It was a really good crowd on hand for the game. And it all just seemed lethargic. The team looked like they were just going through the motions to get the game over with, the fans were not in the game at all, and overall it was just not great.
I heard a couple parents say to each other “I really wish this season would be over” or something to that effect. Mickey Dean has lost the support of the parents and possibly the players.
I saw a few heads in hands in the dugout, and student athletes that looked like they would rather be any place but the softball field. For young women recruited to Auburn to play softball, they should love the softball field. But the culture of the program right now has made everything go bland.
You know it’s bad when UTs fans cheers are louder than ours at our own field. The fans are only showing up to either A. Support their kid/relative, B. Are Auburn to the core, or C. Only going because they bought the season tickets (like me).
I really hope we make the right hire this offseason, so we can bring the program back to a place people want to be. Whether it’s players, fans, parents, whatever. It should be an exciting thing to go watch Auburn play softball.
Maddie Penta seems to be the only one putting her heart on the field. She’s still fighting for every call, every pitch, every spot. But because of the lack of depth there’s only so much she can do. And her family knows it. Her mom has put on Facebook her opinion and that spoke volumes to me. The one family that supported Dean, no longer does. And that’s huge.
Last point, it seems like Dean hasn’t worked with Lisenby at all on the “hitching.” She hasn’t gotten better, and he continues to play her instead of giving her time to work on the mental block she has. I thought Elkins did a fine job behind the plate last weekend. Give her the shot she deserves.
auburn.rivals.com
