Softball 2023-24 Offseason & Recruiting Thread

[Big Fat Barner 143]

I beg of Dean and this coaching staff to continue picking up transfers. It’s how college softball is today. Gotta go all in for Penta’s last season. 

[Jad0003 411]

1 hour ago, RedDirtFan said:

What kind of message is this sending to Lisenby and Elkins? I get that he's down 2 C's, (Godwin graduated and Blaine hit the portal seeing little time behind the dish), but Dean used Lisenby to a large extent and Elkins was biding her time to get her shot. I'm not sure this was the glaring hole in our D. They have strong bats in non-SEC play.

The competition will make them both better, and I don’t think either will back down from a challenge. We have a few positions open, and I imagine Dean & Co. will find a place for them somewhere on the field if they hit. Wohler also started a few games at 3B for DePaul in her freshman season.

[Jad0003 411]

Robocoach saying Jessie Blaine to Mississippi State.

[Big Fat Barner 143]

2 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

Robocoach saying Jessie Blaine to Mississippi State.

She posted on her instagram story with a state jersey on. I am very shocked to see that she is downgrading

[RedDirtFan 39]

1 hour ago, Big Fat Barner said:

She posted on her instagram story with a state jersey on. I am very shocked to see that she is downgrading

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

She decided to improve her situation, so it's not a downgrade in her eyes. She did great things for us and something was so glaringly wrong in her situation that she decided to leave all of our greatness and move on to another SEC school. As much as we love Auburn as a fantastic school and community, it's not enough to outweigh whatever caused 6 young ladies to move on from the softball program and seek a better opportunity for themselves. And that's just the 6 that possess the courage/ability to make that same decision - how many are stuck? Something's not right. Auburn Tigers that are here and those that have committed to us deserve better.

[Big Fat Barner 143]

On 6/13/2023 at 8:05 AM, AUSRB said:

There are a lot of good players in the portal.  NIL and a chance to play on a contending team will play a big role on where these players go.  Im afraid we are down in the pecking order when it comes to getting elite players from the portal.  However, I think we will get a couple of good players  that can really help this team.  Kelly Lynch who was a one time Auburn commit is in the portal and would be an excellent replacement for Brie Ellis at first base and is a really good pitcher.  She is a Washington graduate transfer and is from Georgia I hope Auburn is trying to get her.  It’s hard to get any reliable information because no one wants these things public until it’s a done deal.

Kelley Lynch following the Torinas on social media. Likely LSU bound (per robo coach)

[AUSRB 25]

25 minutes ago, Big Fat Barner said:

Kelley Lynch following the Torinas on social media. Likely LSU bound (per robo coach)

It was pribably along shot but one can always hope.

[RedDirtFan 39]

C’mon! I thought we had Lynch in the bag! Maybe there’s still a shot?

[RedDirtFan 39]

I just double-checked…Dean has Lynch lined up for a visit this week! The LSU thing is just a social media follow. Nothing lost!

C’mon Magic Mickey! Lynch would be a great backup to Penta. “I’m Madi Penta”!

[Jad0003 411]

18 hours ago, RedDirtFan said:

I just double-checked…Dean has Lynch lined up for a visit this week! The LSU thing is just a social media follow. Nothing lost!

C’mon Magic Mickey! Lynch would be a great backup to Penta. “I’m Madi Penta”!

Lynch committed to LSU. 

[blakem 296]

22 minutes ago, Jad0003 said:

Lynch committed to LSU. 

I was skeptical about her coming here.

[Jad0003 411]

20 minutes ago, blakem said:

I was skeptical about her coming here.

Me too. She has a decent bat, but we don’t need a pitcher with one year of eligibility. I don’t think she would have filled any gaps.

Apparently we are in it for Florida transfer pitcher Lexie Delbrey. She has a high ceiling and two years of eligibility remaining. Dean recruited her hard out of high school. 

I’m not sure if we are in it for anyone else. 

Edited June 24, 2023 by Jad0003

[Big Fat Barner 143]

3 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

Me too. She has a decent bat, but we don’t need a pitcher with one year of eligibility. I don’t think she would have filled any gaps.

Apparently we are in it for Florida transfer pitcher Lexie Delbrey. She has a high ceiling and two years of eligibility remaining. Dean recruited her hard out of high school. 

I’m not sure if we are in it for anyone else. 

I think we need some more help with the bats before we need another pitcher. Lynch would’ve helped with both. 

[Big Fat Barner 143]

23 hours ago, RedDirtFan said:

I just double-checked…Dean has Lynch lined up for a visit this week! The LSU thing is just a social media follow. Nothing lost!

C’mon Magic Mickey! Lynch would be a great backup to Penta. “I’m Madi Penta”!

Do you know if Dean has anybody else lined up for a visit??

[RedDirtFan 39]

5 minutes ago, Big Fat Barner said:

Do you know if Dean has anybody else lined up for a visit??

Clearly, my source left me underwhelmed. Maybe she had good insight and Lynch changed her plans…who knows.

I don’t know if any more visits, let’s hope he does. I also cant’t tell you who visited and if there are offers outstanding.

Fingers crossed!

