HonkEm

Player of the year: Lorelei Gamble The junior catcher from Dripping Springs bashed 23 home runs this season, making her one of the top power hitters in the country — the Texas Longhorns commit led the nation in homers for half the season. She earned District 26-6A MVP honors after hitting .574 with 60 RBIs, 12 doubles and four triples along with her homers. She also scored 34 runs and was walked intentionally 30 times. Player of the year finalists: Weiss INF Jordynn Booe, Leander OF Rachel Grundei, Smithville P Addison Otto, Hutto INF Kaelyn Price May be behind a paywall, but will post the AAS link anyway https://www.statesman.com/sports/high-school/softball/article/high-school-softball-2026-all-central-texas-team-22295644.php

Thanks for posting - That interview was exactly what you want to hear....a kid who’s locked in, a mom who actually understands the process, and a family that clearly isn’t here for drama. Kaden talks like someone who expects to compete from day one. If this is the tone‑setter for next year, White’s about to have a whole roster full of killers

At this point I think we need a HI historian on staff. I’ve lost track

Happy Father’s Day to the OTF crew .... the only place where we celebrate dads, birthdays, and silent commits all in the same thread. Hope everyone has a great one. Hook ’em

A HI and a hippy fathers day? Brother, that’s elite dual‑threat posting ----If the commit is as peaceful as that greeting, we’re landing a monk 😀

Thks for posting this...don't watch too much baseball, but one of my questions was>>>>was Tinney a liability behind the plate? He seemed to make a lot of errors in some of the games i've watched. This guy seems pretty good on defense.

My brother in Christ, we’re trying to talk football and softball. You showed up with goggles.

Did you see his share on this one....that was a thriller https://x.com/CureBore/status/1688264033764356096/video/1

Pulisic out today

This article says it all......OU SUCKS https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/texas-is-pulling-off-what-patty-gasso-could-only-dream-of-in-softball-transfer-portal/ar-AA25TqBn?ocid=winp2fptaskbar&cvid=6a3420dfbef54911bf28aeb161af66bd&ei=12

You’re not off base - that’s basically the tension here, even if the details are more complicated.

Well said.....this has actually been a really good back‑and‑forth. And you’re right that the SEC/B1G didn’t win the early rounds. The smaller‑school bloc was organized, Campbell had momentum, and the anti‑expansion and pooling language surviving mark‑up shows that the power leagues underestimated how fast this thing could move. But I don’t think that means the SEC/B1G are “too late” or that today’s version is anywhere close to the final outcome. Committee wins are the easiest wins in the entire process. The real pressure points - full Senate, House, amendments, reconciliation, and the courts - are still ahead, and that’s where the two power conferences have the most leverage. So yeah, fair point on the early scoreboard. But the part that actually decides this hasn’t happened yet, and that’s where the SEC and Big Ten finally engaging will matter a lot more than what survived mark‑up this morning.

This has actually turned into a really good conversation, and I appreciate everyone bringing different angles to it. The only thing I’d add is that mark‑up and committee movement don’t really change the bigger picture. Bills get rewritten, amended, gutted, and reshaped all the way through the process - today’s version isn’t tomorrow’s version, and it’s definitely not the final version. The SEC/B1G statement wasn’t meant to stop a committee mark‑up; it was meant to influence everything that comes after it. And that’s where the real leverage gets applied. So yeah, Campbell got his language into the committee draft this morning, but the real fight is still ahead, not behind.

Mark‑up isn’t “the rules are written and it’s over.” Mark‑up is literally where Senators throw amendments at a wall to see what sticks. Committees pass stuff out all the time that never survives contact with the full Senate, much less the House. Calling this a “slapdown” of the SEC/B1G is just reading way too much into a procedural step. And let’s not pretend the smaller‑school bloc suddenly won the war because they got their language into a committee version. The real fight starts when the full Senate, the House, and the courts get involved - and that’s where the SEC and Big Ten have the most leverage. This joint statement wasn’t meant to stop mark‑up; it was meant to influence everything after mark‑up, which is where the actual outcome gets decided. So sure, Campbell got his language into the draft this morning. But acting like that’s the final word is misunderstanding how federal legislation works. The heavyweights just entered the ring - the match hasn’t even started yet.

