Yeah it says eastern times on the graphic

RadCouncil 21 said:

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Yeah it says eastern times on the graphic

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Sorry I missed that. Thanks.

7 Aggies Earn All Region honors

https://12thman.com/news/2025/5/15/softball-seven-aggies-earn-nfca-all-region-central-accolades

The place to be 📍🫧#GigEm pic.twitter.com/t88mHZo8Yv

— Texas A&M Softball (@AggieSoftball) May 15, 2025

It's time to ramble!

Boozer92 said:

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7 Aggies Earn All Region honors

https://12thman.com/news/2025/5/15/softball-seven-aggies-earn-nfca-all-region-central-accolades

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We sometimes bring up the Bob Brock teams of the 80's. Three national championships. A ton of outstanding players. The following quote from the article says a lot ...

"The seven honors match the program record set in 1982".

Another one that stands out. It is often mentioned we score a lot of runs with 2 outs. This about KK: "... leads the Aggies with 25 two-out RBI ..."

End of season was certainly disappointing but I really enjoyed the season. And the last time the team had as many wins (or more) was the outstanding 2008 team.

Want to reply on this thread to get it close to the top again since we have portal stuff coming up to talk about along with early talk about the incoming freshman class (only three this year). Perhaps late Summer or early Fall we can start a 2026 thread. We'll see.

I still need a few days to process what happened over the weekend. This was a fun team to follow this year. For now I am moving on to next year.

I think our needs in the portal are

1 An ace pitcher and maybe a 2nd
2 Stud outfielder preferably with some power
3 Catcher

Peters may well be the number 1 pitcher next year if she can stay healthy but I would prepare for her to miss time again and see it as a bonus if I was wrong.

In the outfield Kelsey and Frankie will be back. You do have 2 freshman coming in who could play in the outfield but I would get an experienced transfer and let them all compete for playing time.

Catcher you have Gracyn and DeeDee and freshman but I would still be on the lookout for a experienced bat in that spot.

In the infield you lose Koko and gain Ariel. Need to continue to develop depth but no obvious hole in the infield.

Overall they will return 43 of their 65 homeruns and 256 of 416 RBI. This team will go into next year with a stronger offensive base than they did this year.

Pitching returns Peters, Lessentine, Munnerlyn and Sparks if they all return.

Congrats to Mya Perez for being named 2nd team All-American! Can't believe the Ags did so well in the season and technically did not have another standout. That said Koko, Amari, and Kelsey really surged late in the season. I wish I could say Lefty had a steller season throughout. A very solid, dominate season, but there were definitely some rough patches. And I wish I could erase the last series from existence. All said, I agree that our needs are a top of the rotation pitcher, a power bat, and a hitting catcher. A few things to watch:

1.) Where does Koweleski play? She was a starting 3B for Florida and seems to have some pop. Wonder if she could catch.
2.) Does KP move from 3B to...SS or 2B? Maybe KK at SS? Larissa Perez has a cannon and seems to be a solid defender. Wonder what her bat can do.
3.) I think the lineup for next season is KP, KK, Mya, Amari at the top 4. Could shuffle that a few ways IMO.
4.) What does Coach Ford and co. do in the portal? Looked yesterday and theres a pitcher from Mizzou in the portal that seems like a fit. Also looks like there may be some catcher bats as well

Great post and start, just what I was looking forward to and what we need right now. Season is over and need to look ahead. I am listing the current 2026 roster 'as it stands', knowing it will probably change with transfers. Gives us a base to look at. Hoping the regulars will add to what Boozer92 wrote in the coming weeks and months. Of course, we will talk about the past season regarding performance of individuals in future posts. For example: Mya, Amari, KK, Frankie, Kelsie, etc. - how they did and what we can look forward to from them.

FRESHMEN

Madison Sauni Catcher (1B/3B)
Annsley Groce Outfield
Piper White - Outfield

SOPHOMORES

DeeDee Baldwin Catcher

Reagan Jones Infield (Redshirt)
KK Dement Infield
Larisa Perez Infield
Ariel Kowalewski Infield (Redshirt)

Francessca "Frankie" Vrazel - Outfield (utility)
Kelsey Mathis Outfield
Harley Vestal Outfield

Taylor Brown RH Pitcher (1B, Redshirt)
Sydney Lessentine RH Pitcher
Kate Munnerlyn LH Pitcher

JUNIORS

Mya Perez DP (1B)

Hailey Golden Outfield
Scout Lovell Outfield

Sidne Peters RH Pitcher

SENIORS

Gracyn Coleman - Catcher

Kennedy Powell - Infield
Amari Harper - Infield
Kylei Griffin Infield

Grace Sparks RH Pitcher

Have to add roster limitation. Isn't it due to be 25 in 2026? Each of them fully funded BUT up to school to fund them if they want?

