I got word of this several days ago when she took her visit to Oklahoma. I would've posted about this then but my big mouth got me in trouble with the Mods for talking politics and it got my posting privileges revoked for a week so I guess it's better late than never.
As soon the season ended for OU talk switched to transfers because that is when kids who are wanting to transfer start putting out feelers to schools they are interested in. The two positions I talked about that we were most in need were Catcher and Pitcher. The two pitchers that I mentioned were Megan Good of JMU because she is eligible as a graduate transfer and she sat out last year with an injury and Shannon Saile of FIU who had just notified her coaches of her intent to transfer.
Let's break this down by timeline in which I first started talking about her on this board
10 Jun
Update on the Shannon Saile situation. The FIU coach has denied her request to transfer so it will go before a committee on Monday. She's a Florida girl and I would think her first choice would be to stay in Florida so I'm sure that doesn't sit well with her FIU coach.
In the end the committee will side with the student as they almost always do. As a compromise there will probably be a stipulation to take her talents out of state and out of conference.
15 Jun
"We can take Shannon Saile of FIU off the board as far as a transfer. She's going to Florida." Obviously this was wrong information. I should've done my homework before running with this info.
What made you decide to transfer to Oklahoma?
Saile: I picked Oklahoma because the moment I stepped on campus I could feel the championship atmosphere. My gut told me Oklahoma from the moment I got on campus, and I had to follow my heart in this situation. Coach Gasso and Coach Lombardi are known for developing their players mentally, physically, and spiritually and I hope to be a part of their amazing women that have come out of this program. I'm excited to grow with a program like this.
What was the process for picking a school to transfer to?
Saile: The process was very difficult because I was initially denied my request to transfer. It took about a month for me to get my release finally, and I was granted my release with restrictions to in state schools(Florida is my home state) I had a lot of phone calls with some great coaches, it was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. I took five visits to five great programs, and they all made it hard to pick between.
Who helped you through this?
Saile: My Dad visited almost every school with me and would send pictures of the schools to my Mom. They were both involved in helping me through this process. My coach Kaci Clark(personal pitching coach) helped me also, she put my name out there and helped me get started in this process. She made a few important phone calls and got me to where I am today.
What is your goal in the next two years at Oklahoma?
Saile: My goal at Oklahoma is to become a better person and athlete and of course win a couple National Championships. I want to prove to people that I belong at this level.
Oger's evaluation of what we are getting.
After talking to a former pitching coach of hers the biggest take I got with her is that she is very competitive.
Watching film on her her Fastball is in the 65-68 range. Throws a nasty Curve to keep players off balance and when she is ahead in the count she goes to a very effective Riseball as her out pitch.
She has a weakness at times with staying focused and gives up the walk. When she is on she is very tough to beat evidenced by a 3 hit shut out of Florida with 9 K's this year. She also pitched a 15 strike out game against highly ranked South Carolina. She had a 1.83 ERA this year which might be a red flag for some but the fact is while FIU wasn't bad on defense as they finished 30th in the nation, it's not nearly the same defense as Oklahoma. With a championship defense and a pitching coach like Lombardi, I see her ERA being in the 1.20's next year.
As soon the season ended for OU talk switched to transfers because that is when kids who are wanting to transfer start putting out feelers to schools they are interested in. The two positions I talked about that we were most in need were Catcher and Pitcher. The two pitchers that I mentioned were Megan Good of JMU because she is eligible as a graduate transfer and she sat out last year with an injury and Shannon Saile of FIU who had just notified her coaches of her intent to transfer.
Let's break this down by timeline in which I first started talking about her on this board
10 Jun
Update on the Shannon Saile situation. The FIU coach has denied her request to transfer so it will go before a committee on Monday. She's a Florida girl and I would think her first choice would be to stay in Florida so I'm sure that doesn't sit well with her FIU coach.
In the end the committee will side with the student as they almost always do. As a compromise there will probably be a stipulation to take her talents out of state and out of conference.
15 Jun
"We can take Shannon Saile of FIU off the board as far as a transfer. She's going to Florida." Obviously this was wrong information. I should've done my homework before running with this info.
What made you decide to transfer to Oklahoma?
Saile: I picked Oklahoma because the moment I stepped on campus I could feel the championship atmosphere. My gut told me Oklahoma from the moment I got on campus, and I had to follow my heart in this situation. Coach Gasso and Coach Lombardi are known for developing their players mentally, physically, and spiritually and I hope to be a part of their amazing women that have come out of this program. I'm excited to grow with a program like this.
What was the process for picking a school to transfer to?
Saile: The process was very difficult because I was initially denied my request to transfer. It took about a month for me to get my release finally, and I was granted my release with restrictions to in state schools(Florida is my home state) I had a lot of phone calls with some great coaches, it was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. I took five visits to five great programs, and they all made it hard to pick between.
Who helped you through this?
Saile: My Dad visited almost every school with me and would send pictures of the schools to my Mom. They were both involved in helping me through this process. My coach Kaci Clark(personal pitching coach) helped me also, she put my name out there and helped me get started in this process. She made a few important phone calls and got me to where I am today.
What is your goal in the next two years at Oklahoma?
Saile: My goal at Oklahoma is to become a better person and athlete and of course win a couple National Championships. I want to prove to people that I belong at this level.
Oger's evaluation of what we are getting.
After talking to a former pitching coach of hers the biggest take I got with her is that she is very competitive.
Watching film on her her Fastball is in the 65-68 range. Throws a nasty Curve to keep players off balance and when she is ahead in the count she goes to a very effective Riseball as her out pitch.
She has a weakness at times with staying focused and gives up the walk. When she is on she is very tough to beat evidenced by a 3 hit shut out of Florida with 9 K's this year. She also pitched a 15 strike out game against highly ranked South Carolina. She had a 1.83 ERA this year which might be a red flag for some but the fact is while FIU wasn't bad on defense as they finished 30th in the nation, it's not nearly the same defense as Oklahoma. With a championship defense and a pitching coach like Lombardi, I see her ERA being in the 1.20's next year.
