Game Thread Lady Vols Softball Team SEC Tournament

[armchair]

Lockman looked good at catcher, as did Overstreet at third, which was a bit of surprise. We didn't really look out of whack--but we had two players in the lineup (Lockman and Morrison) who have played very little, and nobody could get a big hit all day. We left 12 on, lsu 2. We squandered a great performance by Moss. Tough when you lose a game you should have won.

 

[LVJeff]

My Top 8 seeds would look something like this

1. Florida
2. Michigan
3. Oklahoma
4. Alabama
5. Oregon
6. Auburn
7. Florida State
8. James Madison

If LSU wins the tourney they will be a 9...If Auburn wins I see them a 5 seed Tennessee will be a on the road for Supers and either head to Florida State or Oregon...there won't be a rematch with Auburn for Supers played each other during regular season

I've thought all along either Tallahassee or Harrisonburg.

 

[LVJeff]

My thoughts:

-I said yesterday the bats had to come alive because the pitching wouldn't carry the team. That's what (didn't) happened.

-If Gaffin had been available, she would have entered the game no later than the 6th inning and there would have been no home run by Simmons. LSU might still have won, but not with a home run with Rainey pitching.

-The lineup changes, as strange as they seem, actually make sense and didn't hurt the team. The only way to compensate for the loss of Rainey the pitcher is with more bats. The lineup changes were an effort to get as many bats as possible to the plate.

-Overstreet at third is no surprise. She has played third and left field quite a lot in her TN career. This season is her first as full-time catcher. After McSwain was pulled from the lineup, I thought Overstreet might go to third instead of Geer.

-All season I wondered what the heck was wrong with LSU, arguably the second best team in the conference. And then a few weeks ago they come out of their funk and win 15 out of 16 or some such number. We just had to get matched up against them.

-Karen has said repeatedly it's pitching, defense, and timely hitting. TN was unable to get a timely hit today. As tough as this loss is to swallow, I am somewhat encouraged. If Moss can fight through her freshman fatigue, all this team needs are a few timely hits to win some more games. Moss acquitted herself very well today. But the team must get mentally tougher because the games will be on the road after the regionals and this team doesn't perform well on the road.

 

[LVJeff]

Anybody surprised Auburn beat both Alabama and Florida today? I thought Alabama would beat them. I'm not surprised Auburn beat Florida. If you can get a great pitching performance against Florida, you can win. Florida is not going to beat you with their bats.

I don't know who will win the Auburn-LSU matchup (I wish they both could lose) but I dislike Auburn a little bit more so I will go with LSU.

 

[tnburban]

Anybody surprised Auburn beat both Alabama and Florida today? I thought Alabama would beat them. I'm not surprised Auburn beat Florida. If you can get a great pitching performance against Florida, you can win. Florida is not going to beat you with their bats.

I don't know who will win the Auburn-LSU matchup (I wish they both could lose) but I dislike Auburn a little bit more so I will go with LSU.

Shocked. I thought it would be tough for whoever won the Bama/Auburn game to win a big game and be on that high only to have to sit for 3 hours and then have to get back up. Maybe they all had shots of heroin or something???

 

[tonybologna]

Anybody surprised Auburn beat both Alabama and Florida today? I thought Alabama would beat them. I'm not surprised Auburn beat Florida. If you can get a great pitching performance against Florida, you can win. Florida is not going to beat you with their bats.

I don't know who will win the Auburn-LSU matchup (I wish they both could lose) but I dislike Auburn a little bit more so I will go with LSU.

Yes, I was surprised Auburn beat both Bama & UF today. I had picked Bama to make it all the way to the championship game instead of UF from that part of the bracket.

I'm pulling for LSU definitely. I don't want Auburn to win the title. I have a feeling though it's going to be Auburn. They had been playing pretty rough down the stretch but have their mojo back now.

It should be a good close game. I have no idea who's pitching though for either team. I just think Auburn has more offense than LSU so that's why I think Auburn will probably come through.

