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2020 Texas Softball - Back to OKC!


Js1

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2 hours ago, Js1 said:

WCWS cancelled.  Along with the CWS, NCAA tournament, tennis, etc. 

This is just sickening. We've had WCWS tickets for 11 years and only gotten to see UT there once and I was really starting to think this year was gonna be #2. My daughter is brokenhearted by this news. 🤣

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3 hours ago, HollidayHorn said:

This is just sickening. We've had WCWS tickets for 11 years and only gotten to see UT there once and I was really starting to think this year was gonna be #2. My daughter is brokenhearted by this news. 🤣

Family member is age 91, and he really looks forward to Texas softball games... had to enlarge this year's schedule for him so he wouldn't miss any games...

THIS SUCKS!!! 😠

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Good for Coach Tarr.

These seniors deserve one more season.  Whether it's in the fall or next spring.

Also, if this past weekend truly was the last game for the seniors, Elish ended her entire college career with a perfect game.

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14 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

So, for the softball team that means that all of the ladies would be the same classification next year as they are now, correct?  (Assuming they choose to come back, of course)

No one knows the details.  That would absolutely devastate rosters and scholarships for an entire cycle if everyone retains their classification.  

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Just now, orangeut said:

Would love it for Marinda, Rhodes, Kaitlyn, Hathaway, Slack, and pinch runner T. Demargosion   Am I leaving off any senior?   

Think that’s it. I think for sure Elish will come back. 

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12 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Anyone announce their intentions yet?

Probably waiting first for the NCAA to issue what exactly is going to be offered and see, personally, what they can defer. Grad school, jobs, etc. 

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Unlike baseball, the pro game isn't much to look forward to for these athletes.  I would guess college softball is the probably the pinnacle for most of them, even most of the "stars."  I feel so bad for them, but am glad they have the opportunity to come back next year if they want.

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36 minutes ago, bschoolprof said:

Unlike baseball, the pro game isn't much to look forward to for these athletes.  I would guess college softball is the probably the pinnacle for most of them, even most of the "stars."  I feel so bad for them, but am glad they have the opportunity to come back next year if they want.

If I had to guess, Tuesday probably won’t come back. Hathaway may already be in a grad program as a RS SR. Slack could also be done. If Elish, KWash and Rhodes come back, I’d be THRILLED

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15 hours ago, Js1 said:

If I had to guess, Tuesday probably won’t come back. Hathaway may already be in a grad program as a RS SR. Slack could also be done. If Elish, KWash and Rhodes come back, I’d be THRILLED

If Miranda Elish has her way, the final memory that Texas fans have of the ace pitcher won’t be a perfect game.

Elish took to Instagram on Sunday to announce that she plans on returning to Texas in 2021. Elish’s senior season was cut short last week due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus. On Thursday, the NCAA cancelled its spring championships. A day later, the Big 12 called off the rest of its springtime competitions.

Elish’s plans are contingent on the NCAA giving her an additional year of eligibility. A NCAA committee recently proposed that athletes involved in spring sports be gifted back the year of eligibility they are losing in 2020. Such a plan has not yet been finalized. Additionally, the NCAA has not yet announced how it will handle logistics like the distribution of scholarships and roster sizes.

https://www.hookem.com/2020/03/15/after-coronavirus-cancellations-cut-short-her-senior-year-miranda-elish-to-return-to-texas-in-2021/

 

nrw-ut-hou-ncaasb-17.jpg

Edited by torre
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17 minutes ago, texashorn13 said:

Rhodes is coming back, I don't think the other four are (Washington, Hathaway, Slack, Dermargosian)

Hopefully the reasoning is that they have jobs lined up. If not then they’ll need some luck finding one with the impending economic recession. I would definitely stay another year if I didn’t have a job lined up

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3 hours ago, texashorn13 said:

Rhodes is coming back, I don't think the other four are (Washington, Hathaway, Slack, Dermargosian)

Little disappointing. I think OU’s big 3 seniors are all coming back (Mendes, Saile and Washington)

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Just now, Js1 said:

Little disappointing. I think OU’s big 3 seniors are all coming back (Mendes, Saile and Washington)

Don't 100% quote me yet on those four, just what I've heard.  I think money may end up being a big factor.  The only way I can conceivably see this working is the NCAA granting the Seniors another year, but on their own dime.  I think that will eliminate a majority of Seniors wanting to come back, and not just here.

