Softball

[Stringmusic]

I will be rooting for FSU to win it because they have never won a natty in softball. I would like for them to have their 15 minutes of fame and then next year I would like to see OU play them and defeat them.

 

[SoonerSpock]

Florida State beats Washington 1-0 in the first game of the Championships Series.

Leadoff solo dinger in the top of the 6th supplied all of the runs that the Noles needed. UW had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 3rd, one out, but left 'em loaded as Deponte and Thomas went down swinging.
Washington also came back down to earth with two errors in the first 3 innings, although the errors did not contribute to FSU scores.

I think that I am going to be rooting for the Noles to knock off the Huskies. I sure wish that the Sherrill girl playing for them had decided to play for OU. She is damned good!

I don't know anything personally but it could have been she did not want to play behind CC for 2 years at 2nd base assuming CC doen't go to SS. Also she fields at only a .964 clip while Clifton's is .984. And we all know the emphasis Patty puts on the D. I also noted that she made the comment she liked the beach and Norman doesn't have any beaches.

Nice to see the Huskies and Sis Bates starting to make a few defensive bobbles (2). Although I hate to enjoy young ladies making a mistake. I like to see the Huskies starting to feel the pressure of the moment.

 

[Speedy17]

You are correct both UCLA and OU finished per their RPI seeds. But both were upset by lower seeds twice. #4 OU to #5 Washington twice and #3 UCLA to #6 FSU twice. So yes while UCLA and OU finished per RPI seeds both teams failed to perform to their expected level in that both were upset twice by lower seeds.

But the RPI was correct with all 8 top seeds making the WCWS. It is a mild upset for the championship with the championship being played by the #5 and #6 seed but consistent with 72.5% of the WCWS finalists being from the top 8 over the last decade.

The difference is called home field advantage. Not a single regional or super regional host lost their respective tournaments. Those are easy picks. The RPI did not hold once they got on a neutral field.

 

[SoonerTraveler]

The difference is called home field advantage. Not a single regional or super regional host lost their respective tournaments. Those are easy picks. The RPI did not hold once they got on a neutral field.

Speaking of home field advantage in the NCAA regionals, the difference between college softball and college baseball is significant. In baseball this past weekend, eight of the 16 regional home teams (#1 seeds) did not advance to the super-regionals. Half the home teams did not advance in college baseball.

In one of the upcoming super-regionals, two #3 seeds (Washington and CSU-Fullerton) will play for the trip to the college world series.

It appears to me that college softball is becoming more competitive, but it is still very top-heavy.

 

[SoonerSpock]

The difference is called home field advantage. Not a single regional or super regional host lost their respective tournaments. Those are easy picks. The RPI did not hold once they got on a neutral field.

Ideally a neutral site for regional and S-R would be preferable. If that is not going to happen in an effort to maximize attendance or at the request of TV which does not want to show games with sparce attendance I think the home field advantage should go to the favorites.

It makes no sense to me to penalize the favorites and force them to go on the road to a lessor team's field that has failed to perform to a comparable level for the season. Give that advantage to the team that played the best for the entire year.

I can also see a long shot conference tournament champion perhaps being awarded the home field for the regionals but not the S-R.

Last year the RPI did not hold for the home team either with half of the top seeds losing at home. They were #15 Baylor beating #2 Arizona, #13 LSU beating #4 FSU, #10 OU beating #7 Auburn and #9 A&M beating #8 Tennessee. The top 8 seeds have comprised about 72% of the WCWS participants for the last 10 years. That would mean the road team is winning about 28% of the S-R on the road. It happens but not very often.

https://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/softball/d1/2017

 

[sybarite]

Ideally a neutral site for regional and S-R would be preferable. If that is not going to happen in an effort to maximize attendance or at the request of TV which does not want to show games with sparce attendance I think the home field advantage should go to the favorites.

It makes no sense to me to penalize the favorites and force them to go on the road to a lessor team's field that has failed to perform to a comparable level for the season. Give that advantage to the team that played the best for the entire year.

What you have just admitted is that profit is more important than equal opportunity---at an educational institution.

 

[SoonerSpock]

What I admitted is financial revenue is a high priority for higher education leadership. 90+% of the college athletic programs operating significantly in the red and their debt is increasing annually. Two of the reveune streams for colleges are TV and game attendance and they try to maximize both.

Sacrifices have to be made. One of those decisions is giving any home field advantage to the best teams. It may not be ideal but then virtually nothing in the real world is ideal. Tough decisions have to be made on who gives and who takes. Those decisions are like elections about half the people agree with them and about half the people don't. There is no simple right or wrong answer.

You disagree with site assignments for the WCWS playoffs. I am indifferent seeing both the pluses and the minuses. I'll leave that decsion to people with far more information upon which to base their decision than I. But I am of the belief that if an advantage is to be given it should be to the team that earned that advantage on the playing field. Otherwise the advantage is given not earned.

P.S. eduational institutions have to pay their bills too. And with states reducing their funding for education those monies are becoming more difficult to find. Every buck counts. Life is not fair. It is what it is.

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances/

 

[sybarite]

But, you are stating that we must accept the unfairness in order to perpetuate the sport that perpetrates the unfairness.

 

[Speedy17]

All that I am saying is that the RPI did NOT work in baseball at all. It was not even close.

 

[sybarite]

All that I am saying is that the RPI did NOT work in baseball at all. It was not even close.

