OT: Thoughts on PSU's softball program...

[NealPaige]

My daughter and I attended a prospects camp this past Monday. Mixed reactions.

Anyone out there on the AKB who has had experience with this staff and camp/program?

I think they are middling...would appreciate anyone's feedback and experience. BTW, the woman at the head of BWI's McAndrew board, labeled "Pour Emporter" is luscious.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

@uhlerlion had some experience with them. He doesn't post a lot, but hopefully he'll pipe in on this thread

 

[TheGLOV]

My daughter and I attended a prospects camp this past Monday. Mixed reactions.

Anyone out there on the AKB who has had experience with this staff and camp/program?

I think they are middling...would appreciate anyone's feedback and experience. BTW, the woman at the head of BWI's McAndrew board, labeled "Pour Emporter" is luscious.

Thoughts on the women's softball program?

They have underperformed for years and years.

Good talent in Pa. usually is not recruited by PSU.

We need a {CAEL} of a women's softball program to take over!!

 

[uhlerlion]

My daughter and I attended a prospects camp this past Monday. Mixed reactions.

Anyone out there on the AKB who has had experience with this staff and camp/program?

I think they are middling...would appreciate anyone's feedback and experience. BTW, the woman at the head of BWI's McAndrew board, labeled "Pour Emporter" is luscious.

Well lets see

Coach was supposed to be an up and comer when hired--She did have a lot of energy and enthusiasm from what I recall--- Supposedly was a practice guru knew how to develop players and run great drills. Turned out IMHO --um not that impressive-- think the current results show that. Has turned over her staff I think three times since 2015-- How do you build continuity doing that? its not like these assistants are knockin it out of the park in terms of coaching prowess. I see they just hired another hitting coach. They had none since Guthrie left what does that tell you about Coach L's ability to teach how to hit? I have coached hitting for the better part of 20 years Guthrie was decent, but the rest of the staff has no idea. Maybe this new coach knows something, her bio tells me she may know something, however if your current recruits are all going to be projects for the hitting coach because Coach L didnt know what she was looking at in recruiting them, that may be a future problem.


Went through the whole recruiting process with her and her original assistant staff -- Of the recruits they took so far, only two have panned out since 2015 as in actually producing on the field. At least 6 are no longer with the program. Coach L bought into Travel ball coach salesman hype rather than actually recruiting players that can play. That tells me she had no idea how to recruit and was looking for a quick fix based on smoke and mirrors. How good of a coach can you be if you do that? I suspect she wanted to distance herself anything related Coach Petrini and Coach Mac and gave no time or day to those recruiting pipelines the previous coaches had established. I suspect she also took bench players from "high profile" (her view) travel programs in hopes to get better players later from those programs. The problem with that is the better players want to play in the SEC and not Penn State. Want more proof of buying travel ball coach hype--- any of the transfers she has brought in were also players that played their travel ball with these same programs.
We attended every camp available as we had to start our recruiting all over after Petrini left. Even attended camp with a torn ACL to show our commitment to PSU softball and it just seemed if you were not a member of these certain programs It didnt matter and you didnt get the time of day or a fair look. Dont get me wrong being part of a high profile program offers its benefits, but some of the programs she viewed as high profile was built more on hype than quality. I doubt you will be able to change her perceptions in this regard. Lets hope she actually starts recruiting players that can play the game and can hit.

Now not to totally pile on, I suspect the AD has coach doing more administrative stuff for PSU (coaches roadshow as an example) thus forcing the assistants to do more IF coach cant handle that and her coaching workload. If that is the case then we are back to the quality of the assistants and they have cycled through how many? One can also argue that she hasnt gone 4 years yet to see the fruition of her 1st recruiting class but in todays softball world I think that argument doesnt hold water anymore. Really good freshman can start nowdays and with the relaxed transfer rules you can stop gap very easily. You can look to Illinois as proof of having success early and quickly after a coaching change. ( The school my daughter goes to and was supposed to walk on until they had a coaching change as well--- snake bitten twice we were..going to play at PSU under Petrini she left...going to play at Illinois under Sullivan she retires)

Cant say much about the rest of the staff other than they have no idea how to teach and coach hitting, maybe this new addition will be an impact.

hope that helps

update also of note is Joyner Hire that should also speak volumes in and of itself Coach Mac should have gotten the job

 

[psuro]

My daughter and I attended a prospects camp this past Monday. Mixed reactions.

