I listened to a podcast recently that had JT Gasso on it. Lasted only about 20 minutes or so but here are a few talking points that stood out to me.
1) Practices and depth- He believes this is has the been most compettitive he's seen. He felt everyone had to bring it and that everyone improved.
2) On how many player's on the roster that are from Oklahoma- He felt that directly contributes to the popularity of the sport in the state of Oklahoma and the rise of competitive tournaments at the club level. California will always be the hotbed of softball recruiting but states like Oklahoma are on the rise.
3) Tiare Jennings and Jayda Coleman- He talked about how Tiare is a bit of a reserved player and before their first scrimmage he was questioning if she was mentally ready for it then in her first at bat she hits a home run. He was like "Ok, I get it." She's just a player who plays with a calm demeanor and her play speak for her.
On Jayda Coleman and the fact that she has played a few different positions in the Fall he said she is one of the most athletically gifted player's on a softball field that he has ever seen. You could plug her in at almost any position and she'll play it at a high level.
Oger's take- This is not just one of the largest rosters that Patty Gasso has ever had, this is probably the deepest as far as talent that she has ever had going into the Spring. This could change of course should a player or two enters the Portal over the Winter months. I'm not saying that will happen, I haven't heard anything on that front, but with the depth the way it is it is a possibility. It would not surprise me if a player or two bounced based on where they are on the depth chart.
Because of the depth on this team I think there will be a lot more platooning. There will be a lot more line ups that will be based upon who our opponents are putting in the circle that day.
Of course I'm not privy to the depth chart but I'll take a guess based upon what I have seen, read, and heard.
Catcher- I think Elam is the starter here. Her stick came alive last Spring and it continued to be hot this Fall.
Kinzie Hansen will spend most of her time platooning between First Base and Catcher. She would be the starter at Catcher with 90% of the Power 5 schools across the nation.
First Base- I think Kinzie Hansen has the inside track at this position but we also saw a lot of Zaida Puni and Jayda Coleman at this position. If Jayda starts we'll probably see Hansen and Puni in the EH.
Second Base- Going into the Fall I felt this position was wide open between Taylon Snow, Tiare Jennings, and Mackenzie Donihoo. I don't know who's decision it was for Snow to back off of the slap hitting style but it paid off in spades this Fall. She was arguably the hottest hitter this Fall. Jennings and Donihoo will continue to compete for playing time(especially Jennings because of her stick at the plate) but I think Snow has the inside track at this position.
Shortstop- There was a lot of platooning between Grace Lyons, Jayda Coleman, and Tiare Jennings. Grace Lyons is an All-American level player at this position defensively, but her hitting has been hot and cold so far as a Sooner but she looked really good to me this Fall at the plate and has locked this position down. The surprise here will probably be that I think Jennings will be Lyons back up. I pictured Jennings competing more at 2nd and 3rd while Coleman competing more in the Outfield. Right now I think that both of these sensational Freshmen will be in the starting line up on day 1 but where is the question.
Third Base- I think this position has come down to two players, Elyah Flores and Jana John's. I personally think Jana John's is the better player, not only in the field, but at the plate as well. I also know that Coach Gasso can be loyal to player's who stick with the program and reward them in the end, but I think John's has proven to be the best option at this position going into the Spring.
Outfield- If you wanted go on just defense alone you won't find a better outfield in the land than Coleman in Left, Mendes in Center, and Boone in Right. That is a ton of speed that would closed down the gaps in a hurry. Right now, I think it's Alo in Left, Mendes in Center, and (if healthy) Boone in Right. This is the one position I think you'll see the most platooning with Grace Green, Alycia Flores, Raylee Pogue, and Paige Knight being thrown in the mix.
Pitcher- This group got hit pretty hard throughout Fall Ball but looked a bit more settled in the last scrimmage. To be fair there are very few staffs in the country who won't get pounded by this team.
"G" Juarez if healthy is the obvious Top Dawg in this program but as it turned out her injury was far more serious than when it was first diagnosed. From what I understand it's still a question as to whether she will be 100% by the start of the season.
That leaves us at who will be the #2. I believe Saile is the #2(defacto #1) going into the Spring. The talent is there but she has been very hot and cold so far as a Sooner. Sometimes her control is great and looks unhittable and other times it looks like her head is on another planet and is incapable of throwing strikes.
The #3 is a bit up in the air in my opinion. This will be between May, Mcadoo, and Rains. May got a lot of time in the circle and I'm not sure if it's because she has the most upside of the trio or because they just wanted to see as a Fteshman what May brings to the table being that they already have seen a lot of Rains and Mcadoo. We'll see how this plays out but I think May has the inside track for the #3 spot.
Vestal and Thiede will probably get some innings against lesser teams but against top competition not so much.
