Small crowd today, maybe because it was a Friday day game. Really no excuse for not having a good crowd tomorrow: weather is supposed to be warm, no competing games. Pens don’t play until later in the day.
I still can’t believe it was more than 4 years ago that I was spending the weekend in Santa Barbara and read that Pitt was playing at UCSB (it was February so they couldn’t play in Pittsburgh obviously). It was only about a 5 mile drive right up the coast, so I decided I would go to see a game, figuring they would get Mercy Ruled. I ended up watching all three games and they ended up sweeping UCSB and ultimately making the NCAAs.
I remember thinking that freshman McKayla Taylor had one of the nicest softball swings I had seen in a long time for a right handed hitter. She’s now Pitt’s all-time RBI leader. I don’t really remember Zeremenko playing. I remember Erin Hershman pinch running. Kayla Harris pitched a few innings but was not impressive. She ended up having a great run in the NCAA regionals until the Michigan game. Those are the 4 players we lose to graduation.
Obviously, they are going to miss Taylor and Zeremenko a lot. Top two hitters in the order, and 1 and 2 all-time in RBIs. Hershman is easily replaceable on offense 2 years ago she hit over .330 but last year she hit .202 and this year is hitting under .230) but she still is a very good defensive CF. Harris should be relatively easy to replace as she has never repeated the success she had in that NCAA regional, but Aprile hasn’t done well recruiting pitchers. Have to hope the pitcher from Illinois can be an ace even as a frosh. (Michigan’s freshman pitcher has been their ace since she set foot on campus so it can be done.)
I was told Aprile still has one scholarship and wants to find a transfer who is a pitcher. Dawson will be a senior next year and she has improved a lot but is not who you prefer as your ace. Rahrbach has been pretty awful as a transfer from Coastal Carolina, and Brittany Knight has pretty much missed the entire year with injuries.
But, considering where this program was 5 years ago, it has been a fun ride.