New softball coach?

[flyingMoose]

A 0.500 performance next spring would be an upside surprise, a significant accomplishment and a welcome step in the right direction.

I predict that we will be at least a .500 team next year.

You can affect the pre-conference results by building a sufficiently soft schedule (you see it in Valley WBB). But finding tournaments soft enough may be difficult to do right now. The test will be moving up in the Valley standings and developing a program that is in the discussion most years.

[1972Shocker]

A 0.500 performance next spring would be an upside surprise, a significant accomplishment and a welcome step in the right direction.

I predict that we will be at least a .500 team next year.

You can affect the pre-conference results by building a sufficiently soft schedule (you see it in Valley WBB). But finding tournaments soft enough may be difficult to do right now. The test will be moving up in the Valley standings and developing a program that is in the discussion most years.

Supposedly Pooch did that this past season (re: a soft pre-conference schedule) but that did not work out very well.

Agree that the initial test will be if we can make progress in the MVC standings.

[flyingMoose]

A 0.500 performance next spring would be an upside surprise, a significant accomplishment and a welcome step in the right direction.

I predict that we will be at least a .500 team next year.

You can affect the pre-conference results by building a sufficiently soft schedule (you see it in Valley WBB). But finding tournaments soft enough may be difficult to do right now. The test will be moving up in the Valley standings and developing a program that is in the discussion most years.

Supposedly Pooch did that this past season (re: a soft pre-conference schedule) but that did not work out very well.

Yes, thus the comment "soft enough." I should have been clearer. Unless Samford (to be unkind) is hosting next year, it may be tough.

[1972Shocker]

Yes, thus the comment "soft enough." I should have been clearer. Unless Samford (to be unkind) is hosting next year, it may be tough.

OK, I get your drift. Subtle mean streak you have there 'Moose! ;-)

[Snapshot9]

So you're saying we only bat .236 without the 2 best hitters next year, and our pitching is in the crapper, so just where does this optimism come from that we will be better than 20-37.

I would rather she go out and get her own players, and find some pitchers.

[1972Shocker]

So you're saying we only bat .236 without the 2 best hitters next year, and our pitching is in the crapper, so just where does this optimism come from that we will be better than 20-37.

I'm not exactly sure who this post is directed at. I was the one who posted the comments about the team's hitting and pitching, but I certainly did not express much, if any, optimism about next year. In fact, I specifically stated that I did not expect much change in the win-loss colum.

The optimism comes from one post by Quick Pitch, who I will say is one of our more knowledgable softball posters, and QP was pretty specific and clear in why he believed the team would (or could) improve. Other than that I don't think much, if any, optimism about next year has been expressed.

I would rather she go out and get her own players, and find some pitchers

Not sure how practical that is at this late date. I think Coach B will be on the lookout for pitching based on her comments in the Eagle, but not sure that will happen for next season (again it is very late in the game for next year). One of Coach B's reported strengths is her ability to develop players. We will find out from the get go how good she is in this department.

[Shoxtastic]

She will bring in a very different type of player than we are used to seeing over the last 10 years. Let's hope it means a better record.

[WuDrWu]

She will bring in a very different type of player than we are used to seeing over the last 10 years. Let's hope it means a better record.

Could you define what you mean by "different"?

[Shoxtastic]

It's my opinion, bu using her quote in the paper as reference, she doesn't appear as interested in the "Gold" team resume as much as their grit and work ethic.

Walton and Perniciaro brought in players who were stars of their teams and had lengthy credentials in summer ball. To put it in basketball terms, she is less interested in the four-star athlete as much as a two-star who will work hard and can be taught her way.

Our two previous coaches also had a little more baseball mentality offensively, although Perniciaro did use slappers a little more. Bredbenner from the outside appears to want more speed than power, and looks on the surface to want to manufacture runs with speed rather than putting balls over the fence. A little more of an 'old school' softball mentality if you will.

It's not right or wrong. It's just a different mentality that we've seen. We will look more like an Illinois State rather than an Oklahoma or SEC school in style. Again, not a bad thing, it's just different than what we've seen over the last decade. If it means we win more games, I'm all for it.

[1972Shocker]

That's an interesting perspective Shoxstatic although I don't expect the quality of resume recruited to drop although Coach B may emphasize speed and aggressive base-running a little more. She did say while she wants speed at the top and bottom of the order she does want players that can drive the ball in the middle of the order.

She also mentioned that she wants her kids to have an aggressive style at the plate.

I don't think she will ignore our No. 1 need either which will be pitching.

