It has been forever since I've written anything on this blog and even longer since I've actually written something about softball on here. There are many reasons why but the main thing is I use a tablet for all my internet stuff and this blog site is hard to write on, on a tablet. So my only other options were to use my mom's computer to do the whole thing or write it on my tablet and edit it and add pictures(if I'm using them) on the computer. It's just a lot of work and stress(especially considering I don't really get that many views lol). But back in January I retired my old outdated Kindle and bought my self something newer. It has a writer program that is easy to use, so I'm writing this on here and then I'll transfer it to the blog(if you are reading this I must have been successful, yay lol). If this works the way I hope maybe I'll start writing more lol.
So you might be thinking "Well if you've had this new tablet and plan all season why have you waited until April". Well this is hard for me to admit but at the beginning of this season for the first time probably ever, I just wasn't feeling softball. I'm not sure why but I just wasnt. But I kept following and watching and in the last couple of weeks my fire has come back to me :). I decided in this blog that I'll talk a little about the Huskies and then list my 5 favorite coaches and talk about them, so here we go.
I had no expectations for the Huskies coming into this season. This is probably the youngest team they've had in my time following them and I came into this season just not knowing a lot about these players. It's been a pretty good season in my opinion. They started off Pac-12 play by getting swept by Oregon which surprised me but they've won their last two series against UCLA and Arizona. The offense is definitely the strong point for this team. Ali Aguilar has been the leader but lots of girls(in fact most of the regular starters) are also hitting extremely well. I think this team has a good combination of speed and power. I've gotten to watch them twice and that offense is a lot of fun to watch. The pitching and defense have for the most part been good. But this a young pitching staff that is still a little rough around the edges. I've seen some people saying Taran Alvelo has been a disappointment but I don't agree. Maybe it's because I came into this season with no expectations but she's been exactly what I expect out of a freshman pitcher. She's a talented pitcher. But she's young and rough around the edges. There is going to be good and bad but I feel like for the most part she's been a good addition for the Huskies and I've seen steady improvement as the season has gone on. I'm excited to watch her grow and develop over the next 4 years. One thing that has jumped out at me is the leadership on this team. I don't know if there is a better coach at fostering leadership qualities in young girls than Coach Tarr and it shows season after season. I watched the Huskies game against Arizona Sunday night and was just struck by how different Kimberlee Souza is now as a senior than she was as a freshman. I remember watching her as a freshman and thinking man she's small(she's 5'3 which happens to be the same size as me lol) and the other night I found myself thinking "I know she hasn't but she looks like she's grown 6 inches!". She is confident and proud and the other girls clearly respect her. I also was struck by Casey Stangel! This series she took the team and put them on her shoulders and carried them to two very important wins! I feel this is the beginning of something great for her and the Huskies! Overall I'm very proud of these girls and excited to see what the rest of the season will be like!
So I've been thinking a lot about coaches lately. There are some amazing college softball coaches and there are some not so amazing. College coaches are in a position to have a huge impact on the girls on their team, not just athletically but on the women they are becoming. Coaches give up a lot. They often get blamed when they shouldn't and don't get the credit when they should. But overall they have a pretty awesome job! So I decided pick my top 5 favorite and tell you why I like them.
5. Patrick Murphy- Alabama
Coach Murphy makes my list for many reasons. The biggest being he isn't afraid to take risks! I've seen him pull hitters who noone else would pull at times no one else would do it and put in a hitter no one else would. I've seen him send runners when no one else. More often than not, his risks pay off!
4. Beth Torina-LSU
I think most people were a little unsure about Coach Torina when she took over the LSU program. She wasn't a big name coach. She was relatively inexperienced coach. But she stepped in and has done fabulous! She always seems cool as a cucumber but I'm sure she isn't :).
3. Vann Stuedeman- Mississippi State
I've watched her coach since she was at Alabama and I just love the joy and passion she coaches with! It makes me smile every time. She clearly loves softball and coaching and the girls on her team.
4. Patty Gasso- Oklahoma
I always liked Coach Gasso but she made it on my favorite list after Oklahoma lost to Alabama in the Championship Series in 2012. Her press conference after the last game made me cry! I can't think of a time that I've seen a coach more emotional than she was and she was emotional for her girls. It just touched me. It made me realize that for her coaching is so much more than a job!
1. Heather Tarr- Washington
I know what a huge surprise :). I've always said that Danielle Lawrie made me love not just softball but Husky softball. But Coach Tarr has kept me a Husky fan. Everything from the way she got the job to how she coaches to the incredible people she shapes these young women into makes her a great coach and my favorite coach! She has been with this program from the start and she works hard to teach the history of the program(and this program has an incredible history!) to her athletes, I love that! She is so creative! She is always smiling. Her players both current and former have nothing but the best things to say about her. In December, she was in Hawaii with her staff doing a clinic (I believe they do it every year) and tore her ACL playing in the ocean! She had surgery in January and has spent the season coaching in the dugout. Most people would've been annoyed by this but not her(I'm sure she's had her times lol). She says it's making her more well rounded coach! I love that! She has this ability to bring little known players and make them stars! Bryana Walker, Kimberlee Souza, Courtney Thank, Kelli Suguro...just to name a few. I was watching their game on the Pac-12 network the other night and I notice she was sitting right behind batters box and she was talking thg whole time. She was talking to the batter, she was talking and pointing out things to the girls sitting by her, and all I could think was if that's not the mark of a good coach I don't what is. Always always always teaching the game in whatever way she can! When she speaks you can just see in her eyes how much she loves softball but even more how much she loves Husky softball! I see year after year people doubt her and she always proves them wrong.
Well that's all I have for now! Go Huskies! Boomer Sooner!
ETA: so I got to thinking about something I said about Coach Gasso. I mentioned a press conference were she got emotional and said I'd never seen a coach that emotional for their team. I started watching press conferences and stumbled across Washington's press conference in 2011 after they were knocked out of the post season by Missouri. I'd watched it before but I'd forgotten how emotional Coach Tarr and Jenn Salling were. Also ironically Jenn talks about Coach Tarr being her role model and say she hopes to coach with her one day....this season she is as the graduate assistant :).
