Softball 2022 Schedule and Season Discussion

[AUBwins 10,064]

Run rule victory 14-0 in 5th.

[blakem 296]

I know it was just St. John’s but I’d say the freshman hitting prowess was as advertised. All the freshman I saw hit had fairly good at-bats and their contact, whether fair or foul, was very solid.

[AU1947 157]

Just now, blakem said:

I know it was just St. John’s but I’d say the freshman hitting prowess was as advertised. All the freshman I saw hit had fairly good at-bats and their contact, whether fair or foul, was very solid.

They all hit good off of pitchers throwing 60mph.....  let's see how they do next weekend!!

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Bri Ellis is #77.  She started the second game at first, after Majors started vs. Seton Hall. Both our pitchers were dominant, although Penta gave up a couple hits, including a dinger. We were teeing off on the first Hall pitcher, but the substitute (#5) held us scoreless for 3 innings. We finally got 2 more runs in bot 6 for the final score. We had our way with both St. John's pitchers. Sydney Cox (at 3b) was the offensive star with a homer triple, and 3 doubles in the two games. Godwin blasted one over the scoreboard. We scored overall at least 6 runs on passed balls and clever baserunning. Blaine, who is an imposing physical specimen, relieved Godwin at catcher a good bit. She may have started the 2d game there. I thought Dean might start two different lineups, but Ellis for Majors was the only change for the 2d game. Later, Abbey Smith played center and McNemar played second. Geraghty and Schmidt may have gone into the outfield, as well. The only players who didn't get on the field in some way were Falisi and Lisenby.

[blakem 296]

1 hour ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Bri Ellis is #77.  She started the second game at first, after Majors started vs. Seton Hall. Both our pitchers were dominant, although Penta gave up a couple hits, including a dinger. We were teeing off on the first Hall pitcher, but the substitute (#5) held us scoreless for 3 innings. We finally got 2 more runs in bot 6 for the final score. We had our way with both St. John's pitchers. Sydney Cox (at 3b) was the offensive star with a homer triple, and 3 doubles in the two games. Godwin blasted one over the scoreboard. We scored overall at least 6 runs on passed balls and clever baserunning. Blaine, who is an imposing physical specimen, relieved Godwin at catcher a good bit. She may have started the 2d game there. I thought Dean might start two different lineups, but Ellis for Majors was the only change for the 2d game. Later, Abbey Smith played center and McNemar played second. Geraghty and Schmidt may have gone into the outfield, as well. The only players who didn't get on the field in some way were Falisi and Lisenby.

I can’t believe Lisenby didn’t get in the game considering she was the no. 7 overall recruit in the nation last year.

[AU1947 157]

Lisenby was in the game today as I recall seeing her on the field. Falisi was not dressed out.

Edited February 12, 2022 by AU1947

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Lisenby does not show up in either box score. I was not watching 100% of the time; but I think if she makes it into the game, she should have a line on the box score, as Geraghty and Cooper do.

[slot canyon 1,328]

Like Whiskey, I don't believe Lisenby played.  If she is not injured, I would expect she will be in the rotation today....she is a good one.  I believe Ellis and Blaine are both listed at 5'10".  Blaine, who has a long history of being very dedicated in the weight room, appears to have added some muscle since the fall.  She comes from an athletic family and is also a good basketball player.  Cox continues to one of my favorites since I saw her last year.  To the non-expert observer (me) she appears to have very good form at the plate the way she keeps her head down on the ball.  I was surprised they let Penta go so high in her pitch count at this point in the season.  Of course, they go to the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational in less than a week so they better be game ready.  Don't recall seeing a HR go over the scoreboard....way to go Aspyn.  In the Seton Hall game, I thought Garcia made a very good throw from shallow RF to home halting a runner at 3rd.  Unfortunately, later scored on passed ball.

[AUSRB 25]

5 hours ago, slot canyon said:

Like Whiskey, I don't believe Lisenby played.  If she is not injured, I would expect she will be in the rotation today....she is a good one.  I believe Ellis and Blaine are both listed at 5'10".  Blaine, who has a long history of being very dedicated in the weight room, appears to have added some muscle since the fall.  She comes from an athletic family and is also a good basketball player.  Cox continues to one of my favorites since I saw her last year.  To the non-expert observer (me) she appears to have very good form at the plate the way she keeps her head down on the ball.  I was surprised they let Penta go so high in her pitch count at this point in the season.  Of course, they go to the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational in less than a week so they better be game ready.  Don't recall seeing a HR go over the scoreboard....way to go Aspyn.  In the Seton Hall game, I thought Garcia made a very good throw from shallow RF to home halting a runner at 3rd.  Unfortunately, later scored on passed ball.

