Game Thread Lady Vols Softball Team SEC Tournament

#227
#227
I hope Geer doesn't have a bad regional next week...she'll probably get run out of Knoxville.
 
#228
#228
LVJeff said:
I hope Geer doesn't have a bad regional next week...she'll probably get run out of Knoxville.
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It was a bad at bat but people need to step away from the ledge. The thing that concerned me about the whole team once Hoover came in was she obviously was going to keep the ball at the knees. Pitch after pitch was right at the knees yet we continued to seem surprised when we'd get a pitch at the knees. Go up there prepared to hit the way you will be pitched and not the way you hope to be pitched.
 
#229
#229
I think Geer will be ready next week in the regional and do well. Nobody has said she should leave Kville. She would most likely tell all of us that she took that particular at bat off for whatever reason. We need her to be in the game both mentally and physically. By the way I was not near the ledge but I can have my own opinion.
 
#230
#230
Who's the team's most important player? Not best player, most important.

A case could be mades for several players: Gregg, Geer, Gaffin, Overstreet, Gabriel...etc.

Right now I'd say it's Moss. If she can deliver in the circle, this team's chances improve greatly. She has shown that she has speed, location, and pitch variation. If she can stay mentally focused she'll be tough to beat.

After Moss I'd say surprisingly Geathers. The bottom half of the lineup has got to produce more hits and runs, and Geathers is better qualified to do that than the rest. She was on fire at the beginning of the season batting nearly .400 but then slumped badly. With Gaffin out the team badly needs a bat at the bottom of the lineup.

Here's hoping these two important players step up and deliver in the coming games.
 
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#231
#231
2Alum4EverVol said:
I'm not sure if it was a lack of scouting on the part of coaching staff or execution by Matty Moss, or maybe both, but the two home runs LSU hit might have been avoided. It should be widely known by this time in her career that Bianca Bell loves to hammer a chest-high inside ball, oftentimes for a home run, and punishes the opposition. I've seen her do it at least 5-6 times including yesterday. Sandra Simmons hit the same type of pitch off Kelsey Nunley for a home run yesterday, a (slightly) low ball right down the middle of the plate. Matty Moss had a great control pretty much all day yesterday, and it's hard for me to believe that she just mislocated those two balls. I believe Karen Weekly called those pitches to be pitched where they were pitched, then question becomes why??
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I think you have the 2 locations of the HR balls by Bianca Bell & Sandra Simmons backwards. The one Bell hit off Moss was low & down the middle. The one Simmons hit off Florida was up & down the middle.

The Moss pitch was definitely the best pitch of the two. Moss pitched a low ball but she just threw it right down the pike. The Simmons HR was right down the pike too but up in the zone. No way you'd think Bell would have hit a HR off that pitch location from Moss.

The only minor bad thing about the pitch was the count was 0-2 with 2 outs & she threw it across the center of the plate even though it was low. She should have tried to go out of the strike zone a couple of pitches to Bell to see if she would chase.

Bell is a good hitter. Having her down 0-2 in the count means nothing to her. She didn't get what you would call a fat pitch to hit but the ball crossed in the center of the plate.

Some hitters like the ball low & some like it high. Bell must be a better low ball hitter & that's why she took a swing at that pitch. Would it have been called a strike if she decided to not swing? Probably so, because it was down the center of the plate even though it was probably a little low. It could have been called a ball because of being too low but more than likely not the way these umpires have called games.
 
#232
#232
This is probably strange to you guys who read my post here because I thing the most important player is most likely Geer. If she is completely ready to play she can be the one to step up. I know Gregg and Overstreet are fairly consistant so we most likely know what we are getting from them. Moss certainly important but she is not in the lineup everyday. I think Geathers can step up for the bottom of the order and needs too. Leach would be a welcome site to start getting on base because Vines has had more hits lately than anyone else. We can win a regional if they all want it but we also cannot stand and take strikes. Gaffin would be icing on the cake but I would be surprised if she can play effectively. Erin also needs to senior up . Leave Lockman catching and Overstreet at 3rd and roll the dice. I am guessing we will be a 10 or 11 seed!
 
