After a rocky start to their first tournament dropping their fist 2 contest Valpo bats come to life with a record setting win against Seton Hall and another strong performance against U-Mass Lowell. Looks like contributions from all around. Good luck in Lafayette ladies!
Quote from: vusb1 on February 09, 2014, 02:56:32 PMrecord setting win
cool! record-setting how, exactly?
By scoring 24 runs, among other things - it was a 24-1 win over Seton Hall - details at http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/news/2013-14/13365/softball-posts-record-setting-offensive-performance-in-saturday-win/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/news/2013-14/13365/softball-posts-record-setting-offensive-performance-in-saturday-win/)
wow, thanks.
hey take it easy though, valpo--St. Elizabeth is one of my and my wife's favorite saints!
Hopefully a sign of things to come. I was a little worried after the first 2 games
A real test this weekend, New schedule posted for the tournament in Lafayette. In addition to playing the host #20 Ragin Cajun they will also play #4 Michigan in a rematch of their regional game. Good luck ladies!
Good to see us testing ourselves against the best. Softball and baseball have been our more successful teams in actually beating top teams
Is our awesome lefty pitcher (Taylor) hurt? She has only pitched once in 7 games, with our team going 2-5 so far
Was with Angie Doerffler's parents tonight and was told that Taylor over slept, missed the plane and was left back in VU, she did not make the trip.
I understand the teaching lesson here, but we are now 2-6 without her, losing to teams we can beat. Is she just being left for this week?
Valpotx, first let me start by saying that we should not make excuses for unacceptable actions. Over sleeping and missing the team bus is not acceptable. The entire team, coaching staff and support personnel had the same expectation to be there on time and met it. With responsibility comes accountability and we must hold them accountable. Ms. Weissenhoffer irresponsibility hurt her team, and specifically the rest of the pitching staff that was forced to shoulder more innings this early in the season before their arms were in mid season game shape. Second, your reference to her as an awesome ace that VU can not win without disparaged (although I don't believe it was your intent) the other pitchers on the staff. This is a new year and in D1 College Athletics your place on a team has to be earned each year through performance on an off the field. Looking at the stats, in Ms. Pico's 22 innings as a starter, The offense has scored 4 runs. I believe in 3 of her 4 starts she pitched well enough to give her team an opportunity to win the game. The offense did not produce. Too many strike outs, pop ups and fly outs. Defense inconsistent at times also. I commend Ms. Pico for taking the ball, putting the team on her shoulders and doing what the coaching staff needed her to do which was give Valpo quality innings. She grew as a pitcher this weekend, mentally and physically.
There was absolutely no disparagement in my comment, as it is simply a fact that Taylor is an awesome pitcher. Though we shouldn't make excuses for unacceptable actions, it was oversleeping, not doing something illegal or majorly against team rules. Is that worthy of a 7+ game suspension? Absolutely not in my mind. We had guys do something similar when I was playing, and they would sit out 2-3 games, and I assume that a similar suspension would happen on the team if it happened with Coach Schmack. Pico is good as well most games she pitches, but a long suspension like this seems like a stretch. One question on her oversleeping btw, but why didn't ANY of her teammates make sure that she was there? In a team sport, you usually go together to places, and live near each other on campus. Honestly, I could see Coach Twenge making us run because we didn't make sure that our teammate was there...
Last years schedule was average at best. Ms Weissenhoffer is a good pitcher but no where near established with respect to skill set (mentally and physically and experience) that both the pitchers on the 2012 NCAA team. If she continues to improve perhaps that will change. We will have to agree to disagree on the penalty of missing the bus. We don't know if her team mates tried or not or what the specifics were, but I fully support the Coaches decision because one person is not bigger than the team.
They even have cell phones now, whereas 10 years ago they were very rare to have on campus, so we had to call via landline lol. Seriously, how can you not make sure that your #1 pitcher shows up on time? Does she have no friends on the team, that wanted to walk/drive to the bus together? We always had groups of 4-5 guys show up to road trips together. This just amazes me, more than our current record does, with how easy it is to reach someone with today's technology.
Quote from: Vuoldtimer on February 16, 2014, 09:01:59 PM
Last years schedule was average at best. Ms Weissenhoffer is a good pitcher but no where near established with respect to skill set (mentally and physically and experience) that both the pitchers on the 2012 NCAA team. If she continues to improve perhaps that will change. We will have to agree to disagree on the penalty of missing the bus. We don't know if her team mates tried or not or what the specifics were, but I fully support the Coaches decision because one person is not bigger than the team.