The reason Penta stayed in with a high pitch count is Dismukes is out for 2 to 3 weeks and Yarborough availability was questionable .  I saw this reported by a writer on another site do I assume it to be true.

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Glad Lisenby played today, she went 3 for 3 vs. Seton Hall.  Overall, another good day with 19 hits and homers by Ellis and Bryant.  Hate to learn that Penta and Lowe may be our only two pitchers for Clearwater.

[Jad0003 404]

I was only able to watch last night’s games, and I followed Phillip Marshall’s updates on 247 for todays games. There are areas to be proud of and areas for improvement. It is the first weekend, and a few good teams have lost against lesser competition. I am happy we are 4-0. 

From a pitching perspective, Lowe and Penta have been lights out, striking out 40 in 22 innings. Penta had one bad pitch, resulting in a two-run homer, but she seemingly cut down on free bases so far this season. Excited to see the progress Dismukes and Yarbrough moving forward.

I am interested to see what happens with the defense based on the errors when balls were actually put in play. There were a few errors in the middle infield last night. Those will need to be cleaned up. 

From a hitting perspective, I saw harder hit balls last night than I saw all of last year. We have 6 home runs in 4 games this season when we had 22 all of last year. The most runs we scored last year was 9 against LSU, and we haven’t scored below 9 in the first four games this season. There have been improvements at the plate based on numbers. I still want to see more though. There still seems to be a little uncertainty and inconsistency at the plate with a few batters. 

Based on the first four games, my lineup would be:

CF: Packer

3B: Cox

SS: Peralta

DP / C : Blaine / Lisenby / Godwin

1B: Ellis

DP / C : Blaine / Lisenby / Godwin

RF: Garcia / Odd one out from DP / C

2B: Bryant 

LF: McCondichie

Edited February 13, 2022 by Jad0003

[steeleagle 2,945]

Thanks for all the updates. 
 

it definitely looks like Deans recruiting hitters seems to have paid off. 
 

looks like we also have some quality depth at certain positions. 
 

I hoping that KK and Yar were both held out w nagging injuries on purpose so they could be ready for the tournament next weekend. 

[slot canyon 1,328]

22 hours ago, AUSRB said:

The reason Penta stayed in with a high pitch count is Dismukes is out for 2 to 3 weeks and Yarborough availability was questionable .  I saw this reported by a writer on another site do I assume it to be true.

Looking at some social media video showing players celebrating after HR's by Ellis and Bryant, you can see Dismukes in shorts with a wrap on left leg.  Does not appear to be one used for joint support.  Goes from mid-thigh to top of ankle. Appeared to be moving OK.  Yarborough was in uniform plus jacket with no apparent injury.....no crutches or sling.  In other news, I am a little sore from working in my garden yesterday and my wife may hold me out or limit my yard work today.  It's a long season and I am having to work myself back into shape.  Should have done more in the weight room during the off season.  

[augolf1716 21,096]

2 hours ago, slot canyon said:

, I am a little sore from working in my garden yesterday and my wife may hold me out or limit my yard work today.  It's a long season and I am having to work myself back into shape.  Should have done more in the weight room during the off season.  

I would have kicked you off the team.....................just saying

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Auburn gets the 8-0 runrule victory over UML on 10 hits.  Ellis and Packer went yard, McNemar with the GWRBI double. 

[TD1 225]

That's now 8 home runs in 5 games. I've been impressed by the hitting so far. Let's hope we can keep the momentum up going into conference play. 

[LetsGo 31]

22 hours ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Glad Lisenby played today, she went 3 for 3 vs. Seton Hall.  Overall, another good day with 19 hits and homers by Ellis and Bryant.  Hate to learn that Penta and Lowe may be our only two pitchers for Clearwater.

I listened to Ellis and Lisenby interview online after the game today. Lisenby said she was injured Friday. 
 

Really hoping we can be at Full strength at pitching soon. I think the most important thing for this team is to stay healthy!

 

Girls looked great this weekend. This next week will be another test. 

[AUBwins 10,064]

Yar is supposed to be back next weekend but KK will miss another week per the game recap on Auburn website. 

[AU1947 157]

We seem to hit well this weekend. Going to be interesting to see how we swing it against Power 5 teams this week. 

