Jad0003

I wish Bri Ellis the best of luck at Arkansas! I imagine the pressure to recreate her freshman year numbers at Auburn was intense, and I fully expect her numbers to back on track in 2024. I hope she was able to get some NIL dollars in the process as she markets herself well on social media. I’ll be interested to see where Bryant, Blaine, and Garcia end up, and I hope Dean is able to pick up a transfer or two in the coming weeks to build around the returning talent.

I wouldn’t say Dean isn’t fond of the portal either. He didn’t pick up anyone in 2018 or in 2022, but he has picked up at least 1 player every other year. We haven’t been able to pick up as high-profile transfers as some of the big softball schools though. We haven’t always been able to match the production level of the players transferring out either. The portal has been a little slower this year in terms of quality talent. Luckily for Auburn, we do not need another pitcher as a lot of schools are competing for the limited number of quality pitchers in the portal. I do think we need another catcher plus another IF, OF, and / or UT player. There a few good catchers in the portal - Kauf (GT), Gordon (Louisville), Hudson (Liberty), Owen (Marshall), Nugent (Oklahoma). Roe (Florida) can also player catcher and infield. In terms of the other positions, Kotzelnik (ULL, IF), Popelka (Texas, OF), Beautate (Tennessee, IF), Otis (Louisville, OF), Mitchell (ND, IF). I’m not sure if Auburn is interested in any of these players or if any other players have visited, but these players caught my eye. I’m not sure of the likelihood, but players can always return to the team too. In Phillip Marshall’s post on the subject, he claimed Dean would welcome them back if they did not find a home.

A few more random thoughts: 1. It seems like the portal entries have stopped for now. I hope all of them are able to find somewhere they can be successful and happy. We will benefit from the portal as much as we were hurt by it. There has already been a mass influx of players into the portal over the last few days, and I imagine we will see more in the coming weeks. A few caught my eye early on OF Nia Carter from Iowa, C Emma Kauf from Georgia Tech, OF Korbe Otis from Louisville, and IF Joley Mitchell from Notre Dame. 2. I feel the team performed well from a pitching and fielding perspective this year, despite the collapse in the SEC Tournament and Regionals. The hitting metrics under Lenti, however, are not good enough to compete at a high level. Yes, we improved our HR numbers in 2022, but the team’s performance declined in almost every hitting metric in 2023. Ultimately, Dean’s fate will be decided by his willingness to assess Lenti as a hitting coach. 3. From an AD perspective, Cohen has his hands tied right now with rebuilding the football program, updating facilities, and assessing the apparel deal with UA. I imagine Cohen will assess the Athletic Department strategy as it relates to investment at some point though, specifically around women’s athletics. Softball viewership is very high in comparison to other women’s sports. I’m biased, but I hope he decides to invest in the program.

Denver Bryant in the portal.

Denver Bryant in the portal.

With Ellis, Garcia, and Blaine in the portal, plus another player possibly entering, I think it is even more crucial Dean make a change at hitting coach. I do not think we can sustain another year of Lenti.

Robocoach saying she wants to be closer to home (Houston), so I imagine Texas or A&M will get a good one. She was not only a great player but also a great personality and representative for Auburn. Lindsay Garcia went into the portal prior to regionals. Phillip Marshall also reporting Blaine is in the portal. He also mentions another player could enter.

I do not think Dean will be fired before the end of his contract. The team finished third in the SEC and had their best season since 2017. I am sad the team was not able to make a Super Regional, but I am proud the team was able to force a Game 7. Hopefully the team can take time to get healthy over the summer as Packer, Bryant, and Lowe were still struggling with nagging injuries throughout the year. From a hitting perspective, I hope Dean evaluates the coach’s performance very critically. The team’s HR numbers and averages declined vs. last year, and we did not perform well against above average pitching outside a game or two. There are a number of young hitting coaches Dean could pursue who have proven themselves at other schools, including DJ Gasso at Utah and Bryce Neal at Louisville. From a pitching perspective, Penta obviously needs more support. She pitched her best around the 140 - 180 inning mark this year but struggled down the stretch with her stamina. If Dean can keep her innings below 150 before postseason, we’d be in a good spot. Lowe will likely benefit from another summer of rest. She showed her ability in the regional, and if she is able to return to her freshman year form, we’d be in a good position. Widra was good at times but struggled against good hitting teams. She has a great curveball and decent riseball, but her off speed is still developing. Hopefully Rolfe, Tresvik, Tamborra, and Clemmons can continue to develop and offer inning support. From a fielding perspective, we improved greatly throughout the year. We finished first or second in fielding percentage in the SEC but struggled mightily in postseason. I’m honestly not sure what happened here. We lose Garcia, McCondichie, Godwin, and likely a few players to the portal, but we have a solid group of bench players and incoming freshman. Rose Roach performed really well over the last month. Blaine showed her potential during her freshman year but struggled mightily with a sophomore slump. Abbey Smith, Millie Roberts, and Axe Milanowski also had some good moments this year. Hopefully Stroud, Martin, and Mariah Penta can push the returnees for starting positions. Overall, I am excited for next year. Dean needs schedule a hard non-conference schedule to ensure we can host a regional, but I think the team can make a Super or the WCWS. If they do not, I have no problem not renewing Dean’s contract when it comes up for consideration. A few thoughts on the SEC and country next year: 1. Oklahoma will be the favorite to win it all again and rightfully so 2. Tennessee will likely be the preseason pick to win the SEC, but I do think Auburn will be picked in the top 5 despite a harder SEC schedule 3. A lot of SEC teams are graduating good pitchers next year: Fouts (Alabama), Delce (Arkansas), Rogers (Tennessee), Gobourne (USC), Hightower & Trilicek (Florida), Walters (UGA), Kilponen (LSU) 4. Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn will have the best pitching staffs in the SEC, but Florida will be competitive with two stud freshman 4. Freshman will make an big impact for some teams, especially Florida (as mentioned above) 5. Texas A&M will take a huge jump forward in the second year of the Trisha Ford era

Zone was a little tight today, but she was not her best. Glad to see her not give up a run though!