Not sure why you felt it necessary to take a shot at her ("no where near established with respect to skill set..."). Last year's schedule may have been "average", but I'm sure part of the scheduling decisions were made based on the fact that the team would be relying on freshman pitchers and a freshman catcher. Lots of unknowns. Weissenhoffer may not be "as established", but did win 21 games including the first win in a NCAA tournament ever, something the senior pitchers from the year before couldn't manage. As for the length of penalty, I think it may be as simple as that is how long the team will be away from Valpo. The coach may have said "hey, if you want to pay your own way to get here, but you missed the bus so you are on your own..." Who knows.
Tx, I know this happened a couple of times with track teammates too. If they weren't on the bus, that was their fault. The coach made bus report twenty minutes before the bus would leave, and some teammates pushed that time, even if they lived in Guild/Memorial, so a lesson will be learned. I'm thinking the 7-game suspension will be a good message to the rest of the team to make the bus earlier than intended report time, regardless of how long the bus trip is for.
There was no 7 game suspension. They played 5 games this weekend. And the pitching wasn't the problem this weekend. Both pitchers played well. Look at the box scores. Both need to limit the walks but both we impressive at times. The team played just well enough to loose. No huge run differential's. Just gave away to many outs. Next tournament won't be any easier. Hopefully they all learned to hate loosing enough this weekend. A lot of freshman on the field this weekend. Impressive at times and sloppy at times. Growing pains.
Does that mean she will be allowed on the next trip if she gets up in time? I was looking specifically at the UCA second game and Memphis game as ones where we allowed many more runs than usual.
Hope she can make the next trip. That would mean they have 3 options as starters.
We are about to be 4-14, losing big to Boise State. We are sure missing Brittany Duncan this year, while she is hitting in the 3 and 4 spots at Louisville during different games, and they are 10-6. I think that it is crap that you can transfer to another D-1 school and play right away in baseball and softball, but not in basketball. I have never heard a reason for this, does anyone know why she is able to play right away? She left because she wanted to play against top competition, it had nothing to do with academic reasons, as evidenced by her quotes on her Louisville athletic profile. I remember that when Sean Peickert transferred in from Creighton on our team, he was able to play right away too (same as Brian Wolotka from Butler).
1) We are about to be 4-14, losing big to Boise State.- Look to your coach. He is responsible not Britt.
2) We are sure missing Brittany Duncan this year, while she is hitting in the 3 and 4 spots at Louisville during different games, and they are 10-6.- Again look to your coach. And by the way The Cards are now 12 and 6.
3) I think that it is crap that you can transfer to another D-1 school and play right away in baseball and softball, but not in basketball. Thems the rules. She asked to be released, The Coach, the compliance office and the NCAA said.... OK AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW CERTAIN GUIDELINES.... which we did.
4) I have never heard a reason for this, does anyone know why she is able to play right away? - Because we followed the rules. Asked politely, diddnt muddy the waters. This is allowed as long as your compliance office approves it, It happens all the time in softball/Baseball. Go to the College softball forums and look at the transfers from one college to another in softball.
5) She left because she wanted to play against top competition, it had nothing to do with academic reasons, as evidenced by her quotes on her Louisville athletic profile.- I believe I covered this when she transferred and I also posted here as to the reasons why. She left to be closer to home, be closer to family, to be able to have that family attend games, To play in her family's home state. And yes to be able to play at a Major Level and contribute to that program.
The problem with Valpos record has nothing to do with Britt leaving Valpo Or her ability to play the next season without setting out. As far as their record........ I would suggest you look a little closer to home to find the reasons for that.
Since I played baseball at Valpo, and we had a few transfers that played right away, I am very well aware that it was all within the rules. My question was more of why baseball/softball are able to play right away upon transferring, but basketball/football players have to sit out 1 year. They also receive releases from their schools to transfer, but have to sit out? It makes absolutely no sense for the NCAA to punish kids in a few sports, but not all, for moving on to another school. The only reason I can think of would be relating to the fact that they (football/basketball) are revenue sports, while others are not. They should have the same rule for all sports, whichever way they want to take it. My comment about it being crap that she can play right away wasn't meant just about her specifically, just in general regarding baseball/softball transfers.
Instead of getting offended that I was referencing your daughter, you should take it as a compliment to her, in that I was saying that without her, we are not playing as well. Just look at our team average around .240 or so. With her hitting skills, a lot more would have happened. In no way was I saying it is her fault, it was a comment meant to say that it would be great to still have her...
