’t been able to do as much, but Rivera has been improved towards the end of the year.

We are 4th in pitching for the SEC, and if Lowe, Penta, and Dismukes stick around, I think they will be much improved next year. Our defense is ranked 5th in SEC games vs. 7th in across all games showing improvement once we solidified Koepke at 3rd. 

Packer, Koepke, Cox, and Garcia can be strong at the plate, but they will need to be more consistent. Hopefully Majors, Schmidt, Bryant, Geraghty, Englekes, plus all the new recruits can provide some offense. Unfortunately, a lot of the best pitching staffs in the SEC will be back next year. 

Edited May 12, 2021 by Jad0003

[AUBwins 10,075]

2 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

I will say, the more I watch these games the more I think Auburn was the most negatively impacted team in the SEC by COVID. Almost every single impact player in these first few games has been a super senior or senior who would normally be graduating at the end of this year. 

I think losing Snow to injury was a bigger impact than we know. She provided power and protected Rivera. Dowell and King have done well, but they don’t have the power to drive runs in. Perry is a great leader and  first basemen, but she has only hit above .250 once. 

When you look at other teams across the SEC their seniors / super seniors have stepped up in big ways. McGuire and Bossel were huge for SC last night. Alabama has started 10 seniors / super seniors, but Hemphill has been huge for them this year. Adams and Lendamyn for Florida. Wilmes, Moore and Wert for Missouri. Burnside and Storms for Arkansas. LSU is a really young team in the field, but Andrews is their most important player at the moment. The list goes on and on. The only team who had no seniors come back was Kentucky. 

Again, I’m not sure why ours haven’t been able to do as much, but Rivera has been improved towards the end of the year.

We are 4th in pitching for the SEC, and if Lowe, Penta, and Dismukes stick around, I think they will be much improved next year. Our defense is ranked 5th in SEC games vs. 7th in across all games showing improvement once we solidified Koepke at 3rd. 

Packer, Koepke, Cox, and Garcia can be strong at the plate, but they will need to be more consistent. Hopefully Majors, Schmidt, Bryant, Geraghty, Englekes, plus all the new recruits can provide some offense. Unfortunately, a lot of the best pitching staffs in the SEC will be back next year. 

Good point about the super seniors.  I was excited for who came back.  Just didn't work out for us. 

[Mikey 16,577]

21 hours ago, steeleagle said:

I'm worried now that bc of the results down the stretch(2-10 record), may cost them a chance at the NCAAs. I always thought that bc of how strong the SEC was we would make it, but losing to the worst league team may have cost us. 

I really don't think whether we get in or not matters. Scoring one run a game will get us out real fast and we might as well save the gas money and figure out what has to change.

[steeleagle 2,945]

16 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

I will say, the more I watch these games the more I think Auburn was the most negatively impacted team in the SEC by COVID. Almost every single impact player in these first few games has been a super senior or senior who would normally be graduating at the end of this year. 

I think losing Snow to injury was a bigger impact than we know. She provided power and protected Rivera. Dowell and King have done well, but they don’t have the power to drive runs in. Perry is a great leader and  first basemen, but she has only hit above .250 once. 

When you look at other teams across the SEC their seniors / super seniors have stepped up in big ways. McGuire and Bossel were huge for SC last night. Alabama has started 10 seniors / super seniors, but Hemphill has been huge for them this year. Adams and Lendamyn for Florida. Wilmes, Moore and Wert for Missouri. Burnside and Storms for Arkansas. LSU is a really young team in the field, but Andrews is their most important player at the moment. The list goes on and on. The only team who had no seniors come back was Kentucky. 

Again, I’m not sure why ours haven’t been able to do as much, but Rivera has been improved towards the end of the year.

We are 4th in pitching for the SEC, and if Lowe, Penta, and Dismukes stick around, I think they will be much improved next year. Our defense is ranked 5th in SEC games vs. 7th in across all games showing improvement once we solidified Koepke at 3rd. 

Packer, Koepke, Cox, and Garcia can be strong at the plate, but they will need to be more consistent. Hopefully Majors, Schmidt, Bryant, Geraghty, Englekes, plus all the new recruits can provide some offense. Unfortunately, a lot of the best pitching staffs in the SEC will be back next year. 

Now you lost me on this reasoning. 

I have no way to know how covid could have impacted our Super seniors. But the ones we had have never had great batting avgs. Perry for sure. Rivera has been up and down her whole career here. 

I will totally agree that losing Snow cost us runs, which in turn cost us wins. How much who knows, but she definitely would have provided power to bring in some of those LOBs we had in so many games.

But this team overall was just a bad hitting team. Their hitting stats across the board were so far at the bottom, it tells me there was a hitting philosophy issue that simply allowed these players to have doubt the later the season got, and the results were the same. 

Coaching to me, provides that mental edge and mental attitude that propels a team to better heights. Or it could cause a team to head downward. 

[Jad0003 405]

25 minutes ago, steeleagle said:

Now you lost me on this reasoning. 

