1) Looks like JMU has a lot of freshman coming in. Obviously they should all be solid recruits for this program. Any highly touted recruits we should be excited about?

2) Anyone know the results of our fall games? Results don't seem to be posted anywhere.

3) Just noticed today Loren received a 4 year extension (it was probably already posted on here) - well deserved!

A close friend of mine coached Loren when she played travel softball here in the Richmond area.

Bump

(10-28-2019 04:44 PM)Dukester Wrote:  1) Looks like JMU has a lot of freshman coming in. Obviously they should all be solid recruits for this program. Any highly touted recruits we should be excited about?

2) Anyone know the results of our fall games? Results don't seem to be posted anywhere.

3) Just noticed today Loren received a 4 year extension (it was probably already posted on here) - well deserved!

I saw a few of the fall games. A couple of the players stood out. There was a Freshman from Rhode Island. I think last name is Antonelli. She hit one out and seems like a player. Also a dynamite catcher from Chesapeake, last name Phillips. She played pretty much the entire time of both games I saw. She was real good behind the plate and hit well. Not sure of the others.

(11-05-2019 09:33 AM)PurpleVA Wrote:  

(10-28-2019 04:44 PM)Dukester Wrote:  1) Looks like JMU has a lot of freshman coming in. Obviously they should all be solid recruits for this program. Any highly touted recruits we should be excited about?

2) Anyone know the results of our fall games? Results don't seem to be posted anywhere.

3) Just noticed today Loren received a 4 year extension (it was probably already posted on here) - well deserved!

I saw a few of the fall games. A couple of the players stood out. There was a Freshman from Rhode Island. I think last name is Antonelli. She hit one out and seems like a player. Also a dynamite catcher from Chesapeake, last name Phillips. She played pretty much the entire time of both games I saw. She was real good behind the plate and hit well. Not sure of the others.

Who were the starting pitchers in the games you watched and how well did they do?

(11-05-2019 10:43 AM)Dukester Wrote:  

(11-05-2019 09:33 AM)PurpleVA Wrote:  

(10-28-2019 04:44 PM)Dukester Wrote:  1) Looks like JMU has a lot of freshman coming in. Obviously they should all be solid recruits for this program. Any highly touted recruits we should be excited about?

2) Anyone know the results of our fall games? Results don't seem to be posted anywhere.

3) Just noticed today Loren received a 4 year extension (it was probably already posted on here) - well deserved!

I saw a few of the fall games. A couple of the players stood out. There was a Freshman from Rhode Island. I think last name is Antonelli. She hit one out and seems like a player. Also a dynamite catcher from Chesapeake, last name Phillips. She played pretty much the entire time of both games I saw. She was real good behind the plate and hit well. Not sure of the others.

Who were the starting pitchers in the games you watched and how well did they do?

Alexander started one of the games I saw and was pretty lights out. The only other pitchers I saw was a transfer from Bethune Cookman. She was pretty good. I saw her pitch a few different times and she improved each time. There was one other pitcher that was not quite on the same level but may be good for a change of pace. Her last name was Kelly.
Alexander will definitely be taking the main load, but I feel the Cookman transfer would be great for conference games. I hope they bring in some pitching next year.

In other softball news, looks like the Dukes picked up 4 NLIs in the 2019 Fall Class:

Isabella Smith, P, Raleigh, NC
Hannah Hennessy, OF, Warwick, NY
Meredith Wells, P, Daleville, VA
Kylie Thress, INF, Denver, NC

Boy - has anyone seen Steeler? Now I'm worried about him This thread bate has been out for over 2 weeks, and no response from our softball Guru.

Ha, I'm not sure how I missed it. Been traveling for work, I suppose that's why.

Isabella Smith - comes from the same organization as Sandercock down at FSU, Glory Elite - Mertz. Top level organization, 8 D1 commits from that team in 2020 including VT and UVA. Hard thrower, upper 60's consistently. Not sure about her as a hitter, my experience playing Mertz was that a lot of his pitchers didn't hit.

Hennessy - can't tell much about her, but her profile has a concerning tidbit - her ball exit speed was 65 mph at 17 years old. For comparison, the top D1 players I've ever coached were all over 70 mph and touching 80 mph. Not a single senior starter that played for me last year was under 68. If it was hand-timed, it might just be wrong.

Wells - another hard thrower, 66 mph +. Surprised with her skills that her HS lost in the semis last year, Botetourt plays in a small school division but somehow she lost 4 games last year. She comes from the Hanover Hornets travel organization, we've had several great D1 players come through our HS program from this organization and what you're ALWAYS getting with those kids is someone that is battle-tested mentally and physically.

Thress - this kid is a JMU diehard, she's been all in on social media for quite some time. Comes from another strong travel organization, maybe not quite as nationally tested as Wells and Smith but very strong.

I'm a strong believer in recruiting kids that play in the national travel organizations, at least 2 of these kids are and a 3rd is barely a step down from that. Obviously we see a pitching weakness with 50% of this class a P, and what was our strong suit these past several years may be a comparable weakness. That being said, there are some other young players from last year to look out for too. Victoria Figueroa, who personally beat a team I coached twice (once on her O and once on her D) made the Puerto Rican national team and led the 19U Worlds in hitting. This kid is a hitter, and completely fearless. I wouldn't be surprised to see her deliver in some big offensive spots next year for us.