Its getting close to fall ball........ A few more weeks and the Girls will be back on the dirt.
How do they look for this upcoming season? It seems like we lose a lot of key players
We did but with Joy returning on the left side that will be a tremendous help. Pitching /catching will be the biggest challenge for the team this season IMHO. Very young at both positions. Offensively you still have some good sticks. Missing Rutkowski and Srickland will defiantly mean he needs to cultivate offense from his freshman. The remaining line up should still be competitive. Doerffler came into her own at the end of the season, Joy, Jessie, and Britt should be pretty tough in the meat of the order, Wiz is always a threat with her long ball. Brown will add maturity to the out field with Sara gone. Duncan or Hermanson should slide to the right side at 1. Norway has the potential to be a really nice out fielder. Bridwell is still as fast as any kid I have seen run the base pads.
With what he has coming in If he can get production from his freshman pitchers. We should be competitive. Can we repeat? It would be nice wouldn't it? We will see how much gas the new pitching core has. And what the meat of the order can do without the senior leadership of Rutkowski and Strickland.
Quote from: boomdad on August 25, 2012, 06:48:00 PMbut with Joy returning on the left side that will be a tremendous help.
I thought I had heard that Joy was not coming back for her 5th year. Do you have some different info?
According to Britt shes there now.
Well that's a good addition. Each of the segments I watched online in the tournaments mentioned that Joy was not going to play her last year to focus on married life/school.
What ever her reasons for Joy coming back were Im just glad shes here she can defiantly cement that infield with her leadership. It will be a young infield. And im sure she will play a pivotal roll in bringing it together
Lauren Ebstein was announced as a new assistant. She's got a great resume and........... she's out of New England! :thumbsup:
Is she for Scott Brown (Tufts) or Elizabeth Warren (Harvard)? Whatever,she sounds like a winner. Can she coach football too? ;)
Quote from: setshot on September 06, 2012, 06:06:51 PM
Can she coach football too? ;)
Only if QBs throw underhanded.
Quote from: VULB#62 on September 06, 2012, 07:17:52 AM
Lauren Ebstein was announced as a new assistant. She's got a great resume and........... she's out of New England! :thumbsup:
Wait? She left New England for Valpo?? She can't be that good, can she?? ;)
Lauren Ebstein's background:
"Her prior experiences at Tufts and Colgate, as well as her playing career, have prepared her well and we are fortunate to be able to call her a Crusader. Her ability to teach, plan and her championship mentality will do nothing but make our battery better."
In her two seasons at Colgate, Ebstein helped guide the Raiders to a 28-11 mark in Patriot League play, including the league regular season title in 2011. She coached the PL Pitcher of the Year in 2011 and three All-League selections at pitchers over her two seasons, as well as 10 total All-League choices. Raider pitchers earned league Pitcher of the Week accolades seven times as well.
Prior to arriving at Colgate, Ebstein served as an assistant coach for two seasons at Tufts, helping guide the squad to a fourth-place finish at the Division III College World Series in 2009. Part of the NFCA Division III New England Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2009, Ebstein helped coach a pair of conference championship squads and 14 All-Conference honorees over her two seasons, including the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year. A pair of players also earned NFCA All-American honors during her tenure as well.
Ebstein was a four-year letterwinner for the Tufts softball team, during which time the team won a NESCAC championship in 2007 and appeared in three NCAA Regionals. She also was selected as a team captain for her senior year. Ebstein graduated from Tufts in May of 2007 with a bachelor's degree in English and psychology, and received her master's degree in journalism from Boston University in January of 2009.
Fall schedule announced
http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/)
The Ladies are on the field tomorrow against Big 10 Illinois at 2pm cst. Good luck ladies
Great to have such a great team representing Valpo. !! :)
Got some work to do after today. but we started last fall in much the same way. Next weekend at NW will be interesting
Quote from: boomdad on September 23, 2012, 11:36:20 PM
Got some work to do after today. but we started last fall in much the same way. Next weekend at NW will be interesting
Checked the athletic site, Twitter and FB -- no info. From your comment they didn't do well, but what does that mean? Lost badly?
Everyone was out of position, alot of new faces to look at. Was impressed by our freshman catcher, out field looked pretty good. Sticks diddnt show up , Besides a walk to Wiz I think that Illinois pitched a perfect game. Should have the meat of the line up back together by next weekend when a few of the big sticks return. Expect a better showing at NW.
boomdad, do you think Coach Stevens used this game more to see what he has from the new players, and not what the returnees have improved on? I wasn't at the game, but maybe Coach Stevens was looking at players in a game situation, rather than just seeing what he had from everybody on the roster.
Think your pretty much spot on
Sunny and temperature in the 70s, it was a great day to play two and to win two. Congrats to the team! Here are a couple of quick pics I snapped:
(http://i47.tinypic.com/2ltpnyo.jpg)
(http://i46.tinypic.com/kb29v6.jpg)
great as always--but the burning question--was she safe at home? the suspense!!!
"great as always--but the burning question--was she safe at home? the suspense!!!"
Here is your answer:
(http://i50.tinypic.com/2hi2pmc.jpg)
YES!!!! well done.
