(If you missed our 2017 Year in Review, check it out here.)
2017 was a year full of big games, breakout stars, controversy, and crazy happenings. Players you’ve never heard of became household names. Top-level teams took losses to other teams that were supposed to be on a lower level. Coaches changed jobs, and sometimes changed jobs again. Controversy swirled around some of the game’s top programs and for some, it still swirls.
The year of 2018 is now upon us. Everything that 2017 brought is now in the past, and there’s a lot of softball to look ahead for in the year to come. A new, fresh college season. The NPF chugs on. Two “Teams USA” will compete during the summer. Here, we look at some of the burning questions to start the year; names that you need to know; and what to watch for during the softball year to come.
Burning Questions
* How will Auburn and Louisiana-Lafayette be able to rebound from the off-the-field storylines and distractions of the offseason?
* Can the PAC-12 continue their resurgence and return to the “top of the heap” in the game?
* How will Wichita State fare in their new home, the American Conference, and how will the addition of the Shockers change the AAC landscape?
* Who will emerge from the mid-major ranks as a real challenge to the Power Five and other big-market teams?
* How high are the expectations for Duke in their first season of competition?
* Will this be the year that the NPF finally “rights the ship”?
* How will the model of dueling Team USAs work out for the US national program?
* Can Oklahoma make it three in a row as National Champions?
* Will 2018 finally be LSU’s time to shine, after three straight WCWS appearances, but never moving farther than the “final four”?
* What should we expect from Megan Good coming off of her Player of the Year season and with a new pitching coach?
Names to Know
* Gerry Glasco, head coach, Louisiana-Lafayette — Following the turmoil that has captivated the softball scene in Lafayette since October, Glasco now takes over a Ragin Cajun squad that saw ace Alex Stewart and some major offensive players graduate, and later lost all-Americans DJ Sanders and Aleah Craighton, as well as breakout pitching star Alyssa Denham, to transfers this fall. Glasco is a terrific offensive mind, and has long been in line for a head coaching position, but keeping the Cajun program on track despite the off-field turmoil and catastrophic roster losses will be quite the feat.
* Elantra Cox, outfield, Ole Miss — One of the biggest snubs from the 2017 all-American list, Cox was a prominent part of the breakout Ole Miss club; in fact, she led the Rebel offense with her .429 batting average and a .468 on-base percentage. As the Rebels seek to defend their SEC tournament championship, Cox figures to play a major part in the team’s 2018 plans.
* Sydney Smith, pitcher, Minnesota — A Gopher State native, the former LSU Tiger is now a member of her home state’s team, transferring to the Golden Gophers this summer. Smith found herself as the third pitcher behind the tandem of Allie Walljasper and Carley Hoover, and while she threw more than one hundred innings in 2017, she pitched sparingly down the stretch and elected to transfer after the season. With the Gophers lacking veteran pitching heading into 2018, Smith’s role should be easily and swiftly defined.
* Rachel Garcia, pitcher, UCLA — The reigning National Freshman of the Year, Garcia became the Bruins’ workhorse in the circle in her redshirt freshman campaign, logging nearly 1/2 of her team’s work in the circle to the tune of more than 200 innings pitched. She led her program with a 1.87 ERA and 212 strikeouts and threw all but a single inning of her team’s World Series games. Now with a season under her belt, but also a year where opposing hitters have gotten to see her live, the young righty is certainly an x-factor for her team as she looks to help lead her Bruins back to Oklahoma City.
* Libby Morris, assistant coach, James Madison — Morris, the former Longwood pitcher, found two new jobs this offseason – first, she was promoted to full-time pitching coach at Jacksonville, then she accepted the pitching coach position at James Madison later in the year. Technically, the JU position was her first career full-time coaching position, but leading the Dukes’ staff in 2018 will be her first season as a full-time coach. Morris takes over in the role that Mickey Dean formerly occupied, and is charged with making sure Megan Good’s final season in college goes as swimmingly as her previous three. As a rookie coach with big expectations, it will be intriguing to see how Morris leads her staff and how large of a learning curve there will be.
* Emily Watson, pitcher, Tulsa — One of the finest performers in the non-Power 5 ranks, Watson matched up well against Oklahoma in their hosted regional in May and narrowly missed coming away with a regional championship. Now a senior, Watson has a 1.74 career ERA with nearly 600 strikeouts and a .203 opponent’s batting average. The Golden Hurricane always seem to put a strong team together, and with Watson leading from the circle, you could see them playing beyond the regional final in 2018.
* DJ Sanders, infield, Oregon — The former Louisiana-Lafayette star transferred to become a Duck following Michael Lotief’s firing as head coach of the Ragin Cajuns. New head coach Gerry Glasco told us that he would have liked to keep Sanders, but that she needed a change of scenery, and she certainly got that in Eugene. The Ducks are coming off of a WCWS berth and have one of the best offensive minds in the nation in assistant coach Jimmy Kolaitis. While Sanders may get but one season in green and yellow, expectations should be high due to her raw talent and poise in the batter’s box.
What to Watch for
* The PAC-12 resurgence
* The SEC convergence
* The ACC recurrence
* The Big 10 emergence
* The Big 12 insurgence
