Jody Hermanek took over a Pitt softball team that had just won the ACC Coastal Division and came within one inning of winning the ACC Championship. Under former coach Holly Aprile, the team had won at least 30 games in 3 of its last 4 seasons. It went to the NCAA tournament in 2015 for the first time in school history.
It was not a rebuilding job. However, Hermanek has turned it into a demolition job. In 2019, the softball team went 13-40. The defending ACC Coastal champions went 6-18 in the ACC. In 2020, they went 8-12 before the season was cancelled because of the pandemic. In 2021, they were 17-29, including 11-25 in games against conference teams, some of which didn’t count in the conference standings
In 2022, they are 13-19 overall and 1-12 in the ACC, with 10 consecutive losses.
Basically, they have no pitching. Dani Drogemuller pitched pretty well until the ACC season began, but her ERA in the ACC is 5.87. Ally Muraskin, a graduate transfer from USC Beaufort, is the only new pitcher on the staff and her ACC ERA is 7.87. McKenzie Stiles, a junior recruited by Hermanek, has a 7.0 ACC ERA and an 8.03 overall ERA.
Kendall Brown, recruited by Hermanek as an infielder who also pitches, has a 9.95 ERA. The only other pitcher on the staff is Abby Edwards with a 14.00 ERA.
How has Hermanek responded to this obvious pitching problem? In 2021, she brought in only Muraskin and Brown. In 2022, she has signed 3 players: an INF, and OF and a C. No pitchers. She is softball’s Jeff Capel, without the $15 Million buyout.
Clemson played it’s first year of softball in 2921. They made the NCAA tournament. They are 6-0 against Pitt. In their first year, they had 9 pitchers on the roster, 8 of whom appear to be on scholarship. Clearly, their coach understands what it takes to have a good softball team — pitching.
Considering the state of the program when she took over, Hermanek has been an unmitigated disaster. If Lyke doesn’t fire her, she isn’t doing her job.
It was not a rebuilding job. However, Hermanek has turned it into a demolition job. In 2019, the softball team went 13-40. The defending ACC Coastal champions went 6-18 in the ACC. In 2020, they went 8-12 before the season was cancelled because of the pandemic. In 2021, they were 17-29, including 11-25 in games against conference teams, some of which didn’t count in the conference standings
In 2022, they are 13-19 overall and 1-12 in the ACC, with 10 consecutive losses.
Basically, they have no pitching. Dani Drogemuller pitched pretty well until the ACC season began, but her ERA in the ACC is 5.87. Ally Muraskin, a graduate transfer from USC Beaufort, is the only new pitcher on the staff and her ACC ERA is 7.87. McKenzie Stiles, a junior recruited by Hermanek, has a 7.0 ACC ERA and an 8.03 overall ERA.
Kendall Brown, recruited by Hermanek as an infielder who also pitches, has a 9.95 ERA. The only other pitcher on the staff is Abby Edwards with a 14.00 ERA.
How has Hermanek responded to this obvious pitching problem? In 2021, she brought in only Muraskin and Brown. In 2022, she has signed 3 players: an INF, and OF and a C. No pitchers. She is softball’s Jeff Capel, without the $15 Million buyout.
Clemson played it’s first year of softball in 2921. They made the NCAA tournament. They are 6-0 against Pitt. In their first year, they had 9 pitchers on the roster, 8 of whom appear to be on scholarship. Clearly, their coach understands what it takes to have a good softball team — pitching.
Considering the state of the program when she took over, Hermanek has been an unmitigated disaster. If Lyke doesn’t fire her, she isn’t doing her job.