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#233
#233
sccshortstop said:
This is probably strange to you guys who read my post here because I thing the most important player is most likely Geer. If she is completely ready to play she can be the one to step up. I know Gregg and Overstreet are fairly consistant so we most likely know what we are getting from them. Moss certainly important but she is not in the lineup everyday. I think Geathers can step up for the bottom of the order and needs too. Leach would be a welcome site to start getting on base because Vines has had more hits lately than anyone else. We can win a regional if they all want it but we also cannot stand and take strikes. Gaffin would be icing on the cake but I would be surprised if she can play effectively. Erin also needs to senior up . Leave Lockman catching and Overstreet at 3rd and roll the dice. I am guessing we will be a 10 or 11 seed!
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I pretty much agree with your entire post. I'd say the Weekly's will probably keep the lineups/positions the same but I would like to see C.J. McClain start in CF instead of Geer. Of course, if that's done then Overstreet would revert back to cather & Geer at 3B. Geer is versatile in the field but CF is not her normal position.

I would rather have McClain roaming CF for defense even though she's not a great hitter. Lockman does need to get on the field somehow. Not just use her as a pinch hitter like she had all season. I don't have no clue where she could play though other than catcher. Aucion at 1B is pretty much a lock & I'm sure Lockman could play there if needed.

I think we revert Overstreet back to catcher though & Geer back to 3B. That leaves Lockman back to the bench. C.J. McClain would start at CF. That lineup/positioning I think is our best chance at winning now with Gaffin gone. We could use Lockman as our bigtime pinch hitter off the bench when needed.

However, there's no doubt the success in how far we go is on the shoulders of Gabriel & Moss. They both pitch well we can probably advance to the super regionals & maybe then to the CWS too. If they pitch well then we wouldn't need so much clutch/timely hitting. We know that we have some solid hitters.

We didn't score double digit runs against Auburn in 2 straight games for nothing. I just think losing Gaffin deflated our girls a bit. They have to get over that & get ready for the regionals in which they should win. It's all going to come down to matchups as well. I wonder who we draw for the regionals? Got to be a team we should be heavy favorites to beat.

I say we will probably be around a #11 national seed now. Could drop as low as #13-#14 though. Remember, the committee now has to factor injuries into seeding teams. Losing Gaffin who is our leader they will be looking extremely hard at when it comes down where to seed us.

We were ranked #9 heading into the SECT. RPI was #10 I believe. We lose in the semis & also lose one of our best players in Gaffin. No way we're higher than #11 in my opinion. Like I said, we could fall to as low as #14 because of the reasons stated above. I do not see us falling out of the top 16 national seeds but you can never tell because how these rankings/seedings are handled. GO LADY VOLS!
 
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#234
#234
tonybologna said:
I pretty much agree with your entire post. I'd say the Weekly's will probably keep the lineups/positions the same but I would like to see McSwain start in CF instead of Geer. Of course, if that's done then Overstreet would revert back to cather & Geer at 3B. Geer is versatile in the field but CF is not her normal position.

I would rather have McSwain roaming CF for defense even though she's not a great hitter. Lockman does need to get on the field somehow. Not just use her as a pinch hitter like she had all season. I don't have no clue where she could play though other than catcher. Aucion at 1B is pretty much a lock & I'm sure Lockman could play there if needed.

I think we revert Overstreet back to catcher though & Geer back to 3B. That leaves Lockman back to the bench. McSwain would start at CF. That lineup/positioning I think is our best chance at winning now with Gaffin gone. We could use Lockman as our bigtime pinch hitter off the bench when needed.

However, there's no doubt the success in how far we go is on the shoulders of Gabriel & Moss. They both pitch well we can probably advance to the super regionals & maybe then to the CWS too. If they pitch well then we wouldn't need so much clutch/timely hitting. We know that we have some solid hitters.