Quote from: valpopal on September 30, 2012, 09:12:10 AM
"great as always--but the burning question--was she safe at home? the suspense!!!"
Here is your answer:
(http://i50.tinypic.com/2hi2pmc.jpg)
not according to the replacement refs :P
: ) in baseball, they'd be the "replacement umps", or "rumps" for short : )
valpopal, how dost thou take such cool paintings for pictures? is it instagram, magic, etc?
The Ladies get their rings tomorrow for the conference championship at the half time ceremony at the football game. If someone that is there and takes pics can post a few I would greatly appreciate it. Due to work cant make it up until Sun. Thanks
Quote from: boomdad on October 4, 2012, 09:43:40 AM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"The Ladies get their rings tomorrow for the conference championship at the half time ceremony at the football game."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isn't the Homecoming football game against Butler on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.? Did I lose a day? Today is Thursday, is it not?
sorry, you are correct saturday
Anyone who watched, how did they do in last weeks scrimmages? With Duncan,Doerfiler,Marinec & Joy all back,they have some pretty good sticks, how did pitching look & new players ?
Do they have a lot coming back for alumni game?
"The Ladies get their rings tomorrow for the conference championship at the half time ceremony at the football game. If someone that is there and takes pics can post a few I would greatly appreciate it. Due to work cant make it up until Sun. Thanks--boomdad"
Here you go, boomdad, the women receiving their championship rings:
(http://i47.tinypic.com/34q441u.jpg)
Congrats to the Women:
"The Valparaiso softball team has been named an All-Academic Team by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) after posting a team GPA of 3.367 during the 2011-2012 academic year, which ranked 28th in the nation among Division I programs. It marked the second straight season that the Crusaders have earned All-Academic Team honors from the NFCA, as they improved both on last season's GPA (3.320) and rank among D-I programs (32nd)."
http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/news/2012-13/12124/crusader-softball-earns-all-academic-team-honor/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/news/2012-13/12124/crusader-softball-earns-all-academic-team-honor/)
Great site for seeing how competition is doing on top recruits, google up; goldfastpitch.com/verbals- shows 2013-2015 Golds that have signed intents or verbal.
2013 schedule is out
http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/schedule/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/schedule/)
Should be some good games pre-conference.[ Horizon should be much improved top to bottom]
Belmont will be better LY.
Dayton & Charleston Southern will be better LY.
Temple will be good this year & Central Ar. pretty salty.
FGU & TN. & W KY.will be very tough.
Maryland lost Knight the big time pitcher, but will be good.
Iowa State has not been good in past & Valpo shut them down LY, but they are banking on 3 big time recruits, have to wait & see.
AWESOME: game against FGCU, right down here!
MUCH LESS AWESOME: it's an unavoidable work night :(
That's a ton of road games to close out April!!!
Nice having YSU at home after it, though
I would not look at YTS as a sure win. They have both pitchers back & 2 very good players in Rumph & Ingalls. Might want to keep eye on Canada recruit Castiglione & a big slugger from Coal city, Il. We blew them out 2 times last year, but 2 games were 4-3 & 13-12. Loss of Thomas will hurt them.
And things are not necessarily going to be easy just focusing on our end either. We graduated a lot of talent, and all our regular pitching from the last couple seasons.
KL3- The loss of the 3 pitchers at Valpo will definitely hurt, they started for 4 years & got better & better. I don't know anything about this years pitching.
We do have some very good hitters coming back and should have good leadership with Joy & Marinec. Duncan could have a monster year with Joy or Marinec batting behind her.
Still, it will take some pitchers to step up? Should be fun, either way.
Just checked the roster. Boy, that's a big team. It's only a few more players more than what we usually have, but it seems like so much more. I also have some free time, so here's some extended analysis on the team.
In terms of pitching, we have a 5th-year senior in Amanda Bolton who has pitched sparingly at best for VU, a JUCO transfer named Ashlyn Michalak with two years of post-secondary experience, and three freshmen pitchers. Also among our positions players, I know at least Lindsey Norway pitched in high school (and was pretty good too). There will be a lot of options, but the lack of college experience concerns me. You either gotta have one workhorse pitcher like a lot of the major schools or two, three reliable starters to have good pitching, and it's arguably the most important facet to a good softball program.
In addition to replacing our pitching (two starters and one reliever), we need to fill roles at starting catcher, first base, and center field. Joy coming back is great since she can really hold down third base. I believe Duncan has some experience at first base from high school, so she could replace Kelsey Phalen there, and we can get another hitter to fill Duncan's spot at DP if we want to go that route. We've got a lot of people who can play outfield, so I'm not *too* concerned about that. Catcher should go to Tarah McShane (Jordan Rutkowski's backup last year) unless freshman Janelle Bouchard or some other player can win the spot.
Best of Luck to Valpo Softball in 2013.........I really enjoyed watching their Post-Season run last year! Who will be the toughest competition in the HL in trying to repeat?
Go Valpo!
Quote from: KL31NY on December 11, 2012, 10:45:04 PM
Just checked the roster. Boy, that's a big team. It's only a few more players more than what we usually have, but it seems like so much more. I also have some free time, so here's some extended analysis on the team.