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19 hours ago, texashorn13 said:

Don't 100% quote me yet on those four, just what I've heard.  I think money may end up being a big factor.  The only way I can conceivably see this working is the NCAA granting the Seniors another year, but on their own dime.  I think that will eliminate a majority of Seniors wanting to come back, and not just here.

The ones I've seen coming back are:

Mendes, Juarez and Saile for OU
Elish for Texas
Jess Harper for Arizona
Kendall Lindeman for Gata
Jenavee Peres for UCLA (and they get Rachel Garcia back after the Olympics) 

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Best to you in the future,  Kaitlyn.    Great season this year - most improved player on the team and always a great teammate.   Super family,  Mom is head coach at Liberty.

 

 

Texas senior Kaitlyn Slack won’t return to the Longhorns’ infield in 2021.

On Thursday, Slack announced that this spring will count as her senior season. Slack was the starting shortstop for a 24-3 Texas team that was ranked third in the NFCA poll. The rest of UT’s season was cancelled last week due to fears over the coronavirus outbreak.

A NCAA committee recently suggested that athletes regain the eligibility that was lost this spring. No formal plans have been publicized, however, and it doesn’t appear that Slack will take the NCAA up on whatever it offers.

The daughter of a softball coach, Slack chose Texas over Alabama and Houston. The Liberty native then became a 139-time starter and consistent defensive presence for the Longhorns. As a senior, Slack was hitting .324 with a key homer in a 3-2 win over Utah on Feb. 14. Two years ago, Slack’s RBI single was the difference in a regional upending of Minnesota.

Slack, who is studying marketing, is one of six seniors on Texas’ roster. Classmate Miranda Elish has already said that she will pitch at Texas in 2021 if the NCAA allows it. The plans for outfielders Kaitlyn Washington, Reagan Hathaway and Tuesday DerMargosian and utility player Shannon Rhodes have not yet been revealed.

https://www.hookem.com/2020/03/19/ncaa-proposal-notwithstanding-texas-ss-kaitlyn-slack-decides-to-end-her-softball-career/

 

nrw-ut-ou-soft-15.jpg

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23 hours ago, Js1 said:

Thanks for everything, Slack!  Guess we can officially start figuring out who fills the hole at SS now. 

The plan right now is for it to be the FR coming in, Alyssa Washington.  But it wouldn't surprise me if it ends up being someone off the transfer portal.

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1 hour ago, texashorn13 said:

The plan right now is for it to be the FR coming in, Alyssa Washington.  But it wouldn't surprise me if it ends up being someone off the transfer portal.

No hope for Parker  ?   

Suppose her lack of PT even in games decided was telling.    Luv her mechanics at the plate and thought fielding was a matter of gaining confidence.  Great academic,  may not want to enter portal.    

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After the above post,  an interview was published today in the AAS.   Lengthy,  but worth the read.   Excerpts:

 

Your long-awaited jersey retirement ceremony was supposed to happened on Wednesday. Have you heard from Texas about a rescheduling?

I have not heard from anybody about rescheduling. Obviously as soon as they canceled things, I knew that was out of the window. But I’ve again told my husband that I’ve waited 14 years, what’s 15?

I’m just assuming they’ve got bigger fish to fry, figuring out the blanketed year of eligibility for everyone and what that means and (what) that means to the school and athletic department. I know there is bigger fish for them to fry. I’m not worried about it. I know at some point we’ll talk about rescheduling it. (Texas athletic director) Chris Del Conte has been great in letting me know that it was going to happen eventually, and so he made that happen. I know it’s not going to get lost in the shuffle.

Speaking of Miranda, what are your thoughts on her and the season that Texas was having?

Miranda’s a great pitcher. We all knew that before she even came to Texas, which is why everyone got excited that she came to Texas because she had made a name for herself at Oregon. She was at the national team tryout in January for the 2019 team and I talked to her a little bit. She’s a great competitor, she wants to win, she obviously works hard. You can tell that she keeps herself in great shape, which is awesome. Not a lot of younger athletes understand how much that can pay off for you.

Her and I have had brief exchanges on social media. She’s always been super nice and so supportive of what I did previously. I’m completely supportive of everything she’s doing now. In fact, before the season started, I said, “Take us back to the Promised Land” and she was like, “That’s the plan.”

