2022 Softball Season

Jacob Johnson said:
This will be the best team Mike White has had since he came to Texas. Pitching, hitting, defense, and not just the amount of depth we have but the quality of depth. Our backups can start and produce runs and our freshman are absolute studs! I was excited years prior but, this is the team I’m most excited about since Mike white took over. We can make serious noise and possibly win it all.
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I'm really excited about our depth too especially pitching. Watch out for Mia Scott she is the fastest player we have had since Brejae. Could put up number similar to Jefferson but coming in with more pop to start.
 
Back in mid December I looked at getting tickets for the St Pete/Clearwater classic on Feb 16-20. I thought what a great trip to see Texas play some Great teams. The tournament was SOLD OUT! Boy was I disappointed! Great example of how Softball’s popularity has grown and gotten so main stream! Fortunately all the games show they will be broadcast on ESPN and affiliates!
 
To be honest, I'm wary of this upcoming season. My feelings about the team the last few years:
2018-2019: OMG, we hired away Mike White. And he brought 4 players with him. and they're all GOOD! OMG, what a season.

2019-2020: Wow, the pitching is great. Wow the hitting has really ramped up. Wait, what? COVID?

2020-2021: So we have one great pitcher and one good pitcher and that's pretty much it. But OMG, the HRs. Why did Miranda bail on us? We could be so much better if she were back with the team

2021-2022: Got a really great pitcher. But, why did Miranda transfer to OSU? Does she know something about this team that we don't know? Why are we picking up these average and good players from the transfer portal? What does that mean about our pitching and fielding?

So I'm....uneasy about the upcoming season.
 
racerx5908 said:
To be honest, I'm wary of this upcoming season. My feelings about the team the last few years:
2018-2019: OMG, we hired away Mike White. And he brought 4 players with him. and they're all GOOD! OMG, what a season.

2019-2020: Wow, the pitching is great. Wow the hitting has really ramped up. Wait, what? COVID?

2020-2021: So we have one great pitcher and one good pitcher and that's pretty much it. But OMG, the HRs. Why did Miranda bail on us? We could be so much better if she were back with the team

2021-2022: Got a really great pitcher. But, why did Miranda transfer to OSU? Does she know something about this team that we don't know? Why are we picking up these average and good players from the transfer portal? What does that mean about our pitching and fielding?

So I'm....uneasy about the upcoming season.
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I wouldn't assume Miranda knows anything about this team. I doubt the story behind her departure will never be fully revealed. She may have burned bridges when she
left and was not welcome back so had no choice but to go elsewhere. Who knows? Who cares? My main concern about this team is replacing a ton of RBI's from Washington, Rhodes, Sullivan, and Elsworth. That's going to be hard to do. But the
signing of Dolcini may reduce the need for so many HR's and RBI's. She totally shut
us down a couple of years ago out on the coast. This pitching staff has been improved significantly with the addition Dolcini, Simpson, and the two earlier signees.
Time to forget Miranda Elish.
 
Who's got the time to predict their starting lineups?

2B -- Jane Jefferson is a shoe-in

Catcher -- Mary Iakopo is a shoe-in (unless she's needed to play 3B as we have depth at Catcher, although losing Sullivan and Ellsworth hurt that quality depth)

OF -- Lauren Burke somewhere, right?

1B -- JJ Smith?

OF -- Lou Gilbert (transfer from Baylor and returning All-Big 12 Team) not coming to ride the pine

DP -- Jordyn Whitaker or Courtney Day; not expecting any of our Pitchers to bat
 
It may be heresy, but I'd prefer someone other than Mary I. behind the plate. Cimuez or Smith please. In order of speed of ball going to 2nd trying to pick off a runner:

1. Cimuez
2. Smith
3. Iapoko

Cimuez is very accurate when I saw her in Fall ball pick off a few runners.
 
I’m going to go with a lineup of….
1B - Cantu
2B - Jefferson
3B - Scott
SS - Parker
LF - Burke
CF - Popelka
RF - Gilbert
C - Iakopo
DP - Whitaker and Day

I couldn’t choose one DP because, both have extreme power who can change a game with one swing as we saw last season. They both will get significant playing time. I also believe the catcher position will rotate between Cimusz and Iakopo because both have a cannon of an arm and pretty accurate. This team has a lot of speed so we should be very aggressive on the bases. This team will score a lot of runs and I’m excited!!
 
racerx5908 said:
It may be heresy, but I'd prefer someone other than Mary I. behind the plate. Cimuez or Smith please. In order of speed of ball going to 2nd trying to pick off a runner:

1. Cimuez
2. Smith
3. Iapoko

Cimuez is very accurate when I saw her in Fall ball pick off a few runners.
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Where would you play Mary Racer?
 
Do we assume Lou Gilbert to be considered our best outfielder (based on how she played at Baylor)? Or is Burke considered better? Coach White tends to favor those players who are productive at the plate.

