2018-19 Shocker Softball Offseason/Fall Season/Preason Talk

[1972Shocker]

RH: Shockers Softball Focuses on Making Routine Plays

https://goshockers.com/news/2018/9/2...ine-plays.aspx

It is the easy ones that they remember, the routine groundballs that turn into hits that stand out in a season otherwise full of outs.

Wichita State softball coach Kristi Bredbenner is determined to field a better defensive team next spring, one that can support a pitching staff that will often depend on infielders to make plays. The Shockers fielded .956 in 2018, seventh in the eight-team American Athletic Conference, on their way to an NCAA regional. She wants to raise that to around .970 in 2019.

The Shockers often wear fielding glasses that force them to look the ball into their glove. It discourages infielders from starting to throw before the ball is secured. Individual workouts feature defensive drills each day.

[1972Shocker]

I ventured out to Wilkins Stadium this afternoon to check out the Lady Shocks in their fall exhibition game against Avila University. Avila University is a four-year Catholic University sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet with an enrollment of about 1,400 and located in Kansas City. Avila is in its 1st year in the KCAC which is an NAIA conference. It's enrollement of 1,400 is 3rd largest in the KCAC behind Friends and Southwestern.

First let me say what a gorgeous day it was for a softabll game. Not too bad of a crowd. I was able to watch 7.5 innings of the 10 inning scrimmage before I had to leave. The Shockers lead the overmatched Eagles 15-0 when I left and end up winning the game 19-1.

Caitlyn Bingham went the first 3 innings. Haleigh Martinez the middle 4 innings and La Tech transfer Erin McDonald the final 3 innings. The only Avila run was scored off of Erin in the 9th inning although I don't know how that occurred since I had to leave int the middle of the 8th.

Personally I thought Caitlyn was the least impressive of the 3 pitchers for the Shocks. She did not allow a run and gave up 2 hits and 2 walks in her 3 innings but seemed like she threw a lot of ptiches and struggled with her command. Hailey is a pitch to contact pitcher but I thought she did a good job pitching on the edges of the strike zone. Hailey gave up 3 htis and 2 walks in her 4 scoreless innings.. Despite allowing the only run of the game Erin looks pretty good to me in the 1 inning I saw of her. Despite giving up the only run of the game for Avila, Erin only allowed 1 hit and 1 walk in her 3 indgs while she struck out 6 batters. In the one inning is saw of Erin I thought she had some nice movement on her pitches. I think she will be able to help the Shocks but we'll hRyave to see how she does against D-1 competition. Overheard Erin's mother telling someone that Erin loves it at Wichita State.

The Shocks cranked out 24 hits and 16 of their 19 runs were earned. After 3 innings the Shocks were up 12-0.

Bailey Lange played right field and DH and hit out of the lead off spot. She ended up going 4-5 with 3 doubles. The funny thing is that her only hit that was not a double was probably the ball she ht the hardest. I think it was her 2nd AB when she lined a ball to the right center field wall. Unfortunately, she tripped and basically fell on her face rounding 1st and was held to a single. It was kind of a nasty fall but fortunately I think the primary damage was an embarrassing moment.

Ryleigh Buck started at 3rd base and went 2 for 3 including a double before being replaced by 5-3 freshman Adi Reese. Ryleigh wasn't tested too much at 3rd but seemed pretty comfortable there. Adi had herself a good day at the plate as well going 3-4 with a double and a triple. So early on it looks like those two will handle 3rd base duties.

Madison Perrigan and Bailee Nickerson shared the catching duties. Bailee did a solid job in her innings behind the plate. Madison, hitting in the 3-hole, had a single, double and home run in her 5 at bats and her two outs were hard line drives on to the 3rd baseman and one to the SS.

Freshman Lauren Mills started as the DH and played a couple innings at 1st. She hit in clean up spot and was 0-3 although I thought it was an interesting 0-3. First of all I think her reputation was well known to the Avila coaches as the pitched Lauren, who is a large young lady, very carefully. She walked in her 1st at bat. In her 2nd at bat she got under the ball and hit a high pop up that was caught on the warning track in RF leaving me to wonder how far that ball would have gone if she had squared it up. Her next at bat was a solid line drive that carried to the right fieled and then she pop up again with the ball being caught just short of the warning track in left. I think Lauren is going to launch a few moon shots before here days at Wichita State are done.

Laurie Derrio batted 5th and played SS. She was 2-4.

Neleigh Herring played 1B and DH and she was an impressive 3-4 with all 3 hits doubles that produced 5 RBI.

Kaylee Huecker started at 2B and also played some at SS. She even had 4 AB's. She was 1-4 but one of her outs was a nice shoestring catch by the Avila LF who doubled Bailey Lange of 2B who took off for 3rd thinking the ball was going to fall.

