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D1Softball Weekly Chat: Week Three
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Kevin
3:34
How big is the gap between the SEC and Pac 12 in terms of being the best conference?
Tara Henry
3:40
The SEC has depth and quality pitching throughout the entire conference whereas 4 out of the 9 teams in the Pac-12 do not have a defined ace. We still haven't seen Yanez, Bowen is out, Washington struggled last weekend. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the ACC is the second-best conference at this time.
Nedpics
3:40
O.K., I'll say it again. Where is the body of work that puts Arkansas in the top 10. They have no wins against ranked opponents, because they have only played Washington,  and lost both of them.  They even lost a game this week and moved up in the rankings? I agree that they may be in the top 10 later on, but surely not now.
Brady Vernon
3:50
We do decide on these rankings before games on Monday. Based on that Arkansas entered into the week 8-3. The Hogs were 8-1 against non-Washington teams and also beat the one team they lost too. A lot of teams will lose to Washington in the first week of the season as well. You're correct about the quality wins (however, we had Illinois ranked when Arkansas beat them), which is a fair assessment but weather has knocked games off their schedule as well. Whether it's the best thing to do or not, the preseason rankings don't always come with a blank slate either. Arkansas still was the SEC regular season co-champion and honestly the team hasn't done anything to move down the rankings while the teams right under them have beat each other up the past two weeks.
WC_Drew
3:59
Thoughts on CSUF? How far are they from the teams in the top 25?
Tara Henry
4:01
CSUF is on the cusp but with a 10-5 record and a loss to Idaho State there are other teams who make a better case for a TOP 25 bid. If the Titans would have pulled off a win against Oregon, this is a different conversation. The win over Northwestern is a win but Williams wasn't in the circle to start the game.
Guest
4:03
Are you at all skeptical about how good Florida actually is, given their strength of schedule versus the rest of the top 4’s.
Brady Vernon
4:03
Personally not worried about Florida’s SOS. At the end of the day they have three wins against our current Top 25 (Duke, Michigan, USF) and outscored them by a combined margin of 25-3. The Gators get it done with pitching as before yesterday they hadn’t allowed more than three runs in a game. Florida is never the flashiest team and I think a lot of the time we undervalue that. The lineup already has newcomers getting better each week and while they might not have a true ace, it’s one of the deepest staffs in terms of talent and consistency.
Nedpics
4:11
I'm just learning the use of this weekly chat, and I'm on the west coast, so probably a little late. It's a little early to be dissin the PAC-9.  They are still working it out, but Utah, who was a bottom of the league team last year, held Oklahoma to 2 runs. 2 no hitters and a perfect game by Stanford over the weekend, also not bad. Even Washington, with Gabbie Plain, can win without her in the circle. Oregon State, with Sterako and Mazon have good pitching, and Oregon continues to win without Yanez. The ACC may be a better conference, but it's not because of the PAC's pitching.  The ACC looks good this year, but I'm not writing off the PAC.
Brady Vernon
4:11
I don’t think we’re writing off the Pac as a whole because you can win a championship with Megan Faraimo or Gabbie Plain as your best player. The Pac-12 just isn’t filled with elite teams this year. UCLA and UW are great teams with flaws. We haven’t seen Oregon at full form. The Arizona schools are very young. But as you mentioned I think the bottom is the best it’s been in a while. Stanford’s pitching duo has helped pull itself out of the cellar from a few years ago. Oregon State is ranked after a good showing this weekend. Cal and Utah have impressed in their own way so far this year. I think think the top of the ACC is higher right now, while the Pac-12 might be more well rounded as a whole.
Kevin
4:13
I'm curious if I'm the only that thinks this way but has anyone thought of the idea of expanding the championship series from 3 games to 5. I know scheduling is a factor but is that something you think could be pulled off.
Tara Henry
4:14
I haven't considered a five-game series and I don't think it's necessary. A three-game series is enough to determine the best team in the country or whoever is the hottest team at the end of May/June. As a player, it's a grueling schedule as is and we also have to remember some of these athletes are still in school.
Feng
4:20
What games are you most looking forward to this coming weekend?
Tara Henry
4:26
Hands down Virginia Tech @ Clemson series.  The ACC is going to be a tight race this year and meeting this early in the season may have big implications down the line. Michigan vs. Kentucky will be a good gauge for both squads, and Stanford travels to Oklahoma State for a two-game set against a ranked opponent.
Nedpics
4:28
Regarding Florida, that UCF game was a pretty  ugly win.
Tara Henry
4:29
Ned, it's not always pretty. Good teams find a way to get the job done. Oklahoma's win over Tennessee wasn't pretty either.
4:30
Thank you all for joining! See you next week!
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