Oregon and Coach Mike White = Impressive.

[Rocketech1]

White looks good because it worked. It was very odd bringing Kleist in for the initial bunt attempt based on her stats (14 PA, 0 SH).

It also raises questions about the batting order since all the pitchers are listed in the Flex spot, Elish batted in the #7 spot when she drove in the first run and then Kleist batted in the #2 spot. The box score lists the #2 spot as DP, however I've seen incorrect DP notations for non-DP's not playing defense.

Subbing mid-AB for Kleist seems more like a correction than a brilliant move.

Links to box scores:
- GoDucks.com | The University of Oregon Official Athletics
- Florida State vs Oregon (May 07, 2017)

If this is the case, I stand corrected on the change of batter mid-count.

I still can respect his decision to pull the starter in the 8th (unlike FSU) and bunt with 2 strikes. Most coaches would not have done this is that situation. There is another thread by Hillhouse who played with Mike and says he's the best coach in the women's NCAA D1. Who am I to disagree....

 

[coach james]

In that bunting situation, I wonder why he was comfortable having the first batter bunt with an 0-0 count, but not with an 0-1 count. If he was more comfortable with the pinch hitter, why not bring her in from the beginning?

Drag bunts have to be executed on the first attempt... otherwise the surprise factor is lost. The initial batter failed her responsibility, therefore she lost her at bat.... my 2 cents...
However, Coach White is way smarter than me, so maybe he was thinking something totally different.

 

[90210]

Drag bunts have to be executed on the first attempt... otherwise the surprise factor is lost. The initial batter failed her responsibility, therefore she lost her at bat.... my 2 cents...
However, Coach White is way smarter than me, so maybe he was thinking something totally different.

What's do you estimate the success rate is for a drag bunt for a RHH with 11 college ABs in 2 years, and one who presumably doesn't have enough bunting skill to be trusted to SAC bunt the next pitch, and who didn't actually attempt a drag punt? They need one run for the win, a drag bunt isn't all that helpful anyway.

The initial sub of Kleist for Mack is horrendous. Bunting on 2 strikes was probably smart because Bishop is very unlikely to do something productive in an 0-2 count against Burroughs swinging away.

Pitching wise, pulling Elish for Kleist is w/e, Elish was well rested, had only thrown 93 pitches, and was pitching well (0 ER against a very good offense). Pulling Kleist for Balint was a smart move, I'll give him that, they needed strikeouts and Balint is the best they have at that.

 

[wjdempkowski]

I look at the decisions a little different. All of this is speculation, since I was not there, nor did I see the game. I am simply surmising on a "why" of the coach's decision.

We have the first batter, who attempts a bunt. She failed to get it down. Now we call for a pinch hitter. She fails to get the bunt down, 0-2 count, coach decides to bunt again. Success.
From a defensive coach's standpoint, if a pinch hitter were brought in first, I would suspect a "play" type of hit be expected. I would warn my defense accordingly. Now, bring in a pinch hitter after a failed bunt attempt, I am looking less at a bunt and more a defending a hit. With 0-2, I am looking less at a bunt as well, since it is not a normal occurrence.

We have a privilege of speaking about this all after the fact. In the heat of the game, it is a gamble. We, coaches, make many decisions on the field with our previous knowledge and gut feelings. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. If they work, we are geniuses, if they fail, we should be coaching cross country of some other sport. It is easy to judge from the sidelines when we get to evaluate the result, whereas coaches only get to reflect on the result.