Chill out boomdad. What an embarrassing post. You missed the entire point of tx's post.
Quote from: IndyValpo on March 10, 2014, 08:01:50 AMYou missed the entire point of tx's post.
noddingvigorously.gif
Tx, in terms of the difference in sports transfers, I think you answered yourself with the revenue sport vs. non-revenue sport. I agree, it isn't right that a baseball, softball, tennis, swimming, track athlete can transfer and play the next season, while a basketball and football player have to sit out, but I can only see it being the revenue issue that the NCAA focused on with this one. I'll do some research on this issue this week, maybe it is on the NCAA website somewhere?
Boomdad's response to the post re: his daughter is example of a problem I've witnessed at the handful of non-MBB road events I've attended since graduating. The parents keep to themselves and treat alums like lepers sometimes even refusing to acknowledge their presence (as a matter of fact boomdad did exactly that to me in Phoenix 2 years ago).
While at the games I sometimes feel I can't even talk about the action for fear of offending a parent. I must stress that NOT all parents are like this and I've had more than a few pleasant conversation during a game...however, too many are.
I appreciate that parents have a different perspective than alums and that their love of their children far exceeds our love of Valpo, but that is not an excuse for how some behave toward us. We are there to support Valpo's student athletes in the same way alums supported us on the field (or in my case, onstage at concerts in the Chapel/VUCA).
I know it was off topic, but that's been on my chest for a couple of years.
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Sorry to hear about your in-person experiences. When I was playing, I was always nice to any fans that showed up, and hopefully our athletes do the same nowadays. Based on his harsh response to what was essentially praise for his daughter's skill set, your comment doesn't surprise me as much. Some parents can't take any criticism of their child, that when something even has the remote possibility of being such a thing, they lash out. This has happened a few times on this board, but mainly with basketball parents (Jay Harris' dad, and Brandon Wood's dad come to mind) thus far. When my son is born in a few weeks, I am sure that I will have that same pride they do in their children, but hope to be much more tolerant of others' opinions, as long as they aren't personal attacks.
Quote from: Dave_2010 on March 10, 2014, 04:18:20 PM
Boomdad's response to the post re: his daughter is example of a problem I've witnessed at the handful of non-MBB road events I've attended since graduating. The parents keep to themselves and treat alums like lepers sometimes even refusing to acknowledge their presence (as a matter of fact boomdad did exactly that to me in Phoenix 2 years ago).
While at the games I sometimes feel I can't even talk about the action for fear of offending a parent. I must stress that NOT all parents are like this and I've had more than a few pleasant conversation during a game...however, too many are.
I appreciate that parents have a different perspective than alums and that their love of their children far exceeds our love of Valpo, but that is not an excuse for how some behave toward us. We are there to support Valpo's student athletes in the same way alums supported us on the field (or in my case, onstage at concerts in the Chapel/VUCA).
I know it was off topic, but that's been on my chest for a couple of years.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Im a little confused. As memory serves we went to a party held by the alum and I thought it was all a pretty good experience. Being a freshmans dad I had no idea how to act, except to be polite to anyone I met. I am sorry but I do not remember snubbing anyone at any time. I sat with the upper classman parents, just trying to fit in. I do not remember talking to any alum about the games. I have no idea where this came from unless it is in retaliation to me answering questions to what Tx wrote
Alot can be read or misread in t
Quote from: valpotx on March 10, 2014, 04:48:37 PM
Sorry to hear about your in-person experiences. When I was playing, I was always nice to any fans that showed up, and hopefully our athletes do the same nowadays. Based on his harsh response to what was essentially praise for his daughter's skill set, your comment doesn't surprise me as much. Some parents can't take any criticism of their child, that when something even has the remote possibility of being such a thing, they lash out. This has happened a few times on this board, but mainly with basketball parents (Jay Harris' dad, and Brandon Wood's dad come to mind) thus far. When my son is born in a few weeks, I am sure that I will have that same pride they do in their children, but hope to be much more tolerant of others' opinions, as long as they aren't personal attacks.
Alot can be read or mis read in font on a board like this. Some times its hard to tell if it is praise or a dig. I apologize if you believe it was an attack on you personally.Britts name is plastered all over the internet, she has her detractors and her supporters and I try not to be one of those parents that get overly caught up in it. My natural nature is a bit gruff and that can come across the wrong way especially in type. I have people all the time that come to me at games , talk to me and give me advice on how they think she could be improved. It happens. Everyone is a hitting instructor, everyone is a coach, Its just part of the game and being a parent of a student athlete that does well in her sport. We as a family still have friends at Valpo. Nothing Negative from me about the University or the kids there, And contrary to what the last poster said even the alums.
