Recently I had a great conversation with one of the best
broadcasters in college sports, Mike Patrick, about one of the best games that
sports fans are not watching; College Softball! Dismiss any stereotypes that
come to mind when you hear the word “softball’. This is a fun, fun game to
watch and these women are beautiful athletes who can play ball!
There are 64 teams in the NCAA softball tournament
bracket. The Southeastern Conference
sent 11 teams. Six SEC teams have advanced to the NCAA Super Regional (sweet
16). The defending National Champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide is the only SEC
team to win the Women’s College World Series. The PAC-12 owned the WCWS from
2006-2011. But the sport is changing as a new conference dynasty begins. With
the strength of these SEC teams, the SEC is looking for their second WCWS
Championship.
Of course I’m rooting for the University of Tennessee Lady
Vols to dominate in Oklahoma!
The Lady Vols had been ranked No. 2 before losing to
Missouri in the SEC tournament. The No.
7 seed Lady Vols host the best out of 3 against Alabama on Friday on ESPN2 and
again Saturday on ESPN! Prime Time on ESPN!
Since 2004 UT coaches Bo and Karen Weekly have made the
Lady Vols a powerhouse in the sport and have reached the NCAA tournament every
year and the WCWS 5 times. This could be one of the all around best UT softball
teams the Weekly’s have coached. Second-basemen Lauren Gibson was named SEC
Player of the Year and Raven Chavanne led all hitters in the SEC with .391 in
conference batting average (.439 for all games) and 2nd in stolen
bases. The Renfroe sisters are fierce in the circle with a combined 36-8
win-loss record. Senior Ivy has an amazing 0.88 WHIP (walks and hits allowed
per innings pitched) and a 0.91 ERA (2.02 career ERA). Junior Ellen is a
pushing sibling rivalry with a 0.80 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 52.1 innings
pitched. The youngest Renfroe, Anna, is a freshman infielder, has only played in
three games and earned an .333 on-base percentage.
Even if you never played fast-pitch softball you should give
the Riseball another look. It’s basically an upside down curve ball thrown
overhand. It’s not an easy pitch and it’s more difficult to hit (the ball rises
as its thrown to the batter from the backspin and pitching technique). Watch
one game, root for the Lady Vols, and you’ll become a college softball fan.
-Enjoy the College World Series Mr. Patrick! And if I see
Angle Hernandez, I’ll be sure to send him a drink with your best regards. :)
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