This is the low-down on Gilbert:

Entering 2022, Gilbert was to be Baylor’s top returning hitter. She led the team last season with a .336 batting average and 50 hits. She led all Big 12 hitters with fourteen doubles last season, and added two triples and five home runs.

A three-year starter during her tenure at Baylor, Gilbert played center field as a true freshman, third base during the 2020 season, and moved to left field for her true junior season in 2021.

Following the 2021 season, Gilbert earned All-Big 12 Second-Team honors and also earned a mention on the All-Region Third-Team.
 
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racerx5908 said:
Ummm, their stadium is 2 years old.
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Its interesting you posted this. I've been disappointed in the interest and publicity in the program since the splash hire of White. I'm not sure whats happening at Clemson but getting the fan base excited starts with the coach. I don't think White has done anything significant to engage the fans and grow the base. We sell out some big games but most are poorly attended. Winning goes a long way, but he needs a PR specialist to drive this program in the publics eyes to generate more interest. Just my thoughts because there is a HUGE untapped base with the amount of high level softball played in Texas.
 
Moooooo said:
Do we assume Lou Gilbert to be considered our best outfielder (based on how she played at Baylor)? Or is Burke considered better? Coach White tends to favor those players who are productive at the plate.

This is the low-down on Gilbert:

Entering 2022, Gilbert was to be Baylor’s top returning hitter. She led the team last season with a .336 batting average and 50 hits. She led all Big 12 hitters with fourteen doubles last season, and added two triples and five home runs.

A three-year starter during her tenure at Baylor, Gilbert played center field as a true freshman, third base during the 2020 season, and moved to left field for her true junior season in 2021.

Following the 2021 season, Gilbert earned All-Big 12 Second-Team honors and also earned a mention on the All-Region Third-Team.
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Burke is a clutch hitter who finds a way to get a base hit or more. Whitaker is a feast or famine hitter who is too slow in the outfield. I think for sure Burke and Gilbert in the outfield. And then that leaves one position. On one hand, you would think Popelka because of her speed. However, one serious leg injury plus the fact that she's best at slapping (which this team seems not to be a fan of), makes her poor candidate to stay in the outfield. I don't know who would be the third.

(also I'm saying Gilbert based solely on her reputation at Baylor)
 
Unless someone is clearly better than Iakopo at Catcher, I expect her to play there. Coach White isn't gonna keep a fifth-year senior and team leader off the field or play a limited role; don't think she'd have stuck around another season if she wasn't gonna play catcher; probably the same reason why Taylor Ellsworth transferred out.
 
No one has mentioned Camille Corona yet. Her defense at 3B the last part of 2021 really proved its worth. I know she's not a consistent hitter, and Coach White knows the name of the game is to score runs; but, I think he learned last season that not making errors which leads to the other team scoring runs is just as important.

If one of the freshmen is better both offensively and defensively than Corona, then by all means start them. It's also good to know that Lou Gilbert played 3B at Baylor a couple of seasons ago; so, that could be a surprise option.
 
Moooooo said:
No one has mentioned Camille Corona yet. Her defense at 3B the last part of 2021 really proved its worth. I know she's not a consistent hitter, and Coach White knows the name of the game is to score runs; but, I think he learned last season that not making errors which leads to the other team scoring runs is just as important.

If one of the freshmen is better both offensively and defensively than Corona, then by all means start them. It's also good to know that Lou Gilbert played 3B at Baylor a couple of seasons ago; so, that could be a surprise option.
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I'm a fan of Corona and I speak to her dad every once in a while and he's a good dad. But.....Mia Scott has the stronger and faster arm than Camille and she's better at handling the ball coming fast and hard at 3rd than any other player so far. The only downside to Scott is her throws tend to be a bit short and first base has to stretch and try to keep their foot on the bag to snag the low ball from Scott. Gonna need a tall 1st base, regardless.
 
Moooooo said:
Unless someone is clearly better than Iakopo at Catcher, I expect her to play there. Coach White isn't gonna keep a fifth-year senior and team leader off the field or play a limited role; don't think she'd have stuck around another season if she wasn't gonna play catcher; probably the same reason why Taylor Ellsworth transferred out.
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My opinion in watching 3 years of Mary so far is that she's a bit slow to the throw and sometimes inaccurate on those throws. She's a clutch hitter who goes through peaks and valleys on hitting.

I thought JJ was slightly faster, but still throwing the ball where short and second don't have the best angle. Plus one weakness of JJ is the passed balls she's had in her first year.

It was a revelation to see Cimusz get the ball out quickly and throw it where the shortstop had the best chance of catching and tagging the stealing player.
 