LSU needs this game probably worse than Auburn though. I only say this because they have a slight chance at making it in the top 8 seeds nationally. Auburn is already locked in the top 8. I'm pulling for LSU though. With the way they've been playing recently they have a solid chance at beating Auburn for the championship.

On a side note:

I wonder where we will be ranked now nationally? Wonder where we go in RPI now? We were in the top 10 in the polls but I believe #11 in RPI going into the tourney. I say we stay pretty close to those rankings/numbers. I know we shouldn't fall below the top 15 but you never know.

The NCAA committee has to factor in injuries now so that Gaffin injury could cause us to drop more than we think & change our seeding dramatically. Hopefully we can just stay in the top 16 nationally. This way we are guaranteed a home series in the regionals.

I think with Gabriel & Moss as our SP's we should win the regionals matchup but beyond that into the super regionals it's going to be tough heading on the road. It's going to all depend on matchups. Who we get? If we get a tough draw in the regionals we could get knocked out there in the 1st round. So, let's hope for a favorable opponent for the regionals.

 

[governmentmule]

i just got through watching both SEC Tournament games and there were way to many RISP wasted today,like others have said Matty deserved a better out come,bases loaded and no runs again

she shouldn't have been in the 8th inning,but that is the way it works out some times,especially with Gaffin out

 

[tnburban]

On a side note:

I wonder where we will be ranked now nationally? Wonder where we go in RPI now? We were in the top 10 in the polls but I believe #11 in RPI going into the tourney. I say we stay pretty close to those rankings/numbers. I know we shouldn't fall below the top 15 but you never know.

The NCAA committee has to factor in injuries now so that Gaffin injury could cause us to drop more than we think & change our seeding dramatically. Hopefully we can just stay in the top 16 nationally. This way we are guaranteed a home series in the regionals.

I think with Gabriel & Moss as our SP's we should win the regionals matchup but beyond that into the super regionals it's going to be tough heading on the road. It's going to all depend on matchups. Who we get? If we get a tough draw in the regionals we could get knocked out there in the 1st round. So, let's hope for a favorable opponent for the regionals.

I would be SHOCKED if UT does not get more than a 12 or 13 seed. Even with the Gaffin injury.

I think the Weekly's knew the odds for hosting a super were very slim, especially with Auburn beating Bama right before. If Auburn had lost to Bama, the opportunity would have been there to leapfrog them, but now that is gone, especially with them beating Florida too.

Road vs home for supers is a bit of a factor, but I would rather take a favorable matchup on the road like vs Oregon or Auburn, than have to host a bad matchup like JMU or ULL.

At the end of the day, nothing really matters until Sunday night when the pairings are actually announced. And even then, all this host/not host talk doesn't mean squat if UT doesn't at least win their regional.

 

[Sandvol]

My only disappointment in the game was Geer's at bat in the bottom of the 7th inning. Needed more from her in that critical situation. I thought Lockman was superb behind the plate as well as Overstreet at 3rd. Overall a great game plan by the Weekly's today.

P.S.-I'd love to see Lockman break out at the plate. She was a power hitter in HS.

 

[Sandvol]

Also, I think we'll be in FSU's super regional.

 

[armchair]

We beat fsu in the super-regional last year--two squeakers, as I recall. We must have gotten good pitching because our hitting was pretty lackluster. We're better than we were last year.

 

[Sandvol]

I thought after LSU hit that 1st homer they would win. Something like 40-1 in games they hit a home run.

 

[governmentmule]

I do miss the double elimination format,didn't they have that last year ?

 

[Vols4life]

I do miss the double elimination format,didn't they have that last year ?

No they haven't had double elimination in years

 

[2Alum4EverVol]

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??

Megan Geer's last at-bat in the bottom of the 7th inning is quite baffling plus her half-hearted stab/effort at Simmons' home run in the top of the 8th which just barely cleared the wall raises a question; I'm thinking if Gaffin was back there instead of Geer, the Simmons home run might have been caught. I'd like to think that Gaffin with better instinct, greater reach & leaping ability would have had a much greater chance of keeping that ball inside the park. When it comes to fielding, Geer just doesn't seem natural at anything either at center field, 3B or 2B. She's serviceable for sure, but definitely her glove is not her strength.