[Jad0003 411]

12 hours ago, Big Fat Barner said:

I think we need some more help with the bats before we need another pitcher. Lynch would’ve helped with both. 

I also think we need hitters before pitchers. Based on the transfers under Dean, it seems he prefers players with more eligibility than one year. 

I’m not sure who else he is recruiting, but the majority of the big players have committed to new schools. I’ll be interested to see if we pick up any more transfers and where all the players end up on the field. 

[blakem 296]

22 hours ago, Jad0003 said:

Me too. She has a decent bat, but we don’t need a pitcher with one year of eligibility. I don’t think she would have filled any gaps.

Apparently we are in it for Florida transfer pitcher Lexie Delbrey. She has a high ceiling and two years of eligibility remaining. Dean recruited her hard out of high school. 

I’m not sure if we are in it for anyone else. 

I was mainly skeptical because Lynch decommitted from Auburn and Coach Dean in high school after the Myers left. I just wasn’t sure why she might want to come here and play now.

[Jad0003 411]

53 minutes ago, blakem said:

I was mainly skeptical because Lynch decommitted from Auburn and Coach Dean in high school after the Myers left. I just wasn’t sure why she might want to come here and play now.

That too!

[AU1947 157]

Just saw where LSU's Alea Johnson transferred to that school west of Birmingham.... really thought we might get her since her father played football at Auburn... would have been a good addition to the pitching staff and apparently has 3 years left...

[Big Fat Barner 143]

so auburn loses three probable starters (Ellis, Bryant and Blaine) to South Carolina, Arkansas and Mississippi State. That’s a tough pill to swallow. 
 

thoughts on the moves?

[TD1 229]

I've noticed that when our former players have committed elsewhere, their new schools have this nicely designed sets/props for them to make their announcements. Our football and basketball teams do a great job with these pictures. With our new transfers, they're just standing in front of an orange background. 

I've lately felt like that our softball program is having a hard time keeping up with other teams in the SEC. This is a very minor example of that, but we just can't fall behind in any areas when we're trying to recruit players. 

 Is this a testament to the lack of support from the athletic department or is this on the coaching staff? I just wonder if this particular staff is able to keep up with the rest of the league. 

[RedDirtFan 39]

2 hours ago, TD1 said:

I've noticed that when our former players have committed elsewhere, their new schools have this nicely designed sets/props for them to make their announcements. Our football and basketball teams do a great job with these pictures. With our new transfers, they're just standing in front of an orange background. 

I've lately felt like that our softball program is having a hard time keeping up with other teams in the SEC. This is a very minor example of that, but we just can't fall behind in any areas when we're trying to recruit players. 

 Is this a testament to the lack of support from the athletic department or is this on the coaching staff? I just wonder if this particular staff is able to keep up with the rest of the league. 

I appreciate Cohen coming to games, traveled to UAT series…President Roberts is coming to games, but I feel like the program is on a holding pattern while Football and Basketball are remedied (morse football). They are finally remodeling the locker room and abating the mold, but that’s it. I don’t want to take away from Baseball, but I’ve heard they are getting new facilities? Plainsman Park is amazing as is. Softball is not getting the mindshare right now. 
 

Dean & co are struggling to remain relevant in the sport. None of his peers respect him. He doesn’t use small ball, practices are not efficient, the team doesn’t respect him. 
 

The photo shoot might seem minor, but Look at the culture we live in. Living your best life on Instagram is the new metric. I will give he media department credit…they put together tremendous in-season graphics and reels. 

[Big Fat Barner 143]

47 minutes ago, RedDirtFan said:

I appreciate Cohen coming to games, traveled to UAT series…President Roberts is coming to games, but I feel like the program is on a holding pattern while Football and Basketball are remedied (morse football). They are finally remodeling the locker room and abating the mold, but that’s it. I don’t want to take away from Baseball, but I’ve heard they are getting new facilities? Plainsman Park is amazing as is. Softball is not getting the mindshare right now. 
 

Dean & co are struggling to remain relevant in the sport. None of his peers respect him. He doesn’t use small ball, practices are not efficient, the team doesn’t respect him. 
 

The photo shoot might seem minor, but Look at the culture we live in. Living your best life on Instagram is the new metric. I will give he media department credit…they put together tremendous in-season graphics and reels. 

This. Dean should be playing with a fire under him. Surely he doesn’t feel good with his record at auburn thus far. He’s been riding the hot seat for a little while now; one would think he’d be doing whatever it takes to get talked about. But he just seems like an old man who doesn’t know what the younger generation wants these days. (They want the props, the backgrounds, the media to talk about them contending). I just wish we had a coach that had some fire in them. 

[RedDirtFan 39]

33 minutes ago, Big Fat Barner said:

This. Dean should be playing with a fire under him. Surely he doesn’t feel good with his record at auburn thus far. He’s been riding the hot seat for a little while now; one would think he’d be doing whatever it takes to get talked about. But he just seems like an old man who doesn’t know what the younger generation wants these days. (They want the props, the backgrounds, the media to talk about them contending). I just wish we had a coach that had some fire in them. 

Amen

[blakem 296]

I believe the last season under Coach Myers we have a complete master plan done with renderings for softball field upgrades. I wonder what happened to those.