Evaluating the 2024 BSC Softball Non-Conference

[Grizfan-24]

Here is a bit of a thought exercise, taking a look at how each BSC team has fared in non-conference:

We'll look at each of the 6 teams based upon current record from top to bottom and what that might mean for BSC play which starts in two weeks.

1. Sacramento State (18-10, 0-0) #86 RPI

• Biggest Win: Stanford (#1 RPI) 3-2 on 3/13, BYU 4-3
• Worst Loss: Cal Baptist (#185 RPI) 9-1 on 3/9
• Key Statistic: 2.89 ERA. Clearly the conference best staff, most consistent.
• Award Candidate: Marrissa Bertuccio 81 IP 9-3, 1.81 ERA, 70K 22BB leader in the back stretch for Conference POY.
• What do we still need to know: At this point, they are the class of the conference during the pre-conference slate.

2. Idaho State (16-13, 0-0) #163 RPI

• Biggest Win: Cal Poly (#75 RPI) 2/8
• Worst Loss: St. Thomas (#225) 3/15, Maine (#245)
• Key Statistic: .418 Slugging percentage. Idaho State is doing what they did last year. Just mashing the softball. Almost 50 points higher than the closest BSC squad.
• Award Candidate: Gracie Smith .427 BA, 1.110 OPS, .652 slugging percentage. Definitely having a Big Sky Conference POY pre-conference schedule.
• What do we still need to know: We know that ISU can hit, and so far their pitching has held up. The only real question is whether the lack of performance against quality opponents (where SS has won) is actually indicative of anything. I don't think it is, but they've lost a few games they've should have won against weaker opponents. Part of the reason their RPI isn't higher than it is right now.

3. Northern Colorado (15-17, 0-0) #197 RPI

• Biggest Win: #68 Nebraska 5-3 (3/12)
• Worst Loss: Manhattan #284
• Key Statistic: 179 K's and 6SHO. NC had one of the best pitching staff's returning, and if they have a chance to win the BSC it'll be on the back of their pitching staff.
• Award Candidate: Erin Caviness. CPOY 8-4, 6 SHO. 87K in 73 IP.
• What do we still need to know: A little like ISU, it is hard to get a handle on what type of team NC has. Between Caviness and DiNapoli, NC has one of the better 1-2 combo's in the conference. Their hitting has caused them issues (5th in the conference in BA) where they are feast (just behind ISU in HR's) or famine (2nd in the conference in K's.).

4. Weber State (10-14, 0-0) #116 RPI

• Biggest Win: #10 RPI Texas AM 5-4 (3/1)
• Worst Loss: #183 Cal Baptist
• Key Statistic: .277 BA w/ only 116 K's.
• Award Candidate: Teagan Smith All-Conference. .355, .956 OPS
• What do we still need to know: A lot. Weber State isn't smoke and mirrors, but there aren't a lot of statistics that suggest they can break through to the top three after a down year last year. They don't have a pitcher in the top 10 in IP (two in the top 20), and their hitting statistics are middling at best. They've lost a ton of low scoring games against good opponents, and have an opportunity over the next two weeks against a favorable schedule to establish their offense a bit.

5. Montana (10-16, 0-0) #261

• Biggest Win: #104 ULM
• Worst Loss: #297 CS-Bakersfield
• Key Statistic: 47 2B's (1st), 8 3B's (1st) and .388 Slug (2nd)
• Award Candidate: Rylee Rehbein Freshman of the Year: 5th in IP, 4th K's,
• What do we still need to know: Montana finished their first home series 4-2, against two teams of equal standing. These are wins that Montana didn't get in any frequency last year. Rehbein started off the season really well against good opponents, but struggled at home two weekends ago. Montana's pitching is vastly improved (nearly 2 runs better than last year at this time), but needs Grace Haegele to figure out her control issues. Presley Jantzi is going to challenge for the conference batting title, but they need to get Elise Ontiveros on track. She's been injured on and off in the pre-season. She adds depth the lineup that has been vastly better than it was a year ago.

