Softball practice begins with eye on the prize
AUBURN | Auburn softball will start where it finished last season with an opening game against Oklahoma, which beat the Tigers two games to one in the 2016 national championship series.
It was one of the talking points coach Clint Myers had for his team on Thursday, the first day of preseason practice.
“We were one out away, one ground ball away, we were one non-hesitation in the first game against Oklahoma. There's just little things,” Myers said. “In order to be a champion, you've got to minimize the mental and physical mistakes because you can't give good teams extra opportunities to beat you and that's what happened there. No excuses. They didn't make the mistakes and we made several and that cost us. Those are the things we have to correct.”
Auburn returns six starters and 16 letter winners from last year including All-American and SEC Player of the Year Kasey Cooper, who is at the USA Softball Women’s National Team Selection Camp this week.
Nine newcomers were added to the squad including Washington transfer Tannon Snow.
“I feel great about (the newcomers), senior shortstop Haley Fagan said. “Freshmen, there's a lot of them so they bring a whole new dynamic to our team. We lost some great players, Emily, Jade and Tiff, but these new freshmen are getting the hang of it and once they start clicking with everything I think we're going to be just as good as we were last year if not even better.”
Snow, who had a strong fall, is the favorite to win the starting position at first base over freshman Justus Perry, who could factor in as the extra hitter. Sophomore Casey McCrackin, freshman KK Crocker and junior Emily Spain are competing at second base.
Cooper returns at third, Fagan at shortstop and Carlee Wallace and Courtney Shea at catcher.
In the outfield, starters Victoria Draper and Madi Gipson are back, and Whitey Jordan returns after filling in for an injured Fagan at shortstop last season. Myers expects sophomores Bree Fornis and Morgan Podany along with several freshmen to also be in the mix in the outfield.
Auburn returns its top two pitchers in junior Kaylee Carlson and sophomore Makayla Martin from a team that won a school-record 58 games last season.
“The first day is just get out and get it going,” Myers said. “Then as we go it kind of separates just a little bit. People start rising to the top a little bit and we just keep it going.”
The season begins Feb. 9-11 with the Triple Crown Tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Auburn opens with defending national champion Oklahoma on ESPNU followed by games against Washington, Nebraska and BYU.
“We're making all kinds of softball history at Auburn,” Myers said. “ESPN has never broadcasted a softball game in February, ever, and they're going to broadcast on national television the very first softball game being played that Thursday with us playing Oklahoma. You're going to have the same two pitchers, basically the same two lineups going two-to-toe just like the last game. It will be interesting to see because you'd hope the same two teams will be back playing again in June. It's going to be fun.
“You're talking four top 25 teams in the first four games so we've got to bring our A-game. Those four games aren't going to make or break the season, they're just wins and losses, but it does make a statement on how well you play.”