Anyone out there on the AKB who has had experience with this staff and camp/program?

I think they are middling...would appreciate anyone's feedback and experience. BTW, the woman at the head of BWI's McAndrew board, labeled "Pour Emporter" is luscious.

Yes. Brunette with big brown eyes, and a smile that simply says "Ro, I am gonna rip your heart out and show it to you". My. Kind. Of. Woman.

 

[psu1969a]

Well lets see

Coach was supposed to be an up and comer when hired--She did have a lot of energy and enthusiasm from what I recall--- Supposedly was a practice guru knew how to develop players and run great drills. Turned out IMHO --um not that impressive-- think the current results show that. Has turned over her staff I think three times since 2015-- How do you build continuity doing that? its not like these assistants are knockin it out of the park in terms of coaching prowess. I see they just hired another hitting coach. They had none since Guthrie left what does that tell you about Coach L's ability to teach how to hit? I have coached hitting for the better part of 20 years Guthrie was decent, but the rest of the staff has no idea. Maybe this new coach knows something, her bio tells me she may know something, however if your current recruits are all going to be projects for the hitting coach because Coach L didnt know what she was looking at in recruiting them, that may be a future problem.


Went through the whole recruiting process with her and her original assistant staff -- Of the recruits they took so far, only two have panned out since 2015 as in actually producing on the field. At least 6 are no longer with the program. Coach L bought into Travel ball coach salesman hype rather than actually recruiting players that can play. That tells me she had no idea how to recruit and was looking for a quick fix based on smoke and mirrors. How good of a coach can you be if you do that? I suspect she wanted to distance herself anything related Coach Petrini and Coach Mac and gave no time or day to those recruiting pipelines the previous coaches had established. I suspect she also took bench players from "high profile" (her view) travel programs in hopes to get better players later from those programs. The problem with that is the better players want to play in the SEC and not Penn State. Want more proof of buying travel ball coach hype--- any of the transfers she has brought in were also players that played their travel ball with these same programs.
We attended every camp available as we had to start our recruiting all over after Petrini left. Even attended camp with a torn ACL to show our commitment to PSU softball and it just seemed if you were not a member of these certain programs It didnt matter and you didnt get the time of day or a fair look. Dont get me wrong being part of a high profile program offers its benefits, but some of the programs she viewed as high profile was built more on hype than quality. I doubt you will be able to change her perceptions in this regard. Lets hope she actually starts recruiting players that can play the game and can hit.

Now not to totally pile on, I suspect the AD has coach doing more administrative stuff for PSU (coaches roadshow as an example) thus forcing the assistants to do more IF coach cant handle that and her coaching workload. If that is the case then we are back to the quality of the assistants and they have cycled through how many? One can also argue that she hasnt gone 4 years yet to see the fruition of her 1st recruiting class but in todays softball world I think that argument doesnt hold water anymore. Really good freshman can start nowdays and with the relaxed transfer rules you can stop gap very easily. You can look to Illinois as proof of having success early and quickly after a coaching change. ( The school my daughter goes to and was supposed to walk on until they had a coaching change as well--- snake bitten twice we were..going to play at PSU under Petrini she left...going to play at Illinois under Sullivan she retires)

Cant say much about the rest of the staff other than they have no idea how to teach and coach hitting, maybe this new addition will be an impact.

hope that helps

update also of note is Joyner Hire that should also speak volumes in and of itself Coach Mac should have gotten the job

This is not a defense of Coach Lehotec. One be realistic. Last year we lost our starting pitcher to a freak accident during winter workouts. We had to elevate a manager to be 3rd string pitcher. There were numerous injuries and illness on the team. Amanda is a fine Coach, let us give her a chance.

 

[uhlerlion]

This is not a defense of Coach Lehotec. One be realistic. Last year we lost our starting pitcher to a freak accident during winter workouts. We had to elevate a manager to be 3rd string pitcher. There were numerous injuries and illness on the team. Amanda is a fine Coach, let us give her a chance.

Every team has those issues -- Depth solves that problem-- if your depth stinks because you cant recruit or can't coach up, then its a all around coaching issue in terms of the life cycle of a player.

