Jad0003

I also think Dean is bringing back the injured players slowly. Lowe obviously has the potential to be another ace.we will need her during the SEC, so I think we’ll continue to see her in a relief throughout “preseason,” especially with Widra’s ability in the circle. Hopefully Rolfe can also eat up a few innings against lesser teams I don’t think Smith nor Tresvik did enough to solidify their spots in CF over Packer. She ran and played in the field during the first weekend, so I think once she is able to bat, she’ll be pencilled into the lineup. Bryant batted and ran the bases. Dean mentioned she is still trying to find her timing. She has potential to play multiple positions - 2nd, 3rd, DP, and OF. I think Widra has third base locked down in the interim, but someone has to play 3rd when she pitches. McCrary, Tresvik, and Roberts all had good moments this weekend, as well. Cox also has the ability to compete.

Yeah - it seems like Lowe will be the closer during preseason. Widra will be a solid #3 in the circle and played well at 3rd. I’m sure we will continue to see Rolfe and Tresvik get a few more appearances againstesser competition early on, as well. Hopefully we get Bryant and Packer healthy over the next few weeks. The team can really make some noise.

Rolfe showing she has the fight to contribute this season.

I also think McCondichie was more consistent in the field, but Denver was one of our better hitters before her injury. If she is able to return to form, they’ll both be in the lineup somewhere. The coaches will have to balance offensive and defensive production when determining the lineup.

Most softball polls base their rankings off the previous year without much nuance on the circumstances, so they are not accounting for a healthy Lowe. I’m not sure if she will recreate her freshman year after surgery, but I’d bet she performs significantly better than last year. I’m interested to see the lineup opening day. Dean hints some newcomers might displace some starters and some players will change positions. Pitching: Penta and Lowe will split majority of the innings. Hopefully Widra / Tresvik / Rolfe can perform well enough to minimize the innings pitched for the first two. Catching: I haven’t been impressed with the catching position under Dean since Veach left, so I’m excited to see true competition here. Blaine will be in the lineup somewhere due to her bat, Lisenby and Godwin both had great moments last year, and I am excited to see what Elkins can do. We’ll likely see all four throughout the season. 1B: I doubt we will see anyone unseat Bri. 2B: If Bryant is mobile following her ACL tear, I imagine she will start here. Widra and McCondichie will likely be her backups. SS: I assume Peralta will start here, but Widra and Roach played during fall ball. 3B: Excited to see competition here. Cox and McNemar were great defensively, but I don’t think either were consistent at the plate. Looks like McCrary and Milanowski are competing. I also know Roberts has a big bat. OF: McCondichie, Garcia, and Packer played early in the season then right field became a revolving door. Smith, Tresvik, Cooper and Cox played in Fall Ball. DP: I imagine Blaine will start if she’s not catching. Bryant might fit in here if her mobility isn’t good enough for 2nd.

Annalea Adams committed in the past few days. Good pick up for us!

We currently have 2 commitments in the 2024 class: Jolie Adams (OF) and Blayne Godfrey (RHP). As I mentioned above, I’m not sure the 2024 class is as big of a priority for Auburn in terms of size. With that being said, the only 2024 recruits who I have seen visit Auburn and not commit elsewhere are Annalea Adams, Lien Brister, and Bella Foran.

Florida is recruiting exceptionally well in the 2023 and 2024 classes. Oklahoma, UCLA, FSU, Georgia, Tennessee, and LSU are also recruiting very well in these classes. One thing to consider is the last classes affected by COVID will graduate after the 2024 season, so a lot of teams are going HARD in the 2024 recruiting class to replenish their rosters for the 2025 season. On the flip side, we graduate Lowe, Penta, Bryant, Packer, Cox, and McCrary after the 2024 season, but assuming no transfers, we will have 10 seniors, 4 juniors, 6 sophomores, and (as of now) 2 freshman on the roster for the 2025 season. Dean will need a large incoming class after the 2025 season, whether through the portal or recruiting.