The video posted on Instagram has Lowe and Packer in a boot. Not sure if it is precautionary, but it appears some nagging injuries again for those two. It might explain why Lowe was icing her foot in the dugout during South Carolina.

I agree. The zone was inconsistent from inning to inning, it was alright very tight at times. Penta showed why she is one of the best. Widra also did a good job of keeping Ole Miss off the board minus the HR. Overall, it was not a pretty game. Good teams find ways to win though, and we did that today.

A fun fact: Sikes was committed to Auburn until a few weeks before the signing period. She signed with Georgia and transferred to Ole Miss this year as a graduate student.

Lenti continues to make questionable calls as third base coach. Truly maddening! Glad we were able to score.

Penta was incredible, but my favorite part of the game outside was the top of the order stringing together singles and doubles to get two runs in the sixth inning rather than rely on the long ball. We struggled against Fouts, but they got it done today.

I agree on the team’s hitting approach as of the past 5 games. We hit the ball hard for the most part in the Florida series, and we definitely hit the ball well against Troy and in Game 1. One thing in particular is we are hitting the ball where it is thrown versus trying to pull everything to left field. If we can get string a few hits together and not be so reliant on the long ball, the team won’t have to press so hard.

She is insane right now. I don’t know Lowe’s health status, but I’d imagine he is limiting her to one game per week. I imagine we’ll see her against Ole Miss on Friday or Saturday. If we don’t see her this week then I’ll be worried.

Samford beat Ole Miss 3-0 and lost to Bama 1-0. I don’t know his mindset, but I don’t think he wanted to risk a loss. Their starting pitcher shut down SEC competition more than once. Hopefully we’ll see more of Widra and Rolfe against Jacksonville State and Alabama State.

I knew there were a lot of strikeouts, but 44 in 118 ABs?!?!? That’s a 37% SO rate!

I’ll be interested to see how the team responds after a rough 2-3 weeks, especially from a hitting perspective. The commentator’s observations seem to be spot on, especially after the number of strikeouts over the weekend. I don’t see Cohen firing Dean with 3 years left on his current contract, but I hope Dean is willing to make the necessary changes if the hitting does not show any improvement by the end of the year. I’m not sure Dean will hire someone out of his comfort zone though, but DJ Gasso at Utah would be my first call. He spent two years on staff at Oklahoma, so he knows how a successful program is run. He stepped away from the talent at Oklahoma, and his players have shown improvement. Not to mention, he has a direct line to Patty and DJ.

I mentioned my frustration with the hitting in the 2023 Softball thread, so I’ll focus on positives and hopes here. Lowe was great in relief. Hopefully she can handle a larger role moving forward, and we can see a true 1a and 1b situation with her and Penta. Widra shows flashes of greatness too, so I think she continues to provide innings as a very good number 3. Bryant had a great day at the plate. It was nice to see her show power because we haven’t seen it so far this year. Packer is slowly getting her groove back too. If they can continue their slow return from injuries, I’d like to see this lineup by the end of the year: 1. Packer (CF) 2. Bryant (3rd) 3. Peralta (SS) 4. Ellis (1st) 5. Garcia (RF / LF) 6 / 7. Blaine / Godwin / Lisenby (DP / C) 8. McCrary / Tresvik (RF / LF) 9. McCondichie (2nd) I still have hope to see improvements later in the year as those three return from injury. All it takes is for the team to get hot at the right time.

I’m not disagreeing with you, but I think we are stuck for the next two - three years due to last year’s contract extension. They did bring in Ken Brook last year. I think he focuses on their swings, specifically as it relates to generating power. I’d have to guess Lenti focuses on approach and mindset of the hitters. The plan isn’t working no matter who handles what aspect.

Dean coaches pitchers who have done well throughout his tenure, especially as the game evolves to be more offensive. I do not see the administration firing him before his contract up, but if our hitting doesn’t improve under Lenti or someone else, I am for not renewing Dean. I’d even post my recommendations for the administration to review.

I know Dean faced obstacles in his first few years at Auburn, and I do believe it affected the performance of his first few teams. However, I can’t understand why this team is struggling so much at the plate. I think Dean needs find a new hitting coach after this season. Our players have not improved under Lenti. If we don’t make it to a Super this year or next year then I don’t renew Dean’s contract, especially if Lenti is still around.

Every year we seem to have one day where everything falls apart - 2018 at Missouri, 2019 at Kentucky, and 2022 at Tennessee. Hopefully today was the day for this team and we do not see this type of play again. We need to turn the page to tomorrow’s game, Wednesday’s game at GT, and the three game series at Georgia.

Looks like UAB is currently ahead of us in estimated RPI. North Dakota State also is ahead of us in the same RPI estimate. Troy, South Alabama, Weber State, and Georgia Tech will also help, but we’ll need to steal a game from Northwestern (x2) or Oklahoma (x2) for a signature out of conference win.