The pitching coach is a volunteer and played short stop in college.
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How do you explain the improved Softball pitching??
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Last: 7 yr ago by mullokmotx
One year of SEC experience for Show and transfer in of Smith coupled with healthy Harrington
It's not like baseball where you need a deep pen.
I agree with gigum about the one year experience. Samantha's been thru the grinder (last year's tough SEC schedule), it gave her and the staff a clear pic on what to work on for this season. .It's an adjustment to the next level of ball.
I hate no games televised early in the season.
I hate no games televised early in the season.
I would think it is the combination of an extra year for Show plus at least two legitimate additional arms to carry the pitching burden.
I'd probably caution that hitters tend to get better as the season goes on. The weather warms up and, at least, at the Aggie complex I think the wind tends to blow out as the season progresses. We'll also see more SEC teams, which are overall better players. So I suspect we'll see more higher scoring games as it goes on.
None of that detracts from the start A&M has shown this season. The ladies are really playing well, and they only have two seniors on their roster.
I particularly got a charge out of our shellacking of BYU. I lived in the Pacific Northwest for ten years and I got a full dose of their arrogance in college sports. When the PAC10 talked about expansion to 12 teams, no one on the inside seriously considered BYU - they are a real pain to deal with. I loved it that our ladies took them to the woodshed!
I'd probably caution that hitters tend to get better as the season goes on. The weather warms up and, at least, at the Aggie complex I think the wind tends to blow out as the season progresses. We'll also see more SEC teams, which are overall better players. So I suspect we'll see more higher scoring games as it goes on.
None of that detracts from the start A&M has shown this season. The ladies are really playing well, and they only have two seniors on their roster.
I particularly got a charge out of our shellacking of BYU. I lived in the Pacific Northwest for ten years and I got a full dose of their arrogance in college sports. When the PAC10 talked about expansion to 12 teams, no one on the inside seriously considered BYU - they are a real pain to deal with. I loved it that our ladies took them to the woodshed!
Really good conversation going here. Very good points made. I would like to give some thoughts on Coach Dill. She played at a very high level. So she has been around the game more than likely her entire life. Her Coach at Kentucky and the Coach at LSU where Dill coached were very good pitchers I believe. I am sure during her playing time and early coaching stops she picked the brains of these coaches if she knew she wanted to be a coach. As far as her being a Shortstop, I played WR as a player, I have coached on the defensive side of the ball my entire coaching career. In film study as a WR I had to learn to read coverages and know where DBs and LBs were. I knew more about those positions than I did about our offensive line etc. So I kind of like having a former hitter calling pitches. Someone who has studied pitchers and thinks like a hitter. At this high of a level pitchers like Show etc come in having had pitching coaches their entire life. They know how to pitch. They just need to be tweaked and get experience. A Coach like Dill who has a High Softball IQ and a desire to be a great coach can do that for A&M. Coming in for the Miss. St. series. Cannot wait to see this team play.
Show and Harrington have both improved a lot, and the transfer has been very good as well. If the pitching stays at this level, A&M will go to the WCWS for the first time in 9 years (too long).
I don't know Lexi Smith's backstory, but watching her pitch at A&M so far I can see why she had so many strikeouts at Temple College. She seems to be her best when she's facing really good hitters - I watched her shut down Lauren Chamberlain and USSSA Pride in fall ball. She throws a lot of balls, walks some batters, but is almost always able to get herself out of a jamb.
Show is an elite prospect and always has been. Last year overall she was pretty good coming out of 3a high school and throwing against the gauntlet of Bama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Missouri, Georgia, etc. I'm not surprised to see her performing well, and I think she will get even better as she matriculates. If she plays to her potential, she's the kind of player one can ride to the WCWS.
Harrington was actually pretty decent last year when she was healthy. At the beginning of the year last year, out of Show and her, I thought she was pitching better than Show before she got hurt. Her upside isn't what Show's is, but she is solid when she's in control of her pitches, and she throws hard - upper 60's - when she wants to.
McBride is another pitching prospect who has a huge upside. She's going to get more time out there as the season goes on, but having three solid pitchers in front of her to ease her way into D1 softball is a huge luxury that Show didn't have last year. Last year Show was basically thrown to the wolves.
In talking with some people close to the program, I asked about Kara Dill because I was skeptical about her background. I was told that she worked pretty closely and studied under Kara Lawson and Torina at LSU, both of whom are elite pitching coaches, so she's certainly learned from the best.
