Welcome to Second Guess Tuesday.
Here are the chilly opinions du jour.
- C’mon, Momma Nature, cut the Marshall University softball team some slack.
Considering the Thundering Herd is scheduled to host powerhouse Alabama at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Dot Hicks Field, MU needs some decent weather instead of the blustery conditions we had on Monday.
If the forecast of 66 degrees and sunny holds true, the weather won’t be a factor.
What will be a factor, however, is the pitching of MU ace Sydney Nester. She is No. 8 in the nation with an 0.85 earned run average. Nester also ranks ninth in the country with 168 strikeouts.
In fact, MU hurlers have combined for eight games with 10 or more strikeouts. Nester and Savannah Rice have four apiece.
Then there’s the Herd’s hitting.
Only No. 1 Oklahoma has a better team batting average than the Herd. Marshall is hitting .362, which, obviously, leads the Sun Belt Conference. MU also leads the Sun Belt in ERA (1.30), on-base percentage (.451) and stolen bases (92).
And don’t forget about Marshall’s resident slugger — Autumn Owens. Besides ranking second in the country in home runs (16), she leads the Sun Belt in homers. And her 60 RBI? That has tied the Marshall record for the most in one season.
So there it is.
The stage is set for Marshall vs. Alabama.
I’m rooting for Moms Nature.
- In case anybody is wondering, Grant Wells is still the starting quarterback at Virginia Tech.
If anything, the former Marshall quarterback solidified his status during the Hokies’ spring game last weekend. Wells completed 12 of 18 passes for 148 yards.
Virginia Tech writer Andy Bitter had this to say about the Charleston native: “Grant Wells looked like the incumbent on Saturday, but the quarterback battle will continue on through August. This QB battle is a long way from over.
“If that was a scrimmage in mid- to late-August and a quarterback decision was imminent, yes, Grant Wells is your starter. He looked like a fifth-year passer in the pocket with decent poise, good decision-making and well-placed passes. Results like that matter more the closer you get to the actual games.”
The interesting part is former Baylor quarterback Kyron Drones has enrolled at Tech.
“Drones wasn’t particularly sharp Saturday,” wrote Bitter, “going 7-for-13 for 102 yards. Although he drew the short stick when it came to teams, playing behind a White team offensive line that didn’t give him a clean pocket. Both of his picks were tipped.”
Although the Maroon team routed the White squad, 34-0, second-year coach Brent Pry wasn’t doing handsprings.
“We’re not a good team yet,” he said, “but we look closer to it. We just look better. We do more things ... that a good team does.”
Marshall hosts the Hokies on Sept. 23.
- MU’s Charles Huff allowed his rhetoric to get away from him recently.
During the Sun Belt Conference’s spring practice teleconference last Thursday for head coaches and media, the Herd’s third-year coach spoke about Marshall’s situation at quarterback.
“If we had to play today, Cam [Fancher] would obviously be the starter,” said Huff. “Cole [Pennington] is making progress, but if his last name wasn’t Pennington, I’m not sure everyone would be making it as [big] of a competition as it is.”
Uh-oh.
Herd fans don’t take kindly to criticism of the Penningtons — former great Chad and his son, Cole, who is a redshirt freshman QB at MU. So, it comes as no surprise that Huff’s comment ruffled some feathers in the community.
Now, do I think Huff was taking a shot at the younger Pennington? No. It wasn’t intended to be demeaning or as criticism, but it certainly read that way.
It would behoove Huff to be more careful in the future.