Good luck in the remainder of the season
Man, we are missing our hitting this year! We just lost 4-0 and 8-0 in our first 2 games in Hawaii, with only 2 hits in each game. I know that we are playing much better competition this year, but we have now been shutout 9 times!! Also Taylor is getting majorly roughed up this season, so far, with an 8.27 ERA and 12 HRs against in 31 innings pitched!!!! It looks like the pre-season first place team has a lot of improvement needed in order to reach that expectation :(
Quote from: valpotx on March 10, 2014, 01:50:29 AM
Since I played baseball at Valpo, and we had a few transfers that played right away, I am very well aware that it was all within the rules. My question was more of why baseball/softball are able to play right away upon transferring, but basketball/football players have to sit out 1 year. They also receive releases from their schools to transfer, but have to sit out? It makes absolutely no sense for the NCAA to punish kids in a few sports, but not all, for moving on to another school. The only reason I can think of would be relating to the fact that they (football/basketball) are revenue sports, while others are not.
Just FYI, you do have to sit out a year in baseball when transferring D1 to D1. I'm very familiar, as my son went through this process. In some cases, the NCAA will grant a waiver allowing a student-athlete to play right away, but the rules are specific about when this waiver is granted. (Non-scholarship player or redshirt situations, for example) If you got some money and played even a little, you are going to have to sit at a D1. A waiver in baseball, like other sports, is the exception rather than the rule. For this reason, you see a lot of baseball players go to a big D1 right out of high school, realize they bit off more than they can chew, and transfer to a JUCO or D3 school to play immediately. You can then leave the D3 after a year there for another D1 and again play right away. This is how Valpo has signed a lot of the California players in recent years. I don't know if softball has the same rules.
Interesting, as that must have changed since my days. Brian Wolotka transferred in from Butler for his last season to play at Valpo, and had played a decent amount of games the season prior at Butler. The same went for Sean Peickert from Creighton, not having to sit out. Brian was from somewhere else in IN (I believe), while Sean was from MN, and neither was injured, so I am not sure that they would have received any type of waiver to play right away.
Yes tx, I believe the rules have changed in the last decade or so. I don't doubt you when you say it happened all the time back in the day. Now, though, it's downright un-American how the NCAA controls these kids, even in baseball. The kid wants to go, both coaches agree, and yet the NCAA takes away a year on the field for a kid who maybe didn't play much last season anyway. It won't be long before one of these cases makes its way into a courtroom, IMO. Every year, there are 2-3 high profile cases at big schools. It can cost a kid huge in future earnings in some of these blue chip cases. Sorry for hijacking the thread...
Spring has finally arrived in Valparaiso... or at least Valpo softball has begun! I attended the home opener today, and it was good to see players competing on the diamond once again. In fact, the field looked remarkably good considering the harsh winter that has continued into spring.
The day was sunny and temperatures hovered in the upper 40s and flirted with 50 degrees, though there were 30 mph winds, which surprisingly didn't seem to have much influence. In fact, everyone played the difficult pop-ups well and neither team committed an error. However, during most of the game neither team hit very much either. The Crusaders could only scratch for two hits, both singles; WMU was shut out except for one big inning when unfortunately they got 5 out of their six hits for the game, including a grand slam. Final score: WMU 5 — Valpo 0.
First pitch of the home opener:
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It seems like we are in for a down year in softball. Losing record and really not much on which to hang ones hat. :(
I have now uploaded a gallery with about 20 of my photos, including the three below, from the opening game against Western Michigan. Valpo didn't score, so unfortunately there aren't many action shots, but it is great just to have images of play that remind one spring is here.
In addition, this was the first game with the new dorm in the background. As you can see, one of the construction workers took a break to watch the play. I didn't realize how good the view of the field will be from some of those rooms! The full set of photos can be enjoyed at the following: https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157643291813463/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157643291813463/)
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Even with our record, we will still be competitive in conference. We played a pretty tough non-conference schedule
The new dorm looks great, even better up close!
Last Friday I got to watch the girls practicing on the Football field. There were a number of spring sports teams sharing the Turf on what was a chilly and wet day. Conditions of the grounds and landscape around campus were not very good. Everything was cold, wet and brown all weekend except Sunday. Good to see from the pics that things looked sunny for a change.
