Lots of softball was played this weekend. Who showed out, and who might have been better off staying home? Our winners and losers from Week 1:
WINNER: Oregon
The Ducks are a logical place to start. Expectations were low for Missy Lombardi’s first season as coach, following the much-reported mass exodus that was the program’s offseason. Lombardi’s scrap-iron roster started off like gangbusters, with a double-digit showing in their opening game and finishing the weekend 5-0. Quieting the doubters won’t happen until the Ducks show up in conference play, but Lombardi’s team likely hit the mute button for a little while.
LOSER: Auburn
Don’t count out the Tigers just yet, but a plethora of questions abound after the team’s abysmal Saturday showing. Losses to Missouri State and Louisiana Tech left the Tigers with a 3-2 record to start the season. Far from the Auburn of 2016, the squad has a lot of question marks that need answering before SEC play begins.
WINNER: North Carolina State
After an offseason coaching change, the Wolfpack began their season with a tough slate – five games that saw them facing off against, among others, Florida; Arizona; Michigan; and South Florida. The Wolfpack responded by emerging from the tournament with a 3-2 record; victories over 7th-ranked Arizona and South Florida; and a walk-off loss to Florida. The Wolfpack showed out so well during the first week of the Jennifer Patrick-Swift era, they may even earn some Top 25 votes for their efforts.
LOSER: Kentucky
A run-rule victory over Houston, considered to be one of the top mid-major programs and an NCAA tournament contender, was the bright spot of opening week for the Wildcats. Still seeking to establish themselves as a major, consistent SEC contender, UK lost an extra-inning battle to Illinois, as well as their first matchup against Houston before gaining their revenge in the rematch. A loss to Oklahoma State finished the weekend for Rachel Lawson’s Cats, who will head to Clearwater next week with something to prove and plenty of opportunities to do so.
WINNER: LSU
A team with questionable offense entering the year, the Bayou Bengals put that theory to rest swiftly once the 2019 season got underway. Ex-Missouri transfer Amanda Sanchez led the team with a .692 batting average, while dual-threat start Shelbi Sunseri posted a team-high four home runs. The Tigers scored seventy-three runs on twenty-nine extra base hits and allowed just two runs from their opponents in thirty innings.
LOSER: Texas A&M
With just two returning starters and a rebuilt pitching staff, the Aggies managed to pull off a 4-1 record on the weekend, but the one in the “L” column was a big one – a 10-2 run-rule loss to North Texas. The Mean Green, in their first season with new head coach Rodney DeLong, posted 4-run and 6-run innings en route to the win, holding the Aggies off at the plate until the bottom of the fifth, and what would be final, inning. With their four victories also coming via the run-rule, the Aggies can still play, but have to straighten out some significant pieces before SEC play begins.
WINNER: Virginia Tech
Pete D’Amour’s new squad seems to be clicking right away, unsurprising for one of the game’s top rising stars and good news for the ACC. D’Amour’s Hokies hit .421 as a team, while his pitching staff finished the weekend with a 1.35 team ERA. A run-rule victory over Wichita State opened the season, while a pair of victories against Purdue and a run-rule shutout of College of Charleston also dotted the opening week’s schedule.
