Not our best effort but come from behind to sweep mtsu 2-1. Now 20-4 and looking ahead to our matchup with North Texas. Possibly the two best teams in cusa this year. NT has played the stronger schedule. We'll find out if WKU can compete with them.[/i]

Didn't mean to overlook Marshall. Maybe a three team race. ?

North Texas is back to their winning ways after a terrible defeat yesterday. Today North Texas hit 6 home runs.

Final

North Texas 11
UTSA 3

UAB beat Furman to close out the UAB Tournament. We’re now 15-11 on the year. 4 wins away from last year’s win total before we’ve even played our first CUSA game. We play Bryant mid-week, then travel to El Paso this weekend.

(03-08-2020 02:52 PM)69topper Wrote:  Didn't mean to overlook Marshall. Maybe a three team race. ?

Marshall is used to being overlooked. Only had an NCAA at-large appearance two years ago and a CUSA Tournament runner-up finish last season.

That was sandwiched around a coaching hire that just didn’t work in 2018, which wasted what could have been another league contending year.

The rebuilding theme at Charlotte continues across all sports. We let our softball coach of 25 years go after the season last year, and brought in a coach that played and coached in the SEC. Last year we finished 15-35, and this year we are already 13-13. We are not going to compete for anything, but in 26 games we have played one Junior, and the rest Freshmen and Sophomores. We opened softball's new indoor practice facility this year which should help with recruiting and performance. Hopefully we will see you guys in the top half of the conference soon.

(03-09-2020 05:35 AM)ThunderingHerdFan Wrote:  

(03-08-2020 02:52 PM)69topper Wrote:  Didn't mean to overlook Marshall. Maybe a three team race. ?

Marshall is used to being overlooked. Only had an NCAA at-large appearance two years ago and a CUSA Tournament runner-up finish last season.

That was sandwiched around a coaching hire that just didn’t work in 2018, which wasted what could have been another league contending year.

Jennifer Steele was a disaster and never connected with the Marshall or Huntington communities. I understand she took over for a great coach in Shonda Stanton but she never got out and told the people what her vision was. She took a 42-13 team with 95% of the roster back, minus our Ace pitcher in Jordan Dixon and went 24-29-1. I really felt bad for D'Orazio, McCord, Tribolet, Marshall and Colliflower our seniors that year. They def. deserved to go out better than that.

Lucky for us Steele either decided not to come back or Mike Hamrick told her she would not be retained and she inconspicuously was gone after one season. She is now the University of Delaware's problem as they hired her to be the head coach.

Enter Megan Smith who replaced Steele. Smith was hired at Marshall in July 2018, Smith when hired was the softball head coach at Kansas for the previous 9 season, she had 7 30 win seasons and 5 NCAAs.

In Smith's first season all she done was tie the Marshall season win record at 42, break the season homerun record with 51 homeruns, previous record was set in 2008 with 38. That record will be broken again this year as Marshall after 24 games is setting on 45 homeruns.

I expect a decent season this year but have no real expectations as Marshall is pitching by committee and really doesn't have a true Ace. Hopefully either freshman Ashley Blessin (HS Career ERA 0.41) or Delaney Heaberlin (HS Career ERA 0.62) can show this year they can become an Ace. Blessin is 9-1 this year.

The whole line up is a threat to go deep but especially Mya Stevenson, Aly Harrell, Sierra Huerta, Saige Pye, Haleigh Christopher, Rachel Rousseau and Katie Adams. Those 7 account for 42 of the 45 homeruns this season.

If we had better pitching we would be loaded big time. But in softball, pitching is everything when it comes to playing for the post season.

(03-09-2020 12:20 PM)SVHerd Wrote:  If we had better pitching we would be loaded big time. But in softball, pitching is everything when it comes to playing for the post season.

I think the pitching will get better/more consistent as the season goes along. The pitching coach did a spectacular job last year.

And speaking of last year, Tolbert’s value is showing brightly right now in the circle. She didn’t have a big-time pitching pedigree but she clearly worked very hard and was pretty darn good last year.

The staff this year just needs more experience. If they get locked in, the team will compete for the league. If not, the team will still be dangerous in the C-USA Tournament.

(03-09-2020 12:20 PM)SVHerd Wrote:  If we had better pitching we would be loaded big time. But in softball, pitching is everything when it comes to playing for the post season.

Laney Jones is decent but I expect either Blessin or Heaberlin to be an Ace next year. As of right now Blessin has an advantage over Heaberlin. But both were Ace pitchers in HS.

Also we already have 4 signed to next years class:

*Kat Sackett (Catcher - Erie HS, Erie, Colo) Was named the Colorado 4A state player of the year the last 2 years.