In terms of pitching, we have a 5th-year senior in Amanda Bolton who has pitched sparingly at best for VU, a JUCO transfer named Ashlyn Michalak with two years of post-secondary experience, and three freshmen pitchers. Also among our positions players, I know at least Lindsey Norway pitched in high school (and was pretty good too). There will be a lot of options, but the lack of college experience concerns me. You either gotta have one workhorse pitcher like a lot of the major schools or two, three reliable starters to have good pitching, and it's arguably the most important facet to a good softball program.
In addition to replacing our pitching (two starters and one reliever), we need to fill roles at starting catcher, first base, and center field. Joy coming back is great since she can really hold down third base. I believe Duncan has some experience at first base from high school, so she could replace Kelsey Phalen there, and we can get another hitter to fill Duncan's spot at DP if we want to go that route. We've got a lot of people who can play outfield, so I'm not *too* concerned about that. Catcher should go to Tarah McShane (Jordan Rutkowski's backup last year) unless freshman Janelle Bouchard or some other player can win the spot.
You are correct Duncan does have 1st base experience at the High School and Gold level as well. According to what we were told when she committed to Valpo that was the long term plan for her. You bring up a very good point about the DH spot. I think the team could only be helped by using Bridwell,s speed as the DH If Duncan does move to the right side. You also have a very good stick and out field experience in Brown. He at some point in the future is going to have to groom someone to take over the left side of the infield once Joy leaves.
Catcher will be interesting . Unless someone absolutely blows the other away in Jan in Practice you could see shared duties behind the plate at that position. And to be honest im not sure that wouldent be a bad Idea to keep both fresh for the League Tournament. Rutowski was spent last season. I talked to her at the conclusion of the CSU series last year and you could see she was just flat wore out. Such a physical and demanding job back there any help they get towards the end of the season may help us as a team in the long run.
Just wanted to take a moment to wish all the players, family and friends a merry Christmas and a happy new year....................... 6 weeks and 5 days until season starts......
College Sports Madness.com added college softball [ I think 2nd year ] & picked pre season All Conference teams. Valpo had Ichyama & Duncan on 1st team & Marinec on 2nd.
Loyola had most represented.
They love Loyola dont they..........
Is that lefty pitcher back for Loyola? I thought she was a FR last year, and she seemed like she would continue to be at a high level, and tough to beat. Any word on how our pitching looks boomdad? That will determine how our year goes, as we have some solid hitters/fielders back.
I don't know how our pitching looked this Fall, will have to leave that up to Boomdad or others who watched the games against the D-1 competition . We do have some very good hitters coming back & Joy coming back was a HUGE plus.
Loyola with Gardner as #1 pitcher & Ciran #2 should be tough. I think Green Bay will be MUCH better & will bare watching & YTS seems to be on the upswing.
I saw where Loyola signed a couple of Middle-infielders from 2013/14 [ from Bev Bandits ] that could solidify them for 3-4 years up the middle.
Our pitching diddnt look bad at all in the fall. I think we can compete. But I also think theres a Maturity issue as to how much Coach Stevens can get out of his freshman thru the season. Everyone knows how a rebuilding season is.
With the start of the season this w/e, thought they would have a preview of the season or a coaches blog. for those close to the subject, how are things looking for opening week.
I see jackson State & central Ar. as the toughest, they both have a good pitcher & quite a few players back.
I would think Belmont & WIU should be a couple of wins. I know Valpo will get the hits, Joy,Duncan & Marinic for starters.Pitching will be the key & will need a couple to put any kind of a string together.
Maybe if local paper had or has an article, someone can post it.
Good luck to the team this w/e.
Havent read or seen any thing from the team , coach or the Horizon league. I thought like you there would have been some pre season info out. We will find out in 4 days how much gas the pitching has. Good luck ladies and will see everyone in Nashville.
Wow, I didn't even realize we started this weekend. Baseball starts in a few weeks, so it will hopefully be a good Feb for Valpo sports!
Nice article on the Team
http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/news/2012-13/12380/crusader-softball-set-for-2013-season/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/news/2012-13/12380/crusader-softball-set-for-2013-season/)
Softball wins the first game of the year in TN against Jackson State 11-2. Good start ladies!!
It seems the Crusaders lost the afternoon game to Belmont in the extra (8th) inning. There is a new rule where they place a runner on 2nd base with no out to start the extra innings. Belmont scored in the top of the 8th. Valpo had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th but couldn't score. In the top of the 6th inning, with Valpo leading 1-0, Belmont had the bases loaded and two out when the Crusaders walked in the tying run.
that's a rough way to lose
I believe that's a rule only used in early-season tournament play - the purpose being to keep games as close to on schedule as possible.
Quote from: vusupporter on February 10, 2013, 09:08:15 AMI believe that's a rule only used in early-season tournament play - the purpose being to keep games as close to on schedule as possible.
ye gods--let's hope. it's like HS football overtime rules: as if people settled long-running wars by russian roulette.
with only one empty chamber.
Quote from: vusupporter on February 10, 2013, 09:08:15 AMI believe that's a rule only used in early-season tournament play - the purpose being to keep games as close to on schedule as possible.
According to the VU athletics website it's a rule used in "International" competition.