We didn't score double digit runs against Auburn in 2 straight games for nothing. I just think losing Gaffin deflated our girls a bit. They have to get over that & get ready for the regionals in which they should win. It's all going to come down to matchups as well. I wonder who we draw for the regionals? Got to be a team we should be heavy favorites to beat.

I say we will probably be around a #11 national seed now. Could drop as low as #13-#14 though. Remember, the committee now has to factor injuries into seeding teams. Losing Gaffin who is our leader they will be looking extremely hard at when it comes down where to seed us.

We were ranked #9 heading into the SECT. RPI was #10 I believe. We lose in the semis & also lose one of our best players in Gaffin. No way we're higher than #11 in my opinion. Like I said, we could fall to as low as #14 because of the reasons stated above. I do not see us falling out of the top 16 national seeds but you can never tell because how these rankings/seedings are handled. GO LADY VOLS!
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We will be anywhere between a 9-12 as far as seeding goes
 
#235
#235
tonybologna said:
I pretty much agree with your entire post. I'd say the Weekly's will probably keep the lineups/positions the same but I would like to see McSwain start in CF instead of Geer. Of course, if that's done then Overstreet would revert back to cather & Geer at 3B. Geer is versatile in the field but CF is not her normal position.

I would rather have McSwain roaming CF for defense even though she's not a great hitter. Lockman does need to get on the field somehow. Not just use her as a pinch hitter like she had all season. I don't have no clue where she could play though other than catcher. Aucion at 1B is pretty much a lock & I'm sure Lockman could play there if needed.

I think we revert Overstreet back to catcher though & Geer back to 3B. That leaves Lockman back to the bench. McSwain would start at CF. That lineup/positioning I think is our best chance at winning now with Gaffin gone. We could use Lockman as our bigtime pinch hitter off the bench when needed.
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McSwain is a very poor outfielder. She was shaky at best when she played left field last year, she has shown nothing that would lead me to believe she would be any kind of option in center.
 
#236
#236
McSwain will not see anytime on defense unless something strange happens. She has lost complete confidence since last year for some reason. Lockman will catch and Overstreet will be on third I hope. I guess Erin will start but have a short hook. Matty is the key with Gaffin probably out.
 
#237
#237
Vols4life said:
We will be anywhere between a 9-12 as far as seeding goes
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I don't think we make it as high as a #9 seed. I said probably around #11-#12 seed myself. I do think we could end up lower than a #12 seed though for the reasons I stated in my previous post.

DeerPark12 said:
McSwain is a very poor outfielder. She was shaky at best when she played left field last year, she has shown nothing that would lead me to believe she would be any kind of option in center.
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I'm sorry. I meant to say C.J. McClain in my previous post & not McSwain. McClain has started in CF a few times before. She's not that bad. She's not great by any stretch of the imagination but she would be sufficient if you ask me. I had McSwain on my mind but was thinking McClain the whole time. Sorry about that. I mis-stated names. I'll go back & edit my post to correct it. Thanks!
 
#238
#238
My McClain is a good outfielder. Her bat is so weak and they changed her to a lefty to slap because of her speed . It really has not worked out and she actually turned around to her natural position righty and hit other day. I believe she bunted.
 
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#239
#239
tonybologna said:
...I'm sorry. I meant to say C.J. McClain in my previous post & not McSwain. McClain has started in CF a few times before. She's not that bad. She's not great by any stretch of the imagination but she would be sufficient if you ask me. I had McSwain on my mind but was thinking McClain the whole time. Sorry about that. I mis-stated names. I'll go back & edit my post to correct it. Thanks!
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McClain is a fine fielder. The issue is replacing Gaffin's bat. If you start McClain, you have to have either her or the pitcher bat for themselves - you can only have one DP. McClain can't hit. The lineup changes were an effort to get two bats in the lineup without having to have McClain bat for herself or putting McSwain in the field. The only curious thing to me was starting Morrison instead of McSwain as the DP.
 