*Paige Halliwill (Outfielder - Mongadore HS, Mogadore, Ohio) Holds the all-time homerun, double and triple record at Mogadore HS.

*Mikaila "Kay Kay" Kenney (Utility Player - Marcus HS, Flower Mound, Texas) Makaila or Kay Kay is one of Marcus HS all round players, she looks small but carries a big punch. Played travel ball with Mya Stevenson.

*Amaya Lee (Infielder - Northgate HS, Concord, California) Has a career batting avg of .392 and 43 homeruns.

North Texas makes it into the Daily Dozen again on d1softball.com....

9. North Texas tied a program record with six home runs in an 11-3 victory over host UTSA. Tayla Evans and Katie Clark each finished with two home runs as the Mean Green won the rubber match of the Conference USA-opening series.

https://d1softball.com/daily-dozen-headl...march-8th/

Today North Texas knocked off Incarnate Word 11-4. Next up is WKU for a weekend series in Denton. WKU has the best record in C-USA, so we should have some great games ahead of us this weekend.

Marshall plays Kentucky (18-4) in Lexington on Wednesday and then hosts FIU next weekend for the 1st CUSA series.

Not trying to start a war or anything but what has happened to FIU and FAU softball. They were both decent when they entered CUSA but over the last 3-4 years they have been at or near the bottom of the pack. Did the athletic department start to take away some money it allocated softball to go to other areas, did you have bad hires or just not recruiting the right players.

(03-09-2020 08:53 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  Marshall plays Kentucky (18-4) in Lexington on Wednesday and then hosts FIU next weekend for the 1st CUSA series.

Not trying to start a war or anything but what has happened to FIU and FAU softball. They were both decent when they entered CUSA but over the last 3-4 years they have been at or near the bottom of the pack. Did the athletic department start to take away some money it allocated softball to go to other areas, did you have bad hires or just not recruiting the right players.

Both had great, great young pitchers that had them lined up to be very good for several years.

Each of those pitchers transferred.

Shannon Saile is now a senior at Oklahoma. She was second team all Big 12 last year. She was originally at FIU.

Kylee Hanson finished her career at Florida State. She was a star in the circle for FAU at the beginning of her collegiate career.

Those are the main reasons FIU and FAU fell off recently.

(03-09-2020 10:20 PM)ThunderingHerdFan Wrote:  Both had great, great young pitchers that had them lined up to be very good for several years.

Each of those pitchers transferred.

Shannon Saile is now a senior at Oklahoma. She was second team all Big 12 last year. She was originally at FIU.

Kylee Hanson finished her career at Florida State. She was a star in the circle for FAU at the beginning of her collegiate career.

Those are the main reasons FIU and FAU fell off recently.

There has to be more than just losing a pitcher. I know having an Ace is almost key in softball. If Marshall had Jordan Dixon, Andi Williamson or even Abigail Harter in the circle right now we would probably be more than a machine.

But we have gotten around by not having an Ace, we did it last year. I loved Abigail Tolbert last year, she had a great senior season but she wasn't an Ace, there were times Kailee Williamson had to come in and save her. At one point she may have become an Ace if she didn't have to set behind Jordan Dixon for 3 years.

To go from being in the top 4-5 programs to being in the bottom 4 takes more than just losing a pitcher. There has to be something else going on the public just doesn't see.

Herd up 15-4 on #UK

Kentucky takes lead, 16-15 on 3-run homer in bottom of 6th. Marshall was 1 out away from a run rule win in the 5th inning.

WKU loses at UT-Arlington 5-4 before facing NT Friday. Now 20-5.

(03-09-2020 01:22 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  

(03-09-2020 12:20 PM)SVHerd Wrote:  If we had better pitching we would be loaded big time. But in softball, pitching is everything when it comes to playing for the post season.

Laney Jones is decent but I expect either Blessin or Heaberlin to be an Ace next year. As of right now Blessin has an advantage over Heaberlin. But both were Ace pitchers in HS.

Also we already have 4 signed to next years class:

*Kat Sackett (Catcher - Erie HS, Erie, Colo) Was named the Colorado 4A state player of the year the last 2 years.

*Paige Halliwill (Outfielder - Mongadore HS, Mogadore, Ohio) Holds the all-time homerun, double and triple record at Mogadore HS.

*Mikaila "Kay Kay" Kenney (Utility Player - Marcus HS, Flower Mound, Texas) Makaila or Kay Kay is one of Marcus HS all round players, she looks small but carries a big punch. Played travel ball with Mya Stevenson.

*Amaya Lee (Infielder - Northgate HS, Concord, California) Has a career batting avg of .392 and 43 homeruns.

Marshall adds in state pitcher Brianna McCown to the 20-21 recruiting class. Marshall still has 2 verbals that haven't signed yet.

clt says marshal is the most logical cusa softball flagship