And if your starting pitcher is who I think it is umm that has yet to be proven out --if you lost a good pitcher and not a mediocre one-- has an ERA above 4 and an opponents BA close to .300 a WHIP of almost 2 and k/9 of 4 and a sub .500 record in the prior year is hardly #1 material
Remember your pitchers get the lionshare of the Recruiting dollars all of them should be on Full Schollie if not at least 2 should be-- if your gonna call them a #1


Also I didn't say she wasn't a "Fine" coach I think PSU deserves more than "Fine"

So far --proof is in the pudding her best record was with Petrini's players her worst record is with her oldest recruiting class.

 

[butchnitt]

My daughter and I attended a prospects camp this past Monday. Mixed reactions.

Anyone out there on the AKB who has had experience with this staff and camp/program?

I think they are middling...would appreciate anyone's feedback and experience. BTW, the woman at the head of BWI's McAndrew board, labeled "Pour Emporter" is luscious.

 

[NealPaige]

Thank you Tom for Uhler's introduction to this thread. And thank you Uhlerlion. Valuable feedback.

With all of the success the women's volleyball, soccer, field hockey and lacrosse programs have sustained (I know I'm leaving out others), I can find no reason why Penn State shouldn't be fielding a top tier B10 program. Facilities are world class, and I agree about the talent pool available in the mid-Atlantic region for softball...biggest gain for us at the camp, was to measure our girls against some really good players. Most from PA, MD, NJ and NY, but also from Tennesse, Florida, Indiana etc.

First time at Beard Field, nice complex. Loved the view of the Beav in center field. That in itself should be a recruiting tool!

 

[bison13]

Well lets see

Coach was supposed to be an up and comer when hired--She did have a lot of energy and enthusiasm from what I recall--- Supposedly was a practice guru knew how to develop players and run great drills. Turned out IMHO --um not that impressive-- think the current results show that. Has turned over her staff I think three times since 2015-- How do you build continuity doing that? its not like these assistants are knockin it out of the park in terms of coaching prowess. I see they just hired another hitting coach. They had none since Guthrie left what does that tell you about Coach L's ability to teach how to hit? I have coached hitting for the better part of 20 years Guthrie was decent, but the rest of the staff has no idea. Maybe this new coach knows something, her bio tells me she may know something, however if your current recruits are all going to be projects for the hitting coach because Coach L didnt know what she was looking at in recruiting them, that may be a future problem.


Went through the whole recruiting process with her and her original assistant staff -- Of the recruits they took so far, only two have panned out since 2015 as in actually producing on the field. At least 6 are no longer with the program. Coach L bought into Travel ball coach salesman hype rather than actually recruiting players that can play. That tells me she had no idea how to recruit and was looking for a quick fix based on smoke and mirrors. How good of a coach can you be if you do that? I suspect she wanted to distance herself anything related Coach Petrini and Coach Mac and gave no time or day to those recruiting pipelines the previous coaches had established. I suspect she also took bench players from "high profile" (her view) travel programs in hopes to get better players later from those programs. The problem with that is the better players want to play in the SEC and not Penn State. Want more proof of buying travel ball coach hype--- any of the transfers she has brought in were also players that played their travel ball with these same programs.
We attended every camp available as we had to start our recruiting all over after Petrini left. Even attended camp with a torn ACL to show our commitment to PSU softball and it just seemed if you were not a member of these certain programs It didnt matter and you didnt get the time of day or a fair look. Dont get me wrong being part of a high profile program offers its benefits, but some of the programs she viewed as high profile was built more on hype than quality. I doubt you will be able to change her perceptions in this regard. Lets hope she actually starts recruiting players that can play the game and can hit.

Now not to totally pile on, I suspect the AD has coach doing more administrative stuff for PSU (coaches roadshow as an example) thus forcing the assistants to do more IF coach cant handle that and her coaching workload. If that is the case then we are back to the quality of the assistants and they have cycled through how many? One can also argue that she hasnt gone 4 years yet to see the fruition of her 1st recruiting class but in todays softball world I think that argument doesnt hold water anymore. Really good freshman can start nowdays and with the relaxed transfer rules you can stop gap very easily. You can look to Illinois as proof of having success early and quickly after a coaching change. ( The school my daughter goes to and was supposed to walk on until they had a coaching change as well--- snake bitten twice we were..going to play at PSU under Petrini she left...going to play at Illinois under Sullivan she retires)

Cant say much about the rest of the staff other than they have no idea how to teach and coach hitting, maybe this new addition will be an impact.

hope that helps

update also of note is Joyner Hire that should also speak volumes in and of itself Coach Mac should have gotten the job

Unfortunately 'travel ball hype' is in all sports. I have coached for 18 years, have kids who made it to the NFL, MLB, NBA G-league, playing overseas. etc and with each one of those kids I have seen coaches at D1, D2 schools refuse to even look at them because of our HS league and the team they play on in the summer. Coaches took guys from specific AAU teams or whoever where they were already finished projects and babied since they were stars.