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My two-cents:
1B - Someone tall, possibly Quiroga
2B - Jefferson
3B - Scott
SS - Anyone but Parker, possibly Corona. But Corona is a hitting liability. Maybe Washington but she's hot and cold hitting as well.
LF - Burke
CF - Popelka
RF - Gilbert
C - Cimusz
DP - Ioakopo - captain clutch when we need runs
 
racerx5908 said:
My two-cents:
1B - Someone tall, possibly Quiroga
2B - Jefferson
3B - Scott
SS - Anyone but Parker, possibly Corona. But Corona is a hitting liability. Maybe Washington but she's hot and cold hitting as well.
LF - Burke
CF - Popelka
RF - Gilbert
C - Cimusz
DP - Ioakopo - captain clutch when we need runs
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You would leave Parker out the lineup??? She will be one of our most consistent and heavy bats this 2022 season. I mean she did hit 18-25 in the fall and looked pretty good at SS. Granted it’s just fall ball and I get she has her defensive struggles but, she definitely has improved in those aspects.

You could also put Parker at 1st base as she is taller than most and she was practicing that position a lot in the fall. Possibly put Cantu or Washington at ss, whoever is hitting well that week.
 
racerx5908 said:
My opinion in watching 3 years of Mary so far is that she's a bit slow to the throw and sometimes inaccurate on those throws. She's a clutch hitter who goes through peaks and valleys on hitting.

I thought JJ was slightly faster, but still throwing the ball where short and second don't have the best angle. Plus one weakness of JJ is the passed balls she's had in her first year.

It was a revelation to see Cimusz get the ball out quickly and throw it where the shortstop had the best chance of catching and tagging the stealing player.
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Definitely not saying your evaluations of these catchers is incorrect.

I just don't see Coach White pulling Iakopo as the starting Catcher for the reasons I stated previously.
 
Since most of us believe 2 starters in the outfield will be Gilbert and Burke, that leaves one starting spot. I'm not convinced it will be Popelka; perhaps Bella Dayton (if she's eligible) although her hitting percentage at Arizona was not impressive; but, Coach White brought her in for a reason.

The corner outfielder played in 64 games in two years in Tucson, starting 37 times. For her career, she had a .221 AVG/.317 OBP/.333 SLG/.650 OPS slash. In a time when Arizona had de-emphasized the stolen base, she was successful 13 times in 14 steal attempts.
 
Jacob Johnson said:
You would leave Parker out the lineup??? She will be one of our most consistent and heavy bats this 2022 season. I mean she did hit 18-25 in the fall and looked pretty good at SS. Granted it’s just fall ball and I get she has her defensive struggles but, she definitely has improved in those aspects.

You could also put Parker at 1st base as she is taller than most and she was practicing that position a lot in the fall. Possibly put Cantu or Washington at ss, whoever is hitting well that week.
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Yeah, purely historical unhappiness with her handling of the ball. Looking at the stats with her fielding percentage vs her hitting percentage and games played:

18-19: 0.886 - 0.250 (41)
19-20: 0.875 - 0.400 (7)
20-21: 0.930 - 0.367 (50)

Then, I pick a team that has consistently great fielding, like....OU and see what Grace Lyons brings:

18-19: 0.953 - 0.263 (63)
19-20: 0.950 - 0.370 (24)
20-21: 0.963 - 0.392 (60)

So yeah, I'd like to have a player at SS who can field better than 0.950.

Interesting thing is she's listed as a Junior and so that's her plan to play 5 years with the COVID bonus.
 
Someone help me out here? I'm still fairly new to softball/baseball scoring statistics. For the following defensive stats listed by the NCAA
AIrUFT9.png

Anyone tell me what the more obscure letters mean?
Obviously:
GP = games played
GS = games started
PO = Put Outs
A = Attempts?
E = Errors?
FldPct = Fielding Percentage
CI = ? Catcher Interference? Kinda obscure
SBA = Stolen Base Attempt?
CSB = Caught Stealing Base?
TC = ???
IDP = ???
TP = ???
I found this PDF from the NCAA which is helpful for the more obscure stats:
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/Stats_Manuals/Baseball/baseball_softball_scorebook.pdf
 
racerx5908 said:
Someone help me out here? I'm still fairly new to softball/baseball scoring statistics. For the following defensive stats listed by the NCAA
AIrUFT9.png

Anyone tell me what the more obscure letters mean?
Obviously:
GP = games played
GS = games started
PO = Put Outs
A = Attempts? Correct
E = Errors? Correct
FldPct = Fielding Percentage Correct
CI = ? Catcher Interference? Kinda obscure Correct
SBA = Stolen Base Attempt? Correct Catcher softballand Pitcher as well in baseball
CSB = Caught Stealing Base? Correct Catcher softball and pitcher as well in bsaseball
TC = ??? Total Chances
IDP = ??? Not sure Individual Defense Position??
TP = ??? Triple play?
I found this PDF from the NCAA which is helpful for the more obscure stats:
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/Stats_Manuals/Baseball/baseball_softball_scorebook.pdf
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