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Since the 2017 Fall Softball Schedule is out thought I would go ahead and start a thread to discuss the Shocks prospects for the 2018 spring season and provide a place to discuss the fall performances.
My early thoughts about this coming season:
The Shocks are pretty much set at Catcher (Madison Perrigan), Shortstop (Laurie Derrico), Third Base (Mackenzie Wright) and Right Field (Paige Luellen). I suppose the Second Base position is Mauriana Jamele's to lose but not sure she is a lock to do that.
That leaves First Base, Left Field, Center Field and the all-important pitching staff wide open. The incoming freshman class may have a say in who fills these positions and roles.
I look for Fr. Neleigh Herring to be in the mix to start at 1st base and fellow Frosh Bailee Nickerson and McKenzie Weber to be in the mix to fill the CF and LF spots.
The only returning pitcher the Shockers have is So. lefty Bailey Klitzke who struggled a bit last year and whose role diminished as the year progressed (and Jenni Brooks got healthier) Bailey only pitched 37.1 innings in 2017. She had a 3.94 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP. Bailey will need to step up her game and hopefully she will but that remains to be seen.
Jr. Bailey Lange, the UNI transfer and also a lefty, pitched 83.0 innings for UNI as a sophomore and 65.0 innings as a Freshman. Both years she was the #3 on they UNI staff. She had a 3.45 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP as a Freshman and a 3.80 ERA and a 1.71 ERA. I have included free passes due to both walks and hit by pitches in my WHIP number. Bailey hit 14 batters as freshman and 18 as a sophomore. She walked 72 batters and hit 32 batters in her two years at UNI. She hit the same number of batters in her 83 innings last year as the entire Shocker staff hit in 348.2 innings last year.
While Bailey and Bailey are the only pitchers we have with D-1 expereince I'm not confident they can be relied on to carry the pitching load. I think we are going to need a couple of the freshmen pitchers step up if the Shocks are going to have much success this coming season.
Based on the profiles and comments given when they were signed RHP Caitlyn Bingham and RHP Hailey Martinez are perhaps the two primary candidates. Caitlyn, from Tecumseh, OK, was described as high-powered pitcher who commited to Wichita State as a freshman in high school. HCKB said Catilyn's arm and bat can be difference maker for the Shocks. Hailey from Inver Grove Heights, MN, was described as a pitcher with a mature demeanor that will spin the ball and understands her strenghts as a pitcher and has the potential to keep batter's off balance. I suppose the hope is Caightlyn will grow into the Katie Malone role and Hailey will grow into the Jenni Brooks role. That may happen over time but to what to degree it might happen in their 1st year is hard to say.
Also Fr. Neleigh Herring, listed as a RHP/1B, and Fr. McKenzie Weber, listed as a RHP/OF, may well get some time in the circle this fall to see what they can do.
Suffice it to say the Shocks have a challenge to replace Katie Malone, Jenni Brooks, Kelli Spring, Mckenzie Adams, Ashley Johnson and Macklin Hitz. This makes this fall season a bit more intriguing than usual IMO.
It is hard to be terribly optimistic with facing a total rebuild of the pitching staff and the loss of several key offensive pieces so I am keeping my expectations at this point quite modest for this coming inaugural season in the American Conference.
My early thoughts about this coming season:
The Shocks are pretty much set at Catcher (Madison Perrigan), Shortstop (Laurie Derrico), Third Base (Mackenzie Wright) and Right Field (Paige Luellen). I suppose the Second Base position is Mauriana Jamele's to lose but not sure she is a lock to do that.
That leaves First Base, Left Field, Center Field and the all-important pitching staff wide open. The incoming freshman class may have a say in who fills these positions and roles.
I look for Fr. Neleigh Herring to be in the mix to start at 1st base and fellow Frosh Bailee Nickerson and McKenzie Weber to be in the mix to fill the CF and LF spots.
The only returning pitcher the Shockers have is So. lefty Bailey Klitzke who struggled a bit last year and whose role diminished as the year progressed (and Jenni Brooks got healthier) Bailey only pitched 37.1 innings in 2017. She had a 3.94 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP. Bailey will need to step up her game and hopefully she will but that remains to be seen.
Jr. Bailey Lange, the UNI transfer and also a lefty, pitched 83.0 innings for UNI as a sophomore and 65.0 innings as a Freshman. Both years she was the #3 on they UNI staff. She had a 3.45 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP as a Freshman and a 3.80 ERA and a 1.71 ERA. I have included free passes due to both walks and hit by pitches in my WHIP number. Bailey hit 14 batters as freshman and 18 as a sophomore. She walked 72 batters and hit 32 batters in her two years at UNI. She hit the same number of batters in her 83 innings last year as the entire Shocker staff hit in 348.2 innings last year.
While Bailey and Bailey are the only pitchers we have with D-1 expereince I'm not confident they can be relied on to carry the pitching load. I think we are going to need a couple of the freshmen pitchers step up if the Shocks are going to have much success this coming season.
Based on the profiles and comments given when they were signed RHP Caitlyn Bingham and RHP Hailey Martinez are perhaps the two primary candidates. Caitlyn, from Tecumseh, OK, was described as high-powered pitcher who commited to Wichita State as a freshman in high school. HCKB said Catilyn's arm and bat can be difference maker for the Shocks. Hailey from Inver Grove Heights, MN, was described as a pitcher with a mature demeanor that will spin the ball and understands her strenghts as a pitcher and has the potential to keep batter's off balance. I suppose the hope is Caightlyn will grow into the Katie Malone role and Hailey will grow into the Jenni Brooks role. That may happen over time but to what to degree it might happen in their 1st year is hard to say.
Also Fr. Neleigh Herring, listed as a RHP/1B, and Fr. McKenzie Weber, listed as a RHP/OF, may well get some time in the circle this fall to see what they can do.
Suffice it to say the Shocks have a challenge to replace Katie Malone, Jenni Brooks, Kelli Spring, Mckenzie Adams, Ashley Johnson and Macklin Hitz. This makes this fall season a bit more intriguing than usual IMO.
It is hard to be terribly optimistic with facing a total rebuild of the pitching staff and the loss of several key offensive pieces so I am keeping my expectations at this point quite modest for this coming inaugural season in the American Conference.
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