Thats why JF is so good, he offers a ton of kids before they get the national recognition and then they blow up.

 

[Overthereguy]

There are some really good softball coaches in the local area. They should take a chance and hire one.

 

[uhlerlion]

There are some really good softball coaches in the local area. They should take a chance and hire one.

They had one right in front of their face in Coach Mac, but Judas would have none of it as she was a clear link to the Paterno support chain.

 

[NealPaige]

They had one right in front of their face in Coach Mac, but Judas would have none of it as she was a clear link to the Paterno support chain.

Why would you send your son to Ohio State to play football for Urban Meyer?! Seriously, he lied. No other questions asked when sending your son to a man who is supposed to be your caretaker of your child.

I wouldn't even consider the program...but money talks and the promise of the NFL....smh.

 

[NealPaige]

misplaced thread....sorry.

 

[butchnitt]

I emailed Coach Amanda about a young lady (junior) who lives across street from me. This young girl hit over 500 and was league MVP. Coach Amanda has not responded to my two emails or contacted the young girl.
While in Florida in winter or 2017 we attended a softball game near Clermont where a Commonwealth Campus team was competing (and I use that term loosely).

My daughter and I attended a prospects camp this past Monday. Mixed reactions.

Anyone out there on the AKB who has had experience with this staff and camp/program?

I think they are middling...would appreciate anyone's feedback and experience. BTW, the woman at the head of BWI's McAndrew board, labeled "Pour Emporter" is luscious.

I emailed Amanda twice in the past eight (8) months telling her of a neighbor high school junior who may be interested in PS. This girl was conference MVP as a freshman and her BA was over .500 the past two years. Amanda has neither responded to my emails or contacted the girl.
Softball may not be a priority at PS. In the winter of 2016 we met some players in Kissimmee from a Commonwealth Campus who told us they were playing in a tournament near Clermont. We attended the tournament for their game and were shocked that the team was not very good and lacked the fundamentals such as catching and what base to throw the ball to. This team was beaten by an average of 17 runs. Very poor coaching. I really felt sorry for the girls.
I am not bashing PS; I have been a football season ticketholder for 42 years.

 

[PSUdraw]

I understand that yes California and southern teams have advantage oh the national stage but Penn State can even compete in its own conference with teams with like weather conditions as State College, this program isnt even a good big ten program right now.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I emailed Amanda twice in the past eight (8) months telling her of a neighbor high school junior who may be interested in PS. This girl was conference MVP as a freshman and her BA was over .500 the past two years. Amanda has neither responded to my emails or contacted the girl.

That seems rather rude, or at best indifferent. On the flip side, many of PSU's coaches get absolutely swamped by e-mails, calls, etc. from alums, coaches, etc. with recommendations about potential recruits. As such, to bring some order to the process most of the teams have a recruiting questionnaire for recruits (or their family members, coaches, etc.) to fill out. Have your neighbor submit her info on the questionnaire at THIS LINK.

 

[NealPaige]

I emailed Coach Amanda about a young lady (junior) who lives across street from me. This young girl hit over 500 and was league MVP. Coach Amanda has not responded to my two emails or contacted the young girl.
While in Florida in winter or 2017 we attended a softball game near Clermont where a Commonwealth Campus team was competing (and I use that term loosely).


I emailed Amanda twice in the past eight (8) months telling her of a neighbor high school junior who may be interested in PS. This girl was conference MVP as a freshman and her BA was over .500 the past two years. Amanda has neither responded to my emails or contacted the girl.
Softball may not be a priority at PS. In the winter of 2016 we met some players in Kissimmee from a Commonwealth Campus who told us they were playing in a tournament near Clermont. We attended the tournament for their game and were shocked that the team was not very good and lacked the fundamentals such as catching and what base to throw the ball to. This team was beaten by an average of 17 runs. Very poor coaching. I really felt sorry for the girls.
I am not bashing PS; I have been a football season ticketholder for 42 years.

Inexcusable.