I have no way to know how covid could have impacted our Super seniors. But the ones we had have never had great batting avgs. Perry for sure. Rivera has been up and down her whole career here. 

I will totally agree that losing Snow cost us runs, which in turn cost us wins. How much who knows, but she definitely would have provided power to bring in some of those LOBs we had in so many games.

But this team overall was just a bad hitting team. Their hitting stats across the board were so far at the bottom, it tells me there was a hitting philosophy issue that simply allowed these players to have doubt the later the season got, and the results were the same. 

Coaching to me, provides that mental edge and mental attitude that propels a team to better heights. Or it could cause a team to head downward. 

Probably should have explained myself better. As mentioned in my comment, we probably would not have made regionals last year if the season played out. This season has basically been a continuation of last season for most teams but on steroids.

You look at the UCLAs, Oklahoma’s, Alabama’s who were all good last year. Those teams basically brought back their whole roster then supplemented any suspect players with really good freshman in Tiara Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Bailey Dowling (though unfortunately tore an ACL). UCLA got two Olympic players back in Garcia and Nickles. You can look around the SEC and find multiple impact players who would not be on rosters this year if not for COVID (minus Kentucky).

Auburn brought back Perry and Rivera who are not the same quality of players as the ones the contenders brought back. It’s basically been more of the same from last year. The only thing keeping us from not making a regional are Lowe, Penta, and Dismukes. 

Agreed on the hitting though. It has to improve next year or else I don’t think Dean makes it. I don’t know Dean’s relationships with other coaches across the country, but I would look at Kolitis at ASU (former head coach at UAB) or Snider at A&M. Im sure there are others too. We have a great pitching staff, so one / two runs a game is all the improvement we need.  If I’m Dean I am making some calls and throwing whatever I can at them.

Edited May 13, 2021 by Jad0003

[steeleagle 2,945]

3 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

Probably should have explained myself better. As mentioned in my comment, we probably would not have made regionals last year if the season played out. This season has basically been a continuation of last season for most teams but on steroids.

You look at the UCLAs, Oklahoma’s, Alabama’s who were all good last year. Those teams basically brought back their whole roster then supplemented any suspect players with really good freshman in Tiara Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Bailey Dowling (though unfortunately tore an ACL). UCLA got two Olympic players back in Garcia and Nickles. You can look around the SEC and find multiple impact players who would not be on rosters this year if not for COVID (minus Kentucky).

Auburn brought back Perry and Rivera who are not the same quality of players as the ones the contenders brought back. It’s basically been more of the same from last year. The only thing keeping us from not making a regional are Lowe, Penta, and Dismukes. 

Agreed on the hitting though. It has to improve next year or else I don’t think Dean makes it. I don’t know Dean’s relationships with other coaches across the country, but I would look at Kolitis at ASU (former head coach at UAB) or Snider at A&M. Im sure there are others too. We have a great pitching staff, so one / two runs a game is all the improvement we need.  If I’m Dean I am making some calls and throwing whatever I can at them.

I agree with the comparison of our Super Seniors and other teams. We didn't bring back dominant hitting players. And I also agree that looking back at last year, we would have been in the same or even worse boat bc we didn't have as good a pitching group as we have this year. 

I don't know how much Lentl was paid to coach offense. With his resume, I assumed he was paid quite a bit but he may have been looking to get out of De Paul bc of the negative rumors swirling around, and Dean may of  got him cheap. But anyway, Dean, as you touched on needs to bring in a well known hitting coach that has experience in the P5 arena, to get this group and the new ones coming in on a better hitting philosophy and mental approach.

[Jad0003 405]

Someone mentioned Matt Lisle on the AU 247 board as a possible hitting coach.

He coached at South Carolina and Fresno State for softball. He also has experience with Missouri baseball and the MLB. It looks like he took 2021 off but is looking to get back into coaching  

At SC, the team lead the conference in homeruns when he was there. They were predicted 13th in the conference and ended up in 3rd. 

Sounds like a no brainer for me. 

Edited May 13, 2021 by Jad0003

[warladytigers 172]

2 hours ago, steeleagle said:

I agree with the comparison of our Super Seniors and other teams. We didn't bring back dominant hitting players. And I also agree that looking back at last year, we would have been in the same or even worse boat bc we didn't have as good a pitching group as we have this year. 

I don't know how much Lentl was paid to coach offense. With his resume, I assumed he was paid quite a bit but he may have been looking to get out of De Paul bc of the negative rumors swirling around, and Dean may of  got him cheap. But anyway, Dean, as you touched on needs to bring in a well known hitting coach that has experience in the P5 arena, to get this group and the new ones coming in on a better hitting philosophy and mental approach.

If you can figure out which words to use it's on the AU web site because salaries are public information-that doesn't mean it isn't buried.  Lenti is making approximately $110,000 per fiscal year.

