Does anyone have any inside info on her reason(s) for leaving? 

A few people made it clear that they were unhappy after the 2023 season and entered the portal while some of the remaining players spoke up in support of the staff and team cohesion.  Clearly Widra is in the second camp and I feel sure she would have been a versatile starter again next year.  Just wondering if it's softball related or personal.  I will miss her and wish her the best (as long as she doesn't end up at Bama).

I hope he's right about Auburn - and I sure do hope Auburn gets the better of Alabama this year.  While I would obviously love to see Auburn win a national title this year, it's a little bit concerning to think about how effectively they'll be able to rebuild the team next year with so many seniors on this team.  I guess Pearl can worry about that next year.

As an aside, there's a guy named Eric that sells BBQ out of a food truck on the side of HWY 49 near Dadeville.  Eric told my brother today that Bruce Pearl had stopped by in his Bentley convertible for a BBQ sandwich and chatted with him for a while.  Hope he earns his (very large) salary this year.

South Carolina fired their softball coach (Beverly Smith) this morning after 14 years.   Don't know if there would have been any competition, but I'm glad Auburn was able to hire a new staff first. 

They also fired their baseball coach recently.  Cleaning house!

I didn't know what OGX Softball was so looked it up.  Seems like Chason's time there should be very beneficial to our pitchers.

https://ogxsoftball.com/

Noticed in his twitter bio that he has a 4.0 GPA which tells me he's smart and education is important to him.  Love this about him (in addition to his athletic ability). 

Interesting.  Looks like he was at Ole Miss for 3 years but left in July of 2023 'to pursue other avenues outside of college softball'.  Didn't find anything about what he has done for the past year.  From Extra Innings Softball:

Ryker Chason is departing the Ole Miss coaching staff, sources confirmed to Extra Inning Softball on Friday.

Reached for comment, Chason confirmed his departure, noting that he is “excited to pursue other avenues outside of college softball.”

“This likely won’t be the last you see of him within our game,” one source said.

Chason spent the last three seasons on staff at Ole Miss, shepherding the Rebels’ bullpen to a 2.91 staff ERA during the 2023 season.

Prior to Ole Miss, Chason spent three seasons on staff at LSU as a student coach, working with the Tigers’ bullpen during his tenure in Baton Rouge. His resume also includes a stint as an assistant at South Georgia State College.

Looks like a great pickup - hope he stays committed and signs with us!

54 minutes ago, TeamZero77 said:

Because his girlfriend had a rental car and picked him up? You could be right.

Something that tells me it wasn't premeditated is there are articles stating Brookins left his own car right at the scene in the parking lot. That was the main reason he turned himself in. He was on surveillance and they literally had his car and towed it from the scene. He ran on foot from the scene according to news. I take it he then called his gf to come get him wherever he ran to. I could see premeditated but him driving to the scene in his own car and just leaving it wouldn't make sense. If you have your gf get a rental in her name to try and cover your tracks, you wouldn't drive your own car to the eventual scene of the crime and leave it. Just my thinking. I'm glad they arrested both and praying Brian recovers.

You may be correct that Brookins' car was in the parking lot, but I've only read that the girlfriend's car was there:

AL.com wrote, “according to the arrest affidavit, surveillance video at the scene of the May 18 Sarasota shooting where Tommie Battie IV was killed, and Brian Battie critically injured showed a white Hyundai Elantra in the parking lot next to where the shooting occurred. Deputies later determined it was a rental car rented by Nicole Roberts, 29, girlfriend of suspected shooter Darryl Brookins, the report states.”

The report continues, “Investigators determined Roberts drove the car out of the lot in the same direction where Brookins fled on foot. Then, the report states, Roberts drove north into Manatee County, the county between Sarasota and the Tampa-St. Petersburg metro area. The report states investigators found surveillance video that showed the Hyundai parked next to the Manatee River in Bradenton, Florida, and a female believed to be Roberts exiting the driver’s seat, walking down a dock and discarding an item.”

Sounds like a planned hit to me...

Couldn't be happier with this hire!!!  I think Cohen hit it out of the park (so to speak).  They just need to hire a top-notch pitching coach to complete the team.  Hope Widra will consider returning - if not, I'm grateful for her time at Auburn and wish her the best.  Regardless, I think the Malveauxs can and will attract high-level talent to Auburn.   Would love to see them build a dynasty and stay for decades.  WAR.  DAMN.  EAGLE.

