Softball

scrybe said:
Fouts IS elite. When Montana is on her game, she rivals Garcia as the best pitcher in softball (Gabbie Plain could be included in that conversation).

Fouts' problem, as you implied, is potentially being over-used. Murphy has no choice but to pitch her a bunch of innings, since she's the only pitcher on his staff that can dominate top opponents. Murph's walking a tightrope, because he runs the risk of wearing down his ace, especially if he has to give her too many innings in the SR and WCWS.
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I guess we will agree to disagree. Fouts is a great pitcher & she throws the ball a little harder than does Garcia. Buts Fouts record for her career manifest nothing that indicates she is elite.

Fouts career ERA is 1.52 with seasons of 1.39, 2.04 and 1.55. Her career record is 46-12 with 8 saves in 395 innings pitched. Garcia for the same period the last 3 years has a 72-5 record and an ERA of 1.11 with seasons of 1.31, 1.14 and 0.60 in 504 innings pitched. That is 109 more innings over the same period.

https://stats.ncaa.org/player/index...layer_seq=2136585&year_stat_category_id=14861

https://stats.ncaa.org/player/index...layer_seq=1750115&year_stat_category_id=14861
 
I was about to go nuts when after their back to back HR and with Busby coming up Rocha leaves Shannon in.?? I don’t understand why, thank goodness for Jada saving our bacon there. Great win. Great crowd. I wish the NCAA would increase to full capacity for the WCWS but doubt that will happen
 
SoonerSpock said:
I guess we will agree to disagree. Fouts is a great pitcher & she throws the ball a little harder than does Garcia. Buts Fouts record for her career manifest nothing that indicates she is elite.

Fouts career ERA is 1.52 with seasons of 1.39, 2.04 and 1.55. Her career record is 46-12 with 8 saves in 395 innings pitched. Garcia for the same period the last 3 years has a 72-5 record and an ERA of 1.11 with seasons of 1.31, 1.14 and 0.60 in 504 innings pitched. That is 109 more innings over the same period.

https://stats.ncaa.org/player/index...layer_seq=2136585&year_stat_category_id=14861

https://stats.ncaa.org/player/index...layer_seq=1750115&year_stat_category_id=14861
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Is she in a situation similar to the Texas pitcher several years ago? She was a great pitcher but Texas couldn't manufacture more than 2 runs if you spotted them first and second base.
 
MsProudSooner said:
Is she in a situation similar to the Texas pitcher several years ago? She was a great pitcher but Texas couldn't manufacture more than 2 runs if you spotted them first and second base.
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Fouts freshman year 2019 the Tide went 60-10 and had the best SEC record by 4 games. In the shortened 2020 season 14-8 and this season to date they are 45-7, won the SEC West and the SEC tourney championship.

In 2019 the Tide averaged 6.17 r/g and were ranked #13 nationally and in 2020 ranked #27 with 6.02 r/g.


https://stats.ncaa.org/rankings/change_sport_year_div

https://stats.ncaa.org/rankings?sport_code=WSB&division=1
 
Great break getting the #1 seed which when we win the regional we likely get to host Washington for the super-regional who really got screwed by the selection committee. Arizona who was 36-13 & 12-10 was seeded #11, ASU who was 32-14 & 12-9 was seeded #15 and Washington 41-11 & 18-5 was seeded #16.

The bad part of that for the Sooners is it is a bad break to have to host the huskies who were seeded #16 but were ranked #5 by all the polls except Softball America who had them ranked #3 instead of a legitimate 16 seed. Washington's ace Gabbie Plain has a history against the Sooners have thrown 2 relief innings in Washington's 2020 win 2-12. She is 29-2 & 3 saves this year in 200.1 innings with a 1.19 ERA with 38 BBs (1.32/g) and 302 Ks(10.6/g). Allows a HR about 1 HR/25 innings. Plains is a very top drawer pitcher. The Huskies also eliminated the Sooners from the WCWS in 2018.

www.ncaa.com/rankings/softball/d1/ncaa-womens-softball-rpi

www.ncaa.com/rankings/softball/d1/usa-today/nfca-coaches

stats.ncaa.org/player/index?id=15620&org_id=756&stats_player_seq=1973760&year_stat_category_id=14861

www.ncaa.com/rankings/softball/d1/usa-today/nfca-coaches
 
SoonerSpock said:
Great break getting the #1 seed which when we win the regional we likely get to host Washington for the super-regional who really got screwed by the selection committee. Arizona who was 36-13 & 12-10 was seeded #11, ASU who was 32-14 & 12-9 was seeded #15 and Washington 41-11 & 18-5 was seeded #16
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Don't forget #7 LSU wth their 19 losses on the year.
 
gwydion said:
Don't forget #7 LSU wth their 19 losses on the year.
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Easy to explain. In the committee's eyes it is SEC, SEC, SEC with 12 teams in the 16 regionals with South Carolina the only SEC team not making the tourney. Only 17 other representatives from the other 4 Power 5 conferences (ACC 5, Big 12 5, Pac 12 5 and B1G 2).
 
