2021 Softball Season

Discussion in 'Softball' started by Jacob Johnson, Aug 31, 2020.

  1. Jacob Johnson

    Jacob Johnson 2,500+ Posts

    Single gameday tickets are now available for purchase. They are being sold at the box office based on availability so I recommend getting there a bit early to ensure you get them before they sell out.
     
  2. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

     
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  3. Sydney302

    Sydney302 < 25 Posts

    Thank you! At the field box office? Is that only open an hour before the game starts? or at the athletic ticket office in the morning? TIA!
     
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  4. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    Call them up: 512-471-3333
    Or write them: tickets@athletics.utexas.edu
     
  5. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    Interesting bonus:
     
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  6. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    I couldn't watch the McNeese state game tonight because I didn't want to purchase it from their conference. But, was surprised that the gals pulled it out in the top of the 7th inning. I "watched" two innings via the stat site and then thought there was no way they could win with their spotty hitting and quit watching them from my computer. Then, pleasantly surprised to see updates via Twitter on their win. Way to go ladies!
     
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  7. Ellis21d

    Ellis21d JediHorn

    I did the same on my phone as I “watched” the live stream and kept hitting my update button. A very exciting game. Glad to see that Louisiana is coming to Austin and now on LHN! That’s what you call the perfect storm?
     
  8. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    My daughter texted me, "Do you think it will be weird that Jade Gortarez will be back at McCombs tomorrow?" I'd forgotten that Gortarez had transferred to the Ragin' Cajuns from Arizona State. I looked up the 2017 roster and the only players from that year still playing college softball are: Tuesday DerMargosian (North Texas) and our own Kaitlyn Washington.
     
  9. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

     
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  10. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    [​IMG]
     
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  11. Ellis21d

    Ellis21d JediHorn

    What a great team win against the Ragin Cagins! O’Leary looked as good as she has been all year! And the hitting was exceptional. Coach Singleton is doing some big time coaching the hitting! On to game #2. Hook’em! :yippee:
     
  12. Malcom

    Malcom 1,000+ Posts

    Man...are we faster than I think we are?? Seems like we have ran into so many outs this year...sigh
     
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  13. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    Game 1: Wow, Shea really looks the Shea of old. No rough patches. Just a great pitched game.
    Game 2: What the? What the?
    It was getting too cold for the clothes we brought and we left after Texas pulled ahead 4-2 in the 3rd inning. And then in the car we heard parts of the 4th and 5th innings. And then at home, watched the last two innings. Gack!

    Our seats this year are pushed to above the visitor's dugout, so we witnessed their coach getting tossed (only the second time I've ever been at a college game where that has happened). I don't know if it was shown on LHN, but we could hear the home plate ump and Glasco.
    1. Close call at first, it was really close. But tie goes to the runner (UT)
    2. Glasco runs over to give the first plate ump to argue, and loses of course
    3. Glasco takes off his ball cap and tosses it in frustration INTO the dugout (we're right on top of this scene)
    4. Home plate ump comes running up and says, "You OUT. You can't be throwing equipment on the field"
    [Hmmm. Yes technical the ball cap is "equipment" but......]
    5. Glasco says, "I'm only protecting my player!"
    6. Ump yells get out of here!
    7. Glasco starts charging towards the ump. First base ump has to intercept him and push him away and out.

    Dramatic!

    Anyway, I was thinking we would split the series with LaLa. If we played 3, we would have won the third. If there was less wind, we would have won all 3 three. But same team, same night and that's the way that goes.
     
  14. Malcom

    Malcom 1,000+ Posts

     
  15. Malcom

    Malcom 1,000+ Posts

    Racer we gotta clean up our defense. Make better decisions on the bases as well.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  16. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    I was thinking that both assistant coaches are responsible for overall defense. Bartlett is responsible for OF defense, and [gulp] there have been errors by outfielders. Singleton and Bartlett are both responsible jointly for infield defense. Well that's not so hot either. And Mike should be responsible for the running as well as pitching. Yikes! I guess we're just going to have to "outhit" our errors.
     
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  17. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

  18. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    Game 1 vs. New Mexico:
    Before the game, I saw the NM huddle and they were happy, loose and showed affection for each other. Strange, I thought, for a 1-18 team. I expected a serious, grim team.

    When Texas still behind 0-2 I thought, "Wow, we could lose to this team". Until the bats woke up in the 4th.

    Our pitching. Oh. My.
     
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  19. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts


    I'm not sure if LHN showed this, but Bri bunted this ball and hauled a$$ to first. She crossed and didn't know if Parker crossed home or not. Her jubilation that's shown is the realization that Parker scored - because she was concentrating so hard on beating out a throw to first that it wasn't until she stopped and turned around she saw the reward of her bunt.
     