Sad to see Stanfield go...wonder if he'll go back home to Tallahassee/FSU since they're back to their winning ways and hosting a regional?

11 hours ago, Gowebb11 said:

Lots of good baseball. Love the upsets by the likes of High Point, SEMO, and GCU. And how about K State taking down Arky and Hagen Smith. Hope we get back on track on 2025! 

Interesting that ARK hosted regionals in both softball and baseball and failed to advance in both. 

59 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

I got up at 5 this morning just to watch the rerun to make sure we won........we did........................I'm on cloud nine will be for weeks. 

I texted all the Auburn alums I know and urged them to watch last night.  Most knew NOTHING about this team and were unaware they were ranked #1, SEC champs, playing for a national championship, etc.  That's sad!  But, many of them watched and were blown away by this team.  If they, and I, were so elated...I can only imagine how you must feel.  So happy for this team, our University, and for you and all the other Auburn golfers that preceded this team...WAR DAMN EAGLE!

49 minutes ago, AuburnAlumFromThe423 said:

Question for Golf, or anyone else who might have an answer: how is this tournament being played in Carlsbad, CA, and the designated host is the University of Texas? I keep seeing the Longhorn logo of our new conference counterparts on all of the flags. Any information is appreciated 😀

Great question...I wondered the same thing so, after seeing your post, I looked it up.  Interesting backstory!  In a nutshell, the Carlsbad site will likely be the permanent home of the men's and women's championships (like Oklahoma City is for softball and Omaha is for baseball).  No California schools stepped up to sponsor the tournament so someone at UT decided to take the lead.  One of their megadonors owns the Omni and they got him onboard to make it happen (and make it as permanent as things can be).  Here's the full story:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/how-texas-golf-is-the-host-of-the-ncaa-championships-on-a-course-1300-miles-away-bohls/ar-BB1mWBVl

WHEW...a little too much drama for my nerves/blood pressure!  WAR DAMN EAGLE!!! 

1 hour ago, Mikey said:

Irish is a soph and I don't think he or Stanfield are eligible for the major league draft for another year. Unless some rule has changed they both will be playing college ball next season. Lets hope they are playing at Auburn.

Gonzales has never fully recovered from the shoulder injury he suffered.

 

Thank you.  I thought since high-school grads can be drafted, college students could be drafted as well but I was wrong.  Per Wikipedia,

Eligibility

To be drafted, a player must fit the following criteria:^[33]

• Be a resident of, or have attended an educational institution in, the United States, Canada, or a U.S. territory such as Puerto Rico.^[b] Players from other countries are not subject to the draft, and can be signed by any team unless they have attended an educational institution in the aforementioned areas.
• Has never signed a major or minor league contract.
• High school players are eligible only after graduation, and if they have not attended college.
• Players at four-year colleges and universities are eligible three years after first enrolling in such an institution, or after their 21st birthdays (whichever occurs first).
• Junior and community college players are eligible to be drafted at any time.

Gonzalez hasn't really played in 2 years which seems nuts.  Did he have surgery?  Will he be able to play again/be drafted?  I can't find any articles explaining his status, just vague statements from CBT saying he's not ready, he's rehabbing, etc. 

6 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

my treatmentapologies on this being late i had to do my prechemo visit for chemo tomorrow. before you feel bad for me letme say they have some wonderful ladies there...........

I hope your chemo hasn't been too rough...how are you feeling?  Hope and pray you're doing well, Fifty.

Would love to get Irish back but that's probably a pipe dream?  Belyeu was terrific, too, though...glad he got a chance to shine and he should be back next year.  Does anybody know what happened with Joseph Gonzalez?  I guess he's gone after this year but I never found any explanation for why he only pitched once or twice...did he end up having surgery or what is his injury?

@aubiefifty - your post this morning is a duplicate of golf's opening post on this thread.  For clarity (and brevity), will you please delete your post?  Thanks!

Day 3 (Sunday, May 19) results...Auburn in 8th place in the team competition after Sunday's round.  If Auburn holds on to a top 8 finish after today's 4th round they will advance to the finals.  Megan Schofill is Auburn's highest-ranked player in the individual competition, tied for 13th place.  She was tied for 38th place after the 2nd round but her 2 under par 70 on Sunday propelled her up the leaderboard.  Auburn's Anna Davis dropped to tied for 41st place after being tied for 4th place after the 2nd round (she shot an 8 over par 80 in Sunday's 3rd round).

CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA – Adela Cernousek of Texas A&M has proven to be a model of consistency, posting three consecutive rounds of 68 to fuel her rise to the top of the individual leaderboard and her team to the lead by one stroke after three rounds of the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships being played on the North Course at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa (6,330 yards/par 72).

On Sunday, Texas A&M posted a one-over-par 289, which is good enough for a one-stroke lead over Stanford in the 72-hole championship. Texas A&M sits at 10-under-par after 54 holes. Final round play on Monday will determine seeding for the eight teams advancing to match play, with the individual champion also crowned.

The other 13 teams joining Texas A&M and Stanford for the fourth and final round of stroke play include LSU, Clemson, Northwestern, UCLA, Oregon, Auburn, Arkansas, Southern California, Duke, Wake Forest, Mississippi State, Texas and Florida State. The 15 schools advancing to Monday will be joined by the low nine individuals on non-advancing teams. Teams competing on Monday will be vying for one of the eight match-play seed positions. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, May 21, followed by the finals on Wednesday, May 22.

Cernousek, a junior from Antibes, France, is on the verge of setting several NCAA championship records and is attempting to become the first Texas A&M player to win the NCAA individual championship. Currently sitting at 12-under-par and six strokes in the lead over Lottie Woad of Florida State, Cernousek was only one stroke shy of the all-time championship record for three rounds, which is 13-under-par by Virginia Elena Carta of Duke in 2016. The championship record for four rounds is 16-under-par, also by Elena Carta in 2016. The all-time largest margin of victory by an individual in championship history is eight strokes by Elena Carta in 2016.

“I was excited with the early tee time today as knew the greens would be softer and that there would be less wind to deal with,” said Cernousek, who is looking to record her first collegiate victory. “The most important thing to me is how our team is playing. We all believe in ourselves and feel like we are all capable of posting a great round each time out. Feel like the want is there and everything is lined up for success.”
 
Cernousek’s 54-hole total (204) is the third-lowest score in program history. Earlier this week on May 14 she won the U.S. Open Qualifier at the Golfcrest Country Club in Pearland, Texas, securing a spot at the 79th U.S. Women's Open Championship to be played May 30-June 2.
 
“She is really good,” said Texas A&M Head Coach Gerrod Chadwell of Cernousek. “She has had a really good last two years. Her match-play record is phenomenal. She hasn’t put a lot of trophies in the trophy case, but she has consistently been right there. She has slept on a few overnight leads this year and has been really close. I think the U.S. Women’s Open finally punching that through probably gave her the confidence she needs.”

Stanford, which was the only team in the field to post an under-par round on Sunday, trimmed four strokes off of the Texas A&M team advantage. The Cardinal posted its third consecutive round of 285 and is 9-under-par for the championship.

“It was more of the same today,” said Stanford Head Coach Anne Walker. “It was so disciplined, committed, a lot of patience and no quit. The golf course got way more challenging today. The wind picking up. The greens are firming up. Hole locations were tougher and green speeds were faster. I think it all led to a challenge that was a significant degree up today.”
Cardinal freshman Paula Martin Sampedro fired a 2-under-par 70 on Sunday, with all three of her NCAA championship rounds having been under par. For her freshman season, Sampedro has posted par or better scores in 23 of her 27 rounds. This marks the fourth time this year that her first three rounds of a tournament have all been par or better.

“Just a little disappointed from a competitive standpoint with our finish,” said Chadwell about his team. “It wasn’t bad, it’s not easy out there. We left some shots out there with the putter. We really got it going. If you told me we would be leading after 54 holes I would be tickled pink.”
 
The scoring average for today’s third round was 76.44. By comparison, Friday’s scoring average was 74.10 and Saturday’s scoring average was 75.17.
 
The fourth round of the championship will tee off on Monday, May 20 at 10:30 a.m. PST at La Costa. Golf Channel and Peacock coverage of the championship begins Monday, with the final round of stroke play and the crowning of the individual champion broadcast live beginning at 6 p.m. EST.

36 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

today was my birthday so I wasn't able to keep up with the tourney. We had a terrible day but made the first cut of top 15 teams. We are currently tied for 7th still have tomorrow need to stay in top 8 to get to final 8 teams to start match play. We shot 13 over had so many doubles and a few triples hopefully got the worse out of the way.

Happy Birthday!  Hope you had a a great day - wish you health and happiness in the year ahead. 

RIP 2024 Auburn softball.

Auburn certainly had their chances but couldn't capitalize. 

I didn't like the decision to bring Penta in.  Hate for it to end this way but it's a disaster for Auburn, once again...