6. Portland State (8-14, 0-0) #217

• Biggest Win: #94 Oregon State 1-0 (twice)
• Worst Loss: #205 Hawaii
• Key Statistic: .241 BA and .311 Slugging Percentage. Right now, the biggest reason why PSU has struggled is because their offense has been anemic.
• Award Candidate: Grace Kimball Conferen Pitcher of the year. 5-6 3 SHO
• What do we still need to know: Portland State probably should be four or five games better than they are. They've lost 7 two run or less games and scored 3 runs or less in 14 of their games. They've played a competitive schedule, and now have two non-D1 games against Western Oregon and then a three game set with Pacific. Their pitching is clearly good enough enough to be competitive in the conference, but their hitting has been largely absent. The next two weeks is going to go a long way in telling us whether they have enough punch to hang with ISU/SS.

Conclusions:

1. Sacramento State is the class of the conference by a long shot. Big Sky conference teams have struggled to win games in the NCAA tournament, and at this moment, they are the conference best bet.
2. So far it is Sacramento State, Idaho State and then the rest of the conference. The next two weeks isn't really going to tell us much other than how good Sacramento State might be. Last year NC ended up being a bit of a mystery team that non-conference performance might not indicate what they were capable of. The same is true this year. Both Montana and Weber are much better than a year ago, and Portland State might have the greatest variance between top/bottom.
3. The next two weeks is a hodge podge before conference play begins on 3/29:
   1. Sacramento State: St. Marys (112) and Cal (12)
   2. Idaho State: Utah State (147), St. Mary's (112) and Santa Clara (105)
   3. Northern Colorado: Doesn't play until Sacramento State on 3/29
   4. Weber State: San Diego (158) and Cal (12)
   5. Montana: North Dakota (270)
   6. Portland State: Western Oregon (DII) and Pacific (236)

 

[EverettGriz]

Great stuff as always, 24.

 

[HookedonGriz]

Before everyone gets excited about going 2-1 against UND at home….UND is 6-29 this year. Shouldn’t have lost one to them.

 

[alabamagrizzly]

Before everyone gets excited about going 2-1 against UND at home….UND is 6-29 this year. Shouldn’t have lost one to them.

For what it’s worth, I lost excitement for Griz softball last year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m rooting for them to win every game and still watch what I can but at this point, I don’t expect them to win any. This is not how we’re supposed to feel about Grizzly athletics but it’s where we’re at. Any eGrizzers who have followed Griz softball should know how passionate I’ve been about the team but these last two years have all but drained that passion out of me. Judging from attendance numbers it appears many local fans feel the same way.

 

[HookedonGriz]

For what it’s worth, I lost excitement for Griz softball last year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m rooting for them to win every game and still watch what I can but at this point, I don’t expect them to win any. This is not how we’re supposed to feel about Grizzly athletics but it’s where we’re at. Any eGrizzers who have followed Griz softball should know how passionate I’ve been about the team but these last two years have all but drained that passion out of me. Judging from attendance numbers it appears many local fans feel the same way.

Exactly where I am at. Followed then like crazy under Pinkerton and even into Meuchels tenure. But after seeing the current staff’s strategies, in game management, and watching them drive what was a Cadillac into the guardrail with no repercussions….I’m definitely over it. Sadly.

 

[alabamagrizzly]

Exactly where I am at. Followed then like crazy under Pinkerton and even into Meuchels tenure. But after seeing the current staff’s strategies, in game management, and watching them drive what was a Cadillac into the guardrail with no repercussions….I’m definitely over it. Sadly.

Hell, at this point a change might be good for everyone including coach meauchel. A chance to have a fresh start somewhere or even stepping back into an assistant roll and another school might be good for her. I can’t imagine the pressure she’s put on herself to carry and grow the success of what was probably a dream job for her and slowly watch it get flushed down the toilet.

 

[grizzlyjournal]

KUDOS to Grizfan-24 for the excellent Big Sky Conf. analysis at the mid-point of the 2024 season. Objective, fair and (concerning Montana) accurate. What 24 did not note was that Montana took a huge hit (again) with the loss of two of the five staff pitchers to injury --- shoulder surgery for sr. Allie Brock and acl surgery (which I cannot precisely confirm) for highly touted fr. Nyeala Herndon. The GrizSB team simply does not have enough depth, which may well take a toll later in the season. Also tough: All-Big Sky senior CF Elise Ontiveros' shoulder injury -- I fear -- looks to be chronic.

