Jad0003

48 minutes ago, Mikey said:

I'm not sure who Dean's top pitcher is. Penta hasn't been her "old self" lately. Still, saving pitching in a four team double elimination setup is folly. Use your best first. That way #1 can go in games 1 and 3.

To me, the hard part is navigating Shelby’s previous injury. She has not pitched two days in a row so far this season. We might see her pitch multiple days in a row this weekend, especially if we lose Game 1 on Friday or lose to FSU on Saturday. 

5 hours ago, RedDirtFan said:

The war chest I was informed of eclipses what Dean makes and gets into the Mike White stratosphere. It will be somebody proven, likely coaches in OKC every year...No promos from within. This is a 2-way street...We have to pursue and they have to be willing to leave a program that they've molded into a successful, perennial competitor nationally, including their incoming recruits. NLIs can be broken, existing players can be excused unofficially (ref Trisha Ford and Mike White) to make room for players/recruits from their previous programs. This is about to be very exciting for the fan base, but brutal on the players that stick around. 

I’m not sure what coaches are willing to leave their programs, especially with the credentials you reference. The one name I’ve seen referenced towards Auburn years ago with the credentials you speak of is Alameda at FSU. It’d be a huge move if Cohen could make it happen, and I know we’d all be happy with the results. I’m not getting my hopes up though. 

Assuming no transfers, we will return everyone in the field except for Packer. I think all of our players have the potential to breakout depending on our next coaching hire. We also have two strong freshman batters coming into the program in Annalea Adams and Jolie Adams. 

The question mark will definitely be in the circle. We will need Widra, Rolfe, Tamborra, and Godfrey to take a step forward next year. It seems a pitch by committee approach will be needed unless we get an ace transfer. 

Widra was great today! We need her to step up and carry the load for the pitching staff. Hopefully Tamborra, Rolfe, and incoming recruit Godfrey can help.

The environment was pretty good today too. The stadium was about 80% full today, but it’s annoying to see so many empty seats behind home plate with so many standing room only people. 

In same vein as Gajewski and Young, I think you reach out to JT Gasso, but it is widely assumed he’ll take over for Patty in the next 2-3 years. 

@Big Fat Barner - I did not realize she was at Miami (OH) before Kumar. I really hope she is not hired because I think we will be in a worse situation than we are in now. In terms of Malveaux, the McNeese stint was very early in his career. He learned hitting from Lotief at Louisiana after he left McNeese, and he has now been successful at both Missouri and Tennessee. If we go the assistant route then I think he’d be a good choice. 

three names that have come up as possibilities, (likely  not complete)

1. Melyssa Lombardi (Oregon Head Coach)

2. Chris Malveaux (Tennessee Hitting Coach)

3. Clarisa Crowell (Penn State Head Coach)

In my opinion, the first candidates you reach out to are Kenny Gajewski at Ok St. or Marissa Young at Duke. They are the top two coaches who many seem to think there is a chance they’ll leave their current schools at some point.

If they say no, I look at D’Amour, Glasco, and Lombardi. D’Amour has some questions to answer about his time at Missouri, but he’s run clean programs at Kennesaw and Va Tech. His teams hit really well, and he’s been to two super regionals. Glasco is a little older, but he’s been to a super regional. His teams also hit well. In contrast to the other two, Lombardi is known for her ability to coach pitching. She hasn’t seen the success she saw previously at Oklahoma, but she’s also been to a super regional. The big question mark for all three is can they hire someone who can provide strengths to their weaknesses. For D’Amour and Glasco, it’s a pitching coaching, and for Lombardi, it’s a hitting coach. 

If we go the assistant route, Malveaux is probably top of my list. He's one of the top hitting coaches in the country, and his wife coaches catchers and base running. In the same comparison as D’Amour and Glasco, he’s got to find someone to coach the pitchers. 

Kumar has done well at Miami, OH. She was an assistant under D’Amour at Va Tech, and she teaches the same philosophies. Her teams hit well against a weaker schedule, but they did put up 7 runs against Oklahoma this year. She has the same question marks around pitching as D’Amour and Glasco.

Crowell will likely help Penn State make the tournament this year, but she isn’t high on my list. They are riding a freshman arm in the circle, and they do not hit well against a very weak non-conference and a very bad Big 10. 

Overall, I lean to D’Amour, but I would be happy with any of the above outside Crowell.

