RedDirtFan

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.

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.

That's a good list...I definitely think the next hire will be a woman: Kenny G - You're smoking crack, but would definitely be a conference upgrade for him after all of his buddies flee his conference. Pete D - Good chance he would upgrade his conference Marissa - I've said somewhere else, so I apologize if this is repetitive...She's built a legacy at Duke and she needs to manage health issues within her family. The timing is not right to make a big move. Singleton - Great offensive mind. He might think he's ready to take the wheel, but I'm not sure we can afford to take the chance. Does he leverage Carosone to manage D while he improves our O? Ricketts - She's turned that program around from where Van left it and they are the dark horse in the conference this year. Speaking of Ricketts, she's done a great job maturing from Assistant to HC, which bodes well for Carosone, but I still don't think that's the answer.

Who can replace McD? I know Daddyball coaches that would do better given these resources. That's setting the bar pretty low 🤣. Let's find a coach who can truly call themselves an Auburn Woman or Man: Sam Ricketts, MS State Tripp McKay, Kennesaw State

Unfortunately for her, she hasn't had the best tutelage. McD didn't give her much responsibility. She probably learned more watching her dad coach. She deserves a spot on the roster and an opportunity to learn...I hope they don't nuke the whole staff, but take out cancers surgically.

The best we can hope for is for the University to wake up and make a change...I know we've been saying that for some time. Maybe we've got it wrong...In business, you always "follow the money". Maybe the Yella Fella needs to see some of this...that's how we got the new locker room.

Let it go. Those players have moved on to greener pastures and their struggle doesn’t help Maddie pitch any better. Wish them well and focus on what we have to work with. If we have less to work with, address the problem. It’s not NIL, it’s not the school, it’s not the fans (except the imposters that bash these student athletes), it’s Dickey Mean’s caustic and abusive culture. He pulled us out of the death spiral that the Myers put us in, but we should have left him as ‘interim’ while we found a D1 coach. Now we’re in a different nose dive altogether.

Thanks for posting. I like the comments about hitting: It's not about technique, but about putting up the numbers. That explains a lot.

I'm not sure

I share your concern and admiration of Carosone. I'd prefer to see more experience in the captain's chair, but she was promoted to Associate Head Coach, which I see as a leading indicator. I'm not sure how you bring in a new HC with that title on staff and you can't take the promotion away. I think they've already made the decision and Cohen's waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I'm noticing a trend...what else changed in the program in 2017??? I'm not suggesting that we return to the sexual predatory environment...but these young women just deserve better. It's hard to attract SEC softball talent with a great education & mid softball experience. My prediction is that we miss Supers again for Penta's senior year (shame), Dean steps down for personal reasons and Carosone takes the reigns starting in 2024-25.

PS…the hostile environment that Meyers fostered doesn’t warrant more W’s. In the end, the players lose.

Hey LP, based upon your response, I sense that my post was overly aggressive, and I must apologize. That was not my intent. I am sincerely happy that you’ve found an appreciation for Dean as a coach. I’ve had a different and visceral experience. I just want the best for our Tigers. I respect your perspective.

@LPTigerI'm glad you're content with Dean. I gave Dean the benefit of the doubt at first and found myself burned. The only reason he still has a job is Maddie Penta. She's found solace in his coaching and I'm happy for her. He'd be crazy not to put her on a pedestal. Most of the other SEC or Power5 coaches do. However, those coaches either multitask or surround themselves with a staff that they trust to coach and develop the other elements of the game. A few indicators: The first 15 minutes of practice (precious time under the NCAA restrictions) is spent with Dean & Co arguing over what to work on. If you show up to a meeting unprepared in the real world, you won't do it twice if you like your job. For whatever reason, they still don't have a hitting coach. Ever wonder why the hitters peak their freshman year? They're still coasting from the muscle memory that made them successful before coming to Auburn. There's no approach when the players step into the box. I have a lot of respect for Lindte, but he's not a 3B coach. I think the number of base running mistakes this year is cause for a new strategy. Dean doesn't respect Carosone. Who knows why? She's a student of the sport and is very accomplished, which is why I see her move to Associate Head Coach as an indication that Dean will not get another extension and Carosone will take the reigns. No other program in the country has players go for their personal best on weights during the season and the strength/conditioning coach doesn't condone it. We can hypothesize all we want, but only the players and coaches can speak to what's going on in the program. 1 player doesn't make the program. 4 players left (3 starters) after another dead end in Regionals and 3 more left after school started. That's your barometer of trouble ahead. For the young ladies' sake, I pray that I'm wrong.

Look at it this way…2 years is enough rope for Dean…er, I mean time for Carasone to take over. Maybe she won’t run them off.

Mickey & his magic touch!

She was on there last week. I wonder what happened?

It's coming to life...

Thanks for sharing... that's quite a find. I wonder why he "ran the other way"? He was technically a GA in 2021/22. It seems like the logical progression would be to accept the newly approved paid assistant role. I can't imagine investing a year as a volunteer, then not cashing in on a job. He seems to link rationale to the reason the "3 of 4 best hitters" left.

You’ve just made my case. Dean snatched a 3rd place finish from the jaws of a championship conference schedule. We coasted into 3rd on the team’s talent. He’s not developing the talent beyond their growth prior to coming to the program, excluding pitchers. He should be a pitching coach, nothing more. There’s no offensive development or strategy, beyond a 1st and 3rd play learned in T-ball. If you’re the head coach and don’t excel in areas of offense or defense, surround yourself with a strong support staff that does. The addition of the coach from OU could be good, but somebody put out a Press Release that introduces her and her role at Auburn. Talk about the other coaches while you’re at it. All I’ve read is that she’s been part of a World Series winning program. How does that relate or help Auburn succeed? Be intentional for a change.

I think Carlee got a fair shot at 2B and Roach won that position in the end. Carlee’s tweets are very telling about how Dean has lost the respect of the players. I wonder how the rest of the players that left feel? They have too much to risk to go on record. Same for former hitting coach Ken.

The last day to enter the portal was the 28th, the University has 48 hours to disclose. An athlete has until the first day of class to enroll and sign (Icess signed right before classes in 2022). We shouldn't see any more enter the portal and we can still see some join the team. There was a period between semesters where athletes could transfer, but I *think* that has been eliminated.

A hitting coach or at least a consistent approach must happen. It’s rumored that DJ Gasso is in play.

I don’t see anything happening before the SEC Tournament. Improvements I see at other parks are not necessarily the stadium itself, although I have seen some big ballpark experiences that are nice, like a few luxury boxes or a club level area. The improvements for the players include a pitching/hitting lab, dedicated facilities (meeting rooms, state of the art recovery/training rooms, etc). A comprehensive flow and design for the player is what you need to attract the top talent. I’m curious about the plan Myers had for the facility mentioned on this thread. Maybe we spent all of that on settlements.