(05-31-2016 09:19 AM)brock20 Wrote:  So who wants to give an update on team sports for this past season?

I lucked out and found the spreadsheet I used to throw everything together, so I just rolled the sample period over to include this year.


Same as last year, all records reflect competition against Division I opponents only.


Fall Sports

Football
Carl Torbush (1st season)
Record Under Torbush: 0-7
Record During Sample: 0-7
Championships During Sample: 0
Championships Under Torbush: 0
Postseason Appearances During Sample: 0
Postseason Wins During Sample: 0

While there were arguably a couple of non-Division I wins that ETSU left on the table this year against Maryville and Emory & Henry, I don't think anyone was terribly surprised by the lack of wins over D1 competition. The lopsided scores don't necessarily reflect the way the team played each week but offer a lot of learning experiences for a team comprised almost entirely of freshmen and redshirt freshmen.

The Verdict: Next year likely won't be a whole lot better as they pick up a SoCon schedule, but I would expect a more competitive team in 2017. Job Security: A

Men's Soccer
Bo Oshoniyi (2nd Season)
Record Under Oshoniyi: 15-17-5 (.473)/7-10-3 (.425)
Record During Sample: 60-52-18 (.531)/30-26-7 (.532) (Includes 4 seasons under Scott Calabrese, 45-35-13/23-16-4)
Championships During Sample: 2 (2010, 2013)
Championships Under Oshoniyi: 0
Postseason Appearances During Sample: 2 (2010 NCAAs, 2013 NCAAs)
Postseason Wins During Sample: 0

Oshoniyi's team took a firm step forward after a rebuilding year last year, making the program's fourth appearance in the conference title game in the sample period (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015) and scoring a win over #15 Kentucky at Summers-Taylor. A lot of this year's team is back for 2016, including the bulk of a promising defense and leading scorer Fletcher Ekern out of Farragut.

The Verdict: Oshoniyi has given reason to expect another step forward in the fall and has the program on the right track. Job Security: B+

Women's Soccer
Adam Sayers (5th Season)
Record Under Sayers: 54-35-4 (.602)/26-16-3 (.611)
Record During Sample: 60-41-7 (.588)/30-21-4 (.582) (Includes 1 season under Heather Henson, 6-6-3/4-5-1)
Championships During Sample: 1 (2011 Regular Season)
Championships Under Sayers: 1 (2011 Regular Season)
Postseason Appearances During Sample: 0
Postseason Wins During Sample: 0

Sayers made a splash his first year with a share of the A-Sun regular season title and has produced competitive teams on a consistent basis. He recruits well, pulling players from lots of European youth systems and turning them into national team regulars; Sarah Zadrazil, who wrapped up her ETSU career last fall as the best player in the program's history by far, has been in the rotation for her native Austria since she was a sophomore. Still, Sayers' teams haven't gotten over the hump, flaming out early in the conference tournament every year, this time in the quarterfinals.

The Verdict: Pressure will begin to mount if his teams continue to falter in the home stretch, but I don't see that pressure coming this year or even next year. Job Security: A-

Volleyball
Lindsey Devine (13th Season)
Record Under Devine: 204-179 (.533)
Record During Sample: 122-75 (.619)/61-30 (.670)
Championships During Sample: 1 (2012)
Championships Under Devine: 2 (2006 Regular Season, 2012 Tournament)
Postseason Appearances During Sample: 1 (2012 NCAAs)
Postseason Wins During Sample: 0

After starting the year 14-5, it looked like this could be another big year for volleyball, but the team took a nosedive in mid-October, including a stretch where they lost 3 of 4 at home in SoCon play and eventually bowed out to Chattanooga in the semifinals. Khadijah Wiley, the last core player from ETSU's run to the A-Sun title in 2012, was the team's best overall player and anchored a very stout defense, but the team lacked a stand-out player to lead the offense the way Megan Devine did.

