You're right about that - this year. Last year we rode true freshman Keagan Rothrock all the way to the national semifinals at the WCWS, because she WAS the kind of pitcher we could rely on to be THE stud in the circle. She led the SEC in innings pitched and led the nation in games won. This year she just hasn't been the same pitcher. I know she missed 5 weeks with an undisclosed issue and maybe she's not fully recovered. Maybe it's mental. But whatever it is, she has only been an average SEC pitcher this year with a conference ERA of over 5.00. Ava Brown is a little better in the circle than she was last year, but she still hasn't developed into a complete game type of pitcher. 3-4 innings at best. Freshman Katelyn Oxley was showing signs, but seems to have completely lost her confidence the last few times out and, also, can't go more than a few innings at a time. Going into the post season, Coach Walton is going to have to approach each game as a pitch by committee type of deal and not be too hesitant to change out pitchers. Otherwise, our NCAA journey will be a short one.
