Softball Offseason

[JMV JustMyView]

He could definitely coach hitting with the best of them.

No doubt.

[JMV JustMyView]

I think, when the first game is played next year, the starting lineup will look nothing like this. There are some girls you have penciled in, who, I think, will not even be on the team. We'll just have to wait and see.

That would be correct. To early to make a starting lineup. In my opinion 1B is the only settled position. Everything else is open for competition.

[fanof71]

Where can we find a list of the incoming freshman?

[cajunref]

Just looking at the roster and incoming freshman. 2026 Lineup kinda looks like:
C: Mia Norwood - 1B: Emily Smith - 2B: Mia Liscano - 3B: Gabbie Stutes
LF: Erin Ardoin - CF: Dayzja Williams - RF: Lily Knox - DH: Lillian Soto
P: Wheeler, Delbrey, Hoover, Noble, and Mackles(FR)

You are not even close to being in the ball park. Some may not even be on the roster next year.

[cajunref]

Where can we find a list of the incoming freshman?

https://ragincajuns.com/news/2024/11...-2025-recruits

[Reality Check]

You are not even close to being in the ball park. Some may not even be on the roster next year.

I can definitely see Ardoin and Soto playing somwhere next year.

[Reality Check]

There were 24 players on this year's team. Seven graduated. That leaves17. There are six incoming freshmen. That brings the number back up to 26. That leaves room for maybe two transfers.

If you want power hitters on the team, that means she will need six or seven transfers. In order to get that many, she needs to either backtrack on some of the freshmen that are coming in, or cut four or five players that are currently on the team. Coach Aly has some tough decisions to make. I hope she makes decisions based on needs and not feelings.

With the 2025-2026 roster size being set at 25, per NCAA rules, Aly is going to have to release some current players and/or possibly some signees if she brings in a couple of portal players.

[RoarMan]

With the 2025-2026 roster size being set at 25, per NCAA rules, Aly is going to have to release some current players and/or possibly some signees if she brings in a couple of portal players.

She needs to bring in more than a couple. I think she did the best she could have possibly done with what she had to work with. Small ball simply does not work in today's softball world. You can't win, playing games like games were played in the 1980s and 1990s. The Cajuns had 80 sacrifice bunts. That's more than any team in Division I, Division II, and Division III. Not one team ranked in the top 20 was anywhere near being in the top 50 in sacrifice bunts. Those teams are playing a completely different game.

It's all about power. Here's what power gets you. In five games against power teams, two against LSU and one each against Texas, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, the result...them 59 Cajuns 7. They averaged almost 12 runs per game.

So, if she continues try to bring the team back to prominence, not only in the Sunbelt, but nationally, I don't think there's any way she can do it with small ball.

She's going to have to make some tough decisions. And, that may include saying goodbye to players who cannot hit for power and bringing in a number of transfers who can.

[SlickRick]

She needs to bring in more than a couple. I think she did the best she could have possibly done with what she had to work with. Small ball simply does not work in today's softball world. You can't win, playing games like games were played in the 1980s and 1990s. The Cajuns had 80 sacrifice bunts. That's more than any team in Division I, Division II, and Division III. Not one team ranked in the top 20 was anywhere near being in the top 50 in sacrifice bunts. Those teams are playing a completely different game.

It's all about power. Here's what power gets you. In five games against power teams, two against LSU and one each against Texas, Texas A&M and Mississippi State, the result...them 59 Cajuns 7. They averaged almost 12 runs per game.

So, if she continues try to bring the team back to prominence, not only in the Sunbelt, but nationally, I don't think there's any way she can do it with small ball.

She's going to have to make some tough decisions. And, that may include saying goodbye to players who cannot hit for power and bringing in a number of transfers who can.

Yep, different game today.

[VObserver]

I don't think that HR power is absolutely necessary, but the ability to at least hit gap doubles definitely is. We have at least 3 returning slappers [Williams, Liscano and Ardoin] that I believe are fully capable of being effective hitters if they are allowed [or forced] to stop slapping and taught proper hitting mechanics. All can still bunt if the situation calls for it.

In general I agree with Roarman; you cannot win at a high level playing small ball. I will add that the SBC is becoming high level softball, on par with mid level SEC and ACC programs. If we want to dominate the SBC and compete with higher level SEC and Big XII programs, we must be able to score runs at a 6-10 runs per game rate. To do that we need to field a team that has at least gap double power from 1-9 in the lineup. Even assuming that all three that I named are successful in transitioning into full swing hitters, we will still need more than just a couple of redshirt freshmen, recruits or portal players who are capable of having 15-20 extra base hits and of delivering those hits in critical at bats [RISP and/or 2 outs].

Our conference rankings in power related categories were pathetic : we were 8th in slugging percentage, 12th in extra base hits, 9th in runs scored and 11th in sacrifice flies. This must improve.