The Verdict: So long as ETSU remains competitive, Devine is in no danger, but more consistent conference results wouldn't hurt. Job Security: B

Winter Sports

Men's Basketball
Steve Forbes (1st Season)
Record Under Forbes: 22-12 (.647)/14-4 (.778)
Record During Sample: 102-90 (.531)/68-45 (.602) (Includes 5 seasons under Murry Bartow, 80-78/54-41)
Championships During Sample: 0
Championships Under Forbes: 0
Postseason Appearances During Sample: 3 (2011 CIT, 2014 CIT, 2016 Vegas 16)
Postseason Wins During Sample: 4 (2011 x2, 2014 x1, 2016 x1)

The results in Forbes' first year are as good as anyone could have hoped for. He is bringing his JuCo connections to bear to bring in veteran players and make ETSU immediately competitive again. His charisma and enthusiasm are a breath of fresh air and, I think, are helping sell the program to the community.

The Verdict: If he keeps ETSU in the championship mix every year, he's here as long as he wants to be. Job Security: A

Women's Basketball
Brittney Ezell (3rd Season)
Record Under Ezell: 43-47 (.478)/24-22 (.522)
Record During Sample: 78-99 (.441)/52-50 (.510) (Includes 3 seasons under Karen Kemp, 35-52/28-28)
Championships During Sample: 0
Championships Under Ezell: 0
Postseason Appearances During Sample: 0
Postseason Wins During Sample: 0

I'm not surprised women's hoops took a step back this year after turning over the entire front court last year. Tarter and Bridges were virtually the only offense the team had this year, combining for 53% of ETSU's offense. Considering they're both lousy shooters, it's easy to see why ETSU didn't live up to last year's team.

The Verdict: Ezell's teams have been so Jekyll-and-Hyde from year to year that it's difficult to get a feel on where she is, but I'm inclined to hold out hope that the 2015 team is what she will produce in the coming years. We'll probably have a better idea this year. Job Security: A-


Spring Sports (everybody buckle up)

Baseball
Coach: Tony Skole (17th season)
Record Under Skole: 441-509 (.464)/212-268 (.442)
Record During Sample: 170-172 (.497)/75-81 (.481)
Championships During Sample: 1 (2013)
Championships Under Skole: 1 (2013)
Postseason Appearances During Sample: 1 (2013)
Postseason Wins During Sample: 0

This team drives me nuts. They manage to finish 27-30 despite having one of the best offensive seasons, as a unit, that ETSU has ever had. Don't believe me? This year, the Bucs ranked:

23rd in batting average
17th in runs per game
7th in home runs per game
8th in slugging percentage
49th in on-base percentage

Those are all pretty good, but they're mitigated by a pitching staff that ranks 285th out of 300 teams in ERA, which was also DFL in the SoCon. The loss to Samford in the loser's bracket in Greenville last week - where ETSU squandered an 11-4 lead at the 7th inning stretch and lost in extra innings - was the last straw for me.

The Verdict: It's time. If Skole can't put a winner together consistently - and he has demonstrated that he cannot - he needs to be shown the door. Job Security: D

Softball
Coach: Brad Irwin (6th season)
Record Under Irwin: 93-191 (.327)/24-100 (.194)
Record During Sample: 93-191 (.327)/24-100 (.194)
Championships During Sample: 0
Championships Under Irwin: 0
Postseason Appearances During Sample: 0
Postseason Wins During Sample: 0

ETSU isn't all that concerned with competing in softball, considering Irwin survived a 3-year stretch where he won just 5 conference games total. After a run that would get many, dare I say most coaches fired, he managed to hand in ETSU's best season since 2009 this year; hell, were it not for six games lost to weather in the middle of April, it could've been the first winning season for the program since '03. 20-22 isn't great, but it's better than what he has done in the past and what ETSU has generally done in softball.

The Verdict: This year was a step forward. If they take another one next year, maybe Irwin sticks around. I'm still not sold on him, though. Job Security: D+