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  20. UTexRulz23

    UTexRulz23 500+ Posts

    Is Jefferson injured?
     
  21. UTexRulz23

    UTexRulz23 500+ Posts

    Really excited for Parker. She's having an amazing year!
     
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  22. Ellis21d

    Ellis21d JediHorn

    She has a strain, did not say where. Being held out as a precaution. Expected back next weekend.
     
  23. Jacob Johnson

    Jacob Johnson 2,500+ Posts

    She hurt her hamstring in the first game
     
  24. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    In 79 At-Bats against New Mexico during the 3 games, Texas did not strike out at the plate.

    In 66 At-Bats against Texas, New Mexico struck out 19 times.
     
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  25. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    Wrote an email to Mike White. It took me a while to realize that UT, starting in 2021, made their campus email directory UT-only. So, you can't look up the coaches' email addresses.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Dear Coach White,

    I wanted to send a note to you and your coaches to congratulate them on the current progress of the team. Unfortunately, due to an understandable change in the privacy standards at the University, the general public can no longer look up coaches' email addresses.

    Fortunately, I have your email address cached from the few times I've sent you email in the past. Please forward this note to your staff, as you wish.

    During the last couple of games, we (the fans who have season tickets and have seen players come and go through the program) remarked how some players have really transformed. We're saying "transformed" and not "regressed" because that's the typical trajectory of players at UT Softball. For years, we would see unexpected diamonds in the rough that showed great promise as a freshman only to regress each year. It was obvious that this was lack of development and in fact the reverse was on the old coaching staff.

    Your situation is unique as you still have players you inherited either as sophmores or freshmen signees that were not your own. Also, because of circumstances you've recently added new assistants. But this was all for the better!

    For this year, well pitching has regressed a bit. But pitchers are just a different breed and so mental, so I can't comment on that too much.

    I think what's really wowed us in the stands is an example like McKenzie Parker. Her freshman year, her hitting was weak, her decision making was suspect. Now, we see her snagging balls and showing an arm strength not seen before rifling balls to first. And her bat is really what has shone out. Her freshman year, the balls were weak rollers to second, infield pop-ups, or lucky shots down the baselines. Each time she came up to bat, we groaned a bit since it usually meant an out. But since her freshman year, she's gone: 0.250, 0.400, and now 0.472!

    Another thing that's obvious this year is the mental preparation at the plate for your hitters. In this last series with New Mexico, I had to look it up to confirm that there were no strikeouts during the entire 3 game series. That's amazing! And a great example of preparation is one of our (family) favorite players MK Tedder. Typically she's regulated to cleanup time at the end of games. But to be given the starting spot and then to go 4-4 meant that she had worked on her hitting and the idea of being ready to play was drilled into her.

    I could go on with Taylor Ellsworth, Kaitlyn Washington and even Jenae Jefferson, but I know you and your staff know more than we could ever know about their stats.

    Finally, your staff may not know it but Texas had been trending down in terms of popularity with players and their former coaches. We'd spoken to player's parents and sometimes their old travel ball coaches who were unhappy with how their girls were developing at their time at Texas. Many went there because of their love of Texas, the University, or their love of Cat Osterman. But that can only get you so many good players. The good players were and still are going to OU because of their obvious winning streak. I hope word of the improvement to all players at Texas will start trickling back to the high school and middle school levels so that you can reap the bounty in the next few years.

    Finally, two questions to the Athletic Directors:

    1. When will you honor Cat Osterman this season with her retired number on the field? She's going to be heading to Japan soon, so let's catch her now!

    2. After a popular weekend game(s), can you host visits of spectators through the new softball complex? Selfies made by young fans onto social media would help in recruiting, one would think?

    Thanks and keep up the good work!
     
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  26. Ellis21d

    Ellis21d JediHorn

    Wow! That is a pretty amazing stat! Great email to Coach by the way! All spot on!
     
  27. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    I was rebuilding my stats database and was going through Connie's last year at Texas. And then this interesting box score of players popped up from the game where Mike White's team whipped ours at Puerto Vallarta:
    [​IMG]
     
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  28. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    An update: I did get a personal response from Coach White on the email I sent him. Because I am respecting his privacy and words can be taken out of context, so I'm not posting his response here.

    However, I do feel confident in saying that the honoring of Cat Osterman is planned for next season, when we can have full stands and we play our yearly game with Texas State in Austin. That's the plan, anyway.
     
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  29. racerx5908

    racerx5908 2,500+ Posts

    For this weekend:
    [​IMG]
     
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  30. Run Pincher

    Run Pincher 2,500+ Posts

    Some tough competition there. Hopefully Texas can squeak out a W.
     

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