I was really excited that she decided to come to Texas with Coach White (White). I’ve been so excited to see the program continue to rise. They were having an incredible year and I thought this would be the year they would go back to Oklahoma City. I think they had a great chance to make a run at the title. Hopefully they can put all the pieces back together for next season, too. If they return most of their seniors, they obviously they’ll have just as strong of a team.

https://www.hookem.com/story/statesman-interview-cat-osterman-on-a-postponed-olympics-2021-and-miranda-elish/

 

 

 

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I'm glad Miranda, Shannon and Kaitlyn are coming back, but I''m going to remain skeptical that it'll happen until they officially step on the field.  There are still a lot of moving parts and unknowns that have to be answered.  All the NCAA did was say they could come back, and gave a year of eligibility back to all spring sports athletes.  That's it.  Conferences and Schools will be able to decide whether they allow it or not, and before the decision by the NCAA, the Big 12 was not on board with giving eligibility back.  SEC and ACC wanted all athletes to get a year, PAC wanted only seniors, and the Big 12 and Big 10 did not want anyone getting a year.

Another factor will be the finances.  It is up to the school to pay the returning seniors scholarship.  Below are the rules the NCAA put in place regarding returning seniors and scholarship money:

  • A returning senior can receive up to the amount they were on in 19/20.  They may not receive more.
  • Any scholarship money given to a returning senior will not count against the program limit of 12.
  • If a returning senior transfers, any scholarship money they get from the new school will count against the program limit of 12. 

Some schools can't pay and some won't pay.  With the loss of money each school receives from the NCAA, can't will be a real factor for a lot of schools.  And that's assuming college football season happens in the fall.  If not, watch out.

But here's where it gets real tricky...the scholarship relief is only for next year and the returning seniors.  After next year, it's back to 12.  So coaches are going to have a decision to make, keep your now Juniors, or keep your 2021 recruits.  Unless players on either side start giving up money, something will have to give.  So for White, decision will be to keep and pay Lauren Burke, Janae Jefferson, Taylor Ellsworth, Ariana Adams, MK Tedder and Mary Iakopo...or drop them and pick up the 2021 commits Katie Cimusz, Sophia Simpson, Nelia Peraltz and Ashton Maloney.  And that decision will have to happen by November.  And another layer to that is the coaches may not have the choice, because of scholarship rules and language, if the current Juniors choose to come back their scholarship will be honored.  So if all of the current Juniors choose to return, there may not be an money for 2021's.

And lastly, the Freshman class for 20/21 will now be 10.  The four from this season (Popelka, Marder, Corona and Green) will be FR again and you're now adding Ratcliff, Smith, Washington, Whitaker, White and Williams.

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Excerpts:

 

Could Texas have won its all? White thinks so. He noted that Janae Jefferson and Miranda Elish were again playing like All-Americans while youngsters like Courtney Day and Shea O’Leary were finding their strides. Perennial contenders UCLA (Rachael Garcia and Bubba Nickles) and Arizona (Dejah Mulipola) also were missing key players this season due to their involvement with the U.S. Olympic team.

“The stars were aligning a little bit for us,” White said. “We had a lot of work to do, but I think we had as good a chance as anyone out there.”

 

 

This week, the NCAA approved the restoration of the eligibility lost by its spring-sport athletes this year. That ruling meant that seniors across the country could extend their careers into 2021. Three Texas seniors, however, have decided to move on anyway, White told the American-Statesman.

Starting shortstop Kaitlyn Slack will head to graduate school at Kansas and join former UT assistant coach Jennifer McFalls’ staff in Lawrence as a graduate assistant. Reagan Hathaway, a fifth-year outfielder who already has a biology degree, won’t return next season. Neither will reserve outfielder Tuesday DerMargosian, who is studying journalism.

DerMargosian, Hathaway and Slack all appeared in what turned out to be the final game of the season, a 7-0 win over New Mexico on March 8.

“It’s very hard for them. … This is an uncontrollable, there’s nothing you can really do about it,” White said. “You’ve just got to go forward. You always talk about not living with regret.”

White doesn’t anticipate the loss of any players to the NCAA transfer portal, but the team hasn’t held any end-of-the-season meetings either. Texas signed six players in its 2020 recruiting class, so as many as 23 names could appear on the 2021 roster.

“We made a good decision with 25 lockers in the locker room,” White joked about the softball team’s under-construction training facility.

 

https://www.hookem.com/story/the-stars-were-aligning-a-little-bit-for-us-texas-moves-on-after-2020-seasons-abrupt-ending/

Edited by torre
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