Right Position

Clarksville Native. Teammate in high school basketball of Bashaara Graves. Saw very little action as a freshman. As a catcher, opportunities should increase with the graduation of Overstreet.

Upset

Tennessee 76, South Carolina 74

I’d like to claim I predicted it but that would be overstating it by a big margin. I just thought it was possible, if everything broke right. Everything broke right. The Lady Vols played some of their best basketball of the season, survived the runs with composure, got the break of foul trouble on the SC bigs, and hung on. A foul call at the end that could have gone the other way cinched it.

Diamond DeShields, athleticism showcased. Jamie Nared, cool at the end on the free throw line. Mercedes Russell, after a slow start, looked like a Final Four center again.

First victory over a top five team on the road since 2007.

Down (or Up) in South Carolina

It would be a good idea to beat South Carolina tonight. It’s probably not going to happen but Tennessee is good enough if they play like a team and South Carolina doesn’t. You can’t count on South Carolina not playing like a team. Dawn Staley is the real deal. Tennessee is less predictable but they’ve been on the rise and if the big three  are clicking it’s going to at least be a contest. A loss isn’t fatal to the Lady Vols, but a victory is huge. Might as well go for it, without succumbing to the pressure of high expectations. Expectations aren’t that high.

Workman

Doesn’t play to the crowd. Not a lot of flair or emotion on the field. Maybe you don’t even notice her. But when the game is over she helped kill you. It shows up in the stats, and that was as a freshman.

Georgian

Offensive juggernaut in high school. Little used in freshman year, put poised in the field. More opportunities at bat this year? We’ll see. Looks good in the team photos. (That last bit is a private joke having nothing much to do with Savannah. Although she does look good in the team photos.)

Into the Fire

When Annie Aldrete decided to transfer, taking her superior defensive skills at catcher and batting prowess with her, it left a potential hole that was filled admirably by Lexi Overstreet, who elevated her game dramatically. Backing up Overstreet was freshman Abby Lockman, who probably didn’t expect to see as much action as she did. Defensively, she looked comfortable from the beginning and played well. She struggled at the plate. This year Overstreet is gone too, and Lockman will be relied on even more than last year and must develop into a more complete player. Here’s hoping she finds her stroke.

Tennessee 84, Swamp Land 75

Another big first quarter, which is now the new orange. Diamond looking like the real deal for the whole game, with Nared on fire early. Middleton off the bench hit her threes. Nice to play a team with as short a bench as we have. Nicer still, to survive Florida runs rather than crumble. A workmanlike victory from a team that is perhaps beginning to mature and understand its potential. However, South Carolina looms. A defeat should not be season-derailing, but a win could be season-defining.

 

Home Town Hopeful

Kelsey comes from Windermere, FL, the town where Tiger Woods was living outside Orlando when he had the car crash while his wife was pursuing him with a bat. She attended West Orange High School in Winter Garden, which was the school district we lived in our last seven years in Florida. The school colors were orange and blue. Little used as a freshman, expected to play a larger role this year.

 

The Future

Let’s face it, if you didn’t get a lift every time Matty Moss took the mound last year, with her competitiveness and almost child-like enthusiasm for everything that has to do with playing softball…you’re probably just not a fan of softball. Or life.

Class of the Junior Class

It’s been a streaky career. Scarlett always seems poised for a breakout, and then the coaches seem to sour on her. The consensus of all the fan-experts around us is they should let her play through her mistakes somewhere, whether it be 3rd base or the outfield. Put her in, leave her in. Because when she’s in a groove, there are few hitters more dangerous. Sure, she goes into slumps and funks and seems to lose confidence sometimes. Could be from looking over her shoulder always having to worry about getting yanked.

Also, one of the best names for a player ever, although maybe she should have gone to Georgia for maximum appropriateness. Like Colt McCoy, who could only play in Texas.