We still have a chance in a regional with Penta or Lowe in the circle, but I will look forward to the next head coach and staff to provide a different perspective, specifically for our hitters. 

35 minutes ago, Golden Eagle said:

I wasn't able to watch the game in real time but watched the replay.  I didn't see/hear Cohen on that broadcast...may have somehow missed it, I guess.  What did he have to say?

He didn’t speak on the broadcast, but they showed him at the game a few times. He was in the home bullpen talking to people and watching the game. 

48 minutes ago, Mikey said:

It's an out and can ruin a potential scoring situation, as it did to Auburn last night. College players shouldn't leave early. They have enough experience to judge that.

I don’t disagree, but I’m providing the context. Umpires rarely called it in the past, but they added it to the video review list this year. As a result, coaches request a review nearly every steal or big hit. Last night was no different. I’d bet nearly every team had a call overturned this year. Its not unique to Auburn. 

24 minutes ago, Mikey said:

Ole Miss is remodeling their stadium and the only fans allowed in are 400 seats behind center field. Maybe that had something to do with the lack of "bounce" in the dugouts?

Not only didn't we get the timely hit, some of our (Dean's) coaching decisions while running the bases drove me crazy. Also, a player leaving base early ruined another excellent opportunity to score. No excuse for that with a college level player. Good grief! I'll be so happy to see a coaching change!

A lot of players are getting caught leaving early with the addition of the review to the rules. It is not limited to Auburn. 

Cohen must monitor these forums because he got some airtime on the broadcast tonight. 

We probably played ourselves out of any chance to host a regional this weekend, but it was good to see Lowe get the win tonight. If we avoid the 1.5 rain delay, we likely get the win on Saturday too.

A 1-2 punch of Penta and Lowe in a regional will not be a good matchup for many teams. Hopeful we can find some offense soon to support them. 

1 hour ago, WarTiger said:

That's never happened in the history of hiring a coach, why would you expect it to happen now?   Just because the leadership doesn't hire a replacement on YOUR timing doesn't mean they aren't serious about the program.   Also, no coach worth having is going to abandon the place they are currently coaching and just wait for the current season to end, nor is any program (at any level) going to tell a coach that wasn't fired to just leave during the season.  That's just not how things work at any level.

Even interim coaches that take over after a coach is fired during the season don't get named permanent head coach (if they are chosen) until after the season is over.

No doubt Cohen has a list of names he will reach out too, or maybe already has through agents but nothing will happen likely until the WCWS is over.

Thank you!

1 hour ago, RedDirtFan said:

Nothing against Phillip, but he reports. If the Leadership was serious about this program, they would accelerate the timeline, name the successor that is truly an Auburn Woman/Man and put the clown in the hat out to pasture as special assistant to the regional manager.

I’m not sure there are many examples in any sport where a head coach was named prior to the season’s end, much less a month out. 

Coach Dean will be with the team through the end of this season, and no head or assistant coach is willing to sacrifice their current team’s season to be named head coach at Auburn for next season. I’m sure Cohen has a list of candidates and will act quickly. 

3 hours ago, RedDirtFan said:

The players despise him, but put on a good face for the sake of the program and their own careers. They want to attract a quality coach, so some of it is a show. They’re auditioning for their next job, which could be thru the portal. 
 

if there’s not a coach named, it’s tough to recruit and keep those players that are committed. NLI is a little stickier, but players we’ve signed are also in jeopardy. Players have certain traits that serve different offenses/defenses better than others. I wouldn’t roll the dice unless I knew the program I was getting into. 
 

The school plays a part in the show and will attract diehards, but not all of the gamechanger are Auburn fans. 
 

Social media plays a part, that’s why we’re blasting out everytime we embarrass a JuCo or Mid-Major. 
 

The move was necessary, but they need to name a replacement quickly to shorten the reboot phase next year. 

Phillip Marshal said they aren’t naming a replacement until after the WCWS. 

Phillip brought up DJ Gasso as another possibility recently. The others mentioned were already listed here: Glasco, Ricketts, and Carosone.

If Auburn is to go the route of an assistant then I think they should target one of the Gasso brothers or Malveaux at Tennessee. It not only will improve our hitting, but it takes away from our opponents in the SEC. However, most people seem to think it’ll be D’Amour. 