I don't know if my daughter is good enough to play for Penn State, but based on the comments supplied here, which I totally appreciate, and my own limited experience with their staff, which I appreciate, well, we might have to look elsewhere. SMH, would love for my daughter to even compete for the chance to play in that league/venue.

This is on Sandy. No excuses for them not being upper echelon in B10 play. They are not even featured in BlueWhite Illustrated with their season record, or mention of their season, ….understandably after reading these posts.

Thank you for your feedback all.

 

[bison13]

I emailed Coach Amanda about a young lady (junior) who lives across street from me. This young girl hit over 500 and was league MVP. Coach Amanda has not responded to my two emails or contacted the young girl.
While in Florida in winter or 2017 we attended a softball game near Clermont where a Commonwealth Campus team was competing (and I use that term loosely).


I emailed Amanda twice in the past eight (8) months telling her of a neighbor high school junior who may be interested in PS. This girl was conference MVP as a freshman and her BA was over .500 the past two years. Amanda has neither responded to my emails or contacted the girl.
Softball may not be a priority at PS. In the winter of 2016 we met some players in Kissimmee from a Commonwealth Campus who told us they were playing in a tournament near Clermont. We attended the tournament for their game and were shocked that the team was not very good and lacked the fundamentals such as catching and what base to throw the ball to. This team was beaten by an average of 17 runs. Very poor coaching. I really felt sorry for the girls.
I am not bashing PS; I have been a football season ticketholder for 42 years.

Some of the branch campus teams are made up of kids who are not even recruited they are just out there having a good time (hopefully). Those same campuses have small budgets and many times can only pay one coach. Thats probably what you witnessed.

 

[NittPicker]

I'm sure Tom is correct in saying coaches get swamped with emails about girls who are solid players. Full blown scouting trips may not be feasible. If a talented girl is interested in PSU the best way to catch the coaches eye may be to attend camp there. Follow the below link for info. The prospect camp has passed but hitting and pitching clinic sessions are scheduled in the coming weeks. Spots may still be available. Good luck.

CAMP INFO

 

[bison13]

I'm sure Tom is correct in saying coaches get swamped with emails about girls who are solid players. Full blown scouting trips may not be feasible. If a talented girl is interested in PSU the best way to catch the coaches eye may be to attend camp there. Follow the below link for info. The prospect camp has passed but hitting and pitching clinic sessions are scheduled in the coming weeks. Spots may still be available. Good luck.

CAMP INFO

Agree on the prospect camp thing. Though a lot of it is just to raise money, the stand outs do get noticed. Also, have the young lady send a video that has all of her 'tools'. For our HS baseball program I have a 'pro day' in May. We film complete video of each kid running the 60, fielding and throwing with a radar gun reading, exit velocity of 5-6 BP swings and pitchers videoed from behind the catcher with the radar gun. Total video per kid is a minute or so long and stopwatch or gun is in every shot so they see you didnt fake the video. Put their best skill first and go from there. They are much more apt to watch that then read an email with stats that could be against any competition.

 

[NealPaige]

Agree on the prospect camp thing. Though a lot of it is just to raise money, the stand outs do get noticed. Also, have the young lady send a video that has all of her 'tools'. For our HS baseball program I have a 'pro day' in May. We film complete video of each kid running the 60, fielding and throwing with a radar gun reading, exit velocity of 5-6 BP swings and pitchers videoed from behind the catcher with the radar gun. Total video per kid is a minute or so long and stopwatch or gun is in every shot so they see you didnt fake the video. Put their best skill first and go from there. They are much more apt to watch that then read an email with stats that could be against any competition.

Great advice. Thank your for sharing. I think I can parlay that to softball.

 

[uhlerlion]

I emailed Coach Amanda about a young lady (junior) who lives across street from me. This young girl hit over 500 and was league MVP. Coach Amanda has not responded to my two emails or contacted the young girl.
While in Florida in winter or 2017 we attended a softball game near Clermont where a Commonwealth Campus team was competing (and I use that term loosely).


I emailed Amanda twice in the past eight (8) months telling her of a neighbor high school junior who may be interested in PS. This girl was conference MVP as a freshman and her BA was over .500 the past two years. Amanda has neither responded to my emails or contacted the girl.
Softball may not be a priority at PS. In the winter of 2016 we met some players in Kissimmee from a Commonwealth Campus who told us they were playing in a tournament near Clermont. We attended the tournament for their game and were shocked that the team was not very good and lacked the fundamentals such as catching and what base to throw the ball to. This team was beaten by an average of 17 runs. Very poor coaching. I really felt sorry for the girls.
I am not bashing PS; I have been a football season ticketholder for 42 years.