Edit: I'd like to add that Evans has signed another elite pitching prospect coming in next year, too. So we're looking at going from having to ride one arm (like Mel Dumezich or Show last year) until it wears out in the grind of SEC play to having a deep bench full of good to elite players. If that pans out, combined with the new facilities and the recruiting boost that comes with it, this program may finally turn the corner in the next year or two.
Show is an elite prospect and always has been. Last year overall she was pretty good coming out of 3a high school and throwing against the gauntlet of Bama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Missouri, Georgia, etc. I'm not surprised to see her performing well, and I think she will get even better as she matriculates. If she plays to her potential, she's the kind of player one can ride to the WCWS.
Harrington was actually pretty decent last year when she was healthy. At the beginning of the year last year, out of Show and her, I thought she was pitching better than Show before she got hurt. Her upside isn't what Show's is, but she is solid when she's in control of her pitches, and she throws hard - upper 60's - when she wants to.
McBride is another pitching prospect who has a huge upside. She's going to get more time out there as the season goes on, but having three solid pitchers in front of her to ease her way into D1 softball is a huge luxury that Show didn't have last year. Last year Show was basically thrown to the wolves.
In talking with some people close to the program, I asked about Kara Dill because I was skeptical about her background. I was told that she worked pretty closely and studied under Kara Lawson and Torina at LSU, both of whom are elite pitching coaches, so she's certainly learned from the best.
Edit: I'd like to add that Evans has signed another elite pitching prospect coming in next year, too. So we're looking at going from having to ride one arm (like Mel Dumezich or Show last year) until it wears out in the grind of SEC play to having a deep bench full of good to elite players. If that pans out, combined with the new facilities and the recruiting boost that comes with it, this program may finally turn the corner in the next year or two.
The team was 5-0 at the Mary Nutter last year, also.
By the end of the season, Harrington was injured and Samantha had been pitched to a frazzle. The term thrown to the wolves is pretty accurate. It was kind of like watching our womens basketball team this year.
The added depth will be a big asset as the team moves into SEC play.
Congratulations to Coach Evans and the team on a great start and here's hoping for continued success.
By the end of the season, Harrington was injured and Samantha had been pitched to a frazzle. The term thrown to the wolves is pretty accurate. It was kind of like watching our womens basketball team this year.
The added depth will be a big asset as the team moves into SEC play.
Congratulations to Coach Evans and the team on a great start and here's hoping for continued success.
I sure hope you are right about turning the corner. I've been very frustrated with Coach Evans for years now as I think the program has badly underachieved given our blue blood history in the sport. However, I do understand that she was also working with arguably the worst facility of any Power 5 program and that affected recruiting to an extent. That is on the AD and shame on them for allowing it to happen. But with the AD now flush will cash from SEC money, there is no excuse for A&M not to have the best facilities in every sport across the board. I do think now that Evans can recruit to the new facility and with an uptick in performance on the field, A&M could finally take off and become the elite program that it should be every year.Belton Ag said:
Edit: I'd like to add that Evans has signed another elite pitching prospect coming in next year, too. So we're looking at going from having to ride one arm (like Mel Dumezich or Show last year) until it wears out in the grind of SEC play to having a deep bench full of good to elite players. If that pans out, combined with the new facilities and the recruiting boost that comes with it, this program may finally turn the corner in the next year or two.
Wow...what great info and discussion! Not used to this on the other boards.
Thanks.
Thanks.
I've been vocal in my support for Coach Evans because I know her character and her desire for the program to do well. During last year's problems on the road in SEC play I was pretty frustrated on the boards myself, and I know I posted that she needed to make some big changes or be shown the door and it appears she has.HiddenAg2 said:I sure hope you are right about turning the corner. I've been very frustrated with Coach Evans for years now as I think the program has badly underachieved given our blue blood history in the sport. However, I do understand that she was also working with arguably the worst facility of any Power 5 program and that affected recruiting to an extent. That is on the AD and shame on them for allowing it to happen. But with the AD now flush will cash from SEC money, there is no excuse for A&M not to have the best facilities in every sport across the board. I do think now that Evans can recruit to the new facility and with an uptick in performance on the field, A&M could finally take off and become the elite program that it should be every year.Belton Ag said:
Edit: I'd like to add that Evans has signed another elite pitching prospect coming in next year, too. So we're looking at going from having to ride one arm (like Mel Dumezich or Show last year) until it wears out in the grind of SEC play to having a deep bench full of good to elite players. If that pans out, combined with the new facilities and the recruiting boost that comes with it, this program may finally turn the corner in the next year or two.
