I'll be interested to see how the fall rolls out in regards to pitching. In what is probably the most-important off-season in program history, it is the area that needs the most improvement. Dana Butterfield has left the program along with little used Freshman pitcher Evelyn O'Brien.
Brock returns as a SR, Haegele as a sophomore along with transfer Emmayln Brinka (New Mexico) as the only pitchers on staff with innings at the college level. UM brought in two HS pitchers (Rehbein, Herndon) as well and it remains to be seen how much they'll be able to contribute. Brock is a known quality, but had an uneven 2023 campaign battling over exposure and injury, and looks to rebound. Haegele who showed the most promise of the Freshman in 23, needs to be in the zone more and reduce the walks that plagued many of her starts.
Brinka had a rough 23 season at New Mexico, but should bring the ability to throw innings and is only a sophomore.
The rumor was that Herndon was a bit dinged up at the end of the Montana HS season so I wonder how many innings she'll see this fall. Rehbein had a great HS career in Washington, but as with most true freshmen unless they are truly elite, making that jump to D1 softball on the mound is a pretty big leap.
I'd guess we won't see much of Brock as she is the most proven element, but as much as I have heard is that they expect Haegele to make a big leap, and feel like Brinka can make an immediate impact.