Hitting..... Why have the stars of this year's WCWS not made the pool or the Olympic team? Please explain. These position players on the Olympic team should know that umpires will be calling strikes on the black. Lack of offense was really disappointing. Nobody was at the plate hacking at the first good pitch. Why didn't the third time through the order make a difference? I know, there were a couple of walk-off victories. The homerun yesterday I think was on the first pitch.
Kregman, can you help me out?
For the same reason young players are shut out of the basketball WNT: politics, favoritism and loyalty to older players. Players like Moultrie, Chidester and Arioto have been on the team for many years. They were great in their prime (especially Moultrie and Arioto) but their time has long passed. Munro is only on the team because Tim Walton was involved in the organization for a long time. Great defensive catcher but a really bad hitter. Never should've come near the team. Her selection reminds me of when Ashley Holcombe was on the team years ago. Great defensive catcher but hit like .200 at Alabama. On the WNT she couldn't hit a beachball if you slow pitched it to her. At least those teams weren't Olympic teams, though. Garcia and Mulipola would've been on the team last year as collegians (and weren't even in school and redshirted to be on the team), and I think they got like one AB a piece in the Olympics. Mulipola definitely should've gotten time over Munro, who shouldn't have even been on the team. Jacquish and Mulipola should've been the selections at catcher. Even Taylor Edwards, who was an alternate for the team (and probably not Olympic-team worthy, either) would've been a better option than Munro. Nickles is a good player but Olympic team-worthy? She's only like the 4th or 5th best player on her own team at UCLA. Same with Spaulding and Carda. Again, favoritism comes into play because they went to blue blood UCLA. Aguilar is a good player but again I think you could find someone better. Outside of Monica, McCleney and maybe Cat, I think you could find a better selection at every other position. Hannah Flippen, who was an alternate, would've been a better selection over Kelsey Stewart or Delaney Spaulding. But again, she went to Utah, not Florida or UCLA.
Obviously Abbott and Osterman have been on the team for a long time, as well, but it's hard to keep them off given they're the two most decorated pitchers in the sport, ever, not to mention Monica is still playing professionally and is regarded as the best pitcher in the world and has been for a while. Osterman reminds me a lot of Serena Williams these days: still has the goods but you can tell she's not quite as sharp as she used to be. She can't go as many innings due to her age, which may be a product of her being retired for a while, in addition to being two years older than Monica.
No Jocelyn Alo or Jessie Warren -- not even an invitation for the trials. Sydney Romero, Amanda Lorenz, Montana Fouts and Shelby Pendley attended trials and didn't make it. HTH that happened with THIS roster, IDK.