The women played very well in their conference home opening doubleheader against Detroit on Saturday, winning both games in shutouts: 6-0 and 9-0. Detroit seems to be one of the weaker teams in the league; nevertheless, it was good to see the pitching and hitting come together for the Crusaders. Here are two of my photos: one displays a wind up by Weissenhofer, who struck out 10 batters; the other shows a home run swing by Ranieri, who was 5-6 with 5 RBIs and 2 runs scored on the day.
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They will still do well in conference, as previously stated. We are a top 2 team in the HL, and just played a really tough non-conference schedule
great pics, as always.
what a colossal swing!
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on April 06, 2014, 07:09:11 AM
great pics, as always.
what a colossal swing!
Thanks, Apostle! The team completed its 3-game weekend sweep of Detroit with another impressive performance and another shutout. They won the three games by a combined score of 23-0. I have now uploaded more than 40 photos taken during the weekend games, including the three below. The whole gallery can be enjoyed at the following: https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157643497589955/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157643497589955/)
(http://i62.tinypic.com/2po6yj9.jpg)
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What's with Detroit's all black unis?
Don't look now, but softball's in first place in the Horizon League standings entering today's series finale against Cleveland State.
Quote from: vusupporter on April 13, 2014, 08:58:53 AM
Don't look now, but softball's in first place in the Horizon League standings entering today's series finale against Cleveland State.
Yes, the team has been playing well. They split the doubleheader game with Cleveland State yesterday, losing in one of the oddest games. The umpires kept having problems. At one point the Cleveland State coach protested the game because of a lineup issue, and the discussion or arguing on the field seemed to last almost a half hour. At one point, Mark Labarbera even came out of the stands and onto the field to participate in the debate. For some reason, the result was that two balls were added to the pitch count for the Valpo batter.
The women took a one-run lead into the 7th inning and were apparently going to win. However, when one of the CSU players popped out, the umpires again stepped in and said the play didn't count because a ball in one of the bullpens had come loose and apparently was somewhere on the field. The player got to bat again and doubled, scoring a minute later on a wind-helped home run that gave CSU the win.
But the team shook off the tough defeat and came back to win the second game. Here is one of my photos from the game, which shows Jessie Marinec scoring in a cloud of dust:
(http://i57.tinypic.com/10hndwp.jpg)
Yep, right where they should be! I was watching that delay and had no clue what was going on, other than the fact that I would have been so tired of that CSU coach after even 2 minutes of that crap. I would love to hear what was protested, and why we ended up with a 2-0 count on our hitter, as that made absolutely no sense. When MLB came on the field, it looked like the CSU coach was giving him an earful with some emotion, and all MLB was trying to do was answer any questions. He had his Facilities guy with him for whatever the issue was, and had to pull Coach Stevens away from the discussion, because he seemed a little animated as well. What a BS ending in that game, btw.
Congrats to Kaitlyn Ranieri for being named the Horizon League Player of the Week!
Ranieri had a great week, hitting over .500 (11-20), and she is the leading hitter in conference play in many categories. Ranieri is a big reason Valpo is currently in first place in the Horizon League.
For those interested, I have posted two galleries of photos for the recent conference home series against Cleveland State and Detroit, including the image below of Ranieri and some pictures of the disputes with the umpires, at the following: https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/ (https://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/)
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Need to win the series against Green Bay this weekend to have a shot at the regular season title and host the league playoffs.
Not off to a good start today, down 3-0 in the 5th
Unfortunately, softball had a chance to clinch the title this weekend by going 2-1 against GB, but just like in baseball, our anemic offense let us down 5-0 and 3-1. Depending on how we do tomorrow, we can be anywhere from a 3-5 seed in the tournament.
We rebounded to win the last game against GB, and clinch the 3 seed in the tourney. Not that it really mattered, as I believe that we would have played YSU in the first round regardless? Hopefully we can surprise some teams in the tourney again, as we definitely have the talent to do so. I am a bit confused as to why WSU is hosting the tournament, with GB winning the title. The release on the HL website mentions that WSU is hosting, eve though they are the 2 seed. The 1 seed is supposed to host in softball...
3 plays 6 in the first round (1 and 2 get byes), so we'll play UIC in our first game. As to why Wright State would be hosting, guessing that Green Bay's facility isn't adequate to host, although you'd think they would have made other arrangements to play somewhere else if their home field wasn't good enough...