If so, we have 23 on the roster at this time. Have to keep this in mind when bringing in transfers.

The roster limits is an interesting question. As well as the additional scholarship money associated.

Since the judge decided not to finalize the settlement over objections by current players to roster limits, I don't think we know what the rules are for next year.

This is a double whammy for now. We can't offer additional scholarship money that we may or may not have next year. We also have to be prepared for a roster limit that may or may not exist next year.

It is also possible that any players on the roster when the settlement finally happens will be exempt from being cut due to roster limits. So for example if we have 26 or 27 players at the time of the settlement there could be a scenario where we could exceed the limit.

The problem is that since the judge kicked the can down the road there is a lot of uncertainty this summer and maybe through the fall.

I think we're looking pretty good for next year, honestly, What are yall's thoughts on Dee Dee at C? Is C a portal need? I think KK goes to SS, she has good range and speed. The outfield looks ok, but losing a little pop with Allie leaving.

Pitcher - if we can grab a good one, go for it.
First base - good defender with some pop. Mya would be DP, and Amari slides to the OF or 2B
Catcher?

ETA: Forgot about Kowalewski. Can she play 1B? C?

Coming out of high school Ariel listed herself as C, 3rd, 2nd. Looked like she always warmed up with the corners. I have no clue where she will fit for us next year but maybe she sticks at 3rd and KP moves. KP did play OF at UCLA so she is capable there. Maybe she could slide to 2nd as well.

She hit .308, 8 HR 33 RBI as a freshman she will play somewhere

We will need money to get a stud pitcher, and that's the question. Do we have any money for softball?

Gigemchicken90 said:

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We will need money to get a stud pitcher, and that's the question. Do we have any money for softball?

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Monty Davis who be that person.

jmcfar_98 said:

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Gigemchicken90 said:

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We will need money to get a stud pitcher, and that's the question. Do we have any money for softball?

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Monty Davis who be that person.

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My thought as well. I just never want to assume.

Gigemchicken90 said:

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jmcfar_98 said:

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Gigemchicken90 said:

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We will need money to get a stud pitcher, and that's the question. Do we have any money for softball?

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Monty Davis who be that person.

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My thought as well. I just never want to assume.

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Depending on baseball, some of those folks might push some funds to softball if Earley is kept. Just a thought.

LOL

It's funny you say this because we should have bought that Tech pitcher instead of some of the players on the baseball team Hindsight is 20-20 though.

Some good pitchers entering the portal today. LSU sydney berzon who was not at 100% this season per her coach and SDSU pitcher Cece Cellura. Cece had some good wins over the last few seasons maybe Mac can reach out to her or something. Mississippi State also had their starting catcher enter and she had decent numbers. If I am ford i am calling those two especially Cellura.

Over 1000 girls are already in the portal

Now, I wish we were still playing, duh!

Glass half full on losing this past weekend, our coaches can get heads start on adding portal players.

LB12Diamond said:

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Now, I wish we were still playing, duh!

Glass half full on losing this past weekend, our coaches can get heads start on adding portal players.

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Same can be said for baseball I guess....

I thought we were on the same page, baseball will be getting new coaches, so no head start for baseball.

LB12Diamond said:

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I thought we were on the same page, baseball will be getting new coaches, so no head start for baseball.

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True, true.

Boozer92 said:

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The roster limits is an interesting question. As well as the additional scholarship money associated.

Since the judge decided not to finalize the settlement over objections by current players to roster limits, I don't think we know what the rules are for next year.

This is a double whammy for now. We can't offer additional scholarship money that we may or may not have next year. We also have to be prepared for a roster limit that may or may not exist next year.

It is also possible that any players on the roster when the settlement finally happens will be exempt from being cut due to roster limits. So for example if we have 26 or 27 players at the time of the settlement there could be a scenario where we could exceed the limit.

