Tennessee Softball 2023

#14,451
#14,451
Lady Vols Fan said:
Ok unfortunately I just looked through the portal and there is a lot of quantity of players in the portal not much quality. So I have a feeling we are going to over reach on the portal girls we bring in. So our current roster is probably going to be our better players to pick through for next years starts.
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I mean in the last few days I have seen MANY former players and coaches across all levels tweet about how the portal is doing more harm than good for the sport and I wholeheartedly agree. Specifically when it comes to the “grass is greener…”. Sierra Romero tweeted earlier about staying true to your commitment and being able to be an impact to whatever program.
 
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#14,453
#14,453
As I drove through campus this early morning heading to work noticing this time of year is a ghost town. Made me think about the team coming back to campus after their finish they just had and they aren’t able to get any campus fan support like the other sports. That’s kinda sad after being on the road and not being able to come back and celebrate with their peers.
 
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#14,455
#14,455
Lady Vols Fan said:
My big question is why hasn’t Rylie ever gotten a chance to win the catching job?
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Do you know for sure that she hadn't? Do you know for sure she even wants it?

As important as that position is, I have to believe that if there's a healthy female Johnny Bench lurking on the roster she'd be catching. It's a difficult position. Lots of wear and tear on the body. The pain-in-the-butt of having to wear the hot protective gear. Pressure-filled. Relatively thankless for all they do.

I seem to be in the minority in thinking Giulia is doing a great job. Sure, she needs to work on framing and throwing, but she's new at the position so I think that'll come. And I'm hopeful her hitting, too, is likely to improve. What I love about Giulia is she is great at not letting too many wild pitches get past her, and her outstanding focus when receiving the ball to make tags at the plate. I did not see a catcher all week who was any better at making amazing defensive plays to keep opponents from scoring.
 
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#14,456
#14,456
youcancallmeAl said:
This team didn't choke. They were beaten by better teams.
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100% accurate. This team was the third best team in the country, and that is where the journey ended.

The FSU-OU final could be epic. And as one who enjoys the sport, I’ll be watching (and disappointed the LVs came up just a bit short).
 
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#14,457
#14,457
I think the team way over achieved this season. We were not picked to win the SEC and we won it. Certainly not the SEC Tourney and we won it. At the beginning of the season we were certainly not a favorite to get to the World Series or end up in the final four. Great season 51 and 10. We got it down to losing to two teams certainly overall better than our team in talent. Going into next season we need a top pitcher to join the ones we have coming back. Hopefully Pickens can become elite she just needs work on command of pitches. Gottshall is an excellent pitcher should be improved next season. We need one more effective pitcher. Hitting we need to be a threat one through nine and were not there even if Karen said we were. We have three or four weak links in the lineup. A player like Pannell will help as will the Leach twins even as freshmen. Would be nice if the portal player out of Indiana with 68 RBI's this season was interested in Tennessee.

What a great season overall for our team hopefully we can do even better next season.
 
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#14,459
#14,459
Volfan2012 said:
I think the team way over achieved this season. We were not picked to win the SEC and we won it. Certainly not the SEC Tourney and we won it. At the beginning of the season we were certainly not a favorite to get to the World Series or end up in the final four. Great season 51 and 10. We got it down to losing to two teams certainly overall better than our team in talent. Going into next season we need a top pitcher to join the ones we have coming back. Hopefully Pickens can become elite she just needs work on command of pitches. Gottshall is an excellent pitcher should be improved next season. We need one more effective pitcher. Hitting we need to be a threat one through nine and were not there even if Karen said we were. We have three or four weak links in the lineup. A player like Pannell will help as will the Leach twins even as freshmen. Would be nice if the portal player out of Indiana with 68 RBI's this season was interested in Tennessee.

What a great season overall for our team hopefully we can do even better next season.
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Very good analysis IMO.

The biggest evolution in this sport in recent years IMO has been the improvement in hitting. Most teams have at least one good pitcher, but hitting separates the best teams from the others. OU is the gold standard.
 
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#14,460
#14,460
lvocd said:
Do you know for sure that she hadn't? Do you know for sure she even wants it?

As important as that position is, I have to believe that if there's a healthy female Johnny Bench lurking on the roster she'd be catching. It's a difficult position. Lots of wear and tear on the body. The pain-in-the-butt of having to wear the hot protective gear. Pressure-filled. Relatively thankless for all they do.