What is up here.....
http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/recreation/sports-digest-crusaders-softball-coach-takes-leave-of-absence/article_9af7f6f0-9db4-5abe-8ab9-b0ee11be4b4e.html (http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/recreation/sports-digest-crusaders-softball-coach-takes-leave-of-absence/article_9af7f6f0-9db4-5abe-8ab9-b0ee11be4b4e.html)
Yes, any insight into this would be appreciated. It is a very odd time to take a leave of absence, unless it was family health-related...
It looks like you were correct regarding GB not having an adequate field to host: http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/news/2013-14/13712/crusaders-to-open-league-tournament-as-third-seed/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/news/2013-14/13712/crusaders-to-open-league-tournament-as-third-seed/)
Softball beats #6 seed UIC with a 2 RBI walk-off hit with 2 outs to advance (4-3 win) to play #2 seed WSU! It was Doerffler again coming up with more HL championship heroics!
We are currently beating WSU 4-0 in the bottom of the 6th as well!
We beat WSU 4-0 to take on the winner of #1 seed GB and #4 seed YSU! We just need to win 2 more games to make it back-to-back-to-back NCAA appearances :)
Wow! Exciting games and it would be great to go to another NCAA tournament!
Is Jordan Stevens back or is Joy Ichiyama and Alex Lagesse orchestrating these important wins?
That would be something like Ben Boggs and Will Bogan coaching the MBB team.
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You're right, they haven't mentioned anything in the stories, but why mess with the hot hand? :) Go, girls!
When I was watching the game against WSU, Joylyn was still as excitable as she was as a player. She was jumping up and down after critical outs and runs. No idea what is going on with Stevens, but our softball program had already turned the corner right before he took the reigns, so our program is in good hands with our without him. This will actually be our first losing season since 2006...
We are down to the final 3 teams: #1 GB vs. #3 Valpo at 11:00 am Friday, with the winner advancing to the championship game(s), and the loser facing #6 UIC in an elimination game. Let's pull out that first one, and give us the advantage of needing to lose twice in the championship!
We lose 9-1 to GB in the semi-final, only to win on yet another 2 out/2 RBI single in walk-off fashion in the 8th against UIC (5-4)! Hopefully we can beat GB twice tomorrow, but they seem to have our number this year.
Unfortunately, we get spanked again by GB 9-0, in 5 innings. Curious why we started Pico instead of Taylor in this game, but she may have been tired. I know that Pico's ERA is less than Taylor's, but she gives up more runs/game than Taylor (Pico lets them put it in play more often/less strikeouts, and walks more), and just watching many games this year, I think Taylor would have been better to start in a do-or-die game. Oh well, good season in general, and hopefully we will have some resolution with our coaching situation in the next few weeks, and have a championship season next year! A lot of our top players in regards to batting average and innings pitched are all back, barring any transfers out. Good luck to Doerffler, Korb, Marinec, Wisniewski, Michalek, and Wallace in their post-college careers!
Just noticed that Coach Stevens is not listed as a coach on the website. I wonder if they are going to say anything about why he was let go...
Hm. Seems like he just walked away at the worst possible time. Strange and I wish him well.
...
Probably be a few months before President Heckler trades five basketball players to get him back, right?
(...too soon? :/ )
Quote from: IndyValpo on May 05, 2014, 08:39:18 AM
What is up here.....
http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/recreation/sports-digest-crusaders-softball-coach-takes-leave-of-absence/article_9af7f6f0-9db4-5abe-8ab9-b0ee11be4b4e.html (http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/recreation/sports-digest-crusaders-softball-coach-takes-leave-of-absence/article_9af7f6f0-9db4-5abe-8ab9-b0ee11be4b4e.html)
Quote from: valpotx on June 05, 2014, 11:57:06 PM
Just noticed that Coach Stevens is not listed as a coach on the website. I wonder if they are going to say anything about why he was let go...
It has been more than a month since the initial story by nwitimes.com. I understand the need for privacy (Coach Stevens), but I'm puzzled by the lack of info coming out of VU. If he is indeed gone, at least an announcement of a search for new coach or removal of the interim tag should be in order.
Reminds me of the comment about the administration/athletic dept being insular.
Well this is interesting. This is on the Valpo athletics website, announcing the soon to be held softball camp. The brochure attached says "come join Valpo head coach Jordan Stevens...". So either the athletic media folks screwed up or his leave is over!
http://www.ussportscamps.com/softball/nike/nike-softball-camp-valparaiso-university (http://www.ussportscamps.com/softball/nike/nike-softball-camp-valparaiso-university)
He is no longer listed on the athletics website as the head coach. Probably just an oversight that he wasn't removed from the Nike camp. Interesting . . .