6.15 Tiebreaker Rule
If, after the completion of at least seven innings of play, the score is tied, the following tiebreaker may be played to determine a winning team:
6.15.1 Starting with the top of the predetermined inning (it is recommended for use beginning in the 10th inning) and each half-inning to follow, the offensive team shall begin its turn at bat with the player scheduled to bat ninth in that half inning being placed on second base (for example, if the No. 5 batter is the lead-off batter, the No. 4 batter in the batting order will be placed on second base). A substitute may be inserted for the base runner. For scoring, see Rule 14.30.
6.15.2 Whether the tiebreaker procedure will be used, and when it shall be invoked, must be determined at the pregame meeting. Use of the tiebreaker also can be determined by conference ruling or tournament policy.
Quote from: historyman on February 11, 2013, 12:46:55 PMAccording to the VU athletics website it's a rule used in "International" competition.
It was used in the Olympics, right?
Quote from: agibson on February 11, 2013, 03:24:06 PM
Quote from: historyman on February 11, 2013, 12:46:55 PMAccording to the VU athletics website it's a rule used in "International" competition.
It was used in the Olympics, right?
Softball is not an Olympic sport.
http://www.olympic.org/sports (http://www.olympic.org/sports)
SUMMER OLYMPIC SPORTS
Aquatics
Diving
Swimming
Synchronized Swimming
Water polo
Archery
Athletics (not sure what sport this is)
Badminton
Basketball
Boxing
Canoe kayak
Slalom Sprint
Cycling
Cycling
BMXCycling
RoadCycling
Track
Mountain Bike
Equestrian
Dressage
Eventing
Jumping
Fencing
Football (soccer)
Golf
Gymnastics
Artistic Gymnastics
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Trampoline
Handball
Hockey (I assume they mean field hockey)
Judo
Modern pentathlon
Rowing
Rugby
Sailing
Shooting
Table tennis
Taekwondo
Tennis
Triathlon
Volleyball
Beach volleyball
Weightlifting
Wrestling
Greco-Roman wrestling
Quote from: bbtds on February 11, 2013, 05:29:27 PM
Softball is not an Olympic sport.
not anymore. it used to be.
Was out of town & didn't see Valpo scores until today, good to see a couple of wins to start off. Not sure if jackson State pitched the pitcher who beat SEMO State, but if they did that was a good win.
The International tie breaker is used in all these early tourney's & is great way for them to keep on schedule & not get behind for other games to follow. It does take some special coaching to win those games. It is almost a must to score a run & key is to get 2 in your half of inning. I have seen tie-breakers themself go on 3, 4, 5, innings before getting a winner.
Looks like tourney coming up in 2 weeks for Valpo will be a little tougher.
Did anyone see some of the teams that Horizon teams were playing this week, some were really big time. Wisconsin_GB was tied 7-7 with Alabama & Al. had to put in their #1 pitcher to finally get the win. What a shocker that would have been.
The "International" tiebreaker might be new to the NCAA early season tournaments, but softball players have been using this rule for years in summer travel tourneys, and some state high school sports associations use this rule for regular season games to get winners on fields where there are no lights. Teams hate having those tie games after a good 2-hour game in early April, where the sun still goes down around 5 or 5:30PM, and sight isn't all that great. I'm glad to see this rule is being used. It changes the game a lot, in terms of how coaches use certain pitchers late in games, such as was talked about with the GB-Bama game, where Bama had to use their #1 to solidify the win.
Way to go Joy and Sierra
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/valpos-ichiyama-pico-sweep-softball-weekly-awards.html (http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/valpos-ichiyama-pico-sweep-softball-weekly-awards.html)
Surprised Coach Stevens today while he was in ARC working with some of the team. Got an opportunity to talk with him a bit, say "Hi" to some of the returners that remember me and even had a quick chat with one of our newcomers. You can point to last year's on-field success to make this point, but when you really get to know the personnel with this program, that's what really shows how good a program softball is now. Randy's big recruiting class (our seniors last year) gave us a nice starting point, and Jordan's done so many great things in just a couple years putting things together, and of course the players are great on and off the diamond. Go Crusaders!
Don't know much about the teams we are facing this w/e, except I saw a little blog on W. KY. & they look like a nice team. Not sure how tough of a schedule the teams we are playing have faced, but it looks like only 8 wins between them all. Does anyone know anything about the upcoming games?
Hope we continue on with a good start. The key is to get ready for conference, I do see a 2-3 of our conference teams are playing VERY tough schedules & have been getting beat up a bit [ just from scores I have seen]
Other than WKU game having a tough time following things on tourney site. Not getting much help on Valpo either with slow reporting.
I did go to SDSU site & found out they won suspended game 3-2
Went to Pitt site & see although we outhit them 14-8 lost to them this morning.
I assume the W. Michigan game is going, but can;t get any live stats & no info on sites.
Looks like we have been hitting the ball quite well, but have been leaving a lot on base in KEY situations. Maybe someone that went can recap for us when they have time.
WKU has a nice junior pitcher in Emily Rousseau. Hid the ball well, threw low 60,s with alot of movement, We just couldent pick the ball up. 95% of the bats were way behind. Popping in the mit before the swing finished.