[LetsGo 31]

Hands down the Best hitting coach in the country is Lincoln Martin. He lives and Atlanta and does hitting for University of Washington, Oklahoma State, and several other SEC/ P5 schools. They need to back the Brinks truck up to his hitting facility and bring him on Full time!

[AU1947 157]

Go get Jimmy Kolaitis from Arizona State! He is from Alabama and may want to come home! Better yet get a whole NEW staff.

Edited May 14, 2021 by AU1947

[Jad0003 405]

12 hours ago, LetsGo said:

Hands down the Best hitting coach in the country is Lincoln Martin. He lives and Atlanta and does hitting for University of Washington, Oklahoma State, and several other SEC/ P5 schools. They need to back the Brinks truck up to his hitting facility and bring him on Full time!

I’ve heard Lincoln’s name a few places. I think he does hitting for the GA Impact organization. I know he is the hitting coach for at least one of our 2022 commits. 

[steeleagle 2,945]

14 hours ago, AU1947 said:

Go get Jimmy Kolaitis from Arizona State! He is from Alabama and may want to come home! Better yet get a whole NEW staff.

Wasn't he one of the considerations for HC back when Dean was hired?

There have GOT to be some really good hitting coaches out there, teaching P5 players. I always thought it a little weird to bring in a long time HC from a school to be our hitting coach. I had no idea if hitting was Lentl's strength or not. Someone else can fill me in on that....or I guess I can be lazy and Google his DePaul teams...:)

 

[slot canyon 1,333]

It may be difficult to lure a high profile hitting coach to the Auburn program if there is a perception that the HC job could be in jeopardy over the next year.  

[Jad0003 405]

43 minutes ago, slot canyon said:

It may be difficult to lure a high profile hitting coach to the Auburn program if there is a perception that the HC job could be in jeopardy over the next year.  

It will definitely deter some coaches from joining the staff. However, some coaches might see the potential of the players, especially with another good class coming into the program.

It would be nice if we scored more than 7 runs a game next year, but in reality, we only need 3-4 runs a game to be in the top of the SEC with our pitching staff. I’d think it would be appealing to know you only need marginal improvement Year 1 to extend your contract. And if the team drastically overachieves at the plate, you have the pitching to get to the WCWS.

Let’s hope Dean does something. 

Edited May 14, 2021 by Jad0003

[AU1947 157]

3 hours ago, steeleagle said:

Wasn't he one of the considerations for HC back when Dean was hired?

There have GOT to be some really good hitting coaches out there, teaching P5 players. I always thought it a little weird to bring in a long time HC from a school to be our hitting coach. I had no idea if hitting was Lentl's strength or not. Someone else can fill me in on that....or I guess I can be lazy and Google his DePaul teams...:)

 

Yes I believe he was an applicant from what I remember. I will add that the uncertainty of being at the end of a contract will most likely play into the applicant pool. But that is also NO reason to give a contract extension. Hopefully the Malzahn fiasco taught the administration a costly lesson...

[warladytigers 172]

Tournament Bracket - this still says we make it - https://d1softball.com/d1softball-field-of-64-projections-may-12/

[RHN1975 302]

18 hours ago, AU1947 said:

Go get Jimmy Kolaitis from Arizona State! He is from Alabama and may want to come home! Better yet get a whole NEW staff.

We are not getting Kolaitis as a hitting coach. He left a solid job at UAB where he could have set himself up for a good P5 job if he continued down the path he had started with them. He wanted to get back to the PAC. As a HC thats might be a different scenario and its definitely one I could support. 

[AUBwins 10,075]

2 hours ago, warladytigers said:

Tournament Bracket - this still says we make it - https://d1softball.com/d1softball-field-of-64-projections-may-12/

Ours is doable IMO. Kentucky will be trouble against Michigan.  Bama of course has a cakewalk as they should with 2 seed.  I say Louisiana finally gets the better of LSU in the regional. They have had a few epic Super Regionals lately with LSU winning them.  Surprised they weren't a national seed.  I think they lost a few down the stretch in conference. 

Edited May 14, 2021 by AUBwins

[Jad0003 405]

23 minutes ago, AUBwins said:

Ours is doable IMO. Kentucky will be trouble against Michigan.  Bama of course has a cakewalk as they should with 2 seed.  I say Louisiana finally gets the better of LSU in the regional. They have had a few epic Super Regionals lately with LSU winning them.  Surprised they weren't a national seed.  I think they lost a few down the stretch in conference. 

That bracket would be best case scenario for us, honestly. Clemson is good, but they are in no way great. 

[AU1947 157]

5 hours ago, RHN1975 said:

We are not getting Kolaitis as a hitting coach. He left a solid job at UAB where he could have set himself up for a good P5 job if he continued down the path he had started with them. He wanted to get back to the PAC. As a HC thats might be a different scenario and its definitely one I could support. 

I heard he left UAB because the University was cutting pay and furloughing non-essential personnel 

 

[AUBwins 10,075]

3 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

That bracket would be best case scenario for us, honestly. Clemson is good, but they are in no way great. 

Agreed.