18 Questions for D1 2018 Season
The 2018 NCAA DI season is here! There are so many questions going into the season beyond Who will win the National Championship and who will end up at Oklahoma City. Below we look at 18 of them.
No. 18: How much of an effect will Wichita State’s Move to the American Athletic Conference (AAC) on the conference as well as the MVC?
2018 is a year of change for Wichita State as the Shockers are in the first season in the AAC. In the last six seasons, the Shockers made four MVC Tournament appearances (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017), one MVC Championship (2016) and one NCAA Regional appearance (2016). The Shockers were a consistent contender in their former conference. How will Wichita State do in the AAC? The AAC Coaches poll ranked them fifth heading into the season.
Meanwhile, the MVC replaced Wichita State with Valparaiso. The conference figures to be a one-bid league within the NCAA with Northern Iowa still winning the conference’s regular-season title after a tiebreaker over Illinois State. From the conference tournament emerged Southern Illinois, who won the tournament title and earned the MVC’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Illinois State was invited to the NISC tournament. Look for one of those three to win MVC in 2018.
No. 17: Is USC-Upstate reign atop the A-Sun coming to an end?
USC Upstate is in their final season as a member of the A-SUN conference. They will be moving to the Big South in the fall of 2018. Upstate has had a significant impact on the conference having won three of the last four regular-season championships ( 2014, 2015, 2017) and the previous three Tournament Championships.
But the Spartans will for the first time in a while, not have experience in the pitching circle. Dueling pitching aces Holly McKinnon and Lexi Shubert both graduated following the 2017 season. The combo combined for 379 strikeouts and a 1.44 cumulative ERA over 370 innings of work in their respective senior campaigns. Their graduations leave Head Coach Chris Hawkins without an experienced hurler in the circle. That alone could make the Spartans vulnerable. Could Kennesaw State dethrone the Spartans? Kennesaw State returns the best pitcher in the conference in Alley Cutting.
No. 16: Will Duke softball have an impact in year one?
Duke Softball will play the program’s first NCAA softball game on Feb. 8 at Florida Atlantic. Head Coach Marissa Young has a roster that includes 12 first or second-year freshmen and just five other players on the roster. Not to mention Duke will play in the ACC. We spoke to Duke’s Assistant coach Lacey Waldrop in the fall about being part of the startup program on October 30th edition of “In The Circle.”
One has to wonder how Duke will perform not just on the field in the ACC, but off the field with the level of support and interest they get. Those two things could impact the landscape of college softball growth in the future. Clemson will follow Duke in taking the field in 2020. That would leave us with nine schools in the five biggest conferences that don’t sponsor softball: Miami and Wake Forest in the ACC, Kansas State, TCU and West Virginia in the Big 12, Colorado, USC and Washington State in the Pac-12 and Vanderbilt in the SEC. If Duke proves to be successful on and off the field, that could influence the schools that do not have softball to reconsider maybe and try to add it at some point.
No. 15: Could A Northeast softball program host a regional in 2018?
College Softball programs in the Northeast region get ignored for the most part compared to programs in the Southeast, West Coast, and Southwest regions. Northeast programs had not hosted a regional in nearly a decade when Massachusetts hosted in 2009. In 2018 we could see some Northeast programs make some big noise and try to end the drought. Hofstra, who hosted regionals over a decade ago could become the CAA favorites with James Madison losing star pitcher Megan Good for the year. In 2015 Hofstra had an RPI of 15 and defeated James Madison in the CAA Tournament Championship game but was sent to the Gainesville Regional as a two seed instead of hosting. Fordham and St Francis (PA) both ranked in Fastpitchnews’s Top 25 preseason rankings, both returning a ton of talent from 2017.
Still, conference affiliation may prevent them from hosting compared to the Power Five conferences who have been getting the benefit of the doubt over the last handful of years. It seems to be especially true with television carrying more regionals at facilities that are more TV friendly. With that in mind keep an eye out for Boston College who is in a Power Five conference and could play themselves into hosting if they were to finish second or third in the ACC. We could see them host the likes of St. Francis, Fordham and or Hofstra. Look for these Northeast softball programs to make some noise and be part of the conversation come late spring.
No. 14: What Impact will Taryne Mowatt have at Arizona?
Ten years after throwing her final pitch for the Arizona Wildcats, Taryne Mowatt is back at her alma mater as the pitching coach coming over from Ole Miss where Mowatt inherited a pitching staff that posted a 4.30 ERA in 2015 and helped turn the pitching staff around. In 2017 the Rebels had a team ERA of 2.10 and won the SEC Tournament. They made it all the way to the super regionals also last season.