SDSU ..... Sorry we should have been on that pitcher like white on rice. But in the kids defense the game was finished the next morning with new a new ump behind the plate and what was a strike last night was a ball the next morning...... Still no offense to brag about
Dayton, We waited until the last of the game to hit. Not enough moxy in the box as one old coach I know would say. Pitching was well enough to keep us in the game. The offense helped its pitchers that game.
Pitt. Again we waited until the last 1/4 of the game to bring the bats to the game, A huge huge terrible call made by the ump between 1st and 2nd who wasnt in position to make the call ended the rally and the game. Its tough enough to compete with a Big East school, do they have to beat the umpires also?
Western Mich. Again we should have gone loco crazy with the bats on the pitcher. Had we faced her last season with our 3,4,5 order. 911 would have had to be on speed dial. Just not enough offense.
Saw some glimmers of greatness from players this weekend. Tara diddnt wait for anyone or any thing she just ripped the ball was very excited to see her cut loose. You could see the hunger in alot of the freshman at the plate also. Defensively were pretty solid all the way around the field. Just some normal freshman pitching mistakes that cost a few long balls. Way to many runners left on base, Probably left bases loaded at least 3 times thru the weekend. Also the 4 hole was lead off way to much. Having Duncan as a lead off is like driving a bull dozer to the super market for a loaf of bread. ( sorry..... dad humor ) Give em time let em grow up and figure it out and they will be solid. The scores of the games dosent tell the whole story. I will bet a drink that what is seen after spring break will look alot different from what was seen this weekend. Keep working ladies it will get better
Thanks for the great report.
Games coming up should give them some good experience for conference [ seems like a number of teams in conference are struggling ]
The games against TN. & Florida Gulf coast will be tough ones for sure & Maryland [ that great pitcher did grad ] / Stetson will take a very good game to win. I would think we should stand in there with all the others, yet like you reported can't leave a lot of runners in scoring positions.
Keep it up & things will get better, hope to catch a game later in the year & maybe on the tube if Valpo or Horizon show any.
Tell your daughter to keep swinging away....good things happen.
Wow, the women beat UNC-Wilmington 16-1 today! That is a good victory, as I believe that they are pretty good usually, and are 6-8 currently. It just looks like our bats came to play. Awesome job ladies! :)
Nice to see Brittany jack one in the first inning :dance:
She had two in the game, and is hitting .481! :o
I get the sense that these girls (women, sorry) are a fun bunch to be around. It's a chemistry I saw on TV last year that
seems to drift over this year's squad as well.
I just checked the live stats for the softball game against #7/9 Tennessee, and we're losing to the Vols, 5-0, in the 6th inning. I haven't looked into the full details, but glad to see we're putting up some fight against a ranked opponent. Not scared off by the numbers in front of "Tennessee".
Softball loses this morning's game to #7/9 Tennessee, 5-0. They return to the field at 2PM against host Charleston Southern.
After splitting yesterday's action, winning against host Charleston Southern, Valpo opens today's action against host Charleston Southern. In the first inning, Joy doubled down the left field line, and eventually scored on Bouchard's single to center. Ashlyn Michalak is on the bump for today's game. She's starting out with a 1-0 lead.
Michalak, in the bottom of the 1st, gave up 4 runs, two home runs consecutively, a 3-run shot by Christian to left-center, then a solo HR by Matthews, also to left-center. After that, we've gone scoreless. In the 3rd inning, currently trailing 4-1, with Taylor Weissenhofer in the circle.
In the top of the 4th, the Crusaders pick up a run on a McShane double, and Marinec single. On Marinec's single, there was a throwing error that scored McShane, and moved Marinec to second. We now trail 4-2 in the bottom of the 4th at CSU.
Moving on to the 6th inning, no significant scoring changes. Still 4-2 CSU.
A lot of action in the top of the 6th for Valpo. McShane had a SAC fly that scored Bridwell, who pinch running for Duncan. Marinec then reached on an error by the 2B, then reached 3rd on an error by the catcher, then the CF added to the error total, in which Marinec was able to score. On this play, Wisniewski and Bouchard scored as well. We've retaken the lead. Now it's 6-4 Valpo in the bottom of the 6th. (Phew!! Did I miss anything?)
Final score from CSU...Valpo 6, Charleston Southern 5. CSU scored another run on a sac fly in the bottom of the 7th, but didn't do enough to fully comeback. Taylor Weissenhofer gets the win to move to 4-2 on the season. The Crusaders record evens out at 6-6. Good win, ladies!!
I see good things for this team again this year! It looks like we have replaced our pitching, and our hitters are VERY good. Duncan is very impressive in the early part of the season. I especially like her 7 BB/2 SO ratio.
We have some impressive numbers early in the season, Our pitchers sticks and defense will only get better. If you look at how young we are and look at what we lead in individual and team stats. It becomes even more impressive.
Individual Leaders.
BA-First
RBI - First
HR - Tied for second
Runs _First
Pitching wins- First
Pitching strikeouts- Second
Team Stats
Fielding % - First
HR -Second
RBI- First
Runs -First
Hits - Second
The 2 freshman in the lineup are making an immediate impact. Bouchard already gets my vote as new comer of the year. she has the confidence and moxy of an upper classman. Defense and offense both are spot on.
