Observations from ACC Softball Tournament

Last Friday I had the opportunity to attend the ACC Softball Tournament with Ray Chandler, Coach of the Carolina Cardinals. What an experience. We saw 5 great games ($5 for the day!) and came away knowing we all pretty much play the game the same way, but these girls just do things better, faster and with more intensity.

Another observation I made was that Coach Chandler and the Cardinals had 8 former players playing that day and 7 of them were starters. Unbelievable!

In no way am I taking anything away from the other quality 18U teams in NC, but to know that 8 former players from the same summer team were starting on ACC teams and making an impact, speaks volumes for the way the Cardinals are prepared to play the game on and off the field. I know Coach Chandler would never bring this up, but I just felt he needed to be recognized for preparing his players the way he does for college softball. The results speak for themselves and I'm sure the list of former Cardinal players playing in the ACC will continue to grow. (at least 4 players from this summer's team have committed to ACC schools.)

In between games, it was also fun to watch all of the college coaches and past players to make it a point to talk with Coach Chandler and discuss past, present and future Cardinal players. These coaches know that players from the Cardinals are prepared to play at the next level by the tough tournament schedule the Cardinals play around the country and also by the work ethic on and off the field Coach Chandler instills and expects.

Again, in no way am I trying to be disrespectful of any other team or player, it's just that once in awhile these types of accomplishments should be recognized.

 

Coach Chandler is a class act. I've mentioned it on here before, but Watauga played Reagan this year and hopefully this will be a yearly game between the two teams. We were very impressed with the coaches, players and parents at Reagan, and I'm sure that is a reflection of Coach Chandler himself. Hats off to a great coach and a great individual as well.

 

Agree

Amen, Ray does a great job finding quality talent and developing those girls to be top quality college players.

 

WOLFPACK!!

what separated NCSU from the rest of the competition?

 

quality job year in and out.....great recruiter and gets the most out of his players. hats off to all those Cardinal ACC Players and all others as well!!

thanks for sharing BMAC and well desiring shoutout!

 

EastOR- It seemed ncsu's pitching was just a little better that day than the rest, (with UNC, VA Tech & FSU just as good in their games) but the main thing I thought made the difference was that ncsu was able to get the hit needed with people on base to move runners and score runs. Defensively, all the teams seemed pretty close.

FSU had the fastest team from top to bottom (better not even slightly bobble a ball), but it looked as if most any team could beat another.

Another interesting thing noticed was that almost every batter in every game was crowding the plate. There were several batters that were hit during the day that were not awarded first as the umpire ruled the batter did not make an attempt to get out of the way of the pitch or the batter was in the strike zone when she was hit. (In all the HS and summer games I have seen over the years, I had only seen that called once, but it was called at least 4 times that day). The pitchers could care less, they came inside all day. The most successful pitchers were those that had an umpire that would call the outside strike that was at least one ball of the plate. If blue wasn't giving the pitcher the outside call, then a lot of balls were hit hard to right field.

It was also interesting to watch how the coaches interacted with and treated their players. For any potential recruit or parent of a recruit, I would highly recommend watching the coach of any team your DD may be considering. (the coaches will definately watch how DD's interact with their parents and coaches....). All the coaches were very professional, but there were differences in how they treated the players at different times.

 

Coach Navas at NCSU

Coach Navas at NCSU seems impressive. Her team looks fully prepared. She is definitely involved; seems to pull the right strings such as sub's, pitching changes, pinch-hitters, -runners, etc. ! What she has done in 3 yr's at State is pretty remarkable. & they don't even have a home softball field of their own........yet. I hear they will be getting a first-rate facility soon , on-campus.

 

Plans for new nc state softball stadium/field have been put on hold....again. Seems the money has been redirected to a "revenue producing" sport.

Congrats to Coach Chandler and the Cardinals on your continued success.