[AUBwins 10,064]

Our newcomers definitely look confident at the plate.  Excited to see how they improve.  50-4 against 3 separate teams through the weekend is pretty good regardless of opponent.  Glad we actually run ruled teams we should have.  We had terrible doing this last 2-3 years.   Dean is always aggressive on bases but seemed like head's up baserunning by all the girls this weekend. Can't wait for Thursday. 

[Jad0003 404]

Slow start for the offense against Jacksonville State, but it was good to see the bats come alive in the 4th and the 6th.

We still have two “easier” weekends before SEC play begins. Hopefully we can see a fully healthy Dismukes and Yarbrough return to the circle to reduce the number of innings for Lowe and Penta before we face Texas A&M.

The hitters have shown drastic improvement compared to last year. We are still young, so I imagine there will be a few more bumps in the road, especially against pitchers with a great changeup like Azevedo from UCLA. 

I might tinker with the lineup to try a few things out before SEC play begins. I’d love to see:

1. Peralta (SS)

2. Bryant (2B)

3. Packer (CF)

4. Ellis (1B)

5. Blaine (DP)

6. Cox (3B)

7. Garcia (RF)

8. Lisenby (C)

9. McCondichie (RF) 

Edited February 24, 2022 by Jad0003

[all4AU 379]

2 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

Slow start for the offense against Jacksonville State, but it was good to see the bats come alive in the 4th and the 6th.

We still have two “easier” weekends before SEC play begins. Hopefully we can see a fully healthy Dismukes and Yarbrough return to the circle to reduce the number of innings for Lowe and Penta before we face Texas A&M.

The hitters have shown drastic improvement compared to last year. We are still young, so I imagine there will be a few more bumps in the road, especially against pitchers with a great changeup like Azevedo from UCLA. 

I might tinker with the lineup to try a few things out before SEC play begins. I’d love to see:

1. Peralta (SS)

2. Bryant (2B)

3. Packer (CF)

4. Ellis (1B)

5. Blaine (DP)

6. Cox (3B)

7. Garcia (RF)

8. Lisenby (C)

9. McCondichie (RF) 

I still like Packer in leadoff simply because when she’s doing that well, don’t tamper with something unless you need to. No need to shake up leadoff in my opinion, and that means more at bats for Packer. I also like a lefty leading off instead of a righty. 
 

Speaking of the 9 hole, I love McCondichie there turning the lineup over. She seems to be back to 2020 form.

[Jad0003 404]

1 hour ago, all4AU said:

I still like Packer in leadoff simply because when she’s doing that well, don’t tamper with something unless you need to. No need to shake up leadoff in my opinion, and that means more at bats for Packer. I also like a lefty leading off instead of a righty. 
 

Speaking of the 9 hole, I love McCondichie there turning the lineup over. She seems to be back to 2020 form.

You are right. I’d keep Makayla in the lead off position and Peralta 3rd in the lineup. I’d still move Bryant up 2nd in the order though. She has one more strikeout than Cox so far this season, but she is hitting better right now. Maybe moving Cox down in the order will take pressure off. Edit: it’s also not lost on me Cox is hitting .333, which we would have praised last season.

I also agree about McCondichie. Her and Garcia both have been consistent in their new outfield positions and at the plate. I’m hoping Garcia can find her power from last season. 

Lisenby is the lone start below .300 right now. We need her to be a little more consistent. She will hit a foul ball with home run distance then pop up the next pitch to the pitcher. 

Hopefully we can get the bench a few more at bats this weekend. We need to find a consistent pinch hitter or three. 

Edited February 24, 2022 by Jad0003

[OlderWhiskey 953]

We just defeated ULM 3-0, in a game without much bat action from us.  Lowe gave up two hits and a walk, and struck out 13.  McCondichie went 3 for 3, but only 4 hits otherwise.  No freshman got a hit.  We got consecutive hits off Chavarria in the 3d, and  she was pulled for Hulett.  We only struck out 3 times, but didn't seem to be hitting the ball solidly.  (except maybe for McCondichie)  Had the bases loaded with no outs in the 5th, but couldn't score.  A win is a win.  Games tomorrow televised on SEC+.  Delaware State and Bradley, I think.

[TD1 225]

On 2/11/2022 at 12:39 PM, Jad0003 said:

It looks like she left the team between the Fall and Spring semester. There has been no insight from Moody, coaches, or other players into why she left the team, but there could be a number of reasons. Her Instagram now says Atl, so she may have moved back home or plans to enroll at a different school.

I saw on Twitter that she's now playing for Wallace State