Nice win today! Penta looked back to herself, and the hitters looked to have a better approach at the plate vs. Pickens. 

14 hours ago, Big Fat Barner said:

I really really hope Cohen goes after a power 5 coach like D’Amour or Young, I’m just not sure I’m willing to take a chance on an unproven group of 5 coach again with Texas and Oklahoma coming up next year. 
 

also did Marshall mention possibly which coaches? I don’t pay for that stuff lol. 

 

They didn’t mention names. All Marshall said was it wouldn’t be announced until after the WCWS. 

1 hour ago, OlderWhiskey said:

Here are some other names I picked up from Ultimate College Softball; I don't even know who they all are.  Ashley Waters, Kristi Bredbenner, Clarissa Crowell (Penn St.), Kirin Kumar.  The betting favorite still seems to be D'Amour. 

Ashley Waters is at Charlotte. She’s a very good pitching coach, and they’ve knocked off a few teams over the past few years. She’s engaged to the baseball coach at Charlotte. 

Kristen Bedbenner is at Wichita State, and they hit well. She got them facility upgrades, and I’m not certain she’d leave. 

Kumar is at Miami, Ohio. They hit really well and scored 6 or 7 runs on Oklahoma. She also was an assistant under D’Amour at Virginia Tech. 

Everyone seems to think it’ll be D’Amour. Phillip Marshall said Cohen had coaches reaching out about the job. 

I wish him well. It sounds like he will stick around as an advisor to the Cohen. He also mention he needed to take care of personal matters. I hope he is healthy for when he is able to retire. I am glad there is some resolution for the team and the fans though. 

Now, the fun part where we speculate. I hope Auburn can pull a big time name, whether it be a head coach or an assistant. My list: 
 

Kenny Gajewski: I didn’t like how he handled the Maxwell situation, but he’s built a regular contender for OKC. He might be willing to make a change with the conference realignment and where Oklahoma State landed.

Marissa Young: She’s done really well building the program at Duke. She also wouldn’t have the same academic standards as she does at Duke. 

Pete D’Amour: He’s done well at Virginia Tech, and we saw first hand how solid his teams are at the plate. I’ve read he prefers male coaches, and I’m not sure how well that will go over.

Gerry Glasco: He’s done well at Louisiana, but his record at Louisiana isn’t much better than Dean’s was at James Madison. He’s also close to Dean’s age, so I don’t want to get in another situation like we are in now. 

Chris Malveaux: One of the premier hitting coaches in the country and has revitalized Tennessee’s program. His wife also coaches the catchers and base runners.

Steve Singleton: He’s also one of the top offensive minds in the country, and he’s made Texas very scary at the plate.

JT Gasso: Widely considered the top offensive mind in the country and knows what it takes to run a program. I’m not sure he’d leave Oklahoma, but it is worth a shot.

37 minutes ago, TD1 said:

Horrible loss today. We need Dean gone immediately!

Maybe this means he really is retiring at the end of the year. 

9 hours ago, blakem said:

Bri posted a TikTok earlier that I believe to be a big negative indictment on Dean. Her comments were also full of former AU players supporting her.

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLYkVtpt/

Bri’s alluded to how Auburn coaches treated her in different interviews, but it is really sad to see her in tears in every photo. She is showing how good of a player she can be this season, especially the past two weeks. 

Lenti’s been accused of physical and verbal abuse in the past. I’m still confused how he got a job at Auburn with these allegations and why he continues to have a job at Auburn with the lack of hitting success. 

I will continue to support the players and watch the games, but I think it is time for a coaching change. 

I will say one thing about the girls: they seem to be really close and supportive of each other. 

I gave Dean a chance and made excuses based on the circumstances he inherited from the previous regime and the players he recruited during his tenure, but I do not think Dean should lead the program after this season. I hope Cohen is willing to make a change in order to capitalize on the growth in softball. 

1 hour ago, Golden Eagle said:

Yes, frustrating.

And Missouri is soooo much better at the plate than Auburn is.  I've wondered for years why Emily Carasone - a superstar at the plate - hasn't been able to positively impact Auburn's offense.

Based on interviews, she been working with the offense with Lenti handling “offensive strategy,” whatever that means. 

Treavik drops a fly ball because she isn’t wearing sunglasses then Roach error puts two on with one out. Next batt hits a three run homer, so Widra should have been out of the inning but errors extend.