and it's not recruiting. Bob's point is right on - for next season pitching is the make or break element. We have no returning pitchers and only two on the squad. So freshmen or transfers, we have to find starting pitching for next season.
But the bigger challenge for Inouye-Perez, Fernandez and the staff is to have the mind(s) and guts to disassemble this season, take it apart piece by piece, bit by bit, and figure out what went right and then what went wrong.
Yes, could be that their ace pitcher wore down. If so, that means different management protocols are needed. (Of course everyone is different and it's not that simple to take what might have worked for Megan Faraimo and just apply it to the next pitchers - obviously. But something didn't work out for Faraimo this season - she had a truly great regular season right up until the last week or so and then, after that, she was good but not the same overpowering pitcher she was up until then.)
Also, the bats were terrific - second highest batting average in the nation even with several freshmen playing key roles right off the bat (as it were) - and very good slugging as well. They even got Aaliyah Jordan back later in the year to add to their hitting although they lost Sharlize Palacios to injury which was a blow all the way around - all conference defensive performer and a .300 hitter as well.
Until they weren't. We swept Utah at Utah 3-0, 10-1 and 11-3 as recently as the end of April. Then we lost to them 7-4 in the conference tournament.
We ne er scored more than 4 runs in any game regardless of opponent after May 5th.
It was always tight with Liberty - we beat them 3-2 February 14th and we lost to them 2-1 last night. That sort of thing can happen. We brought the possible national player of the year to the plate with the bases loaded and the pitcher won the battle against her, getting her to ground out to end that inning. But hey, the pitcher was really good and, while she hit over .400 for the season, that still means she was put out nearly six times out of every ten times she came to the plate and didn't draw a walk or get hit by a pitch.
But the overall trajectory of the season is pretty clear. We stumbled almost out of the gate, getting blown off the field by Oklahoma. Could that have played in our heads a bit as the post-season approached? Could be, perhaps a little.
But after that we soared right up until the season was approaching its end.
The loss of Palacios hurt (would the best defensive catcher on the coast have made the put-out at home to save the game in the 7th? Would it have mattered if we couldn't do anything on offense? But certainly it hurt to replace a .311 hitter with one who hit .221.
It really does seem like a huge and complex puzzle. Was someone injured and we outsiders didn't know? By definition we don't know, can't know - but the coaches do. Or should.
This staff behind Kelly have proven they can put together teams of championship caliber. No question at all in my mind they can do it again.
But the huge challenge directly before them is to try to understand why this year's team couldn't sustain it all the way through to the end.
Some discussion on the Basketball board centering around how coaches ought to treat conference tournaments - try to play all out to win them or manage your personnel so as to be as rested as possible for the NCAA Tournament (okay, without risking having players get rusty or losing your team cohesion by playing different combinations too much).
Does that perhaps apply to this season?
Some of our truly great pitchers of the past have carried the workload all the way through successfully. Each player is different, unique - Faraimo and Yanez were very good - Megan was the best in the country for most of the year this year - but she wasn't among the few Bruin pitchers of the past who rank in the pantheon of GOAT candidates. Did she need more rest during the season? Would that have been worth accepting a few more losses along the way?
Only Inouye-Perez can find the answers - and she has to find the ones that are okay with her. She is truly an outstanding HC. Her patience with her players nurtures her entire program. Her staff stands with the best all around in the country.
We don't really even know if there ARE any answers to this season. That would be question #1.
For myself, i think we have the program and personnel probably best prepared to approach this off-season, from analysis to planning to implementation. It would be my hope that there really are a few answers that can be discovered, leading to even better results in the future - that would be especially helpful right now with parity increasing around the country rising behind a completely dominant program currently in Oklahoma.
Either way, like with Beach Volleyball, a really great season shaded only by not resulting in another national championship.
Onward and upward in the year ahead
Thanks to everyone for sharing this year's sports with each other. Quite rewarding when i can't be there to cheer them all on live at the venues