Kelsey grew a lot last year. I got to see in person the games that really showed her growth. The first set of games was down in Lafayette against ULL. At that point Kelsey was not consistent. It was an incredibly tough environment. She struggled although OU won in game 1 13-5 (it was not a run rule). The next game she got hit early and removed to a complete disaster 7-0. Of course, this was a double header and she came back and pitched solidly losing 3-1 in game 2. After that game, she was really tough for the rest of the year. You could see the real difference in the game vs. Lafayette in the World Series - you always felt that she was in control. She had improved so much and hopefully she will continue to improve. By the way, she hit up to 68 on the gun in OKC.
The thing is that Kelsey's stuff is not totally dominant and will have blips on the screen. She has to hit location. She also does not have the endurance to pitch every game like Keilani could. Last year, you were always freaked out in a doubleheader.
One of the reasons that Keilani was so strong her senior year was Michelle. Michelle was awesome in her own right and ate a lot of innings. Go look at the innings pitched and you will see that Keilani pitched about a third less innings in her senior year. That didn't happen from her freshman year through her junior year. I think the season really wore on her in each season. This is why it is so important to have two pitchers especially early in non-conference tournament season that is filled with doubleheaders. It also helps in the three game series during conference because it keeps a team from locking in on a certain pitcher. Keilani's senior year was great because she would throw on Friday with her hard stuff then Michelle would give a totally different look on Saturday the nobody was ready to go back to Keilani's stuff on Sunday. This is why major league teams try to mix the type of pitchers they have from day to day.
The reason that I am so high on Paige is that she is lefty (a Gasso specialty), can hit the 70's like Keilani, and already has pitched against the top teams in the World (Japan, Canada, USA, etc.). The moment is not going to bother her. With velocity, location is still important but you can get away with mistakes at 72 than won't happen at 65-66. Softball is one sport where Freshmen pitchers have always had a great impact - Osterman, Traina, etc. Oops, OU's own Jennifer Stewart - remember, Lana Moran made AA that year but hardly pitched in the post season. I think Patti will go with the hot hand in the tourney, hopefully, both pitchers will be hot. One thing for certain, OU is not going to be totally stressed in game 2 of a doubleheader. Just think if OU had lost that Sooner magic game against A&M where OU scored twice on the 1B error to win. OU would have had to play again on Saturday and beat A&M twice on Sunday. That would have been a tough chore. Fortunately, it was just one game on Sunday and homer barrage to advance.