Now that the season is over, there should be some news. I don't believe the full truth will come out about what happened, but hopefully the individual that PM'd me before the conference tournament will be allowed to mention what he truly did to end up with his 'personal leave.' I bet that the university just takes this angle to explain why he is no longer coach, though.
OK, still no word on a Head Coach. Isn't this killing recruiting? Is summer a busy time for AAU softball events? Kinda weird...
I have to believe that Stevens is done because of something he did, and the administration is probably somewhat relieved that they didn't have to respond to questions about their HC situation, if we made the NCAA tournament without him. They can just simply say that he has left for personal reasons, as we do in HR when someone is essentially suggested to resign.
Very, very strange and bad for what was becoming a perennial HL leading program.
I believe that we will still be fine, as we were winning and competing for top seed before he came, as well.
Stevens hired as head softball coach at North Dakota: http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=209541268 (http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=13500&ATCLID=209541268)
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Athletics Director Brian Faison announced Monday that Jordan Stevens has been named the head softball coach at the University of North Dakota. Stevens officially begins his duties today....
Leave of absence heading into HL tourney then he pops up as the new HSBC at North Dakota. Strange....... What's going on?
My guess is the VU found out that he was interviewing for the North Dakota job while the season was still going on. VU probably took a page out of the University of Michigan playbook -- you may recall that years ago the Michigan basketball coach interviewed or accepted a job just before the NCAA tournament. The athletic director, who I think at that time was Bo Schembechler, let the coach go and went with an interim head coach for the tournament, explaining "Michigan basketball will be coached by a Michigan guy."
Paul
Total BS. What an unprofessional thing to do. Take a "leave" right before the most important part of the year, and then end up taking a new Head Coaching job.
There has to be more to the story. Was he caught with his hand in the cookie jar and then allowed to take a "leave of absence" to not embarrass the University or Stevens? We will never know, I'm sure.
No, my take is the administration found out he was looking for another job during the season, and the administration told him he was going to take a "leave of absence" as a penalty for looking for another job during the season.
Paul
Quote from: vu72 on July 07, 2014, 07:42:28 PMWas he caught with his hand in the cookie jar and then allowed to take a "leave of absence" to not embarrass the University or Stevens?
Exactly which "cookie jar" are you referring to? Are you saying he was misappropriating funds or is this a euphemism for something else?
Guys, the University of North Dakota is not a step up in regards to softball. We were fine before Stevens, and will be fine afterwards, especially since we have continued our winning ways. I have to guess with 90% certainty that it had nothing to do with seeking another job while still employed at VU. My guess is that he did something against program/school rules, and to save face for both sides, we reached agreement not to publicize what truly happened, and let him seek another job.
To the person who sent me a PM when it was first noticed that Stevens wasn't coaching, do you want to say any more now, or are you being held to secrecy as well? :)
Quote from: historyman on July 07, 2014, 10:38:52 PM
Quote from: vu72 on July 07, 2014, 07:42:28 PMWas he caught with his hand in the cookie jar and then allowed to take a "leave of absence" to not embarrass the University or Stevens?
Exactly which "cookie jar" are you referring to? Are you saying he was misappropriating funds or is this a euphemism for something else?
I have no idea and certainly think valpotx described it better. Given the way it was handled it wouldn't surprise me if it had something to do with inappropriate interaction with a student or other coach. I doubt we will ever know.
It WASN'T because he was looking for another job. That came later.
Quote from: 78crusader on July 07, 2014, 07:36:32 PMMy guess is the VU found out that he was interviewing for the North Dakota job while the season was still going on. VU probably took a page out of the University of Michigan playbook -- you may recall that years ago the Michigan basketball coach interviewed or accepted a job just before the NCAA tournament. The athletic director, who I think at that time was Bo Schembechler, let the coach go and went with an interim head coach for the tournament, explaining "Michigan basketball will be coached by a Michigan guy."
While plausible in the hypothetical sense, the UND job did not become "open" until 22 May, with Stevens "leave" around 3 May. It also doesn't feel right in the sense that since the 1989 Michigan tournament run with Fisher as coach (taking over for Bill Frieder), most schools and coaches have intermediaries working on their behalf, so the schools don't come off as "tamporing", and the coaches can deny any direct contact. While the softball world and major college football and basketball are greatly different, most coaches will not actively pursue on their own a position with another school while the season is finishing. They might have a lawyer, agent, or friend inquire in the sense "I have a client that might be interested in your opening..." and begin the due diligence process.