#240
#240
Karen Weekly has talked about how both Megan Geer and Meghan Gregg as the team leaders embrace the big moments and want the bat in their hands when the game is on the line. Megan Geer found herself in that very situation in the bottom of the 7th inning with Gregg on 2B with no outs with a chance to do something positive for the team. What more could Geer ask for? The score was tied at 1-1, and the winner would advance to the SECT championship game which meant that TN would get a great opportunity to improve its national seeding.

I could have stood there in the batter's box and taken three straight strikes looking down. But not Megan Geer. The least I expected from her in that moment was to take a hack at the ball a couple times and give an impression that she was sincerely trying to help the team out results notwithstanding. I'm not sure whether the pressure of the moment got the best of her, but that particular at-bat was really a mystery to me. I'm certain that Karen Weekly will address that issue with Geer and have her head straightened out before the NCAA begins. Seems like Geer has a good head on her shoulders, is analytical and critical thinking. That one poor at-bat in no way takes away what Geer has done for the team this whole season. Along with Gregg, she's been the team's most reliable and best offensive player, and along with armchair (and others) I still do believe that she should have been named to the All-SEC (second) team. She's had an All-SEC worthy year in spite of her fielding not being as strong.

(The first moment I saw Geer on the field at the Sherri Parker Lee Stadium right next to Maddi Shipman chatting and enjoying herself when she was a freshman, I had taken an instant liking to Geer, and she's been one of my favorite players to watch and support for the last three years. I hope nothing but the very best for her and am very glad that she's playing for UT)
 
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#241
#241
tonybologna said:
I think you have the 2 locations of the HR balls by Bianca Bell & Sandra Simmons backwards. The one Bell hit off Moss was low & down the middle. The one Simmons hit off Florida was up & down the middle.

The Moss pitch was definitely the best pitch of the two. Moss pitched a low ball but she just threw it right down the pike. The Simmons HR was right down the pike too but up in the zone. No way you'd think Bell would have hit a HR off that pitch location from Moss.

The only minor bad thing about the pitch was the count was 0-2 with 2 outs & she threw it across the center of the plate even though it was low. She should have tried to go out of the strike zone a couple of pitches to Bell to see if she would chase.

Bell is a good hitter. Having her down 0-2 in the count means nothing to her. She didn't get what you would call a fat pitch to hit but the ball crossed in the center of the plate.

Some hitters like the ball low & some like it high. Bell must be a better low ball hitter & that's why she took a swing at that pitch. Would it have been called a strike if she decided to not swing? Probably so, because it was down the center of the plate even though it was probably a little low. It could have been called a ball because of being too low but more than likely not the way these umpires have called games.
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No, I don't. If you go back and watch the replays, you will know what I'm talking about.
 
#242
#242
LVJeff said:
McClain is a fine fielder. The issue is replacing Gaffin's bat. If you start McClain, you have to have either her or the pitcher bat for themselves - you can only have one DP. McClain can't hit. The lineup changes were an effort to get two bats in the lineup without having to have McClain bat for herself or putting McSwain in the field. The only curious thing to me was starting Morrison instead of McSwain as the DP.
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With both Gabriel & Moss the keys to us advancing then I don't see a thing wrong with starting McClain in CF from here on out. We should be depending on defense behind Gabriel & Moss since they should hold teams down to a low number of runs scored for the most part.

We wouldn't need our hitting to go off like they have at times this season if both Gabriel & Moss pitch up to their abilities. That's how I view it.

We know at times our defense has been terrible. Having McClain out there in CF shouldn't be a problem in terms of defense. I know she can't hit a lick & I blame that partially on the coaching staff changing how she approaches her AB's now.

Because of her speed they want her to be a slap hitter. I don't think she should be used that way. She's a good enough hitter in doing it the way she was last season & not being a slap hitter.