It will take some time to turnover the roster. In the meantime we will get a good feel for how effective she is as a teacher of the game.

I agree that she will want hard workers with good attitudes but I don't think that necessarily eliminates the 3 and 4-star athletes if she can attract them (especially the pitching staff).

[flyingMoose]

... she doesn't appear as interested in the "Gold" team resume as much as their grit and work ethic.

Walton and Perniciaro brought in players who were stars of their teams and had lengthy credentials in summer ball.

Hmm. Walton inherited Lindsay Craig and brought in Margo Pruis, so he had very nice pitching. The only position player that I recall being clearly a stud was Britnee Barnett. Katie McGeeney was a walk-on who fell into his lap. Cynthia Verhulst never worked out as a pitcher, but she was a Big Bopper as a DP. Pooch inherited Margo and found Ashley Bright down the road at Cowley, so he too had decent pitching early on. Gert was the most notable player that Pooch brought in though Kara L'Huillier and Jamie had nice seasons. So, Gold team players? Lengthy credentials in summer ball? I'm not so sure. You need talent and a work ethic to succeed. A work ethic and modest talent gets you in the middle of the standings. And when you don't even have (enough) modest talent, you lose your job.

Also, I should point out that back in the day, ASA had 18U A and B ball, the A teams being able to qualify for a National Tournament. The area you could draw your players from was defined by geographic boundaries. The seven entities in our region were KS, NE, MO, IA, metro KC, metro Omaha and metro StL. Then Gold was created, due to requests? to compete with other sanctioning organizations? Someone knows, but I don't. Gold could form a team "without boundaries." A Gold team that came to Wichita for a Regional tournament had players from Connecticut to Virginia. So, early on, Gold were truly elite teams. But more recently, that is not the case. There are still elite teams, but there are many teams playing Gold who are truly A teams. Gold does not have the cachet it once did. All, IMO.

Our two previous coaches also had a little more baseball mentality offensively, although Perniciaro did use slappers a little more.

And none of them were any good. Mike Candrea at Arizona is (was? I haven't seen his teams recently) the strongest user at the collegiate level of the type of lineup Coach Bredbenner describes - two slappers at the top, two at the bottom. At the other end of the spectrum is Walton who (here I'm paraphrasing the WCWS commentators) has a "big fly" offensive philosophy. (Yes, far more baseball-y than traditional small-ball softball.) Based on the teams at the WCWS, the number of true slappers in a lineup seems to have diminished. I don't believe Arizona State had any slappers-only at all. (Eight teams is not a large sample, and yes, to even be there, you needed an absolute stud in the circle - offensive philosophy had little to do with it.) So I am guessing that two slappers might be common, but four would be rare.

You recruit to an offensive philosophy, but you also adapt your philosophy to whom you can recruit.

It's not right or wrong. It's just a different mentality that we've seen. ... If it means we win more games, I'm all for it.

True dat!

[1972Shocker]

Good post 'Moose but I don't remember Katie McGeeney being a walk-on.

http://www.goshockers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=7500&ATCLID=721351&SPID=2849&SPSID=64864

In any case, Katie was a keeper.

[1972Shocker]

A work ethic and modest talent gets you in the middle of the standings. And when you don't even have (enough) modest talent, you lose your job.

Hard to argue with that although a work ethic, modest talent and a stud pitcher can a winner make. See Creighton during the Tara Oltman years.

The Shocks were pretty solid under Tim Walton with Craig and Pruis.
Barnett and McGeeney weren't too shabby either. You can get by with that without having a roster full of 4-star players.

[flyingMoose]

Good post 'Moose but I don't remember Katie McGeeney being a walk-on.

http://www.goshockers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=7500&ATCLID=721351&SPID=2849&SPSID=64864

In any case, Katie was a keeper.

You are right on both counts - a signee and a keeper. I may be recalling an article speaking of Walton putting her in the lineup (in a semi-desperate move, as I recall) and then not being able to take her out because no one could get her out. But the signing date was in August, so nobody was beating down the doors. She seemed to be a really nice kid - nice family.

Note: kansas.com corrects my search for "mcgeeney" to "mcsweeney". *Sigh* So even the amended recollection could be wrong.

[flyingMoose]

A work ethic and modest talent gets you in the middle of the standings. And when you don't even have (enough) modest talent, you lose your job.

Hard to argue with that although a work ethic, modest talent and a stud pitcher can a winner make. See Creighton during the Tara Oltman years.

The Shocks were pretty solid under Tim Walton with Craig and Pruis.

Yes, re the pitching. The loss of KK basically doomed our season.