Kat Raniere in the lead off is a great fit. Number 2 in over all BA. She sets the table very well.
We have 6 hitters over 300 and I really dont believe we have hit our stride yet. Look for much better numbers by Conference play
Nice job ladies keep banging away
I'm happy for the Crusaders & the pitchers are looking good & hitters great.
Don't think I'd get too carrried away with comparing to others in conference quite yet. I have seen UWGB play this year & they have a very nice team. They always get started late, but note that Alabama,UNI, Illinois & a very good Drake team were 4 of first games.
Wright State has played UCLA, TX A&M, Mcnesse State, ARk., UNI & 2-3 other very good teams [ maybe a top 25 RPI schedule.
UIC has played Nebraska 3x [ many say after wins over Ok. & Ok State they could win Big 10], Mi State 2x,AZ State,Il State & USF.
Loyola not quite as tough, but have lost 3 to a very good Coastal Carolina team & FGCU.
Could be that the above might have a lot to do with others stats.
Hope the Crusaders continue to play well, but me & my superstitions,don't want to see them Jinxed.
Another pitcher from Valpo rakes in the weekly award. Nice job Taylor.
http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/news/2012-13/12488/duncan-weissenhofer-sweep-horizon-league-weekly-honors/ (http://www.valpoathletics.com/softball/news/2012-13/12488/duncan-weissenhofer-sweep-horizon-league-weekly-honors/)
The ladies took two at Deland today. FDU and Colgate bite the dust. Both shutouts. Speaks to good pitching, FDU was a one-zip game. Good to beat those NY/NJ teams.
Impressive to see Taylor's 17 k's in game 2, for a total of 20 k's in 8 innings!
Impressive to see 17 K's out of 27 batters faced! Great work, Taylor! She had a 3:1 strikeout-walk-ratio, which is incredible, throwing 130 pitches with 78 being for strikes. Great numbers so far for a freshman hurler. I also noticed that one of our assistant coaches, Lauren Ebstein, had some inside information on Colgate, as she came to us after a couple of seasons coaching at Colgate. Can't wait to see more of what this team brings to the table, and helps to save some of our veteran pitching for when conference season comes along.
Split today at FGCU's beautiful campus.... 3-0 and now Maine is 1-21 on the season... I tell you... it was the GO VALPO poster... or possibly the good hitting... Tough loss in the nightcap tonight... scoring a bundle in the T7 for a 10-7 lead... and losing on a walk-off single 11-10... Good luck in Clearwater this weekend... The games are at the Eddie C Moore field part of the clearwater parks department, NOT USF-softball complex (from what the coach told me last week)
Great job by Amanda Bolton yesterday, throwing a no-hitter against Temple!! Then the Crusaders made it two in a row at this tournament this morning with a win over Big 12 foe Iowa State - taking on Maryland later!
Seems like another good team!
We did lose to Md 4-0 in the night cap... wrapping up the Florida swing at 10:45 Central this morning against the Big Red of Cornell on Field #9 of the Eddie C Moore Complex. Cornell will play a triple header on the day, hosting Quinnipiac at 8:30, Valpo at 11:45 and then traveling to the visiting dugout to play Boston College as the capstone game of the tournament at 1:45. They split yesterday with Radford (L) and Robert Morris (W)
The team will be driving to Orlando after today's game for a late-night flight back to Chicago...which should be ahead of tomorrow's projected snow storm.
I had an opportunity to attend the first game of today's doubleheader, and I thought the women looked pretty good. They won the first game 11-3 and the nightcap 5-2 in nine innings on a walk-off 3-run homer by Brittany. They seem like they will be a fun team to watch again this year.
Though temperatures were only in the fifties, I wore a sweatshirt and no jacket, and it was a comfortable afternoon to watch the game. I took some photos during the time I was there, including the following few: 1) Lindsey's follow-through on her home run swing; 2) Lindsey greeted at home by the team; 3) Angie sliding into second (unfortunately, she was out).
(http://i50.tinypic.com/dfzxfk.jpg)
(http://i45.tinypic.com/s2xg8k.jpg)
(http://i48.tinypic.com/29ge8ns.jpg)
http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/softball/weekly-awards, (http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/softball/weekly-awards,) Duncan named player of week for Horizon
She is a solid hitter. I love the 2 BB/1 K ratio she has going, and the high average doesn't hurt. We are winning 5-0 against WSU in the later innings now
Watched some of the doubleheader against Wright State this afternoon. Though a bit chilly, the sunshine felt good, and the team looked fine again, winning both games: 8-5, 6-2. Jesse was terrific at the plate, batting 6-7 on the day, but she also made a fine defensive play, a sliding catch along the right field line, which I caught in my photo below.
(http://i49.tinypic.com/2mchqbk.jpg)
Great start to the conference season!
Middle of Crusader lineup, Ichiyama, Duncan & Marnic are on fire, what a combo :thumbsup:
WTH happened today???? We lost 7-0 and 9-1 to Loyola. It seems like Loyola mashed the ball over the fence many times, so maybe a wind game played at their place? Chicago fields tend to lead to more HRs in both baseball and softball. Really weird to see us beaten like that against a team that was 1-2 in conference so far, even though they have some good players back from last year's runner-up team.
