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Post by sballalumni2 on May 13, 2019 8:25:01 GMT -6
I was only able to see two games in person, but watched and followed stats as much as I could. We need some changes in our program if we are ever going to make the NCAA tournament. Usually the Sunbelt is a two bid league, but Troy the #2 didn't have enough to get an at-large bid. The 5/11/19 RPI has Troy at #63, with a record of 37-20. The best win was RPI 62 at Texas State. Troy didn't beat a team out of conference with an RPI less than 110, and that win was against North Alabama. Against the NCAA teams that made the tournament we were (0-11) and were outscored 8 to 77 (this includes AL, MO, Auburn, North Dakota State, SC, LSU, ULx3, FSU). Our #63 RPI is only because we did have a tough out of conference schedule, but we didn't win any of the games. Here are some tips from this keyboard cowgirl:
1. Can we please recruit some JUCO kids that can hit? If Alabama will put a JUCO pitcher from Chipola in to start the SEC championship game, I think good old Troy can get out there and do some recruiting in the Panhandle Conference. You have a hot bed of talent right here in the FL JUCO's. Go get them, find them, there are hitters in there. If you go back through Troy's history books, you will see that a lot of years a JUCO transfer led the team in hitting. The way the P5's recruit now (25 roster players), the mid-majors are getting left the crumbs. The crumbs are the my parents can pay for me to be on a travel team and go to camp, but I really can't hit. The JUCO players are just under the radar, local, don't play big travel ball, but they are still good players. Let the JUCO coaches do all the work finding them out of high school. It is an easy recipe (see baseball).
2. Let's try to develop a pitching staff. We have two Freshman of the Year pitchers back to back, so why on earth do we have one pitcher throwing 217 IP! Yes, I understand that she was hot and the ace, but she RAN OUT OF GAS. The reason we got the #2 seed was the awesome pitching, but it is impossible to sustain and put a freshmen through that and expect her to be on top of her game in the conference tournament.
3. Can someone explain why it seems that the players batting averages go down starting from freshmen year to senior year? Are we teaching one way to hit to everyone? Recruit kids that can hit and then let them be. I have done the statistical work to prove this, but I don't want to call out any players so I am not going to post it. There is a trend of hitting well your first year in the program, and then slowly getting worse. There are exceptions, but if you analyze you will see this trend.
Anyway, I would love to hear some feedback from the fans that watched the games in person, parents, etc. This is my perspective from the outside/analytics, but I just don't think we can keep doing the same thing and expect different results. We did schedule better teams this year, but those 37 wins are very misleading. Let's schedule some tougher bubble teams and win those games so we have some Top 100 RPI wins - Lipscomb, LA Tech, UCF, Marshall, Jacksonville State, Nicholls St, FGCU, McNeese, Chattanooga - all mid majors within driving distance in Top 100 RPI.
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Post by jonesoxygen on May 13, 2019 9:02:03 GMT -6
I'm positive that you just gave this board more info than all of us combined knew.
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Post by sballalumni2 on May 13, 2019 9:32:13 GMT -6
Haha - there has to be someone out there that cares about softball! BTW - I feel certain we got invited to the NIT and turned it down because Appalachian State and UT-Arlington are going and we finished higher than both of them. We really need to play in that tournament to get more playing time for the younger players. It can't be that expensive!
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Post by cardinalblacktrojan on May 13, 2019 10:54:09 GMT -6
Haha - there has to be someone out there that cares about softball! BTW - I feel certain we got invited to the NIT and turned it down because Appalachian State and UT-Arlington are going and we finished higher than both of them. We really need to play in that tournament to get more playing time for the younger players. It can't be that expensive! I'm still very disappointed Troy didn't accept that invite to the NISC. Softball has only been to one postseason during its entire existence. The athletic department wouldn't turn down an invite to the WNIT, so why are we shooting down the same opportunity for softball?
As for a change in the softball program, I think there needs to be a big change. We've gone from being a tough, respected program that was beating big-name teams on a yearly basis, to now just being another decent program that the big schools can get a win against. Going 0-11 against those Top 50 teams is ridiculous. We used to beat Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Auburn.
Mullins needs to bring that big-win mentality back to the culture of the program... and she MUST figure out a better way of coaching these girls to hit. Troy's situational hitting is absolutely atrocious, and it sometimes seems like the players don't have full confidence in themselves when there are 2 outs and runners in scoring position. There were countless times where we had runners in scoring position and could never get them home.
Having Leanna Johnson and Annie Willis for the next few years gives Troy a great chance to be highly successful, but the only way that will happen is if Troy learns to hit better and score more runs. Otherwise having that awesome talent on the pitching staff is going to be a total waste over the next 3-4 years.
