The guys aren't the only ones swinging bats in the spring. You can follow the squad throughout the season and even get the latest on recruiting.

Moderators: jcmanson, Sly Fox, BuryYourDuke

By ballcoach15
Registration Days Posts
#491332
The 2016 Roster has been posted on Softball website. I would post the link here, but I am not smart enough to execute that computer maneuver.
Roster includes 12 Freshman and 1 transfer, among the 25 players.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#491337
ballcoach15 wrote:The 2016 Roster has been posted on Softball website. I would post the link here, but I am not smart enough to execute that computer maneuver.
Roster includes 12 Freshman and 1 transfer, among the 25 players.
Here is the roster:

http://www.liberty.edu/flames/index.cfm ... 1&TeamID=2

The bottom line is, 25 is a totally unmanagible number of players. It doesn´t even allow for 1/2 scholarship per player if the 12 scholarship equivilant were equally distributed, and I can assure you that at least a few of this years recruits were promised full rides. Add to that the fact that (as was articulately pointed out in another thread) there simply is not enought practice time under NCAA rules for that number of athletes to get the reps they need to stay sharp and improve their skills, and by this Spring I expect to see a minimum of 5 to 6 players dropped from that list. Hopefully enough will choose to transfer as Abby Tincher already has. Otherwise, unfortunately, some will have to be dropped.
By ballcoach15
Registration Days Posts
#491340
I see some on there who will not see much playing time in my opinion. But every D1 team has those.
I see Zavodny, Kotchey, Taylor and Loveridge starting along with 4 freshman. Pitching staff should be strong with the addition of the freshman pitchers.

I cannot wait til season starts. I plan to be in Florida come February.
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#491341
ballcoach15 wrote:I see some on there who will not see much playing time in my opinion. But every D1 team has those.
I see Zavodny, Kotchey, Taylor and Loveridge starting along with 4 freshman. Pitching staff should be strong with the addition of the freshman pitchers.

I cannot wait til season starts. I plan to be in Florida come February.
This goes way beyond having a few girls who won´t play a lot. We had players last year who didn´t see very much game action with only 17 on the roster. Softball is not a game where you need a lot of depth. More than one team has gone an entire season using basically one pitcher. If you have 2 really outstanding pitchers, there is really no need to pitch number 3 if there is a significant dropoff, and with the possible exception of catcher, playing the field is really not very taxing physically, so you only need reserves for pinch hitting/running or to step up if there is an injury.
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By Eighty
Registration Days Posts
#491348
ballcoach15 wrote: Roster includes 12 Freshman and 1 transfer, among the 25 players.
More Freshman than sophmores, Juniors, and Seniors. That should make for an interesting locker room.

5 Pitchers, 4 Catchers, 5 SS, 4 1B, 4 3B, and 5 UTL.... good luck trying to get a decent infield practice in within the legal time limits of the NCAA... and include live hitting for 20 position players.

The transfer was a recent add... so, it wasn't like they thought.. maybe we recruited too many. Instead, they added one more to the mix. Come spring, I think the coaches will be spending as much time dealing with the drama of kids not traveling and playing than they will be actually coaching to make the team better. That's 16 kids not playing... :shock:
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By BJWilliams
Registration Days Posts
#491353
Kazdyn Cooper is a local product from up the road in Amherst County. I remember her from the Lady Lancers basketball team when I did some of their games. I guess she wanted to play closer to home...who knows
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#491377
BJWilliams wrote:Kazdyn Cooper is a local product from up the road in Amherst County. I remember her from the Lady Lancers basketball team when I did some of their games. I guess she wanted to play closer to home...who knows

She batted .256 for Division 3 Maryville College last year. Pretty safe bet she will be a walkon. That only leaves 24 to divide the 12 schollies amongst. :roll:
By Dalegarz1
Posts
#501318
I heard from a great source that 6 of the current freshmen are "world series" caliber along with 3 more coming in next year.
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By Sly Fox
Registration Days Posts
#501321
This is the year Coach Dot has been building towards. We just need pitching to step up.
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By flameshaw
Registration Days Posts
#501391
Yes, I spoke to coach Dot at one of the early football games this year. She said she had the #1 recruit in the country coming in and a set of twins from CA, that are legit. I am not clear on whether they are here now, or will enroll for the 2016-17 school year. In any event, we are certainly headed in the right direction for WSB.
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By Eighty
Registration Days Posts
#501534
Dalegarz1 wrote:She also told me that they have 2 good ones coming in the circle!
In 2017 they have an INF, C (4 catchers on the roster :dontgetit ) and 3 OF coming into the program. 0 pitchers coming in 2017, which means the freshman that are there today better be really good or it's going to be a long 2017.

They will do well to repeat the number of wins they had last season due to the schedule in the first 15-18 games. You have to appreciate the coaches optimism though...
By ballcoach15
Registration Days Posts
#501615
I will be very disappointed if we do not exceed last years win total,.........and by a sizable margin.
By Dalegarz1
Posts
#501630
I agree with you ballcoach15! Included in our wins will be a couple of upsets from our southern swing!
By olldflame
Registration Days Posts
#501638
You have 2 things going on here. We have upgraded both our roster and our schedule. In this case, our roster upgrades come in the form of 18 year old Freshmen, however talented they may be, while our higher level opponents are established programs who have been recruiting at a similar level for years and have players with both talent AND experience/maturity. It will be a tough challenge for a very young group.
By Dalegarz1
Posts
#501644
While we will be young, the amount of softball that these 18 year olds have under their belt is impressive. The ASA and other tournaments expose them to high quality competition and the experience of playing under pressure. I"m not saying we are one of the elite programs (yet) but look out-we will surprise someone.
By ballcoach15
Registration Days Posts
#501648
We are no Alabama, but I believe the Crimson Tide rode a freshman pitcher to the WCWS last season.

Key for LU is cut down on errors and base on balls. Last year we made too many errors and walked too many hitters.
By Dalegarz1
Posts
#501651
Indeed, it was frustrating at times watching the pitchers nibble too much and not go after the hitters. It also makes it tough on your fielders when there are a lot of walks and deep counts. Consequently, it's not surprising to see the correlation between errors and walks.
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