The problem is that since the judge kicked the can down the road there is a lot of uncertainty this summer and maybe through the fall.

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Wilkins delayed finalizing over the roster limits, but the parties have since agreed to grandfathering. My understanding is no one who has a spot would lose a spot just because of roster limits, but as many major schools have already trimmed, the new proposal doesn't require the schools to bring them back (funding as a potential issue). Also, player can be cut for other reasons, just not because of cap.

I'd also guess that means if your already under the cap with incoming freshman and the returning players, you probably can't just go sign a bunch of portal players and grandfather in a bunch of existing players. So as a practical matter, I think we are stuck with the cap but a team that has 30 returning players/incoming freshman doesn't have to cut.

Boozer92 said:

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The roster limits is an interesting question. As well as the additional scholarship money associated.

Since the judge decided not to finalize the settlement over objections by current players to roster limits, I don't think we know what the rules are for next year.

This is a double whammy for now. We can't offer additional scholarship money that we may or may not have next year. We also have to be prepared for a roster limit that may or may not exist next year.

It is also possible that any players on the roster when the settlement finally happens will be exempt from being cut due to roster limits. So for example if we have 26 or 27 players at the time of the settlement there could be a scenario where we could exceed the limit.

The problem is that since the judge kicked the can down the road there is a lot of uncertainty this summer and maybe through the fall.

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Regarding scholarships/revenue share, my understanding is that happening regardless. House attorneys said something to the effect that if the settlement is stayed, the revenue share will happen, but the back pay for former players would be on hold.

If you go forward with Rev Share, you have addressed the issue with the current/future players. If you hold rev share pending final resolution, then your former player class is just getting bigger. Still potential for current players to claim they aren't getting enough but that would be a better claim against the school rather than NCAA as NCAA is leaving funding allocation to the schools.


As for the clearinghouse, they said their sample review of prior NIL deals shows their metrics would have approved almost all corporate sponsorships, but would have rejected almost all deals with collectives. That sounds great, but the collectives will quickly figure out what will get approved and structure deals to conform.

I am not sure we are stuck with the cap at all. Maybe we are. It isn't really grandfathering if you keep current players and prevent new players to keep the same cap that was objected to. Seems you could add the new players you want and just not get rid of existing players. That sounds more like grandfathering to me

Softball is not expected to receive any of the revenue share. Legitimate questions arise around NIL and our departure from a major group like Learfield to a smaller player like Playfly may not be great in that area. I expect both those groups to major role in helping connect sponsors with players

The real question I have is will the NCAA unilaterally end all scholarship limits before the roster limit question is resolved

Boozer92 said:

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Softball is not expected to receive any of the revenue share. Legitimate questions arise around NIL and our departure from a major group like Learfield to a smaller player like Playfly may not be great in that area. I expect both those groups to major role in helping connect sponsors with players

The real question I have is will the NCAA unilaterally end all scholarship limits before the roster limit question is resolved

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Sort of. The 20ish million for "revenue share" covers both additional scholarships and cash payments to players. I doubt softball gets much in the way of cash payments, but they likely get the more scholarships, which will be great for the players that currently get none or only partial.

Buy pitchers! And don't make whatever poor-Pitcher-evaluations were made last offseason in the portal.

Ag1188 said:

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Buy pitchers! And don't make whatever poor-Pitcher-evaluations were made last offseason in the portal.

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We didn't make " poor pitcher evaluations".

Wabs said:

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I think we're looking pretty good for next year, honestly, What are yall's thoughts on Dee Dee at C? Is C a portal need? I think KK goes to SS, she has good range and speed. The outfield looks ok, but losing a little pop with Allie leaving.

Pitcher - if we can grab a good one, go for it.
First base - good defender with some pop. Mya would be DP, and Amari slides to the OF or 2B
Catcher?

ETA: Forgot about Kowalewski. Can she play 1B? C?

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I think Dee Dee could be the catcher of the future, but I am not convinced she is ready for it next year. I think Ariel K plays one of the other infield spots, not catcher, but I don't know a lot about her. I would like to see a transfer catcher that is a senior or grad student, and has power come in so Dee Dee can continue to learn and get reps before taking over full time.

One has to trust the coaches at catcher. Platooning pitcher/catcher combos doesn't allow the development of a "hitting" catcher, per se. but should develop a continuity between the pairs game to game.