Ok first things first- coach cannot contact the player outright until she is a senior. A new rule is n place that that they cannot even start to recruit players till they are juniors. Now I’m sure that loopholes have been found. Ok the steps in recruiting and Not just for psu but if a player wanted to get recruited. 1)go to the camp the schools runs. 2) the player needs to email the coach constantly knowing the coach can’t respond. Keeping them up to date what your doing and not just softball 3). You must in your emails send your travel schedule. Coaches never go to high school games. So the stats about high school mean. Nothing because the competition means nothing especially here in the northeast. Only in CA does high school mean something because the competition is that good and that deep and the coaching is legit. 4) if your serious about any powr 5 d1 team your travel team needs to be in the primary Travel tournaments playing against the best travel teams in the country and on the main fields. The reason for this is not only to play against tough competition but these tourneys have all the teams and it’s one stop shop for coaches as they are limited in their recruiting hours for their staff...IE a schools sends three coaches out for a weekend that’s 16 to 24 hours recruiting per coach. They are limited in hours so they realistically can only go to so many tournaments. Thus why they never do high school. PGF nationals, IDT, TCS Nationals, diamond 9 are the key tourneys. 5) coaches do clinics during the summer. Attend clinics your school coaches are doing. Coach Mac while at psu always did a clinic in Ewing NJ and it didn’t count as recruiting hours and you got to play and drill in front of the coach. These usually occur a day or two before the big scheduled tourney mentiond above. 6). Use video but know how and what to video. And provide the YouTube link in your email. Remember it’s a double edge sword. Coaches look for reasons to rule you out —as mentioned earlier they get hundreds of emails a day.

 

[uhlerlion]

Ok first things first- coach cannot contact the player outright until she is a senior. A new rule is n place that that they cannot even start to recruit players till they are juniors. Now I’m sure that loopholes have been found. Ok the steps in recruiting and Not just for psu but if a player wanted to get recruited. 1)go to the camp the schools runs. 2) the player needs to email the coach constantly knowing the coach can’t respond. Keeping them up to date what your doing and not just softball 3). You must in your emails send your travel schedule. Coaches never go to high school games. So the stats about high school mean. Nothing because the competition means nothing especially here in the northeast. Only in CA does high school mean something because the competition is that good and that deep and the coaching is legit. 4) if your serious about any powr 5 d1 team your travel team needs to be in the primary Travel tournaments playing against the best travel teams in the country and on the main fields. The reason for this is not only to play against tough competition but these tourneys have all the teams and it’s one stop shop for coaches as they are limited in their recruiting hours for their staff...IE a schools sends three coaches out for a weekend that’s 16 to 24 hours recruiting per coach. They are limited in hours so they realistically can only go to so many tournaments. Thus why they never do high school. PGF nationals, IDT, TCS Nationals, diamond 9 are the key tourneys. 5) coaches do clinics during the summer. Attend clinics your school coaches are doing. Coach Mac while at psu always did a clinic in Ewing NJ and it didn’t count as recruiting hours and you got to play and drill in front of the coach. These usually occur a day or two before the big scheduled tourney mentiond above. 6). Use video but know how and what to video. And provide the YouTube link in your email. Remember it’s a double edge sword. Coaches look for reasons to rule you out —as mentioned earlier they get hundreds of emails a day.

Also more notes about high school softball. First of all the stats mean nothing. How many teams have a “team manager” usually a person that hasn’t played the game do the book and have no idea how to score a game? Score a fielders choice as a hit? How many times have we seen these coaches who are teachers just earning some extra cash but have no idea how to teach and develop players? How many times have seen parental politics enter in to high schools sports? Or people with an agenda. So let’s not get to enamored with what high school produces other than it’s more of a social things than a true athletic thing. Almost all the teams rarely have more than 3 players that can really play and are usually of d3 or d2 quality at best. So it’s really not an environment for real skill development. And more just a nice way to get your name in the local paper now and again.

 

[Evan Ceg]

They had one right in front of their face in Coach Mac, but Judas would have none of it as she was a clear link to the Paterno support chain.

