things are looking good for the future of USC softball

[lilhornet]

Page dropped a two run homer over left center to make the lead 8-2

[FlorenceCock]

Here are live stats from the game via Stetsons website.
http://www.gohatters.com/newLiveStat...b_oem_id=14600

[COCKYWOOD]

11-3 . Team is looking great this year !

[ConwayGamecock]

Originally Posted by COCKYWOOD

11-3 . Team is looking great this year !

Haha, only 2 games in, but it is definitely a great start to the season, with back-to-back wins called early per the run rule. We're certainly showing some strong offense thus far. The big test of how much we've improved obviously comes once conference play begins....we were 16-6 last season before opening the SEC slate versus Arkansas, and that includes losing both games of a double-header with Coastal Carolina just before Arky. We went 3-25 in conference and finished 23-32 on the year....

[FlorenceCock]

Originally Posted by ConwayGamecock

Haha, only 2 games in, but it is definitely a great start to the season, with back-to-back wins called early per the run rule. We're certainly showing some strong offense thus far. The big test of how much we've improved obviously comes once conference play begins....we were 16-6 last season before opening the SEC slate versus Arkansas, and that includes losing both games of a double-header with Coastal Carolina just before Arky. We went 3-25 in conference and finished 23-32 on the year....

I was about to say the same thing. We did pretty well last year in our OOC schedule and then hit a brick wall when it came to conference play. I hope we do better this year and I think with the addition of the new stadium our recruiting will get better. Also I think the adding Lisa Navas the former NC State head coach to the coaching staff will pay off big time as well.

[ConwayGamecock]

In the 4:00 game with Stetson......Lady Gamecocks are already up 7-0 in the top of the 2nd inning. Stetson getting ready to bat in the bottom stanza. Julie Sarratt pitching for USC. USC gets another run before the Hatters do, and this game is over.....

[ConwayGamecock]

Still 7-0 in bottom 4th, Sarratt had kept the Hatter hitless to that point. They've just now broke up the potential no-hitter, and have runners on bases 1st and 2nd with no outs...

Stetson just hit a 3-run homer....now 7-3 in bottom 4th, still no outs....

[ConwayGamecock]

14-4 final USC is now 3-0....

[FlorenceCock]

I realize that the level of competition has not been the greatest so far but this years team seems to have improved a great deal. If Julie Sarratt can come back from injury and our freshman Katie Marks is as good as advertised then we have a really solid pitching lineup with senior Audrey Broyles who got the bulk of the work last year. Also it is kind of weird that we will play Stetson twice in their tournament and then have to play them again just next week in UCF tourney as well.

[scfastpitch]

Samie Garcia 9-for-10 so far . Freshman Alaynie Page 7-for-9 with a home run . Pitching was better today with complete games from Marks and Sarratt . Wonder who starts vs Michigan State Sunday . The transfer from Furman hasn't pitched yet .

[FlorenceCock]

Originally Posted by scfastpitch

Samie Garcia 9-for-10 so far . Freshman Alaynie Page 7-for-9 with a home run . Pitching was better today with complete games from Marks and Sarratt . Wonder who starts vs Michigan State Sunday . The transfer from Furman hasn't pitched yet .

Is she eligible since she played last year at Furman?

[scfastpitch]

Originally Posted by FlorenceCock

Is she eligible since she played last year at Furman?

Should be eligible if she was released . She was included in the pitching preview for this season on the USC site .

[lilhornet]

4-0 to start the season. 52 runs in 4 games...pretty impressive.

[scfastpitch]

Good to see us pounding mediocre pitching the way an SEC team should . A little concerned that our pitchers gave up 5 home runs . Of course, we jumped out to a big lead in every game, so maybe the pitchers were concentrating on throwing strikes and not walking people . Defense was pretty steady, as expected . Another long bus trip next weekend .

[lilhornet]

Talked to one of the girls on the team. She said that "there were good teams in that tournament but nothing like the SEC and that we have a ways to go but that we can do it."

The girls seem really pumped up and motivated about this season and after a 4-0 start I think they are proving to themselves they can win. I want to see the team handle adversity. If they take a tough loss, I want to see how they respond to it. Anyone can take triumph and success but it's how you respond to failure which determines how good a team can become.

[Luke Skycocker]

Originally Posted by lilhornet

Talked to one of the girls on the team. She said that "there were good teams in that tournament but nothing like the SEC and that we have a ways to go but that we can do it."

meh, those two teams were pretty dang bad. michigan state went 11-43 last year, didnt win a single game in big 10 play. stetson was like 26-22 in a bad conference

[soreshins]

Luke--you are right they were not very good. Nevertheless, scoring runs is good and winning is even better. Pitching was shakey in spots, but the offense did real well and defense did fairly well. It is a good start and can be built upon in the coming weeks.

[lilhornet]

Yea, it was probably one of those things where you don't want to say the team(s) you played are crappy. It was probably more out of respect then anything but yea personally, I didn't think they were that good.

[scfastpitch]

Originally Posted by lilhornet

Yea, it was probably one of those things where you don't want to say the team(s) you played are crappy. It was probably more out of respect then anything but yea personally, I didn't think they were that good.

Still a good start . We need to be well over .500 when conference play starts and we have a chance to do that . It's only been a couple years since Michigan State beat us 8-7 . You would think MSU would at least be trying to improve their program, with Michigan being good just about every year .

[soreshins]

Michigan State is not without some good players. They are in need of better pitching and they need to tighten up the defense. But they scored 5 runs late in that last game. If you are not 14 runs down, that is normally enough to get a win.