I know this write up is a bit sloppy and I've probably left a few things out but I'm knocking this out while babysitting a couple grandbabies.
1) Practices and depth- He believes this is has the been most compettitive he's seen. He felt everyone had to bring it and that everyone improved.
2) On how many player's on the roster that are from Oklahoma- He felt that directly contributes to the popularity of the sport in the state of Oklahoma and the rise of competitive tournaments at the club level. California will always be the hotbed of softball recruiting but states like Oklahoma are on the rise.
3) Tiare Jennings and Jayda Coleman- He talked about how Tiare is a bit of a reserved player and before their first scrimmage he was questioning if she was mentally ready for it then in her first at bat she hits a home run. He was like "Ok, I get it." She's just a player who plays with a calm demeanor and her play speak for her.
On Jayda Coleman and the fact that she has played a few different positions in the Fall he said she is one of the most athletically gifted player's on a softball field that he has ever seen. You could plug her in at almost any position and she'll play it at a high level.
Oger's take- This is not just one of the largest rosters that Patty Gasso has ever had, this is probably the deepest as far as talent that she has ever had going into the Spring. This could change of course should a player or two enters the Portal over the Winter months. I'm not saying that will happen, I haven't heard anything on that front, but with the depth the way it is it is a possibility. It would not surprise me if a player or two bounced based on where they are on the depth chart.
Because of the depth on this team I think there will be a lot more platooning. There will be a lot more line ups that will be based upon who our opponents are putting in the circle that day.
Of course I'm not privy to the depth chart but I'll take a guess based upon what I have seen, read, and heard.
Catcher- I think Elam is the starter here. Her stick came alive last Spring and it continued to be hot this Fall.
Kinzie Hansen will spend most of her time platooning between First Base and Catcher. She would be the starter at Catcher with 90% of the Power 5 schools across the nation.
First Base- I think Kinzie Hansen has the inside track at this position but we also saw a lot of Zaida Puni and Jayda Coleman at this position. If Jayda starts we'll probably see Hansen and Puni in the EH.
Second Base- Going into the Fall I felt this position was wide open between Taylon Snow, Tiare Jennings, and Mackenzie Donihoo. I don't know who's decision it was for Snow to back off of the slap hitting style but it paid off in spades this Fall. She was arguably the hottest hitter this Fall. Jennings and Donihoo will continue to compete for playing time(especially Jennings because of her stick at the plate) but I think Snow has the inside track at this position.
Shortstop- There was a lot of platooning between Grace Lyons, Jayda Coleman, and Tiare Jennings. Grace Lyons is an All-American level player at this position defensively, but her hitting has been hot and cold so far as a Sooner but she looked really good to me this Fall at the plate and has locked this position down. The surprise here will probably be that I think Jennings will be Lyons back up. I pictured Jennings competing more at 2nd and 3rd while Coleman competing more in the Outfield. Right now I think that both of these sensational Freshmen will be in the starting line up on day 1 but where is the question.
Third Base- I think this position has come down to two players, Elyah Flores and Jana John's. I personally think Jana John's is the better player, not only in the field, but at the plate as well. I also know that Coach Gasso can be loyal to player's who stick with the program and reward them in the end, but I think John's has proven to be the best option at this position going into the Spring.
Outfield- If you wanted go on just defense alone you won't find a better outfield in the land than Coleman in Left, Mendes in Center, and Boone in Right. That is a ton of speed that would closed down the gaps in a hurry. Right now, I think it's Alo in Left, Mendes in Center, and (if healthy) Boone in Right. This is the one position I think you'll see the most platooning with Grace Green, Alycia Flores, Raylee Pogue, and Paige Knight being thrown in the mix.
Pitcher- This group got hit pretty hard throughout Fall Ball but looked a bit more settled in the last scrimmage. To be fair there are very few staffs in the country who won't get pounded by this team.
"G" Juarez if healthy is the obvious Top Dawg in this program but as it turned out her injury was far more serious than when it was first diagnosed. From what I understand it's still a question as to whether she will be 100% by the start of the season.
That leaves us at who will be the #2. I believe Saile is the #2(defacto #1) going into the Spring. The talent is there but she has been very hot and cold so far as a Sooner. Sometimes her control is great and looks unhittable and other times it looks like her head is on another planet and is incapable of throwing strikes.
The #3 is a bit up in the air in my opinion. This will be between May, Mcadoo, and Rains. May got a lot of time in the circle and I'm not sure if it's because she has the most upside of the trio or because they just wanted to see as a Fteshman what May brings to the table being that they already have seen a lot of Rains and Mcadoo. We'll see how this plays out but I think May has the inside track for the #3 spot.
Vestal and Thiede will probably get some innings against lesser teams but against top competition not so much.
I know this write up is a bit sloppy and I've probably left a few things out but I'm knocking this out while babysitting a couple grandbabies.
