Auburn Softball 2022

[slot canyon 1,333]

Hard to believe, but practice should be starting soon.  We have a home series scheduled Feb. 11 - 13 with yet to be named opponent(s)?  After that the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational Feb 17 - 20.

[all4AU 379]

7 hours ago, slot canyon said:

Hard to believe, but practice should be starting soon.  We have a home series scheduled Feb. 11 - 13 with yet to be named opponent(s)?  After that the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational Feb 17 - 20.

We know who the opponents will be in our home tournaments, but we don’t know the full tournament schedules for those weekends. 
 

Link: https://auburntigers.com/news/2021/12/10/softball-releases-2022-nonconference-slate.aspx

[all4AU 379]

On 1/2/2022 at 10:56 AM, slot canyon said:

Hard to believe, but practice should be starting soon.  We have a home series scheduled Feb. 11 - 13 with yet to be named opponent(s)?  After that the St. Pete Clearwater Elite Invitational Feb 17 - 20.

All of AU’s opponents and game times are now available on the schedule. https://auburntigers.com/sports/softball/schedule

 

[AUSRB 25]

1 hour ago, all4AU said:

All of AU’s opponents and game times are now available on the schedule. https://auburntigers.com/sports/softball/schedule

 

Rylie Moody freshman infielder is no longer listed on the Auburn roster.  

[AUBwins 10,075]

Wow, we don't even play Alabama this year. 

[blakem 296]

4 hours ago, AUBwins said:

Wow, we don't even play Alabama this year. 

PTL

[Jad0003 405]

I’m excited to see what the team does this year with a few returning contributors and a strong group of freshman. I’ll be interested to see how positions shakes out. I’m sure we will see a number of different lineups and position changes throughout the preseason. I doubt we know much about this team until SEC play, but hopefully we can grow up in the Clearwater tournament. 

[LetsGo 31]

Has anyone been able to attend any of the open practices at Jane B. Moore field? 

[slot canyon 1,333]

On 1/6/2022 at 7:10 PM, AUSRB said:

Rylie Moody freshman infielder is no longer listed on the Auburn roster.  

A bit strange.  In a Phillip Marshall article/interview 12/22/2021 her name is mentioned as potential at 2nd base.  That could have just been his projection.  

[LetsGo 31]

27 minutes ago, slot canyon said:

A bit strange.  In a Phillip Marshall article/interview 12/22/2021 her name is mentioned as potential at 2nd base.  That could have just been his projection.  

I don't believe Phillip Marshall is watching softball practices and talking face to face to coaches. Rumor is he is not leaving his house due to COVID. Therefore, I put little weight on his 247 articles. Much better information on this forum.

[LetsGo 31]

This is my breakdown of positions. I watched a couple games this fall and I will add my batting order. All Hypothetical of course, but would be interested in others thoughts.

Pitcher - Lowe, Dismukes, Yarbrough, Penta 

Catcher - Godwin, Lisenby, Blaine

1B - Majors, Ellis, Engelkes

2B - Roach, Cox, McNemar

SS - Peralta, Bryant, Garcia

3B - Garcia, Cox , Bryant, Blaine

LF - McCondichie, Smith

CF - Packer, Falisi

RF - Schmidt, Geraghty, Cooper, Blaine

 

Lots of variations possible to this batting order and everyone will get a chance in my opinion to hit early this Spring. 

Batting Order:

Packer - Had a Great Freshman year, has power and unmatched speed, will the leadoff

Peralta -  Had a great Fall and batted in the 2 hole this fall 

Lisenby - Had a great Fall and batted in the 3 hole this fall

Godwin - Has a Homerun power

Garcia - Also has Homerun power

Roach - Had a great Fall and will start at 2B

Schmidt - Has a big bat

Majors - Was consistent this Fall. I believe 1B will be a battle between all 3 players

McCondichie - Fast and can hit for a good batting average

[LetsGo 31]

 

I left off Cox. I think she starts at 3B or an OF position. She will definitely be in the starting batting order.

[slot canyon 1,333]

18 hours ago, LetsGo said:

 

I left off Cox. I think she starts at 3B or an OF position. She will definitely be in the starting batting order.

Thought Cox did very good job at 2nd last year and hard for me to imagine her not there this season (confession, she is one of my favorites).  Totally agree that Roach looked very good playing the position in the fall and likely the favorite to start there.  I believe it speaks to the freshman talent when that type of competition exist.  As you stated, Cox will either be on the field in some capacity or at the very least in the batting order.  Last fall, like yourself, I thought Lisenby and Peralta were a couple of the most impressive freshman I have ever seen in my limited experience following AU softball.  27 days 'till game time.

