LONG post so I apologize in advance. Long time lurker on the BI boards but new to posting about softball. I've thought long and hard about what I would say because I have close ties to the program in a few different ways - I help coach in the Corona Angels organization (so I know Marty Tyson and his players as well as Tori Tyson very well) and a daughter that played softball at Cal. I'm Cal alum so I have a decent understanding of Cal as a whole and, through my daughter, the unique challenges the university presents to student-athletes. I'm trying to not come off as a disgruntled parent my daughter played quite a bit. I merely want to try to provide some additional thoughts and context on what's going on with the softball program.
To make it relevant to this thread, as it relates to Coach Spencer stepping down, I suspect that some of you may have heard rumblings of what was going on (CF, BearinOC and others). Without saying too much, there were absolutely some things going on within the team that should not be which, quite frankly IMHO, deserved and necessitated a change in head coach. I think that there were issues at all levels from coaches to even players to some extent.
Coach Spencer was a great player enthusiastic, aggressive, confident (to the point of arrogant), and with a swagger. She coached like she played IMO. That includes perhaps sending runners when maybe she shouldn't have. But I would rather that than someone who is too conversative and doesn't take any risks. I agree that there are times to take risks and there are times to not and I think that's what Coach Spencer was still learning. You may not believe it, but she did tone it down a little this last year (but I don't have data to back me up on it). Some of the running errors were on the players (missed signs, mental errors, etc)… However, while I was hopeful, it appears that she was still not quite ready for a head coaching position at a place like Cal as much as I wanted her to be. BTW, Coach Spencer wasn't the only issue as it relates to the coaches.
For who would replace her, there are a lot of great talented coaches out there. I know I'm biased, but Tori is a great coach cut from similar cloth as her dad. She knows the game well, understands how to build culture (as she did at Howard), and gets the most of her players. I'm not sure if she would be interested quite frankly, but who knows. Similarly, I'm not sure if Stacey Nuveman-Deniz would be interested either. It's my understanding that her husband works in the SD area and that's partly why she has been at SDSU for so long. But, if she's interested, she would be great! BTW, @ccajon2, Cellura signed with LSU already she had been in the portal. Gina Carbanotto would be interesting as mentioned, she's helped turn around the Santa Clara program. Agree with BearinOC that it would be highly unlikely that Courtney Deifel would leave Arkansas for Cal. And without saying much more, I would not try to get Telesco… Regardless, the next coach should hopefully be someone with decent Cal or at least Bay Area ties (for longevity), who can recruit and is aggressive (at least on offense to put pressure on the defense). I would posit that while it would be good to get a name like Valerie Arioto, just being a great player doesn't necessarily translate to being a great or even a good coach. Still possible but not an automatic… I leave it to others to suggest other possible candidates.
For our players who left, most, if not all were a result of the aforementioned chaos. Most were leaving to get away from the chaos. Others who left contributed to it. Just in case it wasn't known, Ashanti McDade is going to Univ of Louisiana Monroe, Lagi Quiroga to Texas Tech, Miranda De Nava to Cal Baptist University, Tianna Bell to Arkansas (joined by her travel ball teammate Dakota Kennedy), Elon Butler to Oregon, Anna Reimers to Utah (as grad transfer), Holly Medina to Georgia Tech, Kaylee Pond to ASU and Nailyn Marshall to Iowa (presumably following the former Fresno State coach). Also, unfortunately, with the coaching change, the portal opens up for our players again - I'm hearing as-of-now unsubstantiated rumors of a few other players now entering...
As for recruiting softball players, I would caution those here on this board to lean too much into high school numbers and stats. I tend to see many posts of how recruits did in HS ball. They are fun to look at (and, often, the only stats readily available), but, in the end, they rarely mean much and often do not translate well to the college game. Instead, I would encourage folks to see how the players do against the top organizations/teams. OR how they do against HS players going to the top colleges. So what if someone can go 4-4 with 4 HRs against a team ? How did they do against the top teams like Batbusters Stith or Texas Bombers? That will give you a better indicator of chances for success at the collegiate level. I know I'm biased here, but there's a reason that so many former Corona Angels players (most recently Mika Lee, Elon Butler, Alyssa Herrera, Candace Yingling, Amani Bradley, Jazmyn Jackson, Kylie Reed, Khala Taylor, Alleah Laxamana, and many others like Brittany LaRosa) do well in college even All-Americans. They're used to being on teams with big rosters (many travel ball teams carry 13-15 ensuring that everyone plays no matter what Marty carries 20-25 playing time is earned like it is in college). The common trait they have is that they all know how to compete against the top teams as well as within the team to get in the starting lineup. They also know how to grind. And they know the game so well because that's what Marty Tyson teaches them! And there are many great travel ball organizations out there from Bay Area: Sorcerers, Warriors Academy, Lady Magic, Cal Nuggets. Others like Batbusters (specifically Stith, Maroon, Gomes), Firecrackers Rico/Brashear and many others around the country.
But it's such a different game now with NIL. You'd like for players to stay out of loyalty. However, if you were 18-22 years old and given the opportunity to make 5- or 6- (or very rarely 7-) digit sums of money, it would be VERY hard to pass up since there is not much money to be made in professional softball (yet hopefully). This is potentially life-altering money! And, with some of the roster limits coming up (although, it doesn't, in general, affect softball programs that much), I know that some teams will ask players to leave the program to make roster space not so with Cal (at least not recently). I hate what's currently going on with the transfer portal but I understand it with the rules that they are and the money that can be made. I don't know what, but something should change. Student-athletes are essentially entering free agency every year potentially. IMO, there's something fishy going on at Texas Tech for example with all of their signees, but that's a different post potentially…
I remain hopeful for reasons that have been mentioned new stadium, location, Cal degree. However, unfortunately, many HS (and even some college) athletes and parents do not see it that way… Prior to Coach Spencer stepping down, I would have hesitated recommending players go to Cal (and that just kills me as an alum). Now, there's hope with a fresh start… Go Bears!!
