Why are we ranked as low as we are? I know that being ranked 11 and 14 are good but we've been sticking it to all of our opponents and we're not even in the top ten. Not many of the teams in the top ten have a better record than us.
http://www.usasoftball.com/pressReleases/collegecorner/NCAAPoll/2005Poll/collegecornerhomepage.html

Your link isn't working...

http://www.usasoftball.com/pressReleases/collegecorner/NCAAPoll/2005Poll/collegecornerhomepage.html

There we go.

http://nfca.org/top25/index.php?cat_id=1

And here's a different poll. Anyway, it is surprising to see us behind Georgia (a team who has seven losses). But as long as we keep winning, who cares what the polls say.

OU, UT and BU are all ahead of us. Conference play should be very interesting this year.

I suspect it is because of our strength of schedule. Other than the 3 games against Cal, Wash & LBSU, we really have had a pretty patsy schedule. Big-12 play will really sort out who ends up high in the polls -- very demanding league this year. I can't believe Cat is just a Jr -- seems like she's been with tu for 10 years!

How good of a team does tu have without Cat?

"It takes a man to be a father....."

Pollsters know that when Evans leads her team into the Big 12 season, she will finish with a .500 record and get knocked outta the tourney in the early rounds and do the same in the NCAA's. Year in and year out, her non-conference record is great...it's when she starts conference play, her teams fall apart. Maybe not as much last year, but historically, A&M will only be a .500 team in the conference...maybe one of two wins better, but not much more.

??

Last year, A&M was 33-22 overall - 20-19 in the non-conference and 13-3 in the Big 12.

[This message has been edited by Gap (edited 3/14/2005 4:06p).]

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I can't believe Cat is just a Jr -- seems like she's been with tu for 10 years!

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I'm actually a good friend of Cat's, and she graduated a year behind me in high school (she was class of '01). I think the reason it seems she's been at Texas a long time is because a) she dominated as a freshman, and b) she took off last year to pitch in the Olympics.

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How good of a team does tu have without Cat?

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Not very good. Just look at the dropoff last year. Because softball is such a pitcher-dominated sport, a player such as Cat (who can pitch everyday if needed) can turn a team from a bottom feeder to NCAA Championship contender. Consider this: Not only was Cat the only collegiate player on the Olympic team, but throughout the entire year she played with the team (both in the olympics and the touring across the country beforehand) she was the only pitcher to never give up a single earned run. Jenny Finch gave them up left and right. I'm just happy for her because I remember the hours I would see her practicing while I was at my friend's house (that lived across the street from her). I'm glad it's paying off now.

Gap...

Here is all you need to know about Jo Evans coached teams at A&M.

Overall Non-Conf Conf
1997 - 37-29 30-20 7-9
1998 - 32-25-2 26-18-1 6-10-1
1999 - 41-22 34-11 7-11
2000 - 32-23 24-13 8-10
2001 - 32-19 25-8 7-11
2002 - 40-18 31-9 9-9
2003 - 38-22 28-14 10-8
2004 - 33-22 20-19 13-3

2004 was probably a fluke. Look at how good the 2002 team was until conference play. 2003 was her first year to have a winning record in the conference. History is on her side...she will be right at .500 or a game or two on either side for the 2005 season.

The rankings don't matter anyway. Let's just wait and see what conference season holds. We could be ranked #100 in the country as long as we're winning games.

I am not an expert on our softball program by any means, but I feel compelled to add my two cents to this conversation about Coach Evans:

I thought that signing the Lindsey Wilhelmson class would cause the program to take a significant step forward in its competitive level. The improvement took longer than I expected, but it was consistent improvement during the four years that Lindsey and her classmates were in the program.

Now, I think that signing Scarborough and Gibson may advance the competitive level of the program another notch. Certainly, this group is starting at a higher level than the previous group. Competing in the Big 12 is difficult, and my theory may not survive the next few weeks, but for now, I think that when we play our best we can compete with anyone in the Big 12 (including tu with Cat on the mound),and that this group of freshmen is going to provide a lot of fun for those who follow the softball program over the next 4 years.