But, you pick your poison; as many observed, I thought Abby Lockman looked terrific behind the plate like a seasoned veteran (and that's a great sign for next year when we lose Lexi to graduation), and Lexi Overstreet played awesome at 3B.

As LVJeff and others commented, overall, our defense held up in this tournament. So did our pitching. It was our lack of timely hit(s) that did us in. And that's what I was afraid of. Losing Gaffin will probably come back and bite us again in tight games (probably in the super regional matchup on the road) when we can desperately use her versatility both in the circle and batter's box. Gaffin is a difference maker, and you need someone like Gaffin's caliber to make a push, put you over the top and win some ball games.

Kelsey Morrison didn't look too bad in her 2 at-bats; she's a better option than Logyn Lilley. I'd still give Scarlet McSwain a priority simply b/c McSwain has more experience, but I wouldn't hesitate to use Morrison as a pinch hitter if need to.

Look forward to watching the Selection Show on Sunday night; as tnturban and others predicted, I'm thinking as high as #11 and as low as #14 seeding for Tennessee. I'm not afraid to face FSU down in Tallahassee but JMU/OU is a bad matchup for us. I think our batters can hit Jessica Burroughs of FSU but Jailyn Ford of JMU/Paige Parker of OU, a sensational lefty pitcher, will mow down our lefty-dominant lineup and give us a beating...

 

[Volfan2012]

I'm ready for the regional the hitting let us down yesterday. Where as LSU hit our mistake pitches our batters didn't even swing at theirs. I was very surprised at the pitches we took right down the middle of the plate something we do a lot of lately. I know we need to be patient at the plate, but the LSU pitchers throw strikes she only had 15 walked batters in 100 innings. The big play of the game was when Geer was unable to get the runner to third. That was huge as I believe she scores on Overstreets ground out if Ralph sends her.
Were terrible on the road. If you compare our batting average on the road versus home I think you will see probably 50 points or more lower on the road.

 

[sccshortstop]

Its all in the past but just for conversation Geer looked shaky at every at bat in the tourney. The HR she hit off SCarolina was a ball that was outside and she was lucky enough to get the barrel of the bat down on it. I like Geer but everyone thinking she should have been All SEC and AA potential are dreaming. I too believe she does not have a true position and the truth of the matter is 2nd base last year was as close as it gets. Someone mentioned that Lexi had played a lot of 3rd base for us in the past but I do not remember . If that is the case then the Weekleys should have had her there the whole time. Lockman did a good job yesterday and is solid. She did catch a lot early in the year and did a good job until she got hurt in the collision at the plate and she was injured. Her bat was off for several games but you cannot get out of a slump by sitting, and watching. The ball she hit yesterday was nearly out of the park and I would not hesitate to go with the same lineup in the regional . I do not think Gaffin will get to play and if I was her unless 100% I would not want that wrist hit again. Gregg looked a little off the first couple of bats yesterday as well but she is AA material. Aucoin can look ok one bat and look terrible the next two. Bottom line is Matty should have won the game and our best players cannot watch strikes come by one after another. I do not expect much change in that respect because we have done that all year!! Just my 2 cents worth!

 

[LVJeff]

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.

 

[gule]

because she stood there like a statue and let three hittable pitches go right by her when she had the best chance of the day to do something to win that game, duh!

 

[LVJeff]

...
Were terrible on the road. If you compare our batting average on the road versus home I think you will see probably 50 points or more lower on the road.

This is indicative of being young and not mentally focused. Plus, the SEC is the nation's top conference. It's very tough to win on the road. But yeah, Tennessee's struggles on the road are above and beyond all the other teams.

 

[LVJeff]

because she stood there like a statue and let three hittable pitches go right by her when she had the best chance of the day to do something to win that game, duh!

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.

 

[sccshortstop]

I think 9th certainly is way too low and I was not dumping on her. I said I like her but she still has not lived up to expectations. She as many of the other have let too many strikes go by and never take a cut. When she has been aggressive she has hit with some authority but she is in the clean up spot to swing the bat!

 

[hokievol12]

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.

