Had the same thought. But I think it can be attributed to the lack/type of off season workouts due to Covid. Many teams seem to have the issue. Juarez, OU ace pitcher, really gained weight and her overall performance has declined.
Like all, so proud of the team and Camille Corona. Patiently awaited her time, did not complain, team player.
The following are excerpts from an article in the Statesman last week on MW's defensive philosophy. Hopefully, these 2 Oregon games will temper his thinking. I am sure he values defense, but even more after this weekend.
"Our defense, we still have some issues there," Texas coach Mike White said. "Hopefully we can string hits together and take care of that."
Of the 64 teams that qualified for the postseason, only two have a worse fielding percentage. Only four tournament teams — Mississippi State, Georgia, Alabama State and Kennesaw State -— have committed more errors.
After White was hired three years ago, he told his new players that "I’m about offense." He wanted Texas to grab early leads. That meant placing the best bats in his starting lineup, not the best gloves.
White's message was clear. As former UT infielder Malory Schattle put it, who plays “basically depends on who’s really hitting well that day.”
"I think we've evolved to this combination of best of both. You've got to have some offense, and you've got to have some, obviously, defense," White said. "If say, (third baseman Camille) Corona's not hitting the ball today, I can always bring someone in to pinch-hit for her and then put Corona back in."
Of the 72 teams that have qualified for the past nine Women's College World Series, 36% had a top-10 fielding percentage. Of those 72 teams, 39 had a top-25 defense, 53 recorded top-50 numbers and 65 boasted top-100 fielding percentages. Only LSU, which had the 157th-best fielding percentage in 2016, and an Oregon team coached by White, which was 195th in 2012, ranked outside the top 150.
https://www.hookem.com/sports/