Too many cases of great teams being swept in four.

 

[Speedy17]

What I admitted is financial revenue is a high priority for higher education leadership. 90+% of the college athletic programs operating significantly in the red and their debt is increasing annually. Two of the reveune streams for colleges are TV and game attendance and they try to maximize both.

Sacrifices have to be made. One of those decisions is giving any home field advantage to the best teams. It may not be ideal but then virtually nothing in the real world is ideal. Tough decisions have to be made on who gives and who takes. Those decisions are like elections about half the people agree with them and about half the people don't. There is no simple right or wrong answer.

You disagree with site assignments for the WCWS playoffs. I am indifferent seeing both the pluses and the minuses. I'll leave that decsion to people with far more information upon which to base their decision than I. But I am of the belief that if an advantage is to be given it should be to the team that earned that advantage on the playing field. Otherwise the advantage is given not earned.

P.S. eduational institutions have to pay their bills too. And with states reducing their funding for education those monies are becoming more difficult to find. Every buck counts. Life is not fair. It is what it is.

http://sports.usatoday.com/ncaa/finances/

Problem is that cost is what is driving these regional decisions with a few exceptions. There was a year back there where OU entered the NCAA Softball Tourney as the #1 seed only to be sent to Amherst, MASS for the regional. It seemed this year that we were back to the hold down the cost and make teams stay local.

 

[sybarite]

Florida State? I really thought they would be the first team out of the CWS. Well, the last five champions have something to do with OU.

 

[bob the nailer]

I thought the same thing about FSU, as did a lot of pundits who thought it was a travesty they were seeded 6th. Got hot at the right time. If we weren't going to win, it's the next best thing, no SEC and no Pac 12. Mail the Pac 12 championship trophy to Tallahassee too, btw. Oregon, Ucla twice and Washington twice, thats an impressive run.

 

[TheMont]

I know it's "way too soon" but I can't help but think about who will play what position next year.

I think the only positions that are locked in are Syd at 3B and Shay at 1B.

CC did a good job filling in at SS when Kelsey was out this season -- and Flores was solid both offensively and defensively in the lineup at 2B.

Could Mendes move to the infield? Will she return to the rotation of the pitching staff?

I think Rogers is capable of having a permanent spot in the outfield.

I don't know much about the incoming freshman class, but I know they are good and that we will be relying on them. Who is good enough to make an immediate impact? At what position?

Who will catch??

 

[tycat947]

Florida State? I really thought they would be the first team out of the CWS. Well, the last five champions have something to do with OU.

I did too! I watched them walk off Pitt in ACC final and they were not impressive. Watched them squeak by Auburn in regional and expected same result against LSU again in super-regional. Then they collapsed against UCLA in their first WCWS game. Never expected them to win it all. I’m glad for Lonni as she seems like a great person AND an OU graduate!

 

[Speedy17]

I know it's "way too soon" but I can't help but think about who will play what position next year.

I think the only positions that are locked in are Syd at 3B and Shay at 1B.

CC did a good job filling in at SS when Kelsey was out this season -- and Flores was solid both offensively and defensively in the lineup at 2B.

Could Mendes move to the infield? Will she return to the rotation of the pitching staff?

I think Rogers is capable of having a permanent spot in the outfield.

I don't know much about the incoming freshman class, but I know they are good and that we will be relying on them. Who is good enough to make an immediate impact? At what position?

Who will catch??

I think Alo has won the LF job. Given that assumption, I would expect Alo in LF, Mendes in CF, and Rogers in RF. Romero will play 3rd, Clifton at 2B, and Shay at 1B. Elam will have the lead behind the plate. My surprise will be Lyons at SS.

The big question for next year is on the pitcher's mound. How good will Brooke Vestal be?

 

[bob the nailer]

I think CC might move to SS and Flores play second. Rogers is faster than mendes so she may play CF unless alexa schulz can supplant her.
Lopez will certainly start the year as #1 pitcher and work vestal into the rotation in increasing amounts depending on how good she is. Is Olmos not an option at all? Seems like she never really got a chance.

 

[sybarite]

I think CC might move to SS and Flores play second. Rogers is faster than mendes so she may play CF unless alexa schulz can supplant her.
Lopez will certainly start the year as #1 pitcher and work vestal into the rotation in increasing amounts depending on how good she is. Is Olmos not an option at all? Seems like she never really got a chance.

I look for Parker Conrad to be in the mix.

 

[SoonerSpock]

Very possible maybe even probable. Despite only throwing 30.1 innings Conrad had the team's lowest era with a 0.69. Although Lopez won 14 games she threw only 76.1 innings with a 1.56. There will be a lot to learn about next year's pitching staff with only only 29% of the innings pitched by the staff returning.

As a practice I never factor freshman in as an impact on the next year's team until I have seen at least the fall games. Without seeing travel ball I personally cannot make a valid asssessment of freshmen at the D-1 level prior to the season. But without question Vestal and Lyons' success are going to be key to team success next year.

 

[scrybe]

I think CC might move to SS and Flores play second. Rogers is faster than mendes so she may play CF unless alexa schulz can supplant her.
Lopez will certainly start the year as #1 pitcher and work vestal into the rotation in increasing amounts depending on how good she is. Is Olmos not an option at all? Seems like she never really got a chance.

I could be wrong, but I believe there's no way Rogers is faster than Mendes.