We've definitely faced competition as good as the Big12 so far. We've got great bats this year and some great arms on the mound. The Big12 race will really be exciting this year and I expect us to be in the thick of it.

BCS - first of all the talent was barren when evans arrived at A&M. After sitting at the top of the pack for years, Brock got passed up by all the other programs. Evans got the job because she coached Utah to two W.S. appearances in four years, including knocking Brock's A&M team off in the regional in C.S.

Secondly, the Aggies have faced the same opponents and played in the same tournaments this season that the other Big 12 teams have. Including posting a win over No. 1 Cal the day after the Bears knocked off Cat and Texas. tu, OU, Baylor have played the Houstons, SFA's, TX State's and otehr perrenial regional patsys.

Granted, the Aggies haven't made it to the W.S. under Evans but they have been to the regional finals two of the last three years and with far less talented teams thant he one they are fielding this season. this freshman class is for real and has boosted the level of this team significantly.

That being said, the Big 12 is probably the hottest and best conference in the nation so far this year. They have posted wins over Arizona and Cal as well as dominating the tournaments in which they have played. A&M had the best record at the Palm Springs Classic (4-1), OU has won 28 straight games, BU and OK State shared the titel a the NFCA tourney last week and Texas knocked off No. 1 Arizona yesterday. That is not to mention Nebraska and Missouri who are also ranked in the top 20.

It is going to be a very interesting and very competitive season in the Big 12.

Lets sit back and enjoy the season as we support our No. 10 Texas A&M softball team.

We are tied with Baylor at #7 now. Texas is #4 and OU is #9

We have an excellent non-conference record (28-2) against a fairly weak schedule. Out of 30 games, only three were against quality teams – California, Washington, and Long Beach State.

Ten of our next 19 games are against Top 25 teams. We will soon find out if playing games against so many weak teams prepared us for games against the strong Big 12 competition.

tonight is A&M (28-2) @ Baylor (29-3). Should be a good game, Baylor has shown they are also one of the best teams in the nation.

well, we stomped Baylor, 7-1

Scarborough pitched a 3-hitter, gave up one run, and hit two bombs

That's what I call an all-around effort

Just swept Nebraska; 3-0 in the Big 12. The three games we've won in conference were the only three games we lost last year in conference, great start.

"The great are great to us only because we are on our knees. Let us rise."
--Robert Collier

We're 6 now...hope to be in top 5 next week if we keep going.

Scarborough is on her way to being the national freshman of the year. I'm not even an A&M fan, but what she's doing is amazing. She's not only 19-0 in the circle, but she's hitting .424 with 37 rbi's and 8 homeruns. Aggies have one hell of a team this year, I think the best in the Big 12.

I never say much about our softball team but my wife and I attend nearly all the home games and some games on the road far I do not remember how long but a while. I am not calling out any one but there has been what appears to be bitter and personal hits on Coach Jo Evans. I guess it matters nothing but if you are indeed an Aggie as you claim you are hurting the team and our recruiting with these ugly remarks. They won on the road yesterday in Kansas by a significant margin. They might lose today but I do not think so but if they do the season is far from over. This week we get to play tu and the cat in Austin which should be a good game. This Aggie team is mostly freshmen and sophs and we have three super recruits coming this fall. Lets drop the ugly remarks and support our coaches and team.

BJS is getting owned by Evans.

The SWEEP against ISU should help

RBM....not ready to do a 180 yet...but may have to. Still, 2 winning season outta 8 isn't that good...time will tell. Win the conference and I'll eat my words...literally! Win a NC...and I'll never say anything bad about her again.

each team steadily getting better and arriving with a bare cabinet. Yeah Evans isnt any good. With tu starting a varsity program and bringing in the big names, it makes the job alot harder. Not to mention the Big 12 aint exactly cupcake, no what I mean Verne.