Whiteoak 2015

[Ironman92]

Could this be the year they break out and make a nice run in the postseason? I hear players are excited to get going.

[Ironman92]

Is everyone back from last year?

[Gopher]

Got a hole to fill in the OF due to AAU Basketball.

[Bastogne]

Last year Positives: Good pitcher. Games will be low scoring. Both give the team a chance to win.

Last Year Problems: Had trouble scoring against decent/good pitching. Trouble defending if ball was put in play or if batters were walked. Pitcher gets frustrated/Can't just throw straight fastballs.

A mediocre Clay team defeated Whiteoak at Whiteoak last year in the sectional final simply because Clay had good enough pitching/defense and put the ball in play.

If Whiteoak plans to make a tournament run, they will have to do more than pitch the ball.

[ManitouDan]

well now , this ought to get good .

[Troy]

Last year Positives: Good pitcher. Games will be low scoring. Both give the team a chance to win.

Last Year Problems: Had trouble scoring against decent/good pitching. Trouble defending if ball was put in play or if batters were walked. Pitcher gets frustrated/Can't just throw straight fastballs.

A mediocre Clay team defeated Whiteoak at Whiteoak last year in the sectional final simply because Clay had good enough pitching/defense and put the ball in play.

If Whiteoak plans to make a tournament run, they will have to do more than pitch the ball.

I was fortunate to have watched Whiteoak twice last year. I don't get the straight fastball comment. I saw a few excellent change ups and another pitch that was moving well and fooling a darn good team. "Good" isn't a negative in any way but maybe she was only good against Clay. Didn't she have 20 strikeouts vs a Paint Valley? She's been 1st team all-state at least once. I think she's signed to play at Kent St or Akron (one of the MAC schools) if she's good that doesn't bode well for what most others are.

Not sure if clay beat them with good pitching and defense or just smart coaching. Didn't they intentionally walk her all 4 plate appearances? I've never seen that done before.

[Ironman92]

Redsolo......she is signed to Bowling Green

[Bastogne]

The GOOD comment was nothing against her. She definitely has the "tools" to be a winner, and she has proven she can pitch. I personally don't throw out terms like EXCELLENT or DOMINATING at the drop of a hat. I have seen a lot of great pitching and she would be in that discussion, BUT she will always be judged at the high school level for the team's results--sectional titles, district titles, regional titles, state tournament appearances, state titles. (Clay can definitely remember some good HS pitching--Cami Groves, for example. Her length/speed. But she never had an effective change-up. It kept "her" and the team from winning that all important game--regional title or state title. They were in the Regionals and/or state, I believe, all four years, and would have been at the state all four years if not for some strange plays/calls.)

It's too bad Whiteoak doesn't have more around her to help the cause. Drew Scarberry (BBK) at Northwest is the prime example. He scores 30+ points each night and the team still only musters 40 or 50 points and they win very few games. Whiteoak will have a hard time advancing with just pitching. They will need defense and more scoring.

The straight fastball. She just kept throwing speed against Clay last year. Ask the Reds what the 100+ fastball from Chapman does. Yes, you strikeout a lot of batters and it is exciting, but every once in a while a batter makes contact and the ball travels. How many blown saves did he have? Clay proved they could make contact just enough to score just enough runs while Whiteoak could not.

[Ironman92]

I feel like you are describing the girl who pitched for Minford more than you are describing Sosby.

[Bastogne]

Sorry. I have not seen Minford play (other than maybe one game) since the Coach Daniels era.

Wish all the luck to Whiteoak. Hopefully, softball season will be exciting and enjoyable (if we ever get to see the fields).

[statechamp23]

I can answer this question quite easily. NO! This is not the year that Whiteoak will make a run in the tournament. They wont for several reasons. First of all, the SHAC is extremely weak. Sosby is a good pitcher and puts up pretty good numbers, but those numbers can be considered inflated because of the poor competition they play. The jury is still out on her, I wish her luck at Bowling Green. The fact that they play such poor competition will handicap this team when they face a quality opponent in the tournament.
There wouldn't be a hole to fill in the outfield to fill if the "coach" would get over her ego and permit the girls to participate in multiple sports. Got to be smart enough to realize that your school is too small to restrict kids from multiple sports. Not a smart move on her part, but then again this is just one of the many reasons this team will not succeed.
Then we come down to this. Once the team drops 2-3 games in a row, the parents will start talking about how terrible the coach is. I sit in the stands in volleyball and basketball and hear it every year. Its hard to be successful when parents feel the need to get involved (Take note Gopher).
This isn't cross country. There is more to it than just having enough kids to participate in the tournament to win banners. I will end my rant with Good Luck Whiteoak. However, I am predicting a 1-1 post season record.

[Troy]

Good point about the weak schedule handicapping them when they face a quality opponent in the tournament.

2013 #9 seed weak scheduled Whiteoak defeated #1 seed Notre Dame to claim the sectional championship. That ND team I think went to the Elite 8 the year before, regardless they were the top D4 team in the district going into the tourney.


Hopefully, you are a kid making those comments. I can't imagine an adult bashing so many different groups of people at one tiny school. Did the folks at Whiteoak do something to you? I watched their boys team play down at Portsmouth a few years ago and seemed like a good group of people. Always remembered their basketball boys at the convo for so many years. Seemed like a fun little school community. Their baseball coach is spoken well of by the coaches around the district.

[cgfan]

You make a good point RedSolo

Wasnt ND state ranked that year? I also think the year before that they came down here and knocked off #2 seeded PWest pretty handily.

[Five Point]

Wowzers

[domain master]

IMO, they won't win SHL. Fairfield owns SHL.

[Ironman92]

Tight games with Fairfield last year?

[domain master]

Fairfield swept them last year as they have in the past few years. One game was close, the other not. Fairfield will be the league favorite again.

[chsballn]

Fairfield swept them last year as they have in the past few years. One game was close, the other not. Fairfield will be the league favorite again.

I agree ! Fairfield should be the favorite again. Whiteoak's pitcher might be one of the best in SEO, but, Portsmouth Clay made a statement last year, take her bat away keep her checked on the bases once she is walked, then say if your going to beat us your other 8 players will have to do so. I was told pitching and defense by Clay and forcing Whiteoak to strand runners twice on 3rd base was key part of the game. You know other teams will take a lesson from that game last year and try to play 9 vs. 1.

[ManitouDan]

Huge props to Clays coach for having the gumption to go scout Whiteoak and scout them intelligently . And get his team to follow the game plan. Sadly not all coaches care enough to scout even though a huge amount of advantage can be gained by a smart eye .

[Ironman92]

Whiteoak 9
Hillsboro 1