I thought DeeDee did well in the situations given her. I do not recall many PBs and she protected the plate well. We weren't run on very often so...

I didn't see her as a defensive liability and I think she can hit SEC pitching, given the opportunity.
If we don't have the numbers for a portal addition, we are not in any severe troible.

I am a huge fan of DeeDee, as some of you know. The founder of the Unofficial DeeDee Fan Club !!

I think given more chances she could be great. She hit only .211 in 19 AB's (4 RBI's) but I think it was the pressure to prove herself in just a few opportunies that got to her. And Coach PH for her several times when she started, not good for her psychologically.

But we cannot discount incoming freshman catcher Madison Sauni. #5 catcher in the country at one site, #13 at another. Who got the #1 catcher? Why, the sooners, of course! Anyway, she is a power hitter with good numbers. We also have a two-time all state catcher in the 2026 class.

I was one of those who talked about poor hitting from the position all year and I understand the desire to bring in a proven player and hitter at the position but given we might not have too many roster slots open I would put that at #3 on the portal desire list.

Infield. I think Ariel will start somewhere. KP has done well at 3B so do not see her moving but never know. Coaches have talked about KK being the SS of the future and I think that is set. Perhaps Ariel at 2B and Amari at 1B. Or switch those two. I wish we could have seen Larisa more. She could be a great glove and bat. She's a natural 3B but Coach does like to move players around.

Outfield. Almost definitely Kelsey. Probably Frankie. I would liked to have seen Hailey Golden get more AB's. She might be the third outfielder. Same with Scout but I give the nod to Hailey over her. Could be Freshman Ansley Groce - she has good numbers. But I think she is a slapper. I prefer pure hitters to slappers. We DO have two Top 5 (overall) outfielders in the 2026 class - must think about that.

#2 on my 'proven stud' portal wish list by position? OF or IF, I am cool with either.

#1 on the portal wish list? We NEED a dominating pitcher. Not want but NEED. And certainly not one who gives up a lot of free passes.

But first, on our existing pitchers. When discussing players, especially when thinking of a player's high school stats, I often like to think of a phrase used in finance as a disclaimer - past performance is no guarantee of future returns. But I often DO mention a player's HS stats!

Review the following press release from less than a year ago:

https://12thman.com/news/2024/6/17/three-aggies-earn-gatorade-softball-player-of-the-year-honors

In HS they were all dominating pitchers. I was amazed when I read their stats when they signed and even more when I saw the press release above, after their senior seasons. I really looked forward to this past season. I was almost literally salivating when I read their stats. Those are stats of my dreams. But that was HS, not power D1 ball.

Taylor was redshirted, which I thought was great. Lessentine did really well in some non-conference games but about average later on. We have not see much of Munnerlyn but she was average in the times we did see her. IF, and this is a big IF, they can develop and end up with college stats anywhere close to their HS stats I will be really happy. I am really anxious to see what Taylor does. AND, I wonder if our coaches will let Taylor play two ways. She played 1B in HS. Did they even let her have batting practice this year? Or work at 1B? With her hitting stats in HS (.548, 16 HR, 62 RBI senior year) I think it would be a crime not to let her hit and play 1B in practice to see what she can do.

Now to the present - it would be great to grab a proven ace from the portal. NOT another average pitcher.

For many years I have dreamed of having a 'lock down' pitcher. A really low ERA, a sub .150 BAA, an outstanding SO/BB ratio (5:1 or better), one who simply does not give up many free passes but gets a lot of outs. Even a 'closer', who can come in and completely shut down a team for 4-5 innings but really cannot pitch most innings in a weekend, would be grand. I prefer one who throws hard. Like Canady and Pickens. We have been shut down many, many times by pitchers with lower velocities but I still prefer a speedballer.

Not knowing how our three young pitchers will work out, grabbing an experienced and proven dominating ace from the portal is a huge NEED. Again, not yet another average pitcher (Grace) !!! Unfortunately, because of NIL, I do not think we can get a pitcher like Canady. Or Pickens. Or a few other pitchers like that. The 'professional' teams out their simply pay more. A lot more. BUT, I CAN hope that our coaching staff can find one similar who is not motivated by money alone.

On Sidne - she did not get a lot of work because of her injury. She did well in non-conference before getting hurt. She only pitched 7 innings in conference. I have to consider her an unknown because of her limited action although there is promise.