That was a difficult loss for the Auburn Softball team on Saturday afternoon. It is always good for me to take a day before I write about a season ending loss for any Auburn Sports team. I am disappointed like the rest of the "Auburn Family". I did feel that the Auburn pitching was good enough to win, but the bats just did not produce at the right time. As a former baseball player and volunteer softball coach, you just have days that you do not play as well in the field or make solid contact with the ball at the plate. Auburn Softball just had two of those days. I really feel that they were the better team, but the Oklahoma Softball team just happened to play a little better on Friday and Saturday afternoon. I congratulate all of the players on this Auburn Softball team for their efforts in 2017. It is not easy to make it through an SEC Softball schedule and play for a spot in the World Series in Oklahoma City.
Auburn Softball did sign the nation’s number 2 recruiting
class for the 2018 softball season. Here is a list of the players that will be coming to Auburn this Fall. I expect some of these ladies will be at the opening practice in August.
1) Kara Bilodeau P Cumming, Ga./South Forsyth
2) Makenna Dowell SS Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett
3) Chardonnay Harris P Oak Park, Ill./Oak Park and River
Forest
4) Mackenzie Nutt 2B SS Madison, Al./Sparkman
5) Jenna Olszewski OF Hoover, Ala./Spain Park
6) Livy Schiele OF Bonita, Calif./The Bishop’s
7) Taylon Snow SS Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills
8) Abby Tissier C Hoover, Ala./Hoover
Taylon Snow is a .504 hitter and a 3 time HS All-American. Taylon may be the best HS recruit in the USA for this signing class. Haley Fagan and Kasey Cooper have graduated and Taylon Snow, Makenna Dowell and Mackenzie Nutt will shore up the infield line up. I think that Taylon Snow will be the starting short stop next season and Makenna Dowell or Mackenzie Nutt could win the third base position.
Auburn will be solid at the pitching position in 2018. Kaylee Carlson, Makayla Martin and Ashlee Swindle will return and they will be joined by Kara Bilodeau and Chardonnay Harris. Harris is a lefty and was the 2016 Illinois player of the year. Bilodeau is a hard throwing right handed pitcher and will be playing for the Canadian Junior National Team this summer.
Abby Tissier will back up Carlee Wallace and Courtney Shea at the catcher position. I look for her to be moved into the starting position after Carlee graduates. She has a great bat with a .349 batting average in HS.
Two good outfielders will be coming on board next season. Jenna Olszewski is an all State player for Spain Park in Hoover, Alabama. Livy Schiele hails from Bonita, California and holds 7 HS records in hitting (.589 batting average).
I only hope that Clint Myers continue to coach this Auburn Softball team. He has completely turned this team around. I can remember the days prior to his hire when no one seemed to care about the program and there were only a few people in the stands. Also, Auburn was expected to lose to their in state rival. I am sure that Jay Jacobs will be meeting with him next week to discuss the future of Auburn Softball.
I do look forward to watching these girls play next season and I do feel that Auburn will be in contention once again for a spot in Oklahoma City.