Mowatt takes over an Arizona pitching staff that will have to replace ace and All-American Danielle O’Toole who help lead Arizona to a Pac-12 title in 2017. Taylor McQuillin returns with the most experience and is an FPN Preseason All-American. The Wildcats added Alyssa Denham who comes over from Louisiana also. Mowatt has the arms to work with; it will be interesting to see where or how far she leads them.
No. 13: Can Shonda Stanton make Indiana a winner?
After 18 seasons at Marshall, Shonda Stanton jumped to Bloomington, IN to become the new Head Coach at Indiana. Stanton takes over a program that has had just three winning seasons since 2007. Stanton appeared on July 31st edition of “In The Circle on Fastpitchnews” podcast and felt she has what she needs to build a winner at Indiana. Look for the Hoosiers to run, and run a lot, in an attempt to put pressure on defenses in the Big Ten. Stanton’s teams at Marshall were always near the top of the NCAA in steals. But it may take a year or two until Stanton gets some pitching to turn Indiana into a winner.
No. 12: Which transfer will have the most significant impact in 2018?
The off-season had many marquee players transfer to different places. From catcher Carlee Wallace going from Auburn to Baylor, pitcher Sydney Smith from LSU to Minnesota, Shortstop D.J.Sanders going from Louisiana to Oregon, Sophomore pitcher Alyssa Denham and slugging senior Aleah Craighton going from Louisiana to Arizona just to name a few.
But perhaps the biggest transfer impact could be pitcher Kylee Hanson going from Florida Atlantic to Florida State. One of the questions going into 2018 for Lonni Alameda and the Florida State Seminoles was how they would replace ace Jessica Burroughs? Hanson fills that spot. Hanson missed most of 2017 with an ankle injury. If Hanson returns to 2016 form, the Noles will be a serious contender to get to the Women College World Series. In 2016 Hanson led the country in both ERA (0.76) and shutouts (15) as she earned second-team All-America honors. The Noles are hoping with Hanson healthy in 2018 she can return to form and be part of a one-two punch with returner Meghan King.
No. 11: Who is the best non-Power Five hitter?
With D.J. Sanders transferring from Louisiana to Oregon and Megan Good being out for the season with a knee injury, who is the best hitter in a non-Power five conference? Here are three names that will battle for that honor this season, all of whom made FPN’s All-American preseason team.
- Erika Piancastelli – McNeese St – ’17 .375 13 HR 49 RBI
- Emily Lochten- FAU- ‘ 17 .408 18 HR 41 RBI
- Jenavee Peres- San Diego State ’17 .454 16 hr 60 RBI
I lean towards Peres who helped lead San Diego State to be the top-ranked team in the NCAA in Batting Average in 2017. But an argument can be made for each of these three talents.
No. 10: Who is the best pitcher outside the Power Five?
With Good’s absence, it opens up the question of who is best non-Power Five pitcher? Two names jump to the front of the list going into the season.
- Emily Watson- Tulsa: 30-6, 1.25 ERA, 348 strikeouts
- Randi Rupp- Texas State: 28-10, 1.22 ERA, 325 strikeouts
Both are big reasons why both Tulsa and Texas State feel they can make some noise in NCAA Tournament. I go with Watson who was three outs away from knocking off Oklahoma and sending Tulsa to the Super Regional in 2017.
No. 9: How will Minnesota look with Jamie Trachsel as Head Coach?
Jamie Trachsel takes over for Jessica Allister who moved on to Stanford. Trachsel comes over after one season as Head Coach at Iowa State. Trachsel is familiar with the State of Minnesota having played at St. Cloud State. Trachsel takes over a talented roster with mostly everyone back on offense led by Kendyl Lindaman. The big question for the Gophers is; who takes the mantle as the ace of the pitching staff after Sara Groenewegon graduated. Sophomore Amber Fiser and junior transfer Sydney Smith figure to be the one-two punch for the Gophers. One big plus that Trachsel was able to do is retain longtime pitching coach Piper Ritter who will help Trachsel in the transition. Trachsel talked about this when she appeared on the August 28th edition of “In The Circle.”
No. 8: How will Missouri perform following the Ehren Earleywine firing?
Two weeks before the start of the season, on January 26th, Missouri fired longtime Head Coach Ehren Earleywine with reasons still not entirely known. One has to wonder how the players on the Missouri squad will react on the field with interim Head Coach Gina Fogue taking over the program. With the Earleywine firing and players who have departed from the program last two seasons. One has to wonder if Missouri will play inspired and relaxed with nothing to lose and succeed or struggle and miss the NCAA Tournament this season, as well as possibly SEC Tournament which the Tigers will host in May.
No. 7: How will James Madison do without Megan Good?