[Jad0003 405]

I’m excited for the season to start and see how things shake out. I’ve listened to a few of Dean’s preseason interviews, and he raved about the team’s increased strength, speed, and talent. Hopefully it shows up on the field.

In his interviews, Dean mentioned C, SS, and CF will be their best defensive players. As these position battles are determined, Dean will need to solve how to balance speed, power, and consistency in the rest of the lineup.

Packer will be the starter in CF with Smith as her backup.

I think SS will ultimately come down to Bryant and Peralta. Both are dynamic playmakers in the field.

The catching position is the hardest to pick. The freshman showed their potential in the fall and Godwin has experience. Ultimately, I think all three will get chances at catcher and other positions throughout the season.

For the other positions:

I see 1B as a battle between Majors and Ellis with Englekes as the odd woman out. 

At 2B I see Peralta if she loses the SS battle to Bryant. She will compete with Roach and Cox though.

At 3B, I see Garcia, Cox, and possibly Bryant if she loses the SS battle.

I think the two remaining OF spots will be between McCondichie, Schmidt, Geraghty, Smith, and Cooper, plus Cox, Roach, Majors, Garcia, and Godwin if they don’t win their primary position battles.

The DP position will be a similar scenario as LF and RF with Ellis, Blaine, Lisenby, Godwin, Schmidt, Garcia, Cox and Majors all vying for a spot in the batting order. Cox will find her way into the lineup somewhere.

In terms of pitching, I do not see much changing from last year. I think Lowe and Penta will get the bulk of the innings with Dismukes in the closer role. If Yarbrough is able to return to her mid-season 2020 form, we could have one of the best staffs in the SEC. 

Edited January 17, 2022 by Jad0003

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Not to nitpick, but clarify:  Above, you (JAD003) mentioned a competition for shortstop between Peralta and Bryant.  Further down, you referenced a battle between Peralta and Roach for that position.   Which is it?  I had the impression last year that Bryant had some fielding issues at third, and so would be surprised to see her start at short; but perhaps I misinterpreted.  Otherwise enjoyed your post.

[gr82be 14,423]

21 minutes ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Not to nitpick, but clarify:  Above, you (JAD003) mentioned a competition for shortstop between Peralta and Bryant.  Further down, you referenced a battle between Peralta and Roach for that position.   Which is it?  I had the impression last year that Bryant had some fielding issues at third, and so would be surprised to see her start at short; but perhaps I misinterpreted.  Otherwise enjoyed your post.

Not Jad0003 but I read that as the battle for 2B if Peralta loses the SS battle to Bryant.

"At second, I see Peralta if she loses the SS battle with Roach and Cox as the next in line". (at 2B)

If I'm wrong, apologies. 

Edited January 17, 2022 by gr82be

[Jad0003 405]

20 minutes ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Not to nitpick, but clarify:  Above, you (JAD003) mentioned a competition for shortstop between Peralta and Bryant.  Further down, you referenced a battle between Peralta and Roach for that position.   Which is it?  I had the impression last year that Bryant had some fielding issues at third, and so would be surprised to see her start at short; but perhaps I misinterpreted.  Otherwise enjoyed your post.

Sorry for the confusion - I think Denver and Peralta will compete at shortstop. If Bryant wins that position, I think Peralta will compete with Roach and Cox at 2B. Peralta played 2B for the Thunderbolts, so she knows the position well.

Dean mentioned Bryant in interviews as someone he is glad to have healthy. I want to say she had a shoulder surgery at some point in the past year. She mainly played shortstop before Auburn, so 3B was a new position for her last year. 

[LetsGo 31]

16 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

I’m excited for the season to start and see how things shake out. I’ve listened to a few of Dean’s preseason interviews, and he raved about the team’s increased strength, speed, and talent. Hopefully it shows up on the field.

In his interviews, Dean mentioned C, SS, and CF will be their best defensive players. As these position battles are determined, Dean will need to solve how to balance speed, power, and consistency in the rest of the lineup.

Packer will be the starter in CF with Smith as her backup.

I think SS will ultimately come down to Bryant and Peralta. Both are dynamic playmakers in the field.

The catching position is the hardest to pick. The freshman showed their potential in the fall and Godwin has experience. Ultimately, I think all three will get chances at catcher and other positions throughout the season.