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Post by sballalumni2 on May 28, 2019 8:02:23 GMT -6
The NIT champions are from the Sunbelt. UT-Arlington wins it. They played an extra 6 games and won with a walk off hit against Iowa State. I am telling you they will be a better team next year for playing and getting some post season experience. Troy swept them at home this year. They get to end their season with a win.
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Post by cornhole on May 28, 2019 9:40:38 GMT -6
3. Can someone explain why it seems that the players batting averages go down starting from freshmen year to senior year? Are we teaching one way to hit to everyone?
cornhole no softball scholar for certain, but as young player gets rep for good hitter, opponent pitcher have information to pitch to weakness of former good hitter?
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Post by cardinalblacktrojan on May 28, 2019 12:02:39 GMT -6
The NIT champions are from the Sunbelt. UT-Arlington wins it. They played an extra 6 games and won with a walk off hit against Iowa State. I am telling you they will be a better team next year for playing and getting some post season experience. Troy swept them at home this year. They get to end their season with a win. Apparently some genius at Troy thought it wasn't worth it though...
It was either (1) the athletic department, or (2) the softball coach. Whoever made the decision is stupid.
Instead, let's all bask in the glory of one of the teams that Troy SWEPT this season:
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Post by cornhole on May 28, 2019 12:35:31 GMT -6
Could it be # 3 ?? $$$$$?
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Post by saintflorian on May 28, 2019 13:55:53 GMT -6
Could it be # 3 ?? $$$$$? If we are running that tight or have that little money that we can’t send our softball team to the post season, we are in big trouble. It can’t be that expensive. Those girls deserved to go.
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Post by sballalumni2 on May 28, 2019 15:30:07 GMT -6
3. Can someone explain why it seems that the players batting averages go down starting from freshmen year to senior year? Are we teaching one way to hit to everyone? cornhole no softball scholar for certain, but as young player gets rep for good hitter, opponent pitcher have information to pitch to weakness of former good hitter? I would say this could be an explanation if the other teams spent time scouting, but why on earth would they worry about Troy's .200 hitters. I suspect that Troy has a hitting philosophy that they try to teach to everyone or they just can't spot talent. I would love an explanation. I know when I played they tried to change my swing because they wanted the whole team to hit the same way, but that was under a previous staff. Another thing could be they struggle with the mental side of coaching. I have heard that several of the key players went "mental" and couldn't throw strikes, or couldn't hit, etc. It is a common thing in softball/baseball, but the coaches need help or training so that the players can overcome. The old sophomore slump per say.
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Post by cardinalblacktrojan on May 28, 2019 16:07:43 GMT -6
Could it be # 3 ?? $$$$$? I'm tired of hearing this reason. You mean to tell me Appalachian State, UTA had the money to go but not Troy? Small schools like Eastern Kentucky, Stephen F. Austin, and even freakin McNeese State, who has a tight budget because of their state funding issues, apparently had the money to play. Plain and simple... Troy dropped the ball on this one, big time.
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Post by cornhole on May 28, 2019 16:53:10 GMT -6
Could it be # 3 ?? $$$$$? I'm tired of hearing this reason. You mean to tell me Appalachian State, UTA had the money to go but not Troy? Small schools like Eastern Kentucky, Stephen F. Austin, and even freakin McNeese State, who has a tight budget because of their state funding issues, apparently had the money to play. Plain and simple... Troy dropped the ball on this one, big time. Certainly not a popular decision.
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Post by Hemi Man on May 28, 2019 20:31:28 GMT -6
Could it be # 3 ?? $$$$$? I'm tired of hearing this reason. You mean to tell me Appalachian State, UTA had the money to go but not Troy? Small schools like Eastern Kentucky, Stephen F. Austin, and even freakin McNeese State, who has a tight budget because of their state funding issues, apparently had the money to play. Plain and simple... Troy dropped the ball on this one, big time. Just write a check there keyboard hero.
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Post by cardinalblacktrojan on May 29, 2019 5:46:24 GMT -6
I'm tired of hearing this reason. You mean to tell me Appalachian State, UTA had the money to go but not Troy? Small schools like Eastern Kentucky, Stephen F. Austin, and even freakin McNeese State, who has a tight budget because of their state funding issues, apparently had the money to play. Plain and simple... Troy dropped the ball on this one, big time. Just write a check there keyboard hero. Figured you'd come to give a dumb response at some point.
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Post by Hemi Man on May 29, 2019 7:08:37 GMT -6
Just write a check there keyboard hero. Figured you'd come to give a dumb response at some point. Sometimes the truth isn’t pretty. Sometimes snowflakes melt.
