Here’s the most important thing to know about South Florida softball in 2022: Georgina Corrick is back.
Corrick has put the Bulls program on her back more than a few times in her career, and she remains one of the top pitchers in the nation. The Bulls are looking for their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance in 2022, but need to see some production behind Corrick to be seen as true contenders on a national level.
This summer, the Bulls prioritized shoring up their pitching staff via the transfer portal and added a pair of hurlers. Redshirt freshman Antoninette Hill appeared in all of one game during two seasons at Purdue, but the Bulls’ biggest transfer addition was former East Carolina right-hander Erin Poepping. Poepping won 35 games in four years at ECU, with a 3.33 career ERA and 372 career strikeouts to her credit. Both her win and strikeout totals rank in the top 10 in American conference history.
Poepping’s addition gives the Bulls a true 1-2 pitching punch for the first time in three years. Corrick excels even with a heavy workload, but if Poepping can absorb some of that load and give Corrick a bit more rest, it’s a best-case scenario for head coach Ken Eriksen and Co.
Offensively, things get far more intriguing for USF. The Bulls return zero hitters that ended the 2021 season with a batting average over .300 and lost 50% of their home run producers from last year. True sophomore Josie Foreman is one of two returners who hit three home runs last season. The other of those returners? Corrick, who had eight total hits on the year.
Some of the most influential offensive standouts on the squad departed after last season, with transfers and declining to pursue extended eligibility adding to an already-full senior class’s graduation. To put it simply, the offense is a gigantic question mark for Eriksen’s squad.
Viral sensation Emma Humplik is part of the Bulls’ freshman class; millions of people saw her work with the bat online, and now she’s one of eight freshman newcomers who will face college pitching for the first time this season.
A pair of coaching happenings also stack up as positives for the program: For the first time in the better part of a decade, Eriksen is solely the Bulls’ head coach. After spending his summers and most of 2020 and 2021 balancing his USF role with duties as Team USA head coach, he’s now retired from that position and again focused only on his program in Tampa. Eriksen also added veteran coach Lisa Navas to his staff this offseason. Navas was formerly the North Carolina State head coach and spent the last several years on staff at South Carolina; her veteran voice and experience will be valuable within the program’s coaches room.
Corrick’s continued presence makes keeps the Bulls in any game, regardless of opponent. The addition of Poepping could make Corrick even better by lightening her workload. Where the biggest question marks lie, though, is on the offense. The Bulls need to take advantage of their great pitching and provide run support; if they can accomplish that not-so-small feat, Bulls fans are looking at a squad that could challenge for the American conference title. If not, it’s a team that will be lucky to sniff postseason play.