Loyola & UIC are much better teams than records show. They both played very tough schedules & both have 1 pitcher that on a given day could beat many teams in the country.
Versus the past few years the crusader's schedule this year was rather weak & could catch up with them.
They do have some good hitters & could get on a run come Horizon tourney time, but pitching will have to keep them IN the games.
I wish they would run a little more, but I don't know what speed they have.
We are currently on a 5 game losing streak. Not as positive of a direction as we would like. Luckily, it seems that only Loyola, UIC and Valpo decided to win games this year OOC
Yikes, softball has now lost 7 in a row heading into the 2 pm game today. We are 20-19, 5-6, and need to get those bats going again!!!!!
They came back in nightcap for 3-1 win. Could have used Duncan over w/e?
The trainer shut Duncan down for a few days. Her hamstring has some how been tweaked and she was afraid to let her torq at the plate on it. Hopefully back by Notre Dame. Although that not being a conference game I would park her bottom n a bath tub full of ice until Detroit next weekend.
Nice job ladies way to come back in the second game
Happy to see Korb getting a chance to prove herself. Amanda, like her sister Karen was an outstanding High School player [ although they were quite different players, both great ]. She could help the Crusaders in the tourney & be a big plus for next year....way to go Amanda :thumbsup:
I always like to see new players step up when they are given a chance when others are struggling. Let's finish the season strong and pull out a 2 or 3 seed. Do we know if Loyola loses the chance to compete for championships, now that they have confirmed leaving for the MVC in 1 1/2 months? I would have to imagine that Loyola will receive the same treatment that Butler would have if they played this year out in the HL...
I must have missed that announcement on Loyola. While they can hold their own in softball in MVC, they will have to bring things up a notch or two for basketball & other sports.
It will hurt Horizon softball, they are usually a very good team & carry one of the higher RPIs, due to early schedule. Lost 2 good softball programs with Loyola & Butler :(
2 nice wins for lady Crusaders vs WM.
Korb is knocking the cover off the ball, while I don't get why she had hardly played in 2+ years except to pinch run, at least we found out in time to help for Horizon tourney.
She should help.
I hate knocking our players, but she definitely seems like an upgrade over Norway. It seems that we still put Lindsay in for defensive help at the end of the games, but she has been a .200 hitter since she got here, and we needed more offense with Duncan out. We can only have so many sub-.200 hitters and still win games (Wisniewski, Doerffler, Norway).
How about Taylor Weissenhofer breaking the season strikeout record yesterday? With still a number of games to pitch, and as a freshman, no less! Congratulations Taylor!
Quote from: valpotx on May 01, 2013, 02:41:48 AM
I hate knocking our players, but she definitely seems like an upgrade over Norway. It seems that we still put Lindsay in for defensive help at the end of the games, but she has been a .200 hitter since she got here, and we needed more offense with Duncan out. We can only have so many sub-.200 hitters and still win games (Wisniewski, Doerffler, Norway).
Im not really sure if Duncan coming back in will help the line up much. Im sure it cant hurt but she has been pitched around all season and has for lack of better words been reduced to a contact hitter at best. Her ba. ob and slug numbers are still respectable but her production numbers are way down. The simple reason is there is no protection in the 5 hole. Last season Rutowski made it almost impossible for that to happen. When your 4 hole leads off between 35 to 40% of the time and no protection behind her you are pretty much setting that 4 hole up to fail. There are batters in the 6 ,7 hole that might have made a difference. Place Bouchard behind Duncan and give the pitching battery something to think about. Joy, Britt and Janelle would make a pretty nice 4,5,6.
I coach myself at the 18 exposure level so I know how it feels to be second guessed all the time. But towards the end of a pretty frustrating season you sometimes set back and think what if..........
Quote from: vusupporter on May 01, 2013, 08:03:26 AM
How about Taylor Weissenhofer breaking the season strikeout record yesterday? With still a number of games to pitch, and as a freshman, no less! Congratulations Taylor!
That was definitely impressive to see. She should easily hold the career record by the time she is done at VU. Is it because she throws hard, is a lefty, has nasty offspeed pitches, or a combination of all 3?
Quote from: boomdad on May 01, 2013, 10:44:20 AM
Quote from: valpotx on May 01, 2013, 02:41:48 AM
I hate knocking our players, but she definitely seems like an upgrade over Norway. It seems that we still put Lindsay in for defensive help at the end of the games, but she has been a .200 hitter since she got here, and we needed more offense with Duncan out. We can only have so many sub-.200 hitters and still win games (Wisniewski, Doerffler, Norway).
Im not really sure if Duncan coming back in will help the line up much. Im sure it cant hurt but she has been pitched around all season and has for lack of better words been reduced to a contact hitter at best. Her ba. ob and slug numbers are still respectable but her production numbers are way down. The simple reason is there is no protection in the 5 hole. Last season Rutowski made it almost impossible for that to happen. When your 4 hole leads off between 35 to 40% of the time and no protection behind her you are pretty much setting that 4 hole up to fail. There are batters in the 6 ,7 hole that might have made a difference. Place Bouchard behind Duncan and give the pitching battery something to think about. Joy, Britt and Janelle would make a pretty nice 4,5,6.