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Post by saintflorian on May 29, 2019 7:52:11 GMT -6
I'm tired of hearing this reason. You mean to tell me Appalachian State, UTA had the money to go but not Troy? Small schools like Eastern Kentucky, Stephen F. Austin, and even freakin McNeese State, who has a tight budget because of their state funding issues, apparently had the money to play. Plain and simple... Troy dropped the ball on this one, big time. Just write a check there keyboard hero. This Hemi guy just can’t see the forest through the trees....
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Post by Hemi Man on May 29, 2019 8:27:27 GMT -6
Just write a check there keyboard hero. This Hemi guy just can’t see the forest through the trees.... Opinions of the uninformed are just that.
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Post by cardinalblacktrojan on May 29, 2019 8:53:39 GMT -6
Just write a check there keyboard hero. This Hemi guy just can’t see the forest through the trees.... He never does. He likes to think he does though.
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Post by saintflorian on May 29, 2019 8:58:33 GMT -6
This Hemi guy just can’t see the forest through the trees.... Opinions of the uninformed are just that. Opinions of those wearing blinders and following like lemmings are treated as such....
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Post by Hemi Man on May 29, 2019 9:35:01 GMT -6
This Hemi guy just can’t see the forest through the trees.... He never does. He likes to think he does though. I’m confident in what I know. That’s why you don’t see me crying on a message board like you.
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Post by cardinalblacktrojan on May 29, 2019 9:53:34 GMT -6
He never does. He likes to think he does though. I’m confident in what I know. That’s why you don’t see me crying on a message board like you. I'm confident Troy dropped the ball on making softball stay home.
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Post by Troystet on May 31, 2019 7:17:03 GMT -6
8 teams in the WCWS. Four male HC's (13 Titles between them) and 4 women HC's (3 Titles I believe). Several of the teams with women HC's have male assistants (Washington has a woman HC and three male assistants) Without being sexist maybe we need a male HC or at least one or two on staff especially hitting coaches. I remember Troy had a man on staff a while back as hitting coach. My daughter was 13 at the time when she attended camp and he really knew his stuff and Troy really hit the ball that season. Tim Walton, Mike Candrea, and Patrick Murphy all came from baseball backgrounds and you can't argue with their success.
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Post by cardinalblacktrojan on May 31, 2019 8:10:17 GMT -6
8 teams in the WCWS. Four male HC's (13 Titles between them) and 4 women HC's (3 Titles I believe). Several of the teams with women HC's have male assistants (Washington has a woman HC and three male assistants) Without being sexist maybe we need a male HC or at least one or two on staff especially hitting coaches. I remember Troy had a man on staff a while back as hitting coach. My daughter was 13 at the time when she attended camp and he really knew his stuff and Troy really hit the ball that season. Tim Walton, Mike Candrea, and Patrick Murphy all came from baseball backgrounds and you can't argue with their success. ULL's old coach, Michael Lotief, is available.
He only won 16 Sun Belt titles, 17 NCAA appearances, and 3 WCWS appearances... we took Scott Cross from a former Sun Belt school, why not Lotief?
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Post by Troystet on May 31, 2019 8:39:34 GMT -6
8 teams in the WCWS. Four male HC's (13 Titles between them) and 4 women HC's (3 Titles I believe). Several of the teams with women HC's have male assistants (Washington has a woman HC and three male assistants) Without being sexist maybe we need a male HC or at least one or two on staff especially hitting coaches. I remember Troy had a man on staff a while back as hitting coach. My daughter was 13 at the time when she attended camp and he really knew his stuff and Troy really hit the ball that season. Tim Walton, Mike Candrea, and Patrick Murphy all came from baseball backgrounds and you can't argue with their success. ULL's old coach, Michael Lotief, is available.
He only won 16 Sun Belt titles, 17 NCAA appearances, and 3 WCWS appearances... we took Scott Cross from a former Sun Belt school, why not Lotief?
Great coach but to much baggage plus he was battling throat cancer I believe
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Post by sballalumni2 on May 31, 2019 9:51:11 GMT -6
With the AD Department that is in place right now, there will never be a male coach for softball. Now, if the new AD comes in and cleans house, it could be possible. Heck, with the department in place now, we won't be searching for a softball coach any time soon. They seem to be content with graduating players, keeping them out of trouble, and basically being mid-tier in the Sunbelt. I think they would be fine with a male assistant, but it is pretty difficult to fire the family of another teams head coach. We need some changes and fresh perspectives from an outside program and we need it fast. Bring in a GA or something who can spot talent and develop it.
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