I seem to be in the minority in thinking Giulia is doing a great job. Sure, she needs to work on framing and throwing, but she's new at the position so I think that'll come. And I'm hopeful her hitting, too, is likely to improve. What I love about Giulia is she is great at not letting too many wild pitches get past her, and her outstanding focus when receiving the ball to make tags at the plate. I did not see a catcher all week who was any better at making amazing defensive plays to keep opponents from scoring.
Click to expand...

I would agree. Is it possible that learning to catch, which takes a great deal of practice time, and which uses an entirely different set of muscles (squatting, throwing from a crouch) had an effect on her hitting? Give her a summer off, and both may improve.

I'd like to put in a good word for Katie Taylor. Granted, she's a .240 hitter. But she has a good eye, doesn't strike out that much, got on base a lot to give Kiki something to work with, and had a fair number of timely hits in the post season. And she seems a very good right fielder.
 
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#14,462
#14,462
What a fan-damn-tastic season !!!!

Need another great pitcher for them to get back to WCWS and a couple good hitters wouldn't hurt either.

Have to admit that that old adage of the cream always rises to the top was right when it comes to Oklahoma and Florida State meeting in the finals.....believe that FSU has a chance and I for one will be rooting for them.
 
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#14,466
#14,466
TomHoot said:
I would agree. Is it possible that learning to catch, which takes a great deal of practice time, and which uses an entirely different set of muscles (squatting, throwing from a crouch) had an effect on her hitting? Give her a summer off, and both may improve.

I'd like to put in a good word for Katie Taylor. Granted, she's a .240 hitter. But she has a good eye, doesn't strike out that much, got on base a lot to give Kiki something to work with, and had a fair number of timely hits in the post season. And she seems a very good right fielder.
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I agree I think she really started to come around and plays good defense as well. She seemed to get on base for Kiki and at least brought some speed to the lineup, which was very needed.
 
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#14,467
#14,467
The championship series fell flat for me--and the Vols--when Weekly made her bizarrely dumb and absurd decision to start Pickens against Oklahoma. Sure, maybe we still lose the game if Rogers or Gottshall had started--but it was the biggest freakin' game of the year--and so you play your best against their best--and Weekly didn't do that. Everybody was looking forward to the matchup--and then Weekly blinked, big time, and iinstead started a pitcher who'd barely pitched in the post season. Crazy. It's easy to rationalize--as many have--and say, "Oh, well, OU was going to win it anyway"--but that doesn't obviate the fact that it was a ridiculous decision and ended any chance we had of winning the Big Taco. We can't look back at that game and say, "Well, credit to OU--they beat our best pitcher(s)." It didn't. I say this as someone who, like everyone, thinks that Pickens is going to be a great pitcher for us--but that was not the time or game to start her and then follow with two pitchers who barely pitched all year.
 
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#14,468
#14,468
turbovol said:
The championship series fell flat for me--and the Vols--when Weekly made her bizarrely dumb and absurd decision to start Pickens against Oklahoma. Sure, maybe we still lose the game if Rogers or Gottshall had started--but it was the biggest freakin' game of the year--and so you play your best against their best--and Weekly didn't do that. Everybody was looking forward to the matchup--and then Weekly blinked, big time, and iinstead started a pitcher who'd barely pitched in the post season. Crazy. It's easy to rationalize--as many have--and say, "Oh, well, OU was going to win it anyway"--but that doesn't obviate the fact that it was a ridiculous decision and ended any chance we had of winning the Big Taco. We can't look back at that game and say, "Well, credit to OU--they beat our best pitcher(s)." It didn't. I say this as someone who, like everyone, thinks that Pickens is going to be a great pitcher for us--but that was not the time or game to start her and then follow with two pitchers who barely pitched all year.
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I didn't like that decision either should've went with Rogers, but it got us to the final four of softball. I don't know if that is as prestigious as doing it in basketball, but having Rogers available for that game Okla State certainly was a huge difference. As for the game I wasn't to upset with PIckens starting it is who followed her when they made a change was quite concerning.
 
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#14,472
#14,472
Hell of a good year ladies.....Thank you!
361831_20220423_SB_East_Carolina_IC_023__1__nxLW3.jpg
 
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#14,474
#14,474
As always, and someone said this before, elite pitching beats elite hitting. Also, how did Canady at Stanford get so good?
 
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