I coach myself at the 18 exposure level so I know how it feels to be second guessed all the time. But towards the end of a pretty frustrating season you sometimes set back and think what if..........
Boomdad- there is no doubt that having someone behind you will make a difference. The loss of Rutkowski, Phalen & the fantastic leadoff,3 slot,2 slot [ where ever you needed her] Strickland hurt. Valpo lost 3 very good pitchers & 3 very good hitters. Having Strickland get on 35-40% of the time ahead of a hitter helps.
It will be interesting what they do next year with the loss of Joy & don't know if Marinic is going to stay for 6th year or not? Hopefully one or two of the incoming Freshmen can add to the mix
In the meantime, I would like to see them give Korb a shot.
But, I'm no coach, so what do I know.
Quote from: new2ff on May 02, 2013, 09:44:40 PM
Quote from: boomdad on May 01, 2013, 10:44:20 AM
Quote from: valpotx on May 01, 2013, 02:41:48 AM
I hate knocking our players, but she definitely seems like an upgrade over Norway. It seems that we still put Lindsay in for defensive help at the end of the games, but she has been a .200 hitter since she got here, and we needed more offense with Duncan out. We can only have so many sub-.200 hitters and still win games (Wisniewski, Doerffler, Norway).
Im not really sure if Duncan coming back in will help the line up much. Im sure it cant hurt but she has been pitched around all season and has for lack of better words been reduced to a contact hitter at best. Her ba. ob and slug numbers are still respectable but her production numbers are way down. The simple reason is there is no protection in the 5 hole. Last season Rutowski made it almost impossible for that to happen. When your 4 hole leads off between 35 to 40% of the time and no protection behind her you are pretty much setting that 4 hole up to fail. There are batters in the 6 ,7 hole that might have made a difference. Place Bouchard behind Duncan and give the pitching battery something to think about. Joy, Britt and Janelle would make a pretty nice 4,5,6.
I coach myself at the 18 exposure level so I know how it feels to be second guessed all the time. But towards the end of a pretty frustrating season you sometimes set back and think what if..........
Boomdad- there is no doubt that having someone behind you will make a difference. The loss of Rutkowski, Phalen & the fantastic leadoff,3 slot,2 slot [ where ever you needed her] Strickland hurt. Valpo lost 3 very good pitchers & 3 very good hitters. Having Strickland get on 35-40% of the time ahead of a hitter helps.
It will be interesting what they do next year with the loss of Joy & don't know if Marinic is going to stay for 6th year or not? Hopefully one or two of the incoming Freshmen can add to the mix
In the meantime, I would like to see them give Korb a shot.
But, I'm no coach, so what do I know.
More food for thought. Joy was having a carrear high season until britt was injured. With no one to protect Joys back she has dropped from a 350 avg to a 318..... It definalty makes a difference when they start pitching around you
Will Duncan be back for the tournament and any thoughts on why Doerffler, who must be putting the ball in play because she has so few strikeouts, can't seem to get a hit?
Looks like the team earned the sweep the hard way today, with a 14-inning second game. Great job ladies - I believe a win tomorrow guarantees a third-place finish, which all things considered given how much we had to replace from last year's team, is a solid finish and sets up the team well for the tournament.
Quote from: FWalum on May 04, 2013, 05:12:55 PM
Will Duncan be back for the tournament and any thoughts on why Doerffler, who must be putting the ball in play because she has so few strikeouts, can't seem to get a hit?
Thats up to the coach and trainer about Duncan
What a day. :thumbsup: Our gals fight through extra innings and pull one out and the men come from behind and crush UWM. This is a very good Saturday.
We lose in extra innings today, but are well placed to finish 3rd in the regular season. I don't think anyone looks forward to playing us in the tournament :)
UIC hosts, so the travel is a "no biggie."
GO VALPO!
Gritty comeback today to beat Cleveland State 4-3 in 8 innings! We were down 3-0 going into the 6th, scored 3, and then won it with one out in the 8th. We are the highest seed remaining (3rd), but have one loss. We will play the loser of YSU/WSU in the semi-final, and if we win, will need to win 2 vs the YSU (6th)/WSU (5th) winner for the championship. Same route as last year hopefully, when we also lost our first game! It is huge that both Loyola and UIC were 2 and dones!
Another win for Valpo (10-2 over WSU) takes us to the HL championship game/series! We need to win both games in order to get the NCAA bid, and it is definitely possible. YSU has been playing above their ability this tourney, so hopefully we slow them down in the first one tomorrow, and whoop them the second!
I thought Valpo was going in the path that tx hoped for, but after putting up the 9-2 lead, they started to let their guard down. YSU definitely added some drama as the #6 seed, but it was a good reality check, as the girls got themselves under control, and won the game. It was 11-9! Congrats to the ladies for another great run! Let's get a win or two in the NCAA regional round!
Awesome accomplishment to come back from a game 1 loss again, to go on a 5-0 run and win another championship!