Happy to help! To be honest, I’m not really sure what to make of the 2023 and 2024 classes. As I said above, the rankings have lost a lot of credibility over the years due to the number of players included and the sources of information. With that being said, a number of our players were ranked in the “Top 20” of their classes - Penta, Lowe, Bryant, Lisenby, Peralta, Blaine, Ellis, Widra, Rolfe, and Elkins. Every other player on the roster was ranked in “Top 150” except Packer and Tresvik. I think our coaches do a good job of evaluating talent and finding under the radar players, but I’d love to see more “Top 10” players to compete with the the softball powerhouses who are signing multiple “Top 10” players.

Two more for 2023:

Yes - I didn’t mention this time around, but it is very important to remember. Club, high school, and, to your point, even parents can submit nominations, and I think club coaches make recommendations on ranking. Coaches can use as a tool to promote their teams, attract better players, and highlight uncommitted players.

EIS is posting their rankings for the 2023 class now. It seems they have reduced the number of people ranked due to recent criticism, but it is still not a true “Top 100” ranking. Kyla dropped a good bit in the rankings, but the commentary on her is positive, specifically her hitting ability.

I’d expect more from Peralta, Carlee, Garcia, and Aubrie. Interested to see how Roberts looks in Game 2. I know we recruited her for her big bat.

Who was on the lineup? It seems Dean is playing a lot of newcomers rather than starters.

Second commit of the class also came in today: Blayne Godfrey, a RHP / power hitter from Hartselle who plays for Alabama Impact.

First commit of the 2024 class is Jolie Adams. Ranked #11 by EIS but seems to be higher on Softball America (Again, these rankings mean nothing these days). She has been coming to camps at Auburn for a long time. I’ve seen a few other visitors on Instagram and Twitter but no other commitments.

Losing 2 games to Oklahoma is better for our SoS in the RPI than beating a bad team. SoS has been heavily used the past few years in regards to regional / supers hosting.

I’m not sure how much say Dean has about the schedule at an outside organization’s tournament. I do know they try to avoid inter- conference games, leaving Texas, Northwestern, and Illinois as the only teams who played in the NCAA tournament last year. It seems we got the short end of the stick by drawing Illinois. Hopefully we can attract a few more big names this year for the tournaments in Auburn. Our “preseason” SOS at these tournaments killed us last year.

An Arkansas fan explained the softball recruiting process really well on Discord. To paraphrase, most of these young women are going to college camps long before September 1st of their junior year, so they have an idea of which schools they are interested in and which ones will offer scholarships. Heavener had interest from every major program, but she has been an LSU lean for a while.

LHP Heavener off the board (LSU). She is #1 player for EIS and #5 for Softball America.

Wondering which pitcher was Dean’s first call at midnight. There are a few highly ranked ones who everyone will be fighting over, but it seems the 2024 class is deeper and more talented than the 2022 and 2023 classes from a pitching perspective. We probably need two pitchers in the class because Penta and Lowe will graduate three months earlier, leaving Widra, Tresvik, Rolfe, Tamborra, and Clemmons as players who can pitch.

Nice to see an article on softball so early in the school year, but Phillip seems to have confused a few details. Widra was on the Birmingham Thunderbolts team who won 18U PGF with Peralta and Lisenby, not McCrary. Her and Peralta were the Thunderbolts representatives for the PGF All Star Game, as well. She was 1-1 with a bunt single in the game. I’ll be interested to see how Dean utilizes the transfers in 2023. McCrary is a 3B, but Widra and Tresvik can pitch, hit, and play in the field. We also have four talented freshman who will compete for playing time. Basically, I’m ready to see how things shake out in Fall Ball

Softball America updated their ranking recently, but I don’t have a subscription to their website. Not sure where any of our recruits are on their list. EIS won’t update 2023s until October or November to coordinate with signing day. I’ll share all our recruits ranking and commentary. EIS is about to start 2024s to align with September 1st, so I’ll share the same for any player who commits.