AnthemForOne
Joined: 2/07/05 Posts: 2,586
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Posted Sun, May 29 5:16 am
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In response to OT: Softball WCWS Bound and Baseball to Regional (Woochifer)
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While there would be an appeal to having the #3 Hokies bounced by the #14 Gators, the prospect of having ZERO teams from the SEC make it to the WCWS when the NCAA -- with no influence, I'm sure, from the tournament's host network, ESPN -- put 12 of 13 SEC teams into the postseason is just too delicious to ignore. Also, ASU winning their rubber match today v. Northwestern to deliver a WCWS field that's 50% Pac-12 teams would be spectacular.
"The only thing I know is that I know nothing."
~Socrates
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cnet
Joined: 8/07/14 Posts: 9,697
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Posted Sun, May 29 2:35 pm
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In response to OT: Softball WCWS Bound and Baseball to Regional (Woochifer)
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SEC gets only 1 team in.
PAC-12 gets 5 in playoffs and may have 4 of the 8 in the WCWS if ASU wins tonight. And could have had 5 but Oregon State had to play Stanford in the Super Regionals.
The world is back to normal. |
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Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,123
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Posted Mon, May 30 10:24 am
(Edited Mon, May 30 10:26 am)
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In response to OT: Softball WCWS Bound and Baseball to Regional (Woochifer)
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Auburn was seeded #14 and they're the host. But, this looks like a very evenly matched regional. The Bruins get Florida State in the opening game on Friday.
The Pac-12 tournament decimated an already precariously thin Bruin pitching staff and they'll have to recover fast. In the slug fest elimination doubleheader against Oregon State on Saturday, the Bruins exhausted even their emergency pitchers (e.g., infielder Jake Moberg making his collegiate pitching debut) and had to resort to reinserting Kelly Austin, who had thrown 58 pitches the night before.
But, the young Bruin lineup grew up overnight and showed great fight in both elimination games. In the first game, UCLA won a crazy 25-22 game by scoring 9 runs in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into extra innings, and hitting a walkoff home run after OSU had retaken the lead in the top of the 10th. In the 2nd game, they came back from a 5-0 deficit to lead 7-6 going into the bottom of the 9th. They lost the game on an error on a routine popup and an exhausted pitcher, but they proved that they could respond in pressure situations. And that could give them a huge confidence boost heading into the regionals.
De facto ace Max Rajcic is expected back for the regional, and if UCLA can avoid the elimination bracket, they have enough pitching to win the regional. If they drop the opening game, they'll need to play 5 games to win the regional. I don't see that happening.
First pitch will be at 9am PT on Friday. TV on ESPN2. |
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Woochifer
Joined: 12/15/11 Posts: 9,123
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Posted Mon, May 30 10:50 pm
(Edited Mon, May 30 10:54 pm)
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In response to OT: Softball WCWS Bound and Baseball to Regional (Woochifer)
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Like the baseball team on Friday, the Bruin softball team will get the early game to open the Women's College World Series. They'll play Texas and long-time nemesis head coach (former Oregon HC and still all-around a-hole) Mike White.
The Longhorns had a slow start to the season, but have had a good late run through the Big XII schedule that includes a win over #1 Oklahoma -- one of only 2 losses for the Sooners this season. Texas also survived elimination games in both the Regional and Super Regional rounds against #13 Washington and #4 Arkansas.
They have a heavy hitting lineup, but they're not the murderer's row lineup that's typical of Mike White teams. Also, they don't have any pitching aces on the level of what White had at Oregon. Recall that White poached former national prep POTY and Pac-12 freshman of the year Miranda Elish (along with several other Duck players) when he left Oregon, but Elish opted out of the 2021 season and never returned. Instead, she transferred to conference rival Oklahoma State, who swept the Longhorns late in the season.
Mike White also poached former Bruin catcher Colleen Sullivan when he took the Texas job. But, like Elish, Sully is no longer on the Texas roster either. She was on the Texas roster last year, but didn't play in any games. I don't see her on any other rosters either. Seems that she's out of softball altogether.
UCLA beat Texas earlier in the season 2-1. The Bruins are playing their best ball right now, but Texas looks like a tough team to put down. Dropping them into the elimination bracket though would be doing the world a favor.
The winner has a date with the Oklahoma-Northwestern winner on Friday. |
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