Quote from: valpotx on July 08, 2014, 12:46:07 AMI have to guess with 90% certainty that it had nothing to do with seeking another job while still employed at VU. My guess is that he did something against program/school rules, and to save face for both sides, we reached agreement not to publicize what truly happened, and let him seek another job.
This is the most likely scenario.
Quote from: valpogal on July 08, 2014, 02:19:01 PMIt WASN'T because he was looking for another job. That came later.
Sounds like someone with some knowledge, however unable to elaborate at this time.
Quote from: vu72 on July 07, 2014, 07:42:28 PMWe will never know, I'm sure.
Most likely outcome with information provided by VU Athletics Department, and maybe rightfully so.
I think most here would like some info on the current state of the coaching search, as we are now a week into the new fiscal/school year.
Here's a wild guess, but it could be as simple as this. Coach and player enter into consensual romantic relationship. Another player becomes aware, tells someone, who tells someone, who tells someone, who tells someone, who tells someone, who "dutifully" tells ml (typical hen house modus operandi). ml puts coach on administrative LOA while he investigates. Player involved admits to it, but says it's strictly consensual. ml and coach agree that coach will quietly resign. End of story.
This kind of stuff will happen as long as people have hormones, and it doesn't mean it was necessarily initiated by the coach.
Quote from: wh on July 08, 2014, 03:24:48 PMit doesn't mean it was necessarily initiated by the coach
going to call you out in a friendly way on this statement, as you appear to be citing it as mitigating, if not expiating circumstance. (if not, sorry for assuming so; but that's how it reads.)
since the power dynamic between a coach and player is always and inherently uneven, it doesn't matter if the player makes the first advances. the person in the position of power is more responsible for the state of the relationship, regardless of whether they were 'acting like they wanted it', etc.
i also don't think we're mere slaves to our hormones, either, but half of that sentence is enough for today.
Quote from: LaPorteAveApostle on July 08, 2014, 07:49:29 PM
Quote from: wh on July 08, 2014, 03:24:48 PMit doesn't mean it was necessarily initiated by the coach
going to call you out in a friendly way on this statement, as you appear to be citing it as mitigating, if not expiating circumstance. (if not, sorry for assuming so; but that's how it reads.)
since the power dynamic between a coach and player is always and inherently uneven, it doesn't matter if the player makes the first advances. the person in the position of power is more responsible for the state of the relationship, regardless of whether they were 'acting like they wanted it', etc.
i also don't think we're mere slaves to our hormones, either, but half of that sentence is enough for today.
I don't disagree with anything you said. I'm simply pointing out that in today's promiscuous society consenting adults routinely engage in all sorts of casual sexual encounters. It shouldn't be surprising to think that's what could have happened here. It's also not unrealistic to think it could have just as easily been initiated by a female player as the male coach. I'm not inferring that would excuse the coach, but that's a different scenario than an authority figure using his power distance advantage to prey on an innocent young girl.
While I'm glad you're not absolving this hypothetical coach of any blame, I also feel that no matter how unchaste our culture is these days, nothing of this sort has been implied by anything other than us throwing ideas against the wall. we should probably be wary lest someone read these "well, why do coaches get asked to leave?"-type ideas and believe them to be rumors, and then someone ELSE reads rumors and reports them as fact.
(For example, just google search "Craig James killed five hookers". Not that that's what happened here, either on scale of rumor or murder.)
Nearly 60 applications for the new head coach position.
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/28533699-556/on-campus-valparaiso-flooded-with-softball-applications.html#.U8LuVRZKfHg (http://posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/28533699-556/on-campus-valparaiso-flooded-with-softball-applications.html#.U8LuVRZKfHg)
Good to see. As they continue to not address why he took a 'leave of absence,' it just leads to the conclusion that it probably wasn't anything illegal, but just against school/program rules. He probably had a relationship with a player, as some have theorized.
For a reference point regarding Stevens' new school of North Dakota:
2014 season: 6-39
2013 season: 10-30
He obviously did something wrong at Valpo, and had to a take a crappier HC position with the Sioux...
Quote from: valpotx on July 22, 2014, 05:32:35 PMthe Sioux...
FYI, they are not the Fighting Sioux anymore and their state legislature voted they couldn't choose a new nickname until 2015.
If I were them I would sue..................
If that didn't work I would name themselves the "Casino Operators."