Otherwise, coach Meuchel has managed this young team very adeptly so far... giving upper-class players plenty of opportunities to remain as starters before inserting underclass players who've since become starters. Montana's defense over the past two weeks has thus improved greatly, particularly at 3B, 2B and lf. The real bright stars of this team are frosh SS Riley Peschek and soph 2B Chloe Saxton -- a natural left-side defender who moved to 2B and is still "learning," but playing better every game. Montana started the season as the Big Sky's worst defensive team, but is now grouped with Weber State and Portland State at 3-4-5th. Also of note: frosh catcher Madison Tarrant (who backs up sr. starter Riley Stockton) is a rising star... a solid receiver and a hitter with power potential.

I have watched every home game this year (and over 95% of all Griz home games since year one) and am seeing steady improvement in team defense and the dramatic upsurge of offensive potential. As of this week, Montana has three hitters (Presley Jantzi tied for 2nd at .341 , Riley Peschek 13th at .317, and 1b Hanna Jablonski at20th .297) ranked in the Big Sky Top 20 for batting Ave. This team has, I believe, high potential for offensive improvement. Additionally, sr. DP Kelly Sweyer is making solid strides this year at DP, ranked just behind Jablonski with a hitting% of .293.

Most importantly, however, these kids are fun to watch. They have solid cameraderie and continue to show the kind of group attitude that fans attribute to gutsy competitors. I agree, and I've seen (and sorta played) a lot of softball over the past 50 years.

The Big Sky will be tough, especially with Montana's thin pitching staff. But the GrizSB are young and get better game-by-game. So, furthermore... and very emphatically on my part as a fan, this Montana Griz softball team is a blast to watch. Go GrizSB!

 

[grizzlyjournal]

My APOLOGIES for the double post. I was editing my post & got shut out. SO... this is what I meant to write:

KUDOS to Grizfan-24 for the excellent Big Sky Conf. analysis at the mid-point of the 2024 season. Objective, fair and (concerning Montana) accurate. What 24 did not note was that Montana took a huge hit (again) with the loss of two of the five staff pitchers to injury --- shoulder surgery for sr. Allie Brock and acl surgery (which I cannot precisely confirm) for highly touted fr. Nyeala Herndon. The GrizSB team simply does not have enough depth, which may well take a toll later in the season. Also tough: All-Big Sky senior CF Elise Ontiveros' shoulder injury -- I fear -- looks to be chronic.

Otherwise, coach Meuchel has managed this young team very adeptly so far... giving upper-class players plenty of opportunities to remain as starters before inserting underclass players who've since become starters. Montana's defense over the past two weeks has thus improved greatly, particularly at 3B with jr. Joscelyn Eisen taking over as starter, at 2B (see below) and lf, with jr Jessica Stanfield taking over. However, the real bright stars of this team are frosh SS Riley Peschek -- a young defendeer with great range, and soph 2B Chloe Saxton -- a natural left-side defender who moved to 2B and is still "learning," but playing better every game. When Ontiveros is playing in CF, the Griz outfield is solid, with jr. Jessica Stanfield at RF and jr. Presley Jantzi in RF. Montana started the season as the Big Sky's worst defensive team, but is now grouped with Weber State and Portland State at 3-4-5th. Also of note: frosh catcher Madison Tarrant (who backs up sr. starter Riley Stockton) is a rising star... a solid receiver and a hitter with power potential.

I have watched every home game this year (and over 95% of all Griz home games since year one) and am seeing steady improvement in team defense and the dramatic upsurge of offensive potential. As of this week, Montana has three hitters (Presley Jantzi tied for 2nd at .341 , Riley Peschek 13th at .317, and 1b Hanna Jablonski at20th .297) ranked in the Big Sky Top 20 for batting Ave. This team has, I believe, high potential for offensive improvement. Additionally, sr. DP Kelly Sweyer is making solid strides this year at DP, ranked just behind Jablonski with a hitting% of .293.

Most importantly, however, these kids are fun to watch. They have solid cameraderie and continue to show the kind of group attitude that fans attribute to gutsy competitors. I agree, and I've seen (and sorta played) a lot of softball over the past 50 years.

The Big Sky will be tough, especially with Montana's thin pitching staff. But the GrizSB are young and get better game-by-game. So, furthermore... and very emphatically on my part as a fan, this Montana Griz softball team is a blast to watch. Go GrizSB!