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From what I understand it’s not the NCAA it’s the OKC health department. But I may be wrong. That’s just what I was told. Right now they are allowing 50% capacity. Hopefully that changes.
 
trusooner said:
From what I understand it’s not the NCAA it’s the OKC health department. But I may be wrong. That’s just what I was told. Right now they are allowing 50% capacity. Hopefully that changes.
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This is what I got from the NCAA in regard to my WCWS tickets:
"Based on recommendations from the NCAA COVID-19 Medical Advisory Group, the NCAA will allow up to 50% fan capacity for the 2021 WCWS."
 
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Is Patty's extreme success at the WCWS primarily tied to her connection with Mike Stith's Orange County Batbusters and Tony Rice's Firecracker summer travel softball teams?

OU has 9 players on its roster from the West Coast (California, Arizona and Hawaii). 8 of those West Coasters played travel ball for Mike Stith's Orange County Batbusters (Kinzie Hansen, Nicole May, Grace Green, Tiare Jennings Oliva Puni, Allana Thiede, Jocelyn Alo and Taylon Snow) and 1 played for Tony Rico's Firecrackers (Grace Lyons). Additionally Oliva Rains from Pryor, OK played for the Batbusters and Brook Vestal, New Braunfels, TX played for the Firecrackers. That is 11 OU players with California travel ball connections including 5 starters plus Nicole May and Grace Green.

It might be noted this Batbusters/OU relationship is relatively recent beginning with Syd Romero joining the Sooners in 2016 when we won our 3rd natty followed by #4 in 2017 and a finals appearance in 2019 while seeded #1. See link below.

I perceive with this relationship being so tight that the retirement of Patty Gasso in the next 5-10 years makes promoting JT Gasso or Jennifer Rocha even potentially more key to maintaining that recruiting connection which appears to be primary to Patty's recent success being built around West Coast players. Your thoughts?



www.normantranscript.com/sports/all...cle_c24ccbaa-ae75-11eb-be13-7356eb3a9dcc.html
 
SoonerSpock said:
Is Patty's extreme success at the WCWS primarily tied to her connection with Mike Stith's Orange County Batbusters and Tony Rice's Firecracker summer travel softball teams?

OU has 9 players on its roster from the West Coast (California, Arizona and Hawaii). 8 of those West Coasters played travel ball for Mike Stith's Orange County Batbusters (Kinzie Hansen, Nicole May, Grace Green, Tiare Jennings Oliva Puni, Allana Thiede, Jocelyn Alo and Taylon Snow) and 1 played for Tony Rico's Firecrackers (Grace Lyons). Additionally Oliva Rains from Pryor, OK played for the Batbusters and Brook Vestal, New Braunfels, TX played for the Firecrackers. That is 11 OU players with California travel ball connections including 5 starters plus Nicole May and Grace Green.

It might be noted this Batbusters/OU relationship is relatively recent beginning with Syd Romero joining the Sooners in 2016 when we won our 3rd natty followed by #4 in 2017 and a finals appearance in 2019 while seeded #1. See link below.

I perceive with this relationship being so tight that the retirement of Patty Gasso in the next 5-10 years makes promoting JT Gasso or Jennifer Rocha even potentially more key to maintaining that recruiting connection which appears to be primary to Patty's recent success being built around West Coast players. Your thoughts?



www.normantranscript.com/sports/all...cle_c24ccbaa-ae75-11eb-be13-7356eb3a9dcc.html
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First, I still think Missy Lombardi will come back to Oklahoma to replace Gasso. There are three travel ball teams in California that OU hits. Tony Rico's Firecrackers started Patty's run. The first player was Jessica Shults who recruited Lauren Chamberlain off the Firecrackers. The next team is the Corona Angels, Shay Knighton and Lea Wodach were off of that team. The Firecrackers started with Syd Romero, Fali Aviu, and Mariah Lopez. It really helps when you have players that you have played with recommending a school. It is NOT totally the coaches connection but rather the relationship between the kids on these travel ball teams. That being said Patty has a great relationship with Stith and Rico.

I think Missy has three from the OC Batbusters and three from the Firecrackers on her Oregon roster.
 
Did anyone else catch the comment during the game about JT Gasso's use of technology with the batters? Is that something that's common these days?
 
I heard using virtual reality to simulate particular pitchers. That is amazing.
 