For the other positions:

I see 1B as a battle between Majors and Ellis with Englekes as the odd woman out. 

At 2B I see Peralta if she loses the SS battle to Bryant. She will compete with Roach and Cox though.

At 3B, I see Garcia, Cox, and possibly Bryant if she loses the SS battle.

I think the two remaining OF spots will be between McCondichie, Schmidt, Geraghty, Smith, and Cooper, plus Cox, Roach, Majors, Garcia, and Godwin if they don’t win their primary position battles.

The DP position will be a similar scenario as LF and RF with Ellis, Blaine, Lisenby, Godwin, Schmidt, Garcia, Cox and Majors all vying for a spot in the batting order. Cox will find her way into the lineup somewhere.

In terms of pitching, I do not see much changing from last year. I think Lowe and Penta will get the bulk of the innings with Dismukes in the closer role. If Yarbrough is able to return to her mid-season 2020 form, we could have one of the best staffs in the SEC. 

Agree Catcher is the hardest to pick. I think ultimately it comes down to Godwin and Lisenby. I give Godwin the nod only because she has the experience but Lisenby was spectacular this Fall. 

What we didn't see this Fall was how Bryant was at the plate. If she can find success there then she will battle for a spot at SS and 3rd. Peralta was fantastic at the plate and Very good in the field.

I also agree with your 1B statement, but hitting will ultimately determine who plays there full time.

Interesting Lowe's article on the state of the team and how this year all the girls get along vs. last year. I believe reading between the lines that there was some unhappiness with some of the Super seniors and transfers.

I'm excited to see the product on the field, should be much improved from a year ago. Freshman seem as advertised thus far.

[slot canyon 1,333]

I will be surprised if someone other than Peralta starts at SS.  In the fall, she looked like a seasoned veteran rather than a freshman just removed from high school.  She was highly rated in her class and appears to be deserving.  Don't have long to wait to find out if my speculation (another term for "best guess") is correct. Agree about catcher.  I will say that Lisenby looked cat quick and seemed to have a take charge personality considering her freshman status.  What's not to like about Godwin?  Also, I don't believe Blaine is chopped liver.  We look strong at that position.  

[Jad0003 405]

Good to hear positive news on Peralta so far. She will start somewhere in the infield. I definitely will not be surprised if she starts at SS either. I think Bryant has potential to start at either SS or 3B because Dean mentioned her a few times in interviews. She will need to step up at the plate this year though. She has a good amount of power, and the team needs as many EXB and HRs as possible. 

Consistency and power will come into play at some point. I think Ellis and Blaine have the potential to 10 - 15+ HRs a season at some point in their career. Godwin, Garcia, Packer, Bryant, Schmidt, Cooper, Peralta, Lisenby, and Majors have potential to hit 5 - 10 HRs a season. Cox and McCondichie can probably hit a few, as well. But Dean will have to balance the lineup between power, high-average, and speed players For example, if Blaine doesn’t break into the rotation at catcher, does Ellis then get the nod at first or do you keep Major there despite not as much power potential as Ellis? Auburn needs someone with big HR power or a few players with 5 - 10 HR power to get more runs on the board.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Jad0003

[AUBwins 10,075]

23 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

Auburn needs someone with big HR power or a few players with 5 - 10 HR power to get more runs on the board.

Yep.  This is what Dean needs to prove to keep his job IMO. We must score more runs this year, bottom line. 

[OlderWhiskey 953]

Only 12 days until the first game.  Hoping someone can give us a scouting report from today's Orange/Blue scrimmage.  Excited to see this year's team on the field.

[Jad0003 405]

21 hours ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Only 12 days until the first game.  Hoping someone can give us a scouting report from today's Orange/Blue scrimmage.  Excited to see this year's team on the field.

I’d also be interested to hear any commentary about the scrimmage or from the event last night. 

The only piece of video I could find was Denver Bryant hitting a monster HR off Penta. It looked like Godwin was the catcher, Ellis was at 1B, and Peralta was at SS. 

Edited January 31, 2022 by Jad0003

[slot canyon 1,333]

1 hour ago, Jad0003 said:

I’d also be interested to hear any commentary about the scrimmage or from the event last night. 

The only piece of video I could find was Denver Bryant hitting a monster HR off Penta. It looked like Godwin was the catcher, Ellis was at 1B, and Peralta was at SS. 

Where was the video?  I could not locate any in the usual places.  

[Jad0003 405]

5 minutes ago, slot canyon said:

Where was the video?  I could not locate any in the usual places.  

It was on her Instagram story.