In The Circle

Before searching for Easter eggs and waiting for that Easter brunch, please tune in to our latest episode of In The Circle. We kick off the show previewing two of the big series this weekend; Oklahoma vs. Texas and Arkansas vs. Kentucky. We hear from Oklahoma Head Coach Patty Gasso and Kentucky Coach Rachel Lawson during their media availability. We also look at some of the other important series in DI Softball. 
 
Afterward, we deep dive into DII as Victor Anderson chats with Cal State San Marcos Head Coach Stef Ewing. This season, the Cougars are one of the best stories, going from 21 wins in the first two seasons and having no softball in 2021 to No. 4 in the NFCA Polls with a fourteen-game winning streak. Coach talks about the building blocks that have led to this historic start and the mindset the Cougars take to keep things in perspective. 
 
Eric comes back to look at some of the critical series going on in DII and a ruling that could impact (positively) this year's championships in Denver. It is a move that has Victor wondering why it took so long and might not have enough time to be put in place.

It's Monday, and you know what that means! It's a brand new edition of In The Circle, and Victor Anderson is running the show (and making sure he's legal with the hosting position). We preview the upcoming Red River Showdown with Texas Softball play-by-play voice Andrew Haynes. He chats with Vic about the Longhorns' recent hot streak, the addition of Hailey Dolcini, what Texas needs to do to pull the upset, and their impending move to the SEC. 

Eric Lopez and Justin McLeod from Extra Innings Softball join Victor to recap a wild weekend, including a breakdown of Sunday's action between Virginia Tech and Florida State. They also recap San Diego State's big Mountain West victory, a possible new leader in the West Coast Conference, Stanford's season-defining victory, and much more. Also, Eric mentions the one thing that might be holding back the Pac-12, and it has nothing to do with anything on the field. 

It's Thursday, and you know what that means!

It means a new edition of In The Circle, and the theme for today's episode is Bracketology. Eric Lopez chats with Justin McLeod from Extra Inning Softball about ELo's latest Bracketology. They talk about how last week's results impacted the national seeding landscape, who's in, who's out, and who's in the mix to host. 

Afterward, Victor Anderson and Eric chat about Florida State's win at Florida Wednesday night and how that can impact who is seeded higher in May. Eric then grills Victor about his first mock regional rankings, debuting on our latest #D2Tuesday. 

Our tribute to the late, great Joan Joyce continues on the newest edition of In The Circle. Eric Lopez chats with MLB.com writer Matt Monagan about his feature on Joan Joyce as he explored her great athletic career, including playing in the LPGA. He also mentions her other exploits, as well as facing Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, and more. 
 
Victor Anderson and Eric then preview the upcoming weekend in college softball, including a pivotal series in the Mountain West, a marquee non-conference series in Orlando, and more. The guys then go off-script and preview Wrestlemania with some comparisons with WWE Superstars and college softball.

Today's episode kicks off with our tribute to legendary FAU Head Coach Joan Joyce, who suddenly passed away Saturday night. We reflect on her legacy to the game and hear from several coaches, including Tim Walton and Beth Torina. Victor Anderson shared his time following Coach Joyce when UCF battled FAU in the ASUN from 2002 to 2005. 

We press forward as Coach would want by chatting with the voice of the reigning National Champion Oklahoma Sooners, Chris Plank. He looks back at OU's dramatic victory Sunday versus Baylor to remain undefeated, following Jocelyn Alo's pursuit of history and all things Oklahoma Softball. 

The guys then recap the weekend in college softball, including UCLA sweeping Washington, UCF besting the Bulls in Tampa, and Victor had some words for social media trolls. This episode slaps harder than Will Smith at the Oscars. 

It's time to kick off conference play in the American and B1G Ten this weekend, and we break it all down on the latest edition of In The Circle. We first head up I-4 to Tampa, where we chat with USF ESPN+ announcer Ryan Urquhart who'll be calling UCF-USF this weekend. Ryan shares his keys for the series, the Bulls season, and Queen Georgina. 

We head to the B1G Ten and our conversation with Nebraska Softball play-by-play voice Nate Rohr who'll be in Ann Arbor watching the Huskers battle Michigan. He looks at the league heading into the opening weekend of conference play, and a surprise guest appears in the interview. 

We wrap up with a look at some of the other critical series in college softball, including a huge series with UCLA and Washington. 

It's Monday. You know what that means. It means a new edition of In The Circle with plenty to talk about. We recap a wild opening weekend in the Pac-12, including Cal's series win over No. 7 Washington plus a UCLA Bruin during something that hadn't been done since 1988. We also will hear from the nation's leader in RBIs, UCF's Jada Cody, as the Knights ran their winning streak to 15 straight after sweeping Furman. 

Then, Eric Lopez chats with former All-Big Ten Performer Ashley Burkhardt. The host of When The Cleats Come Off shares her journey into softball, her stellar career at Purdue, what led her into hosting her podcast and following her sister, Kristina, at Michigan. 

It's Thursday, and you know what that means. It means a new edition of In The Circle with plenty of Stanford flavor. First, Eric Lopez talks with Stanford Head Coach Jessica Allister about the Cardinal 18-4 start to their season as they head into a huge tournament at Mizzou this weekend. Coach also shares what it was like seeing her pitching staff throw three consecutive no-hitters, including a perfect game. She also talks about the Pac-12 Tournament in 2023, her former teammate Jessica Mendoza and more.
 
We also look at the opening weekend of Pac-12 play with Pac-12 Network Analyst Jenna Becerra as we breakdown some of the storylines this weekend. Jenna also shares her keys to the Cal-Washington series she'll be covering this weekend on the Pac-12 Network. 
 
The episode wraps up with thoughts on Wednesday's action, including Florida State's victory, UT-Arlington's upset of Oklahoma State, and Georgia Tech dominating Georgia in Atlanta.