We'll see how it plays out this year. I'm still concerned about our hitting this year and if it doesn't get better I don't see how A&M makes a national seed. They seem to bat well with runners in scoring postion, they bat well with 2 outs and from top to bottom they seem to be able to come up with timely hits, but overall they aren't performing as well as they have the last two years.
I love the diamond sports but there are so many more knowledgeable than I when it comes to baseball that I don't try and wade into baseball discussions as much as softball, but yes, this is the best board on TexAgs for good, rational discussion.cs69ag said:
Wow...what great info and discussion! Not used to this on the other boards.
Thanks.
Just out of curiosity.... who is the pitching prospect we have committed for next year?
Maddie MacGrandleAGShouse said:
Just out of curiosity.... who is the pitching prospect we have committed for next year?
Plus a couple others according to the A&M press release on signing day. Since I don't follow softball recruiting or high school softball I couldn't tell you who the others are.
Graham Hayes had the following story on the ESPNW website
Texas A&M is in the midst of building a new softball stadium, the latest program to join the SEC facilities race. The project won't interfere with operations in the current stadium, but the Aggies should consider California if they find themselves in need of a temporary home.
No one can beat them in the desert, though a bunch of ranked teams gave it a try.
In making a case to climb into the top five, and maybe even pluck some No. 1 votes, No. 18 Texas A&M won all five of its games in the Mary Nutter Classic. The Aggies beat No. 1 Florida State, No. 14 Michigan and No. 19 Arizona State, in addition to BYU and Long Beach State. An annual participant, Texas A&M has now won 17 consecutive games in the tournament.
The win against Florida State on Thursday was a game worthy of Oklahoma City. Seminoles starter Jessica Burroughs and Aggies counterpart Samantha Show matched shutout inning for shutout inning, Show aided by a home-run-robbing catch by Texas A&M center fielder Erica Russell. (That offers the annual opportunity to link to this catch by former Arizona and Team USA center fielder Caitlin Lowe at the same tournament 11 years earlier.) It wasn't settled until Texas A&M second baseman Kaitlyn Alderink's two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
As telling, perhaps, was Texas A&M rallying for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning the next day to secure a 2-1 walk-off win against Arizona State. Remember, the Aggies rolled through this same event a year earlier but then foundered in the SEC. With eight starters back this season, there is ample talent. It's just a matter of what the Aggies do with it.
"Every coach, it's a nightmare to have a huge win and then the next day a letdown," Aggies coach Jo Evans said. "I think [the Florida State win] gave our kids confidence, an understanding that even if we don't score early, we have the wherewithal to make plays on defense, our pitchers to get outs and stay in long enough to give ourselves a chance to score runs."
Sam showed me what kind of pitcher she was when she won the Saturday double header at the regional in Lafayette last year. This seems to be the year we have been building for and none of the starters are seniors.
Texas A&M is in the midst of building a new softball stadium, the latest program to join the SEC facilities race. The project won't interfere with operations in the current stadium, but the Aggies should consider California if they find themselves in need of a temporary home.
No one can beat them in the desert, though a bunch of ranked teams gave it a try.
In making a case to climb into the top five, and maybe even pluck some No. 1 votes, No. 18 Texas A&M won all five of its games in the Mary Nutter Classic. The Aggies beat No. 1 Florida State, No. 14 Michigan and No. 19 Arizona State, in addition to BYU and Long Beach State. An annual participant, Texas A&M has now won 17 consecutive games in the tournament.
The win against Florida State on Thursday was a game worthy of Oklahoma City. Seminoles starter Jessica Burroughs and Aggies counterpart Samantha Show matched shutout inning for shutout inning, Show aided by a home-run-robbing catch by Texas A&M center fielder Erica Russell. (That offers the annual opportunity to link to this catch by former Arizona and Team USA center fielder Caitlin Lowe at the same tournament 11 years earlier.) It wasn't settled until Texas A&M second baseman Kaitlyn Alderink's two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
As telling, perhaps, was Texas A&M rallying for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning the next day to secure a 2-1 walk-off win against Arizona State. Remember, the Aggies rolled through this same event a year earlier but then foundered in the SEC. With eight starters back this season, there is ample talent. It's just a matter of what the Aggies do with it.
"Every coach, it's a nightmare to have a huge win and then the next day a letdown," Aggies coach Jo Evans said. "I think [the Florida State win] gave our kids confidence, an understanding that even if we don't score early, we have the wherewithal to make plays on defense, our pitchers to get outs and stay in long enough to give ourselves a chance to score runs."
Sam showed me what kind of pitcher she was when she won the Saturday double header at the regional in Lafayette last year. This seems to be the year we have been building for and none of the starters are seniors.