Spazsdad wrote:Is it to late for UCLA to recruit pitching? Carda does not appear to be the answer this year.
A few thoughts on the Carda situation -
What year did she verbal? was she a sophomore at the time?
If she was an early verbal and doesn't work out, might her case and others like her lead college coaches to re-evaluate the early verbal process? It seems the top pitchers in 12u aren't always the same top pitchers in 16u, some fall out and others come up, and the same thing happens from 16 to college. If colleges start recruiting their pitchers in 14s they are only asking for trouble. IMO
Not sure if she was meant to be the answer as a freshman. If Macon isn't hurt, it takes a lot of pressure off Carda. They also have Rodino (Jr) and Hall (So), so it's not like KIP was sitting back waiting for Carda to show up and save UCLA softball. If Macon is done and Rodino doesn't have it, then Hall has to be the one stepping up here. If she can't and it does fall to Carda, it might be rough season. On the other hand, it should make Carda stronger going forward.
Not sure if any P is recruited with the idea that they will take over as #1 in college as a frosh. Generally speaking most coaches would probably prefer an older pitcher as #1 and bring the younger pitcher along without that level of pressure. Some kids step into the #1 role but it's asking a lot of a freshman to put a top 10 (25?) team on her back.
On the other hand, as coaches recruit younger and younger, they will "miss" more often on their recruits, and end up looking earlier toward who they have coming in next year to bolster the staff. This will likely hold true across all positions, but most pronounced at P.
It's too early to really give up on anybody, unless they have been destroyed every time out, which is hardly the case with Carda. She will likely improve as the season progresses, and what matters is where she is at come May/June. By then February will be a distant memory. There is plenty of time for her to grow into her role.
Ladies, if a man tells you he will fix it, he will fix it. There is no reason to remind him about it every six months.