Do you think the University of Florida is overrated?

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I want to play for them for college but I read somewhere that they were overrated and that the only reason they win so much is because their SEC competition is way weaker than the other colleges like Washington and UCLA. :confused:
 
Mar 2, 2009
311
16
Suffolk, VA
PAC 10 Softball has always been dominant, THOUGH it was really cool to see Florida, Georgia and Alabama competing at the end of the College World Series! (Georgia IMHO would have had a much better chance to win IF their players went to the hotel/showered and cooled down with REST between games. They stayed at the same hotel I was out, though like ME, they STAYED at the stadium ALL DAY and I believe the heat just DRAINED them before the evening game!!!) SEC Softball is coming on string and you watch how string Alabama is this year.


Florida - Tim Walton is an outstanding coach - ironically I was looking for COACHES clinics there this year and although they don't host any, they DO host PLAYERS clinics. Info below.
*** Something to understand - Stacey Nelson was a GREAT pitcher for them, GRADUATED, so we'll have to see who follows.
U of Arizona lost Taryn Mowett, and year prior Alicia Holowell, but last year ALTHOUGH they had teh best HITTING team in college, withot great pitching.....
** Tennessee - Monica Abbott graduates and not as good.
**** Texas - Cat Osterman graduates and not as good....
WITHOUT Danielle Lawrie, I doubt U of Washinton wins last year.
*** Georgia has a GREAT coach as well as Florida.

PAC 10- UCLA, Arizona State (my daughter, pitched against one of their top pitchers a couple years in HS), Arizona (my favorite team and favorite coach) and California all seem to be so stroing every year and last year Washington steps it up..... Great softball!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
University of Florida

December 19 & 20
Ages 8-18
2-Day Hitting Camp
Check-in Saturday 1p.m.-1:45p.m.
Saturday Camp Hours: 2p.m.-5p.m.
Sunday Camp Hours: 10a.m.-1p.m.
Cost: $130
Register for both Pitching and
Hitting Camp and receive $15 off!
 
Yeah they have good hitting stats. Francesca Enea is a BEAST!(41 homeruns) lol but I want to take her spot. :p The thing is with U of Florida its like 3 hours from me so going to the camps are nearly impossible. But Flordia State University on the other hand is an hour and a half away and I plan on taking advantage of their hitting camps this summer.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
In fairness to Florida, they play the toughest schedule they can, short of teleporting the team to Orange County. There is only so much traveling an AD will authorize.

There are good teams in the SEC and the southeast, but the quality falls off very fast. In California, the talent is so deep that it is scary. Fresno State, UC Fullerton, UC Northridge are all very good teams. The second tier in the southeast is not comparable.
 
Mar 2, 2009
311
16
Suffolk, VA
Sluggers: I'm fortunate enough to travel fo a variety of reasons and in general, softball in Southern Cal is so much better then the east coast. I've watched travel teams PRACTICES in Orange County and I've watched and played travel teams from Arizona/California/Colorado that were so far advanced in ability and organization of practices and pre-game to most east coast teams.
** Its DAY and NIGHT, THOUGH I've also seen the east coast and south east starting to make up SOME ground. Players in the west/southwest play year round on fields and against LIVE pitching. East coast - as you know, winter months are spent at an indoor facility. (many coaches I know spend MOST indoor practices hitting off a pitching machine and almost refuse to hit live pitching or throw or work defense mechanics when they are indoors. That is not even CLOSE to hitting live pitching and pitchers PITCHING to LIVE BATTERS)
** For those on the east coast that don't agree... look at DIV I College teams and where is many of the talent coming from? CAL/Arizona/Texas (NOT ALL, MANY)
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,132
113
Dallas, Texas
There are some good players in the rest of the country, but not as many as on the west coast. Michigan uses primarily midwest players and is competitive with the west coast teams. But, Carol Hutchins is a excellent judge of talent and a great coach.
 
Oct 23, 2009
967
0
Los Angeles
Just for the record "sluggers", Fullerton, Northridge, Fresno are state schools under the California State University (CSU) system while schools like UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis for example are under the University of California (UC) system. In general, the UC schools have much higher GPA and SAT/ACT score requirements and are more difficult to get into from high school than the CSU schools.
 
May 12, 2008
2,214
0
Florida - Tim Walton is an outstanding coach - ironically I was looking for COACHES clinics there this year and although they don't host any, they DO host PLAYERS clinics. Info below.
*** Something to understand - Stacey Nelson was a GREAT pitcher for them, GRADUATED, so we'll have to see who follows.
U of Arizona lost Taryn Mowett, and year prior Alicia Holowell, but last year ALTHOUGH they had teh best HITTING team in college, withot great pitching.....
** Tennessee - Monica Abbott graduates and not as good.
**** Texas - Cat Osterman graduates and not as good....
WITHOUT Danielle Lawrie, I doubt U of Washinton wins last year.
!

I love hitting but as a fellow once told me when I asked who was strong in gold one year, "Best pitcher usually wins". In Texas' case, that fell down since they had so very little hitting. I always thought they should have let Cat hit in the playoffs. Probably would have been at least in their top five hitters back then.

As for Florida, I think a lot of Walton based on his program and his hitters. Ate dinner next to him with a bunch of travel coaches after a showcase and I can say nothing but good things about him.
 
I totaly wish that I could play for University of Florida but I can't go to their camps cause im so far away. Every girl on my softball team loves Florida State but I think that they aren't even compariable (not a word? :) ) to University of Florida
 

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