Kassidee Eck showed good speed in beating out a nice bunt after which she promptly stole 2B. Look for Kassidee to do quite a bit of courtesy running this year.

The starting infield looks to me like it will be Perrigan at C, Herring at 1B, Huecker at 2B, Derrico at SS, Buck at 3B but I think HCKB may have some mix and match options here. Bailey Lange will be in RF when not pitching. I assume Asea Webber will be in CF. Asea did not play today. Her right arm is in a sling. She said she tore her labrum and had to have surgery. I asked her if she did that throwing and she said she though she did sometime during the season the past year. Assuming Asea is ready to go in the spring then Bailee Nickerson probably will get the not in LF.

Looking toward the future a little bit. Kaylee Huecker looks to me like she has a shortstop's arm I could see her moving to SS next year with Laurie Derrico finishing her Shocker career this year and perhaps Adi Reese will move over to 2B which seems like a more natural position for her.

Finally the new outfield wall and the warning track look good and are a nice and needed improvement.

[1972Shocker]

A better measuring stick tonight with 10 inning scrimmage with the OSU Cowgirls although I don't expect Bailey Lange to pitch.

Starting lineup:

Shocker Softball @GoShockersSB 39 minutes ago


Tonight's Starters:


DH Lange
3B Reese
SS Derrico
C Perrigan
1B Herring
RF Nickerson
2B Buck
LF Huecker
CF Glover
P Martinez

[flyingMoose]

Cowgirls 9-7 Shockers

I watched all of the game tonight, possibly the only game I will catch this fall.

Bailey pitched the first three innings and gave up one run, Hailey for two and five runs, Mckenzie for two and one run, Caitlin for two and no runs, and Erin for one and two runs.

Bailey was in mid-season form. The one run she gave up was part of an inning where a ball was dropped in right field, but OSU was given a hit on it. (The score keeping was in mid-season form, too.) Mckenzie looked good but was hurt by a poorly played ball in center field that cost her the one run, and Caitlin looked good except the occasional wild stretches which can plague her. At least she was wild for a few pitches rather than a few batters. Hailey gave up two home runs and Erin gave up one. They both have the same problem - not enough speed. Any strike above mid-thigh may be hit a long way.

The bright side of the pitching is that the three pitchers (Bailey, Caitlin and Mckenzie) who will probably see most of the innings gave just two runs in their seven innings.

The infield was pretty solid. Adeline is a keeper at third. She speared a line drive and knocked down a hard ground ball to her immediate left and got the out at first. The infield turned a ball hit to short into a DP when the runner on second tried to advance to third after the out at first.

Bailee dropped the ball in right referred to earlier (she was side-stepping backwards, but the ball was well within reach and chest-high), but she did throw out a Cowgirl at the plate and made another strong throw where the runner stopped at third. I believe it was Kasidee who took a really bad route on the ball hit to center. Wylie in center made a poor throw to third that missed the cutoff that allowed the batter to advance to second. Actually, the throw should have been to second (HCKB came out of the dugout to tell her as soon as the play was over) - she never had a play at third as the runner on first was running on the pitch.

The Shocks scored six of their runs in the last four innings with the other coming in the first. Laurie had a three-run shot among those six. Bailey had a double, single and walk, and Bailee had a double and single.

Getting a good feel for the pitching was fairly straightforward. The offense and defense was less so, because the batting lineup and defense players and positions changed every couple of innings, using free-substitution of sorts.

[1972Shocker]

The Shocks handled D-II Southeastern Oklahoma State on a cool Saturday 10-inning scrimmage winning 12-1. The game was tied at 1-1 after 4 innings but the Shocks finally broke loose for 4 in the 5th, 2 in the 6th, 2 in the 7th, 1 in the 8th and 2 in the 9th. The Shocks did not bat in the 10th.

In the circle the Shocks split the 10 innings equally between sophomore righties Erin McDonald and Caitlyn Bingham. Erin allowed 1 run on 1 hit while walking 2 and striking out 5. Not sure how the SEOKS runner reached 3rd in the 4th but the run scored on a wild pitch. Caitlyn Bingham tookover in the 6th and ptiched 5 innnings of scoreless, no-hit softball allowing only 1 walk and according to the box score she faced the minimum 15 batters. Looks like SEOKS had a runner thrown out attempting to stealy and they probably was the player that Caitlyn walked.

Even against a D-II team that is excellent work by Erin and Caitlyn. The 9 strikeout, 1 walk performance by Caitlyn is especially positive as command of her ptiches has been a challenge for her at times.

The offense had 14 hits including 3 doubles, a triple and a Ryleigh Buck home run and were also the beneficiaries of 6 walks and 2 hit batters. Neither team committed a scored error.

