Yes Please! The unending drama over in the football department the last 60 days has left me exhausted.....can we just jump right into softball please??!! Like tomorrow??!!!
So excited for the season to get underway....hoping it will be a very fun year!!
I am excited that the softball season is a handful of days away.
I seems that pitching is always the problem when your ace graduates. Being a great pitcher at the elite college level is easier said that done. If my memory is right, it took a couple of years after Keilani left before Paige Parker was able to get us back to an elite level. I think we should be strong out of the gate with May. As the season progresses, hopefully Bahl joins the likes of Keilani/Paige Parker as a 4 year starter. With strong schedule that we have, I think we will know after a few weeks how the season will go.
I am excited and ready to figure out what hotel to stay at in OKC
With all the hitters returning from last year's dominate offensive team there's little doubt pitching is the question mark. However, Patty seems ecstatic about her pitchers in her interviews. I understand coach speak optimism, but Patty has always been very candid about her team. Her praise for this pitching staff seems genuine and has me very excited for this season.
Certainly, there are unanswered questions about our pitching staff. However, by all accounts (including performance in a few exhibition games) the pitching staff at the start of the season is more steady and predictable than it was at this point last year.
G, Saile and May compared to Jordie, Hope and Nicole?
We had an unproven freshman (May) that was going to have to throw meaningful innings early - it is somewhat the same with Jordie this year, though I would argue there is less pressure on Bahl to throw a lot of innings than there was on May last year. And I think many of us believe Bahl is better (and maybe a lot better) than May.
Last year we had a true superstar (G Juarez), but she was coming off major arm surgery and was on a “pitch count”for much of the season. No one knew she was going to return to form, and she really wasn’t GREAT until the World Series. This year we have Hope - no doubts about health and ability to give a bunch of innings. Probably not as high a ceiling as a healthy G had, but she’s going to eat a bunch of innings and I expect her to be very good, if not great, standing in front of the Sooners offense. And I’m not sure Hope can’t be a superstar with the better coaching than she had in N Texas.
Finally, May becomes the 2022 comparison to the 2021 Saile. I like May’s chances to be better.
Gameweek is here! Only a few more days until first pitch. I have been wrestling in my mind about who gets the first pitch this year. Would like to see Bahl get some innings early on but May and Trautwein had outstanding fall ball outings as well.
My thinking is May will probably throw the first pitch. She's the returning veteran from last year's team. But the other two will get an inning or two also....run rule game? May not be very many innings to go around.....
Anyone else have First Pitch thoughts??
May is our current top pitcher, so yes, I would be quite surprised if she didn't start the season for us. Trautwein as a softball veteran oughta be next, IMO. I sort of expect Boone to be a mainstay in the outfield. Looking forward to seeing how all our rookies fare.
What's the deal on the extra color(blue) between posts?
TropicalSooner wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 10:27 am
Gameweek is here! Only a few more days until first pitch. I have been wrestling in my mind about who gets the first pitch this year. Would like to see Bahl get some innings early on but May and Trautwein had outstanding fall ball outings as well.
My thinking is May will probably throw the first pitch. She's the returning veteran from last year's team. But the other two will get an inning or two also....run rule game? May not be very many innings to go around.....
Anyone else have First Pitch thoughts??
I believe you hit the nail on the head, TS. I can think of zero reasons Patty would not go with her one returning starter (May) on opening day (of course, Patty could prove us both wrong).
From watching our three potential starters pitch in the fall games, I have little reason to believe that we won't be just as good – maybe better – than we were last season. Bahl may provide the only question mark, since she's never performed on this level. But there's no denying the kid's talent and potential…
…and then there's that offense! Where does Patty get those wonderful toys???
The blue is present between so many of the posts I've seen so far. Strikes me as political, since blue is not one of OU's colors. Why doesn't who's responsible for it put it up to a vote of registered posters?