Speedy17 said:
First, I still think Missy Lombardi will come back to Oklahoma to replace Gasso. There are three travel ball teams in California that OU hits. Tony Rico's Firecrackers started Patty's run. The first player was Jessica Shults who recruited Lauren Chamberlain off the Firecrackers. The next team is the Corona Angels, Shay Knighton and Lea Wodach were off of that team. The Firecrackers started with Syd Romero, Fali Aviu, and Mariah Lopez. It really helps when you have players that you have played with recommending a school. It is NOT totally the coaches connection but rather the relationship between the kids on these travel ball teams. That being said Patty has a great relationship with Stith and Rico.

I think Missy has three from the OC Batbusters and three from the Firecrackers on her Oregon roster.
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In my mind that would be ideal. I could see her likely keeping JT Gasso as the hitting coach but it would be interesting what the relationship between Missy and Jennifer Rocha would be.

No doubt you hit the nail on the head regarding Missy also being tight Rico & Stith and it is essential OU sign multiple Califoria kids annually with the absence of sufficient local talent. Although we have made some slight inroads in Texas (Alissia Dalton, Nicole Mendes, Brook Vestal & Jayda Coleman) in the last 5 years.

Long term I would like to see Patty be able to get 2+ of the very top Texas kids annually but with Mike White now at Texas that will be tougher in my opinion unless we continue to trounce his backside.
 
SoonerSpock said:
In my mind that would be ideal. I could see her likely keeping JT Gasso as the hitting coach but it would be interesting what the relationship between Missy and Jennifer Rocha would be.

No doubt you hit the nail on the head regarding Missy also being tight Rico & Stith and it is essential OU sign multiple Califoria kids annually with the absence of sufficient local talent. Although we have made some slight inroads in Texas (Alissia Dalton, Nicole Mendes, Brook Vestal & Jayda Coleman) in the last 5 years.

Long term I would like to see Patty be able to get 2+ of the very top Texas kids annually but with Mike White now at Texas that will be tougher in my opinion unless we continue to trounce his backside.
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Remember Lombardi is a Arizona native so she has lots of contacts back west not just in California. I think she is proving to be a great coach at Oregon so it gives her head coaching experience that J. T. and Rocha do not have.
 
Missy would be first on my list and there is no question coaching in the Pac 12 for 5-10 years is tremendous experience. But I can also tell you having family that went to Oregon and still live in Eugene and Portland that Oregon is an amazingly nice place to live with a climate far more conducive to living and enjoying life for many. Missy might choose after a decade in Eugene that is where she prefers to live.

Also expectations in Eugene will be far less than they are in Norman, OK. Moreover given the opportunity will OU pay a needed premium to get Missy back to Norman as I don't necessarily see Missy making the transition with its risk without getting a $200K+ raise.

Lombardi's contract is through 2023 and with product endorsement fees, bonuses, etc. she likely is making close to $400K and due more in 2024 with a new contract. Perhaps a raise to $500K-$600K. Would OU be willing to offer $750K for a new head coach without at least a WCWS championship om her bio?

Joe Castiglione will be gone as he is 74 so what is the financial position of the new AD? What is the financial position for all athletic programs with all of the TV revenue changes forthcoming in the near future? Will all athletic programs begin taking a step back in what they can/will pay for all expenses? Will coaches salaries continue to escalate or begin to wither? Beats me!

I know I see the contracts for all minor sport coaches stabilizing and maybe even dwindling going forward. If so those sports could find coaches taking a more cautious position of keeping the stable job they have and not venturing into more risky circumstances for a few more bucks.
 
SoonerSpock said:
Long term I would like to see Patty be able to get 2+ of the very top Texas kids annually but with Mike White now at Texas that will be tougher in my opinion unless we continue to trounce his backside.
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LOL. I have little doubt we'll continue to do just that, at least for as long as Patty remains as head coach.

Have you seen the recruits Patty has coming to Norman this year? Patty and the OU program are like a fine wine; they just keep getting better with age.
 
scrybe said:
LOL. I have little doubt we'll continue to do just that, at least for as long as Patty remains as head coach.

Have you seen the recruits Patty has coming to Norman this year? Patty and the OU program are like a fine wine; they just keep getting better with age.
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Yes I have seen the signee list for the 2021 fall class that has the #1, #3, #5T, #5T/7, #11, #14 and #22 players nationally and cannot understand Extra Inning only ranking the Sooner class as #2 nationally Behind Auburn who has 9 signees when with the inclusion of Hannah Coor to the OU class they have 5 players ranked higher than the highest ranked Auburn player. And it is those higher ranked players that develop into difference makers come time for the post season.

https://soonersports.com/news/2020/11/10/softball-inks-seven-for-2021.aspx

https://247sports.com/college/oklah...gs,OU has five players rated higher than that.
 
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