Coach Mac (former PSU softball assistant Jen McIntyre) is 74-134 in four years as head coach at UConn.

Amanda Lehotek was an under-the-radar candidate when she was hired by Joyner. In her previous two head coaching stops, her teams improved their W-L records every year. However, the last two seasons have gone backwards at Penn State. Inconsistent pitching has plagued her teams, and this coming season we'll be relying on two Pennsylvania true freshmen in the circle.

Lehotek has had some bad luck with injuries and roster loses, but she'll likely need a notable W-L improvement this season to keep her job. (Same is probably true with baseball's Rob Cooper.)

I keep hearing about all these great softball prospects and coaches in Central PA. Why aren't other big-time softball schools recruiting and hiring these people?

 

[uhlerlion]

Coach Mac (former PSU softball assistant Jen McIntyre) is 74-134 in four years as head coach at UConn.

Amanda Lehotek was an under-the-radar candidate when she was hired by Joyner. In her previous two head coaching stops, her teams improved their W-L records every year. However, the last two seasons have gone backwards at Penn State. Inconsistent pitching has plagued her teams, and this coming season we'll be relying on two Pennsylvania true freshmen in the circle.

Lehotek has had some bad luck with injuries and roster loses, but she'll likely need a notable W-L improvement this season to keep her job. (Same is probably true with baseball's Rob Cooper.)

I keep hearing about all these great softball prospects and coaches in Central PA. Why aren't other big-time softball schools recruiting and hiring these people?

seriously you just compared uconn to psu? Uconn by rights shouldn’t even be a d1 program. You can’t get good prospects to come to psu let alone how many do you think want to go to storrs ct? Yes I’m defending coach Mac because she got a raw deal and is making due with where she landed. Psu has 10x the cache uconn does, have you ever been to storrs? My daughter didn’t even want to go to uconn even as coach Mac wanted her to.

As if Coach L's 105-161 is that stellar?

There are no great prospects and coaches in central pa and psu is correct to stay away from the area. Of course some folks will point to St Francis that is littered with central pa kids and who beat PSU this year twice. 8-1 and 9-2 how embarrassing is that?

There is no bad luck with roster losses. 6 of her recruits are no longer with the program. That assessment of each one of those kids rest squarely on coach and her recruiting.

Inconsistent pitching? How does that happen? Either you recruit good pitchers or you have no idea how to make your pitchers improve. that again relies on the coach to hire a quality pitching coach.

 

[PSU JAG]

Slightly off topic, but this link about about one of our softball recruits is interesting.

https://www.flosoftball.com/article...grace-marsalos-struggle-with-the-early-verbal

 

[Gumpsion]

My daughter and I attended a prospects camp this past Monday. Mixed reactions.

Anyone out there on the AKB who has had experience with this staff and camp/program?

I think they are middling...would appreciate anyone's feedback and experience. BTW, the woman at the head of BWI's McAndrew board, labeled "Pour Emporter" is luscious.

One issue for Coach L in recruiting is weather. If you have attended any games you usually dress as if you are going to a football game. A few girls transferred to southern schools after playing one or two seasons.
Blame the NCAA for not wanting to make softball a summer sport. What about men’s baseball? They suck!
And let us not forget about women’s basketball; who could generate 200 fans for their WNIT game.
Please spread your ire.

 

[lockhavenlion3]

One issue for Coach L in recruiting is weather. If you have attended any games you usually dress as if you are going to a football game. A few girls transferred to southern schools after playing one or two seasons.
Blame the NCAA for not wanting to make softball a summer sport. What about men’s baseball? They suck!
And let us not forget about women’s basketball; who could generate 200 fans for their WNIT game.
Please spread your ire.

ps plays in the same weather as mich., minn, osu, etc, etc. they manage to get into the playoffs on occasion. weather isn't the problem. the problem is the lack of recruiting and coahing.

 

[nittanyfan333]

Very good advice here. My buddy's daughter was on the team that won the dixie softball world series the last 2 years for the Angels division. Granted she's only 10, but she's got a SERIOUS future in this stuff if she remains interested.

 

[GregInPitt]

Thoughts on the women's softball program?

They have underperformed for years and years.

Good talent in Pa. usually is not recruited by PSU.

We need a {CAEL} of a women's softball program to take over!!

Seriously Glov, is women's softball really worth more than one thought.......

Don't we have enough to think about, this time of year?