 

[maroonandsilver]

My APOLOGIES for the double post. I was editing my post & got shut out. SO... this is what I meant to write:

KUDOS to Grizfan-24 for the excellent Big Sky Conf. analysis at the mid-point of the 2024 season. Objective, fair and (concerning Montana) accurate. What 24 did not note was that Montana took a huge hit (again) with the loss of two of the five staff pitchers to injury --- shoulder surgery for sr. Allie Brock and acl surgery (which I cannot precisely confirm) for highly touted fr. Nyeala Herndon. The GrizSB team simply does not have enough depth, which may well take a toll later in the season. Also tough: All-Big Sky senior CF Elise Ontiveros' shoulder injury -- I fear -- looks to be chronic.

Otherwise, coach Meuchel has managed this young team very adeptly so far... giving upper-class players plenty of opportunities to remain as starters before inserting underclass players who've since become starters. Montana's defense over the past two weeks has thus improved greatly, particularly at 3B with jr. Joscelyn Eisen taking over as starter, at 2B (see below) and lf, with jr Jessica Stanfield taking over. However, the real bright stars of this team are frosh SS Riley Peschek -- a young defendeer with great range, and soph 2B Chloe Saxton -- a natural left-side defender who moved to 2B and is still "learning," but playing better every game. When Ontiveros is playing in CF, the Griz outfield is solid, with jr. Jessica Stanfield at RF and jr. Presley Jantzi in RF. Montana started the season as the Big Sky's worst defensive team, but is now grouped with Weber State and Portland State at 3-4-5th. Also of note: frosh catcher Madison Tarrant (who backs up sr. starter Riley Stockton) is a rising star... a solid receiver and a hitter with power potential.

I have watched every home game this year (and over 95% of all Griz home games since year one) and am seeing steady improvement in team defense and the dramatic upsurge of offensive potential. As of this week, Montana has three hitters (Presley Jantzi tied for 2nd at .341 , Riley Peschek 13th at .317, and 1b Hanna Jablonski at20th .297) ranked in the Big Sky Top 20 for batting Ave. This team has, I believe, high potential for offensive improvement. Additionally, sr. DP Kelly Sweyer is making solid strides this year at DP, ranked just behind Jablonski with a hitting% of .293.

Most importantly, however, these kids are fun to watch. They have solid cameraderie and continue to show the kind of group attitude that fans attribute to gutsy competitors. I agree, and I've seen (and sorta played) a lot of softball over the past 50 years.

The Big Sky will be tough, especially with Montana's thin pitching staff. But the GrizSB are young and get better game-by-game. So, furthermore... and very emphatically on my part as a fan, this Montana Griz softball team is a blast to watch. Go GrizSB!

Herndon's injury is not an ACL, nor did she have surgery. She was ready to go against Prov. today. She ran with the bench players between innings and warmed up in the bullpen.

 

[TheNorthRemembers]

For what it’s worth, I lost excitement for Griz softball last year. Don’t get me wrong, I’m rooting for them to win every game and still watch what I can but at this point, I don’t expect them to win any. This is not how we’re supposed to feel about Grizzly athletics but it’s where we’re at. Any eGrizzers who have followed Griz softball should know how passionate I’ve been about the team but these last two years have all but drained that passion out of me. Judging from attendance numbers it appears many local fans feel the same way.

I stopped by during the double-header yesterday. Beautiful day for softball. The stands were empty. I was a bit surprised. I know it's a Monday but i figured there would be more interest but honestly seemed like it was just parents and few passerby's in the outfield. Has it been like that all season?

 

[maroonandsilver]

I stopped by during the double-header yesterday. Beautiful day for softball. The stands were empty. I was a bit surprised. I know it's a Monday but i figured there would be more interest but honestly seemed like it was just parents and few passerby's in the outfield. Has it been like that all season?

What time did you go? The first game had a fair crowd for a Monday including most of the Griz men's BB team.

 

[grizzlyjournal]

Herndon's injury is not an ACL, nor did she have surgery. She was ready to go against Prov. today. She ran with the bench players between innings and warmed up in the bullpen.

Apologies for relaying inaccurate info. My source was a GrizSB insider (a fan) but I confess I did not verify with an other source.