Going into the 2018 season, we thought that the big question for the Dukes was going to be how they adjust to life without Mickey Dean? Dean left JMU to take over the Auburn program in the fall. But new head coach Loren LaPorte, who was an assistant under Dean, now has the challenge of playing the 2018 season without Megan Good who is out for the season with a knee injury. LaPorte addressed the Good injury and the transition on January 29th edition of “In The Circle.”
So did the Dukes just go from a top 25 team and heavy favorites in the CAA to a team that has to battle with Hofstra and College of Charleston in a wide-open conference race with questions on who steps in and gets big innings for Dukes?
N0.6: How will the Ragin’ Cajuns Look Post Lotief?
It was a rough offseason for Louisiana with the scandal around Head Coach Michael Lotief that ultimately led to this firing on November 1, 2018. Gerry Glasco was then hired in late November to take over the program. Three key players transferred as a result. Among those three was Player of Year candidate D.J. Sanders who transferred to Oregon, pitcher Allysa Denham, and Aleah Craighton who both went to Arizona.
Those are critical players to lose, but Coach Glasco who appeared on “In The Circle” on December 8th said he wanted players that wanted to be here still. Fans will have to be patient as 2018 sets up to be a transition season for the program as they enter a new era. Coach Glasco does have the talent to work with and only time will tell if the Ragin Cajun mystique will be there at the end of the season.
No. 5: Can Jessica Allister return Stanford to Glory?
Jessica Allister left Minnesota to go back to the school where she played and was an assistant coach in Stanford. Allister played with Jessica Mendoza and was part of the Cardinal’s Women’s College World Series appearance in 2001 and 2004.
Allister takes over a program that has been at the bottom of the Pac-12 over the last few years. Allister built Minnesota’s program up from the bottom of Big 10. She then took them to the top of Big 10 the winning first Big Ten regular-season title in 2017 for the first time since 1991. How long will it take Allister to turn around the Cardinal program remains to be seen but the days of Stanford being a guaranteed win for Pac-12 opponents is coming to an end.
No. 4: How will Mickey Dean do At Auburn?
Mickey Dean takes over the program after job opened up following the drama that took place and led to Clint Myers retiring. Dean was on the Monday edition of ” In The Circle” and discussed transitioning from James Madison to Auburn. He will rely on Kaylee Carlson and Makayla Martin in the circle. Carlson went 27-5 with a 1.36 ERA, while Martin was 20-6 with a 1.98 ERA. Auburn’s offense, which has many new faces, will determine how good Dean’s first season at Auburn will end up being.
No. 3: How will the NCAA rule changes affect play on the field?
The NCAA announced in August about some new changes to take effect in 2018. Among the changes is prohibiting batters from having any part of their foot touch the ground outside the lines of the batter’s box when bat-ball contact is made. If a batter violates this rule, she will be declared out.
The panel also tweaked the rule once again on Obstruction which was very controversial at Women’s College World Series. The panel approved a rule banning defenders in softball from blocking the plate or base before they have possession of the ball saying “If a defender blocks the plate or base before gaining possession, the runner will be called safe.” If the runner contacts the defensive player without making a legitimate attempt to slide, the runner will be called out. Also, runners will no longer advance one base on an illegal pitch.
Will these changes be called? How often will they be called? Will the umpires interpret rules differently? Some umpires in the sport have told me that has been the issue in the past. One umpire interprets rules one way, while others do a different way. Also, it will be interesting to see how players adjust to the changes and how that is reflected in the flow of the game.
No. 2: Who is the best player in college softball?
Kelly Barnhill is the reigning College Softball player of the year and is looking to join Cat Osterman (2003, 2005 and 2006), and Keilani Ricketts (2012 and 2013) as the only players to win it more than once. Barnhill will have stiff competition from D.J. Sanders who is at Oregon and will get more exposure then she did at Louisiana. Barnhill may also go against sleeper pick in Amanda Lorenz who is the Gators best offensive player. Oklahoma’s Paige Parker and Shay Knighten are also contenders as is Vols’s Meghan Greg and Minnesota’s Kendyl Lindaman. While Barnhill is the favorite going into the season, she is not a lock so much talent returning; the safe bet is to take the field over Barnhill.
No. 1: Will Oklahoma make history?
The Sooners look to become just the second team ever to win three straight national titles joining UCLA who did it from 1988-1990. The Sooners return 11 of the 12 players who saw the field in the final game of the Women’s College World Series a season ago, including all of their pitchers.
Still, lets remember that this team was three outs from being eliminated from the Norman Regional. The biggest threat to the Sooners may come internally. Will this team be driven to win another national title or satisfied with what the have accomplished already? It is hard to think that this team is satisfied.
Florida and Oregon pushed the Sooners in Oklahoma City and bring back a ton of talent that may make them the biggest threat to the Sooners.
But if any team is primed to make history it is this Sooners team who went through all the adversity you can find and learned from it. Maybe wise not to bet against them.