If Geer is the type player I think she is, she was probably "dumping" on herself after watching video of her performance in yesterday's game. She was basically a no show. I've been following baseball since the 1959 World Series White Sox versus Dodgers and am convinced pitching is 75 per cent of any sport where a round ball is tossed toward home plate. Pitching and defense kept Tennessee in that game yesterday, and offense lost that game yesterday, and Geer is a big cog in that offense. She had a tough day, she knows it, we know it, it's history. I can't think of a single at bat this season where Geer stood and took 3 straight pitches, but that was huge yesterday. Gaffin has been All SEC Defensive Team player, a huge part of our pitching staff, probably the best pure athlete on the team. I'll take her versatility over Geer any day of the week and twice on Sunday. That's not dumping on Geer. She has been terrific this season, especially on offense, and has performed admirably at 3rd base in learning a new position! But she isn't the all around athlete that Gaffin is. Gaffin was the one player that this team needed to be healthy for post season runs, her senior year, it just sucks!

 

[armchair]

Its all in the past but just for conversation Geer looked shaky at every at bat in the tourney. The HR she hit off SCarolina was a ball that was outside and she was lucky enough to get the barrel of the bat down on it. I like Geer but everyone thinking she should have been All SEC and AA potential are dreaming. I too believe she does not have a true position and the truth of the matter is 2nd base last year was as close as it gets. Someone mentioned that Lexi had played a lot of 3rd base for us in the past but I do not remember . If that is the case then the Weekleys should have had her there the whole time. Lockman did a good job yesterday and is solid. She did catch a lot early in the year and did a good job until she got hurt in the collision at the plate and she was injured. Her bat was off for several games but you cannot get out of a slump by sitting, and watching. The ball she hit yesterday was nearly out of the park and I would not hesitate to go with the same lineup in the regional . I do not think Gaffin will get to play and if I was her unless 100% I would not want that wrist hit again. Gregg looked a little off the first couple of bats yesterday as well but she is AA material. Aucoin can look ok one bat and look terrible the next two. Bottom line is Matty should have won the game and our best players cannot watch strikes come by one after another. I do not expect much change in that respect because we have done that all year!! Just my 2 cents worth!

RE Geer and All SEC: You might want to check her season hitting stats--they are nearly identical to Gregg in just about every category. I think she hit .382, so, yea, she IS All SEC caliber. She's not great defensively--but I think she did pretty well at 3rd and she is fine in center, too. It doesn't help having to play three positions in two years. She and Gregg and Overstreet are our stalwarts. We need Aucion to hit in the middle of the lineup, and Geathers too.

RE Lockman: She looks a natural behind the plate and surely would have played all year, but her hitting was bad, and for a lot more than "several" games. She's played in 35 games, started 24 or so before being sat down. Didn't she basically get the nod at first base to start the year? Or maybe she and Aucoin were platooned, but I think Lockman was getting more starts than Aucoin until the Weeklys couldn't ignore her slump anymore and decided to stick with Aucoin, who was pretty good for a stretch but has been scuffling lately, it seems. (She did get a hit yesterday, I believe). Yes, it would be very nice if Lockman got going because she's got talent and was a top prospect, and we will need her next year.

Our plate discipline has a resulted in a lot of walks--and runs--this year, but it can lead players to take good pitches early in the count. Somebody mentioned that the lsu pitcher yesterday had walked very few all year and that our players should have known that and been ready to hit early pitches. Couldn't agree more. Maybe they did get that info but simply didn't execute.

 

[armchair]

I think 9th certainly is way too low and I was not dumping on her. I said I like her but she still has not lived up to expectations. She as many of the other have let too many strikes go by and never take a cut. When she has been aggressive she has hit with some authority but she is in the clean up spot to swing the bat!

Not lived up to expectations? Geer hit over .380 this year! I'm not sure what you expect. I did not see most of yesterday's game. She and Gregg are the last two players you'd expect to take three straight strikes; as Hokie said, I've not seen Geer do that all year. It was an aberration--a costly one but no one is good every game. And perhaps we've forgotten that her home run won the South Carolina game!