The Shocks take on Central Oklahoma tomorrow another D-II program. UCO is out of the MIAA Conference which is the same conference as Emporia State, Fort Hays State, Pitt State and Washburn. Central Oklahoma finished 3rd int he MIAA last year. I assume we will see Hailey and Mckenzie in the circle for sure and perhaps a few innings from Bailey.

[1972Shocker]

The Shocks cruised past D-II Central Oklahoma on Sunday 13-2 in a 10 inning scrimage.

Offensively the Shocks had 16 hits including 5 doubles and a Bailey Lange home run and were the beneficiary of 10 walks and 4 UCO errors. The Shocks left 14 runners on base. Neleigh Herring was 3-3 plus a walk, Ryleigh Buck was 3-5 wih 2 doubles, Laurie Derrico was 2-3 with 3 RBI and Bailey Lange was 2-4 and had the games only home run.

Bailey went the first 5 innings allowing 1 run on 3 hits while striking out 6 and walking none. Hailey went 2 innings and allowed 1 rund on 4 hits. Erin McDonald pitch 2 scoreless, hitless ininngs with 2 stirkes outs and Caitlyn Bingham pitched a scoreless 10th inning giving up 1 hit and striking out 2.

[1972Shocker]

Sunday's game with Emporia State has been cancelled due to the rainy forecast.

https://goshockers.com/news/2018/10/5/sunday-softball-vs-emporia-state-cancelled.aspx

[1972Shocker]

The Shocks cruise to an easy 21-1 win over another over-matched fall opponent, this time Seminole State Junior College.

https://goshockers.com/news/2018/10/5/softball-shockers-continue-fall-campaign-with-20-run-win.aspx

More impressive numbers by the Shocks both offensively and in the circle although it is very difficult to evaluate such video game numbers.

[1972Shocker]

Wichita State softball wraps up its fall scrimmages with Thursday's game at Kansas (6 p.m.).

Coach Kristi Bredbenner views it as an opportunity to get solid answers about her team and grab some momentum for the spring. She will rotate pitchers, but won't substitute position players as freely as in previous scrimmages.

"We're going to play it as close to a spring game as we possibly can," she said. 'We'll look to keep our lineup a little bit set through the first five or six innings. We're going to play to win this game."

Sophomore Erin McDonald will likely start at pitcher and throw three innings. Caitlin Bingham, Bailey Lange and Hailey Martinez are also scheduled to throw.

https://goshockers.com/news/2018/10/10/the-roundhouse-rh-three-items-to-watch-this-week.aspx

[1972Shocker]

Keep your eye on the ball!

https://twitter.com/GoShockersSB/sta...81225898074112

[1972Shocker]

The Lady Shocks finished off their their fall season with a very tidy 7-0, 10 inning shutout win over the Kansas Jayhawks.

Bailey Lange led the offensive attack with a 3-for-4 night at the plate that included a home run, a double and three RBI. Madison Perrigan also went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Laurie Derrico collected a pair of hits, including a home run and two RBI.

Sophomore Erin McDonald got the start in the circle and allowed no runs on just two hits in 4.0 innings of work, while striking out two. Fellow Soph Caitlin Bingham threw the next 4.0 innings, allowing a single hit, before giving way to Lange to pitch the final 2.0 innings. The trio allowed only 4 hits.

I have no idea what KU has but always good to beat the Jayhawks and a nice way to cap off the fall even if it doesn't count.

https://goshockers.com/news/2018/10/...win-at-ku.aspx

[flyingMoose]

I think KU is down quite a bit. Their previous head coach took the job at Marshall over the summer. (She had been at KU eight years or so - husband died of a rare kidney cancer a couple of years after arriving in Lawrence - sad story.) The new head coach was an assistant at Texas.

I think it says something that Erin got the start and did well. Even though her speed is visibly slower than Bailey, apparently her ball movement is quite good. My less-than-glowing impression of her outing versus Okie State demonstrates the danger of evaluating based on a sample of one.

[1972Shocker]

RH: Podcast with Softball Assistant Elizabeth Economon

https://goshockers.com/news/2018/10/...-economon.aspx

Listen to Podcast

Pretty good review of the fall. Plus a vote for Bardo's in Frontenac for the best fried chicken in the Pittsburg area.

Seems pretty impressed with Erin McDonald both in the circle and as a good fit from a team chemistry standpoint.

At this point sounds like Bailey, Caitlyn and Erin will form primary roatation with Haleigh and Mckenzie filling in here and there for short stints to throw a chance of pace at opponents.

Thought this fall's schedule was quite a bit better than last year.

Wilkins stadium will play bigger this year as the new fence is taller and was moved back a bit. Home runs will probably be down a little but doubles and triples should be up.