The “scoreboard” only matters when you’re looking at the final score, not the first quarter. Getting a bill through committee isn’t the finish line - it’s the easiest part of the process. Congress moves at the speed of erosion, and nothing about this bill is anywhere close to inevitable. The SEC/B1G didn’t miss the threat; they misjudged how seriously the smaller‑school bloc would push it. That’s why they’re stepping in now. And when the two richest, most powerful conferences in the country decide to engage, the dynamic changes fast. Committee momentum doesn’t mean much once the heavyweights start throwing their weight around. So yeah, Campbell got his early win. But the part that actually matters - the part where legislation has to survive the House, the Senate, amendments, markups, floor votes, and the courts - hasn’t even started. And that’s where the SEC and Big Ten have the most leverage

I get the frustration, but blaming Sankey for “not leading” here is missing the point. The SEC and Big Ten aren’t losing because Sankey is asleep - they’re losing because the smaller‑school coalition has been organizing for months while the two power leagues assumed Congress would never take the bill seriously. That’s why this joint statement exists in the first place: it’s the wake‑up call. And let’s be real: Sankey’s job isn’t to throw out wild proposals just to look busy. His job is to protect the SEC’s leverage, and the fastest way to lose leverage is to negotiate against yourself in public. The Big Ten floated the 24‑team playoff because they need it. The SEC didn’t, so they didn’t. Cody Campbell buying influence doesn’t mean the bill is suddenly inevitable. It just means the SEC/B1G finally realized they can’t sit back and assume the smaller schools won’t get their way. This statement is them stepping into the fight - not getting buried by it

I think folks are reading way too much into this. The SEC and Big Ten didn’t put this out because the bill is “definitely passing,” and they didn’t put it out because they’re about to secede tomorrow morning. They put it out because they finally realized the smaller‑school coalition has been running circles around them in the legislative process, and this is their way of saying, “We’re not letting you write the rules without us anymore.” There’s nothing in the public record showing a new version of the bill or a new statement today - So until something official drops, all we really know is that the two power conferences are trying to flex before anything gets locked in. The politics, the antitrust talk, the Cruz/Campbell stuff - that’s all noise here. The only thing that matters is whether Congress wants to protect the small schools or let the market keep splitting. And right now, nobody in DC has shown they can get anything across the finish line. So yeah, it’s worth paying attention to, but let’s not act like this is the Treaty of Versailles. It’s just the SEC and Big Ten reminding everyone they’re still the adults in the room.

Pickering to Tech https://www.si.com/onsi/softball/transfer-portal/texas-tech-signs-all-american-transfer-from-oklahoma-continues-portal-haul-2026-kasidi-pickering

Talked about this in another thread There are definitely some rumblings that Cal might not renew Singleton, and it actually lines up with their normal timeline. Cal does their postseason evaluation meetings in late May–June, and that’s when the AD decides whether to extend, roll over, or move on. That window is happening right now. After that, Cal usually goes quiet until early July. Their pattern is pretty simple: If they’re renewing >>> it’s usually announced by early July If they’re not renewing >>> it leaks or gets announced before July 1 If there’s silence into early July >>> he’s basically staying That’s why these rumors matter. If Cal decides not to renew, Singleton instantly becomes a realistic option to return to Texas. He loved working for White, and as i said in the other thread, White trusted him more than almost any assistant he’s had. If he hits the market, he’d be at or near the top of Texas’ list. So the next two weeks are the window. If Cal makes a move, it’ll happen before July 1. If they don’t, the door closes and he stays put. That's why i don't thnk we will hear anything about assistant coach hires till then....Could be totally wrong and off-base on all this. Was just a thought.

Wait till July 1st

Willing to bet Harrison is pitching well