Shocker SB at OU Spring Festival

[flyingMoose]

The Shockers are in Norman this weekend at you would have to call a "festival" I suppose - they and Indiana and Oklahoma are the only teams there. It seems a stretch to call that a tournament.

They open with Indiana on Friday. The Hoosiers are 9-10 against what appears to be average-plus competition. One of their losses was to Bradley, 3-2.

On Saturday, they play Indiana again as well as Oklahoma, a participant in last year's WCWS. The Sooners have a record of 15-3 this year and are ranked 8/9. They have wins over Iowa, 6-3 and 4-2, and Boise State, 9-0(5), among Shocker opponents. Their losses are to Georgia Tech, Stanford and Georgia - no slouches in that group. Their ace is Keilani Ricketts, younger sister of Shocker Assistant Coach, Samantha Ricketts.

The Shockers close the weekend with a second game against Oklahoma on Sunday.

[WSU2011Parent]

Schedule change: http://bit.ly/xl5sov

[SBFan]

The Sunday game against OU has been rescheduled to this afternoon. Shoxs will play at 1:30 and 4:00 today. So far, the schedule for Saturday remains the same. They are expecting rain in Norman on Saturday.

[flyingMoose]

GT for the 130pm game against Indiana.

Katie is in the circle for this one.

[1972Shocker]

Looks like GameTracker is available on the OU site:

http://www.soonersports.com/sports/w-softbl/sched/okla-w-softbl-sched.html

[flyingMoose]

Brittney is back in the lineup in RF. Some infield positions have been shuffled: Hayley at 3B, Sammie at SS and Erin at 1B.

Katie gives up five hits, a walk and four runs. Sloan is on to start the bottom of the second.

[1972Shocker]

Shocks were in a positon (runners on 1st & 2nd with 2 outs) to get out of the first in a scoreless tie but the 3rd out proved elusive as Indiana plated 4 runs on a single, double and single.

[flyingMoose]

Sloan gets three pop-ups in the second, shades of last year when she was all-world at inducing pop flies.

Shockers 0-4 Indiana, after two complete.

[1972Shocker]

Sloan gets three pop-ups in the second, shades of last year when she was all-world at inducing pop flies.

The 1st 2 outs of the 3rd were fly balls to the outfield. Is Sloan just a fly ball pitcher or is she just staying up in the strike zone too much considering she has given up 18 home runs so far this year.

[flyingMoose]

The 1st 2 outs of the 3rd were fly balls to the outfield. Is Sloan just a fly ball pitcher or is she just staying up in the strike zone too much considering she has given up 18 home runs so far this year.

I don't know. My recollection is that many of her pop flies from last year where from batters swinging late - a lot of them to second and right field. Of course, they were swinging late because she had messed with their timing with her change-speeds approach to pitching.

On the general subject of this year's pitching: Both she and Katie have ERAs higher than last year - Katie from 3.75 to 5.73 and Sloan from 4.44 to 6.06 - and they were plenty high to begin with. Are they and Coach Sheeley still adjusting to each other (since the coach calls the pitches - at least she did in the fall)? Are some of the changes/teaching that Coach Shelley put in place still a work-in-progress? Is the competition better than last year? (I think this is probably true.)

[flyingMoose]

Indiana scores seven more in the fourth, at least four of those unearned after Brittney dropped a ball to right.

Shockers 0-11 Indiana, after four complete.

[flyingMoose]

Shockers 0-11(5) Indiana

Brittney gets a single in the fifth, but the Shockers can do no more. Brittney also had double in the third along with Layne's single, those being the Shocker's three hits.

Katie gives up five hits and a walk to her nine batters-faced. Sloan gives up seven hits and three walks to her twenty BF.

[flyingMoose]

GT for the game against Oklahoma.

[1972Shocker]

I don't know. My recollection is that many of her pop flies from last year where from batters swinging late - a lot of them to second and right field. Of course, they were swinging late because she had messed with their timing with her change-speeds approach to pitching.

On the general subject of this year's pitching: Both she and Katie have ERAs higher than last year - Katie from 3.75 to 5.73 and Sloan from 4.44 to 6.06 - and they were plenty high to begin with. Are they and Coach Sheeley still adjusting to each other (since the coach calls the pitches - at least she did in the fall)? Are some of the changes/teaching that Coach Shelley put in place still a work-in-progress? Is the competition better than last year? (I think this is probably true.)

Hard to say. I was struck, especially in Indiana's 7-run 4th how often Sloan jumped ahead in the count 0-2 or 1-2 and was unable to put the hitters away. Too much nibbling or pitch selection or simply lack of stuff is hard to say.

I also noted that of the Shocks 15 outs 12 were ground outs and 3 were strikeouts.

Unfortunately, right now the Shocks do not appear to be particular effective or efficient in any phase of the game. They will just have keep sawing wood and fight and scrap for all they are worth this year.

[flyingMoose]

I also noted that of the Shocks 15 outs 12 were ground outs and 3 were strikeouts.

Well, there is at least one pitcher on the planet that can keep the ball down and in the zone.