Is it because of good graduation rates? The one time WCWS appearance? I just can't figure it out.

First - a disclaimer. I have had a personal dislike of Thomas since he ridiculed my daughter at a camp in Richmond. After reading VTChip's experience below, maybe my personal dislike is misplaced. My daughter was not interested in VT since they don't offer the program major she was looking for, so this is not a personal vendetta for being spurned in recruiting.

Being a VT grad, and having a softball playing daughter, I have followed VT softball for probably the last 8 years or so. I was the hitting coach for her team for four years, and learned how to coach the craft from many former and active college coaches. Our team won two Class A state titles, and placed in the top 8 in three national events. Additionally, 4 of our 9 players are playing D1 ball. Not bragging, but just trying to give a context to my comments below.

I haven't watched much VT softball this year, but have followed the team and pulled out a game off of ESPN3 archives to watch prior to writing this to make sure I was accurate with my analysis. Turns out the same things that have plagued VT for the last 8 years continue to do so, and it all falls in the lap of Thomas.

1. Defensive lapses. Scot subsribes to the theory that middle infielders can be converted to outfielders since they are typically the most athletic kids on their teams. This theory costs the Hokies runs in game after game. In the game I watched, the left fielder misplayed two balls into hits, and one directly led to a run.

2. Poor fundamentals: The Hokies are routinely out of position on relays, and on other plays. In the game I watched, a runner went from first to third on an infield hit, and again on a bunt later in the game. That is just unacceptable and can be prevented with just a little coaching about leaving bases uncovered. Yet something similar happens in nearly every VT game I have ever watched.

3. Hitting philosophy. Thomas recruits too many players with big long swings that are just not effective against good pitching. To compound it, he parks them in the back of the box giving them NO chance against good movement. This is what led to the problem my daughter had with him at the camp, when he told her to move to the back of the box. When she tried to explain why she is at the front, of the box, he ridiculed her. It's simple really, and if you watch the good teams nearly all of their players stand in the front (with the exception of slappers of course). Softball pitches are designed to start in the zone, and break out of the zone to induce a weak hit or a swing and miss. Being in the front allows you to shrink the strike zone, and catch the pitches before they are hitting their maximum break, whereas being in the back does just the opposite. In order to be successful, you need a short quick swing, generating power from the legs, not swing length. The Hokies DO have a few players with that short quick stroke, and in fact they are the ones leading the team in hitting. But they could do even better if they were allowed to be in the front of the box.

4. Pitching - this is sure to generate a few down votes as Angela Tincher is one of the most beloved athletes in VT history. She in fact was wonderful to my daughter on two meetings. And I don't really know that much about her coaching, just that the team can't seem to ever develop more than one pitcher at a time. This is more a statement about the Tincher pitching coaching method, which I assume she learned from her dad. I have seen girls in camps break down in tears because they can't do what he demands, and is so different from what their other coaches were teaching. I have watched two other pitchers personally, big girls with a lot of potential, lose a lot of velocity after being coached by Denny Tincher. Their spins DO improve, but they lose so much speed in the process that their overall effectiveness decreases. The teaching definitely works with some girls, but does not appear to be right for most. That could be why we can't seem to ever have more than one pitcher.

In my opinion, VT has so much to offer as a softball program that it is just a sin that it continues to underperform year after year under Scot Thomas. I heard one of the announcers mention that one player, a junior, had steadily declined in production like a lot of other girls seem to do at VT. If that isn't a damning statement about the coaching there, I don't know what is. Softball is becoming THE marquee college spring sport on television. The game is much more fast paced and exciting then college baseball slugfests, and is played at nearly every school in the country. It is time for the Hokies to find a coach who can take advantage of all VT has to offer and build a top 20 program.