5 Teams that Could make the 2017 WCWS
The 2017 Women’s College Softball season is rapidly approaching. Each year 200 plus teams compete for a shot to play at the WCWS and only eight get that chance. For the most part, we know who some of the heavy favorites are, but which teams may surprise us and find themselves in on of those eight spots? These are all teams that fall outside the top 10 based on the FPN preseason rankings.
Florida Atlantic
It is all about their pitching and All-American Kylee Hanson. She was outstanding last season posting a 0.76 ERA. As a team, the Owls had an ERA of just 1.16. If they can get that kind of effort from the pitching staff in 2017, they should have a shot against any team in the country. They were knocked out of the regional by UCF last season after winning the C-USA tournament. If they find a way to generate more offense this season they should be dangerous.
LSU
Many people reading this may wonder why they are considered a team that could surprise considering they are generally in the conversation year in and year out. The biggest reason is that statistically, they were outside the top 15 in most categories. They return a strong pitching staff, but also have to find a way to generate more offense and improve defensively. They have the arms to compete and should be even better than they were in 2016. They lose two of their top five hitters from last season, a season in which they struggled to generate offense at times. They did win 52 games and that number should be well within reach again in 2017.
Notre Dame
The Irish are an interesting team heading into the 2017 season. Pitching was not their strong point in 2016 posting a team ERA of 3.24. That is not terrible, but it’s higher than some of the other contenders. Their strength last season and this season will be at the plate. As a team, they return seven everyday players who batted above .300 on the season. They will need their pitching staff to step up and find a way to hit for more power. Keep an eye on sophomore Caitlyn Brooks both at the plate and in the circle. She hit 11 home runs last season and lead the team in innings pitched.
Washington
The Huskies are poised to make some noise this season. They came on strong last season before being knocked out in the super regional by Alabama. The good news is that they return the great majority of their team. Matter of fact eight of their every day hitters are back and all eight batted above .300. Senior Ali Aguilar is coming off a great season where she hit 21 home runs. The pitching was solid but not their best area in 2016. The good news is all three pitchers that threw the most innings return. If they can move forward this will be a tough team to deal with. They face Auburn in the first game of the season, that will be a must watch game.
Minnesota
The Gophers rely heavily on ace Sara Groenewegen. They needed to find someone to take some pressure off her and that is what they did with Missouri transfer Tori Finucane. If Finucane can find her form from a few years ago, these two could be a solid one-two punch. Last season Groenewegen threw 234.2 innings which were 65% of the total innings. They are in good shape at the plate as they only lose two everyday starters and three players who hit double-digit home runs in Sam Macken (12), Maddie Houlihan (11) and Groenewegen (11). Overall if they can avoid overusing Greonewegen and keep her fresh heading into the postseason, there is no reason they should not be in the mix.