At some point though our bats are probably going to have to win a game. Just like in the SECT matchup against LSU. They didn't step up. But, I think it all comes down to the arms of Gabriel & Moss. They pitch very well & we advance possibly all the way to the CWS.

They don't & we're forced to score runs then we're finished. Maybe even in the regionals even though I think we make it to the super regionals based on having Erin & Matty on the mound above anything else.
 
#243
#243
2Alum4EverVol said:
No, I don't. If you go back and watch the replays, you will know what I'm talking about.
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I've not watched any replays but I know what I saw when Moss had her pitch hit for a HR by Bell. I will find a replay to assure myself though. I feel I'm 90% sure where that pitch was located but I don't want to start a firestorm between us just over this either. Thanks!
 
#244
#244
tonybologna said:
With both Gabriel & Moss the keys to us advancing then I don't see a thing wrong with starting McClain in CF from here on out. We should be depending on defense behind Gabriel & Moss since they should hold teams down to a low number of runs scored for the most part.

We wouldn't need our hitting to go off like they have at times this season if both Gabriel & Moss pitch up to their abilities. That's how I view it.

We know at times our defense has been terrible. Having McClain out there in CF shouldn't be a problem in terms of defense. I know she can't hit a lick & I blame that partially on the coaching staff changing how she approaches her AB's now.

Because of her speed they want her to be a slap hitter. I don't think she should be used that way. She's a good enough hitter in doing it the way she was last season & not being a slap hitter.

At some point though our bats are probably going to have to win a game. Just like in the SECT matchup against LSU. They didn't step up. But, I think it all comes down to the arms of Gabriel & Moss. They pitch very well & we advance possibly all the way to the CWS.

They don't & we're forced to score runs then we're finished. Maybe even in the regionals even though I think we make it to the super regionals based on having Erin & Matty on the mound above anything else.
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I don't disagree with you, but is Lockman starting a better option than McClain? The coaches thought so and it's for sure Lockman can hit if she ever breaks out of her slump.
 
#245
#245
LVJeff said:
Why is everybody dumping on Geer all of a sudden? Her and Gregg have been our two top players all season. She is every bit as versatile in the field as Gaffin is.
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Not sure if you were watching the same game everybody else was but she's at the 4 spot in the lineup and we had a runner on second with no outs in the bottom of the 7th and she didn't even take the bat off her shoulder on three straight strikes.
 
#246
#246
LVJeff said:
Oh come on. That's three pitches out of about 1,500 she saw this season. Take her out of the lineup and Tennessee finishes about ninth.
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She's in that spot for a reason and it was the biggest game at the most critical point in the season. At least swing the bat. Geez.
 
#248
#248
Sandvol said:
Not sure if you were watching the same game everybody else was but she's at the 4 spot in the lineup and we had a runner on second with no outs in the bottom of the 7th and she didn't even take the bat off her shoulder on three straight strikes.
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I watched the same game you did. I want her back in the lineup next game. Too bad nobody else does.
 
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#249
#249
As I already said I want her in the next game and the next as well. I would expect her to wake up and hit the ball like she has most of the year. No one is more pro Geer than me but I expect her to compete.
 
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#250
#250
LVJeff said:
I don't disagree with you, but is Lockman starting a better option than McClain? The coaches thought so and it's for sure Lockman can hit if she ever breaks out of her slump.
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I guess the question is do you want more hitting or more defense now since Gaffin is gone? That's what the Weekly's are dealing with for the upcoming regionals. It makes it hard on them really. They've not had to deal with this type of injury to such a key player for us.

If it's me I would choose playing more defensive players & trust in your 2 best arms in Moss & Gabriel. They do this by playing C.J. McClain in CF. Play Vines in RF for replacement of Gaffin. Play Geathers in LF. Keep everybody else where they've played all season long. Geer back at 3B. Overstreet back at catcher & so on.

That's what I would do personally but I'm not the coach or trying to be the coach either. Just my opinion on what I've seen from this team all season long & what we're facing now.
 
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